30 Pumpkin Desserts for People Who Hate Pumpkin Pie - MyRecipes (2024)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Listen, we love a good pumpkin pie. But, admittedly, the fall classic is not for everyone—and that's OK. Pumpkin makes anythingcozier and more autumnal. Take our Pumpkin Fudge, for example. Or thisPumpkin Bundt Cake With Tahini Glaze. If you're more of a PSL person, you might even want to try our Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes. The point is, these desserts prove that pumpkin shouldn't be limited to pie. Just trust us.

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Pumpkin Cake Recipe

For this festive version of a pumpkin cake, we opted for a "spiced pumpkin" box cake mix, but any box mix will do. Adding powdered sugar to the prepared frosting helps make it thicker and less likely to melt off the cake or get too soft and drippy. It's helpful to use piping bags to get a nicel layer of frosting and then blend together on the pumpkin to get green vines and leaves.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins (enlarged)

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins Recipe

These pumpkin cream cheese muffins were made for the perfect first bite, with a crumbly streusel topping with a melted cream cheese morsel right in the center. The cream cheese filling ensures these pumpkin muffins stay moist and delightful up until the minute they’re devoured—no butter spread necessary. Whether you’re making these for company or to satisfy your own sweet tooth, these pumpkin cream cheese muffins are the perfect treat for fall mornings.

Pumpkin-Spice Magic Cake

Pumpkin-Spice Magic Cake Recipe

If you can't get enough pumpkin spice during fall, we have one more recipe you must try out. For our Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe, we combined silky flan with moist pumpkin spice cake and buttery caramel sauce in one incredible confection. We were inspired by a Mexican dessert called “impossible flan”. While it is not at all difficult to make, our Test Kitchen recommends using a light-colored Bundt pan for the best results. A dark-colored pan may get too hot and overbake the cake.

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Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe

Pumpkin pie and coffee cake's best features unite in this easy dump cake that's perfect for a crowd.

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Pumpkin Mousse Recipe

This Pumpkin Mouse offers light texture and warmflavors, making it a perfect fall dessert.

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Perfect Pumpkin Roll Recipe

A classic pumpkin roll is a work of art. Rich buttercream perfectly complements the earthy-sweet pumpkin in this ideal autumnal treat—add a PSL and you're set.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Even if you're not a huge pumpkin pie fan, it's hard to pass on a slice of this decadent pumpkin cheesecake. Sweet pumpkin is enhanced with warming spices and brown sugar, and perfectly balanced by the smooth, rich tang of cream cheese. Our pumpkin cheesecake recipe is easy to make, but we can almost guarantee, it'll be the first thing to disappear from the dessert table.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes Recipe

Loaded with toasty fall flavors, a batch of these easy PSL cupcakes will have you in sweater weather mode faster than hitting the Starbucks drive-thru.

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Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Recipe

Skip the drive-thru line and enjoy your favorite seasonal Starbucks baked good right in the comfort of your own kitchen. These copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones are the perfect companion to a hot cup of coffee and a brisk fall morning.

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Pumpkin Pasties Recipe

A favorite treat at any magical feast, pumpkin pasties are surprisingly easy to make (even for muggles). We developed two pumpkin-based fillings—one sweet and one savory—for these buttery hand pies, so they’re perfect for serving (alongside a goblet of pumpkinjuice!) at any point during a Harry Potter inspired party. If you’re looking to save a little time and effort, you can certainly opt for prepared, refrigerated pie dough.

Pumpkin Fudge

Pumpkin Fudge Recipe

These sweet little pumpkin fudge squares feature canned pumpkin, white chocolate, and marshmallow creme.

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Leftover Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Recipe

How do you eat leftover pumpkin pie? Straight from the pie pan, with the fridge still half open? Warmed, with a scoop of whatever ice cream you have on hand? But oh dear reader, have you ever thought to combine cold pie and ice cream into one serious milkshake? Well, you should. Here’s how it’s done.

Pumpkin Spice Fudge

Pumpkin Spice Fudge Recipe

We turned the classic pumpkin pie (and the trendiest of fall spice blends) into a tasty confection. Fudge doesn't require the tempering, rolling, and shaping of other made-from-scratch candies. If you don't have a candy thermometer, do the cold water test: Drop a small amount of the cooked sugar mixture in cold water. If it forms a soft ball, the mixture is ready for pouring into the prepared pan.

Salted Caramel Gingerbread Poke Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting image

Salted Caramel Gingerbread Poke Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

The flavors of gingerbread, salted caramel filling, and pumpkin cream cheese frosting marry to become the ultimate fall and holiday poke cake. This cake is a great snack cake or dessert and it's pretty enough to serve to guests. One taste and you're sure to bring this cake to potlucks all season long.

Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins

Sticky-Bun Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Muffin cup capacity will vary depending on pan manufacturer. Yield may increase if smaller muffin cups are used.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

Pumpkin Pie Pudding Recipe

Here's a new twist on an old favorite. Serve Pumpkin Pie Pudding straight out of the slow cooker for a warm and festive fall treat.

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

The pumpkin and spices really shines in these Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes, but feel free to use as much or little of the spice mix as you want.The almond butter gives these naturally sweet pancakes a nutty flavor and a punch of protein and healthy fats.

Pumpkin Pie Cutout Cookies

Pumpkin Pie Cutout Cookies Recipe

Bake the cookies up to five days ahead, and store in an airtight container. To make our wind cookies and leaf cookies, we used round cutters and swirly piping to represent the wind, and various sizes of leaf-shaped cutters for fluttering foliage. For more on decorating cookies, visit southernliving.com/cookietips.

Praline Topping

Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake Recipe

Test Kitchen Professional Pam Lolley combined the flavors of three holiday favorites--pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and cheesecake-- to create this luscious holiday dessert.

Mini Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bites

Vegan Mini Pumpkin Spice Bites Recipe

For a guilt-free, vegan dessert that's sure to get you in the fall spirit, there's no better option than these adorable mini pumpkin spice bites. Encased in a simple walnut-pecan-date crust, the key to this autumnal treat lies in the silken tofu filling. Providing a creamy consistency without affecting flavor, silken tofu is the best kept vegan dessert secret.

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodles Recipe

Perfectly crispy on the outside, while light and fluffy on the inside, these festive, fall treats are your new favorite cookie. Rolled in a chai-spiced sugar mixture, these cookies are basically all of your favorite latte flavors mixed up into one perfect cookie. Best served after a dunk in coffee, if we do say so ourselves.

Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans Recipe

Candied pecans and a rich, buttery icing turn a simple pumpkin Bundt cake into a grand finale dessert. For the smoothest texture and most impressive presentation, make sure the icing is still warm when you spoon it over the cake.

Pumpkin Madeleines

Pumpkin Madeleines Recipe

Make these sweet little cakes throughout the fall. For Halloween, all you need are some edible eyeballs and a bit of black food coloring to turn them into charming pumpkin ghosts. You'll need 2 (12-mold) madeleine pans to make this recipe. Find them at a kitchenware shop or online.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Coffee Glaze Recipe

Full of warming fall flavors, these easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies are just about the perfect after-dinner treat to pair with a cup of coffee. After all, they’re basically everyone’s favorite seasonal latte delivered in cookie form. If you plan to share these pumpkin spice cookies at any sort of fall potluck and nut allergies are a concern, you can certainly leave the ground pecans out of the batter—simply replace them with 1/3 cup more all-purpose flour.

If you’d rather skip the booze in the coffee glaze, try replacing it with 2-3 tablespoons of cold coffee. Or you can opt for a different glaze altogether; the maple glaze used here or this toasty tahini glaze would both work great for these pumpkin cookies.

Hungry for more? Check out our 25 Best Pumpkin Spice Recipes next.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Tahini Glaze

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Tahini Glaze Recipe

What better fall-inspired dessert to make than this tahini-glazedpumpkin bundt cake. A medley of fragrant, ground spices enhancethe rich sweetnessof this incredibly moist bundt cake.Topped with a toasty, perfectlybittersweettahini glaze, this easy to make and comfortingfall dessertis the perfect centerpiece for your next dinner party, Halloween gathering, or special occasion.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter Recipe

Brown butter takes these rich, seasonal pumpkin chocolate chipcookies to the next level, adding a nutty, fragrant flavor that is absolutely perfect for fall. Canned pumpkin puree lends moistureto these fluffy, cake-liketreats while warm chocolate chips fill every bite. Make these for a Halloween party or a fall dinner party, and be sure to store any leftoversin an airtight container.

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Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze Recipe

With a rich, gooey pumpkin spice filling, buttery pecan streusel topping, and maple glaze, this fluffy and moist pumpkin coffee cake is sure to impress. Perfect for any occasion, from your next fall brunch to a Halloween party, this coffee cake is easy to make and full of toasty fall flavors. You can prepare the brown sugar-pecan streusel, the filling, and even the maple glaze in advance to make pulling this cake together even more of a breeze once you’re ready to bake. Simply prepare each element in a bowl, tightly wrap each with plastic wrap, and stash them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. Just be sure to take the glaze out of the refrigerator as soon as you’re ready to start making the pumpkin coffee cake so that it has enough time to return to room temperature, and give it a few stirs to loosen it back up if need be.

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Buttermilk Glaze Recipe

If you’re looking for the perfect fall dessert, let the hunt stop here. This incredibly moist pumpkin pound cake is one of our favorite cakes of all time. Perfect for any fall festivities—Halloween, Thanksgiving, and beyond—this easy pumpkin cake delivers just the right amount ofspice, balanced by the rich tang of buttermilk (in the mouthwatering glaze and the cake itself). A few smart swaps keep this tasty seasonal treat a bit lighter than a traditional pound cake, but you’re not likely to notice enjoying its perfectly sweet flavor and rich texture. Note: Draining the canned pumpkin before mixing it into your batter keeps you from adding too much liquid to the cake, so don't skip on this step.

Pumpkin-Orange Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin-Orange Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

If you're a fan of pumpkin desserts, look no further than thesefestive cookies. Fresh-squeezed orange juice and orange zest givethese naturally colored pumpkin cookiesa bright and crisp edge to compliment the deep fall flavors found in pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The milled flaxseed in this recipe provides a binder in place of usingeggs and also provides some healthy omega-3's.These cookies are gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and caneasily bemade vegan by using vegan chocolate chips, and just as well can also be madenut-free by subbing the almond milk for water or regular milk.

Hibiscus Poached Pears

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze Recipe

We take the classic flavors of pumpkin pie (pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg) and transform them into a tall, moist, tender Bundt cake. Whole-wheat flour enhances the fall flavors without sacrificing the tender crumb. To finish it off: a smooth, shiny bittersweet chocolate glaze that drips into all the nooks and crannies. Look for baking spray (cooking spray with fine flour added), or simply coat the pan with cooking spray, add a tablespoon of flour, and shake gently to coat. If you don't have a Bundt pan, you can bake in two standard loaf pans. Cut the loaves into slices, and drizzle the glaze over each serving.