They’re tart, tangy, sweet, and scream Thanksgiving. From pies to crisps to crumbles to cakes, these juicy berries are a festive addition to all the classic sweets. In my household, crumbly cranberry crisp is our go-to tradition. But sometimes, it’s fun to start a new one! Chocolate-covered cranberries are great for when you need a sweet nibble. Then, there’s a no-bake cranberry pie for when the oven is full. And who doesn’t love a batch of white chocolate chip cookies speckled with cranberries? Whatever Thanksgiving cranberry dessert you choose, the family will be delighted.
1. Cranberry Crisp
Cranberry crisp is hands-down one of my favorite holiday desserts. It’s sweet, tart, and has the most delightful crumbly topping. Plus, it’s ridiculously easy to make. You pour homemade cranberry sauce into a baking dish, sprinkle it with the topping, and bake it. It’s been a tradition in my house to pour a little heavy whipping cream over the top. But there’s no denying it’s exquisite when served a la mode.
2. Holiday Cranberry Cake
Looking for a gift to pass out this holiday? Holiday cranberry cake is perfect for just that! It’s tender, moist, and dotted with juicy bites of cranberries. It also comes with an optional pecan topping that tastes divine. You can bake it in a muffin pan or make adorable mini loaf cakes. Your friends and family will be excited either way.
3. Cranberry Fluff
Have a little nibble of dessert before your feast with this sweet treat. I mean, it is Thanksgiving, so it’s okay to indulge before dinner, right? Sweet, fruity, tarty, and creamy, cranberry fluff is the perfect Thanksgiving dip. And I do mean perfect because it only calls for four ingredients and it’s no-bake. For the dippers, offer an assortment of salty pretzels and honey graham crackers.
4. Cranberry Apple Crumble
I know not everyone is crazy about pie. But I don’t think there is a soul out there that can resist this crumble! It ditches pie crust for a lovely crumbly oat topping. Pierce it with a fork to unveil the sweet, tart filling oozing with baked apples and cranberries. Super easy and beginner-friendly, it’s an excellent choice for novices and seasoned home chefs alike.
5. Cranberry Pecan Squares
Trying to figure out how to turn a bag of frozen cranberries into a decadent dessert? These squares are your answer. You’ll love the nutty crunch of pecans and the tart burst of cranberries. Serve them with ice cream for the ultimate treat.
6. Cranberry Pie (Nantucket Pie)
All these cranberry desserts have got me thinking about Nantucket pie. It’s sort of like a cross between a pie, cobbler, and cake. While the texture blurs some boundaries, one thing is for sure, it’s full of cranberries! Plus, the ingredients couldn’t be more straightforward. Considering all the dishes you’re making, it’s a blessing.
7. Cranberry Orange Cheesecake
Nothing will dazzle your guest quite like this whimsical cheesecake. Zesty, sweet, creamy, and tart, it has a bunch of bright flavors to finish off Thanksgiving dinner. Your guests will love the cranberry swirls, orange cream cheese filling, and graham cracker crust to match. I admit it’s a little bit of a labor of love, but it’s Thanksgiving!
8. Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
If baking a labor-intensive cheesecake is not in the cards, turn it into bars instead. The gingersnap cookie crust is a genius touch. And I haven’t even gotten into the main part! The cream cheese filling as well as the cranberry topping both get spiked with a splash of Grand Marnier. Be sure you bake enough to go around. Nobody will want to miss out on this!
9. Cranberry Trifle
Watch out turkey, this cranberry trifle just might steal the show! This elegant dessert draws attention with its layers of deliciousness. There’s vanilla custard, cinnamony cranberry sauce, and fluffy white cake to soak it all up. The only way to finish it off is with sugar-coated cranberries and whipped cream.
10. Cranberry Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
These adorable cupcakes will bring everyone so much joy! From the vanilla cake to the white chocolate buttercream frosting, everything is made from scratch. Bite in and you’ll find a sweet cranberry surprise! They’re far better than store-bought and the smile on everybody’s face makes them all worth the work.
11. Cranberry Orange Layer Cake
Who doesn’t love cake? This festive treat is what your Thanksgiving needs. The buttermilk cake gets infused with orange juice and zest with a ton of fresh cranberries in between. There’s also a zippy orange cream cheese frosting on top. The bright flavors and oh-so-heavenly texture are remarkably refreshing.
12. No-Bake Cranberry Cream Pie
With the oven full, easy no-bake pies are a Thanksgiving must. This one is perfect for your holiday! It’s a four-ingredient pie that takes only 10 minutes to make! Yes, you heard that right. Creamy, fluffy, and easy, this no-bake pie simply entails throwing everything into a graham cracker crust. And trust me, nobody will care about it being store-bought once they take a bite.
13. Soft-Baked White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Sharing is caring. So whip up a few batches of these cookies and share them with all your friends and family. White chocolate and dried cranberries make them just a little bit more special than classic chocolate chip cookies.
14. Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Nothing builds memories quite like baking cookies. So gather the family and head to the kitchen to bake these. Oatmeal cranberry cookies are a comforting treat the entire family will enjoy. You can have a fresh batch hot out of the oven in 30 minutes. While the recipe doesn’t call for it, you could toss some nuts or chocolate chips into the mix.
15. Cranberry Truffles
I reserve decadent truffles strictly for holidays. And guess what? Thanksgiving is just around the corner! That means it’s time for my favorite cranberry truffles. They have a semisweet chocolate and cranberry ganache that melts in your mouth. Rich, and chocolatey, these are truly an extra special treat.
16. Cranberry Orange Whoopie Pies
These whoopie pies are a nostalgic dessert making a comeback in a big way. The cookie part takes a yellow boxed cake and jazzes it up with orange juice and the zest. Smashed in between is a citrus cream cheese filling with dried cranberries. Kids and adults will both have fun munching on these Thanksgiving treats.
17. Cranberry Bundt Cake
It’s simply not a holiday without a slice of bundt cake. And this one is just about as festive as it gets! The tender cake is rich and buttery with a little zing from the orange zest. Of course, it wouldn’t be a respectable Thanksgiving dessert with some fresh cranberries in there, too. So toss them in the cake and roll them in sugar for the topping.
18. Cranberry Dump Cake
Need a fuss-free Thanksgiving dessert? Cranberry dump cake has come to the rescue. This three-ingredient cake is one of the simplest desserts you can possibly make. Simply dump cranberry sauce into a baking dish, cover it with a boxed cake mix, and top it with butter. The oven handles the rest.
19. Cranberry Cobbler with Brown Sugar Pecan Crust
Do you smell that? There’s a Thanksgiving cobbler wafting from the oven! There’s something about a cozy cobbler that always brings the family together. Maybe it’s the smell, but I think it’s the taste. It’s oozing with juicy cranberries, rich in a buttery cobbler topping, and it’s sweetened with brown sugar-coated pecans.
20. Cranberry Sour Cream Pound Cake
Finish your Thanksgiving dinner on a sweet note with this velvety pound cake. It’s dense, buttery, and moist, giving it that signature pound cake texture. Add a handful of cranberries and bam, it’s Thanksgiving! It does take a while to bake, so you can either make it ahead of time or pop it in the oven right before dinner.
21. Glazed Cranberry Lemon Cake
How does a tender, sweet, bright, and decadent cake sound for Thanksgiving dessert? I thought you might say yes! While Thanksgiving pie is usually routine, sometimes it’s fun to mix things up a bit. And boy, will your guests sure be happy you did. Between the glaze and the lemony cranberry cake, this cranberry dessert is utterly divine.
22. Dark Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
Not a single person at the dinner table will say no to dessert when these blondies get passed around. It’s a Thanksgiving dessert that is seriously to die for! Between the dark chocolate, chewy texture, and dried cranberries, they’re impossible to resist, no matter how full you might be. Do yourself a favor and double up on the batch. You’ll want to freeze some for later when nobody else is around.
23. Cranberry Chocolate Sweet Rolls
These heavenly sweet rolls are a fun baked good you can pass out all November long. They’re great for brunches, potlucks, and best of all, Friendsgiving. They’re a brioche roll that’s super buttery and fluffy, just like every roll should be. But what makes them ideal for the holiday is the sweet swirl of chocolate and cranberries.
24. Chocolate-Covered Cranberries
These chocolate-covered cranberries are perfect for when you want something sweet, but are stuffed. Each tiny morsel gives you a little nibble of something sweet. Plus, you only need two ingredients to make them! With a cranberry dessert this easy, you can keep a candy jar going all season long.
25. Chocolate Cake with Cranberry Buttercream
I know by now you have a lot of incredible options. So I’ll leave you with just one more dazzling Thanksgiving dessert before I go. This decadent chocolate cake! The cake itself is precisely what chocolate cake should be. Rich, moist, and sinfully delicious. But what seals the deal is the festive cranberry buttercream frosting! Click on a star to rate it!
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