How To Make Essential Thanksgiving Pies

For many of us, Thanksgiving dinner means lots of planning and preparation; if you've ever hosted the biggest American dinner of the year then you've asked yourself questions like, "what time should I start roasting the turkey?", "should I serve cornbread stuffing or oyster stuffing?", and "who's making the green bean casserole?".  After all that hard work and time spent cooking, it can be tempting to simplify when it comes to dessert; to make a pumpkin pie or two because they're both easy and traditional. But a festive meal calls for a festive finish. And while we all love a classic pumpkin, there are many Thanksgiving pies that simple to make stupendously delicious.

Click here to see the Top 10 Essential Thanksgiving Pies (Slideshow)

One of the keys to a traditional Thanksgiving pie is using seasonal ingredients. Though pumpkin is often the Thanksgiving pie of choice, there is a wide variety of pie-perfect produce available during the fall. Wweet potatoes, acorn squash, and butternut squash all work well in custard pies; if you like pumpkin pie but are looking for some variation, these can be great choices.

Traditional apple pie can be re-imagined too; try adding tart cranberries or creamy caramel, or trading the apples for juicy pears.  

A good crust is essential for each of these pies. If you're looking to save time, store-bought crusts are always an option. Homemade crusts are simple to make, though, especially if you use a food processor to blend the dough, which can be done in advance and kept frozen. Aside from the classic pie crust, vegan pie crust and graham cracker crust are equally simple to make. If you're looking for a refresher on pie-making, click here to see our Ultimate Guide to Pie.

Whether you're looking to stick with the classics like pumpkin or apple pie, or think that it's time to switch up the holiday routine with a new pie, we've got your Thanksgiving menu covered.

Sweet Potato Pie

(Credit: Food Network)
Sweet potato pie can make its way onto the dining table at any point throughout the meal. As a side dish, the sweetness balances out the rest of the savory goods around the table, and guests will love the switch from pumpkin on the dessert table. Click here to see the recipe.

Butternut Pie

(Credit: Flickr/mt65481)
Roasted and pureed, butternut squash becomes slightly sweet and is the perfect base for an autumn dessert. Click here to see the recipe.

Click here to see more Essential Thanksgiving Pie Recipes

Julie Ruggirello is the Recipe Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @TDMRecipeEditor.