50 Thanksgiving Cupcake Recipes Starring Turkeys, Mini Pumpkin Pie Slices and Lots of Pilgrim Flair

Move over pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving cupcakes are here! These adorable autumnal treats will be the hit dessert at your next Thanksgiving feast. Believe it or not, a lot of people just aren’t crazy about pie for Thanksgiving. That’s why I’m sharing 50 festive, delicious, easy-to-make Thanksgiving cupcake recipes that will stand out at any celebration.

Everyone will be so impressed by your Insta-worthy dessert table and nobody needs to know how simple these cupcakes are to make. Topped with turkeys, pilgrim hats, fall leaves and more on-theme sweets, all of these mouth-watering cupcakes are perfect for a holiday party, work event or school party as well.

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How To Decorate Thanksgiving Cupcakes

The cupcake base can easily be baked ahead of time and frozen. If you are in a hurry, store-bought cupcakes work just as well—just channel your inner artist by creating a cute turkey face with M&M’s, peanut butter cups, candy eyes and more. You can also decorate the cupcakes the day before Thanksgiving for an easy dessert that won’t take up any oven space on the big day.

What Cupcake Flavor is the Best for Thanksgiving?

Pumpkin spice base is a favorite for a lot of these festive cupcakes, but feel free to substitute it with chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes or any store-bought option if pinched for time.

Related: How to Make Baseball Cupcakes

Do Thanksgiving Cupcakes Have To Be Refrigerated?

No, they do not. Cupcakes will be perfectly fine left out at room temperature. On days one and two, they will taste great. On day three, the frosting starts to get harder and the cupcakes will be a little bit stale, but they will still taste okay. After day four, the cupcakes will definitely taste stale. Try storing the cupcakes in the refrigerator to make them last a few more days.

How Far Ahead of Thanksgiving Should These Cupcakes Be Made?

I like to make the Thanksgiving cupcakes the day before Thanksgiving. You can also store the cupcakes in the refrigerator, but don’t forget to take them out a couple of hours before serving. Cold cupcakes do not taste great. Another time saver is to make cupcakes ahead of time and freeze them until the day before Thanksgiving. Then defrost them and frost them before serving.