These Thanksgiving Asian dessert ideas bring global flavors, nostalgic comfort, and jaw-dropping presentation. When pumpkin pie and pecan pie usually steal the spotlight…surprise your guests with some Asian foodie favorites you might not have thought of. These 15 unexpected Thanksgiving desserts go beyond tradition, combining Filipino classics and Asian-inspired sweet treats. Get ready to wow your friends and family with desserts they’ll remember long after the turkey is gone.

1. Ube Hand Pies

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Easy Ube Handpies

These are the best, little, cutest ube pies you have ever seen. They are fast and easy to make! Perfectly sweet with ube halaya and wrapped in pastry.

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Flaky, golden pastry filled with creamy purple yam (ube) makes these hand pies both eye-catching and delicious. They’re perfectly portioned for sharing, handheld for easy serving, and bring a vibrant Filipino twist to the Thanksgiving dessert table.

The naturally sweet, nutty flavor of ube feels comforting yet unexpected—sure to wow guests who think they’ve already tried it all.

2. Strawberry Sago

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The Best Strawberry Sago Recipe

This strawberry sago recipe is amazing with a few touches that elevate this easy recipe, and will make your strawberry sago win the crowd. It's like a deconstructed strawberry ice cream with texture, jammed with flavor, and creamy with coconut milk.

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If you’re looking for something refreshing and colorful, strawberry sago is the perfect choice. Sweet strawberries pair beautifully with chewy tapioca pearls, creamy milk, and a touch of sweetness.

It’s light, cooling, and adds a vibrant pop of pink to the Thanksgiving dessert table—an unexpected but crowd-pleasing treat after a rich holiday feast.

3. Matcha Basque Burnt Cheesecake

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Matcha Basque Cheesecake

This Matcha Basque Cheesecake recipe combines the rustic style of Basque cheesecake, featuring a toasted top layer, with earthy matcha. It's light, custardy, and unforgettable. No water bath.

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A twist on the viral Basque burnt cheesecake, this version uses matcha green tea powder for an earthy, slightly bitter edge that balances the caramelized top.

It’s elegant, dramatic, and a must for cheesecake lovers who want something out of the ordinary.

4. Filipino Fruit Salad

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Natural Filipino Fruit Salad

Discover how to make easy natural Filipino creamy fruit salad with fresh ingredients while preserving its classic taste and texture.

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Filipino fruit salad is creamy, colorful, and festive—perfect for Thanksgiving gatherings. Traditionally made with canned fruit cocktail and cream, this version uses fresher, more natural ingredients for brightness and crunch.

It’s a crowd-pleasing dessert that also doubles as a conversation starter because it’s made with fresh-cut fruits.

5. Biscoff Fruit Float Dessert

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Fruit Float Biscoff Dessert

This is one of the best biscoff desserts that is so easy to make and yet, will steal the show. In this fruit float, the layers of fresh whip cream, gem colored fruits, and biscoff cookies set to the perfect texture make a delectable and harminous biscoff dessert that will elevate your brunch weekends forever.

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This no-bake layered dessert is as simple as it is delicious and a spin on mango float (a popular Filipino dessert). Biscoff cookies add caramelized spice to layers of cream and fruit, making it a seasonal choice that pairs beautifully with Thanksgiving flavors.

It’s light yet indulgent, and you can prepare it in advance.

6. Ultimate Creamy Buko Pie

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Creamy Buko Pie (Coconut Custard Pie with Real Coconut Meat)

Creamy Buko Pie recipe (coconut custard cream pie with fresh young coconut meat) is loaded with REAL tender coconut meat, coconut milk, and lots of coconut shreds, topped with clouds of whipped cream. This Filipino-inspired version of buko pie is coconutty, rich, and a creamy dessert dream. No blind baking crust needed!

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A Filipino bakery staple, buko pie (young coconut pie) gets a creamy upgrade here. The filling is silky and rich, while the flaky crust makes every bite satisfying.

It’s a tropical yet comforting alternative to apple pie on the Thanksgiving table. This is great, made a day ahead. No blind baking crust needed!

7. Hong Kong Mango Pancakes

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Pillowy Hong Kong Mango Pancakes

Pillowy Hong Kong mango pancake recipe is a yum cha staple and dreamy dessert favorite. These mango pancakes are a blend of soft fluffy whip cream and luscious yellow mango, all wrapped snuggly into a soft and thin crêpe.

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Soft crepes wrapped around Chantilly whipped cream and fresh mango create these delicate, handheld desserts. Make it a twist with matcha whipped cream or adding ube extract to the cream!

They’re light, fruity, and elegant—perfect for guests who want something sweet without the heaviness of pie.

These are to be made day of for the best texture and taste, but get some people to help and it becomes an amazing social hour in the kitchen.

8. Biko with Latik

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Easy Biko Recipe with Latik

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This sticky rice cake made with coconut milk and brown sugar is a Filipino classic. Topped with golden, crunchy latik (coconut curds), it has layers of texture and flavor that balance sweetness with richness. It’s sweeter than suman (another type of Filipino sticky rice cake) and much, much easier to make! It’s one pot and then set it.

It’s hearty, shareable, and perfect for potluck-style Thanksgiving dinners.

9. Mango Bango

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The Best MANGO BANGO

Mango Bango is so yummy! Nata de coco, fresh yellow mango, tapioca, and three kinds of milk make this a dreamy combination of texture, decadence, and richness. This is one of the best Filipino dessert drinks.

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This dessert is tropical joy in a bowl. A mix of mangoes, nata de coco, tapioca, and cream come together for a sweet, refreshing treat.

Bright, colorful, and unique—it’s a guaranteed hit on any dessert table for anyone to try and love it.

10. Banana Lumpia Turon

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Banana Lumpia with Brown Sugar Glaze

Also known as Filipino Turon, this crispy, sweet, absolutely yummy dessert spring roll is easy and quick to make with only three ingredients!

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Crunchy, caramelized, and golden brown—banana lumpia (or turon) are fried spring rolls stuffed with banana and jackfruit. They’re the perfect finger food dessert for Thanksgiving, offering crispy sweetness that everyone will grab in seconds.

Serve with a drizzle of the easiest brown sugar caramel for extra flair.

11. Purple Sweet Potato Pie

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Easy Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

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A stunning take on the traditional sweet potato pie, this version uses purple sweet potatoes (Okinawan) for color and a subtle nutty flavor. It’s eye-catching, creamy, earthy, coconutty, and feels festive enough to compete with any pumpkin pie.

12. Matcha Whipped Cream

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Matcha Whipped Cream Recipe

This matcha whipped cream recipe is easy and fast. It creates a fluffy matcha cream to spoon over lattes, swirl it onto cakes, or tuck it inside flaky croissants, and so much more!

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While not a full dessert on its own, this light and fluffy whipped cream infused with earthy matcha can elevate just about anything on your Thanksgiving table. Pile it high on cheesecakes and pies, pipe it into pastries, or sandwich it between fluffy doughnuts for an instant upgrade.

The subtle bitterness of matcha balances sweet desserts beautifully, adding both color and a touch of elegance to your spread.

13. DIY Halo-Halo Bar

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Ultimate Traditional Filipino Halo Halo Recipe

These halo halo ingredients will create an epic, authentic, and traditional halo halo recipe with crushed ice and creamy milks. Get ready for a taste of the Philippines.

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Want to take your Thanksgiving dessert table to the next level? Set up a halo-halo bar where guests can build their own Filipino shaved ice dessert.

Include toppings like sweet beans, nata de coco, leche flan, jellies, and purple yam ice cream. It’s interactive, fun, and unforgettable.

14. Sweet Sesame Balls

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Sweet Sesame Balls Recipe (Jian Dui)

This easy version of deep fried, sweet sesame balls results in a delightful hand held dessert that is crisp, chewy, nutty, and perfect for holidays, potlucks, and gatherings.

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Sweet sesame balls are one of those timeless treats that bring comfort and celebration to every table — simple ingredients transformed into something joyfully golden and symbolic. Whether you’re making them for family, friends, or festive gatherings, each bite carries warmth, prosperity, and a little bit of magic.

15. Chè Thái (Vietnamese Fruit Cocktail Dessert)

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10 Minutes Chè Thái Recipe

This easy Che Thai is a colorful and lip-smacking Vietnamese fruit cocktail dessert that's bursting in flavor, Asian fruits, textures, and coconut milk! Add lots of ice and enjoy one of the best dessert drinks in the world.

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End Thanksgiving with a refreshing note by serving chè thái. This Vietnamese fruit cocktail combines tropical fruit, chewy jellies, and sweetened milk for a vibrant dessert drink.

It’s colorful, fun to eat, and a refreshing balance to the richness of Thanksgiving dinner.