Sick of the traditional pumpkin pie? In charge of Thanksgiving dessert but haven’t made anything yet? Here are some wacky unique desserts some Americans eat during this holiday! Warning a LOT of them are called salads.

Key Lime Cake

Most people have had key lime pie. But this Georgian recipe uses the unique key lime flavor and makes it into a cake! The bright green appearance makes for an interesting Thanksgiving dish to show your relatives and it has a sweet and tart flavor to balance out all those savory dinner dishes! All you need is regular white cake ingredients and lime juice and lime Jell-o!

Pistachio Delight

If you like pistachio ice cream this may be the dessert for you. Also called Watergate Salad, this dessert with a slightly off-putting green and mushy appearance is actually made of lots of ingredients you may already love! This green goop is made with pineapple, whipped topping, pecans, marshmallows, and the main ingredient is pistachio pudding. It’s usually served with a cherry on top and is popular in the Midwest.

Cheese Carrots

This is probably one of the weirdest “desserts” on the list. But this bright orange dish is actually what some families eat after their Thanksgiving dinner! It’s quite simple actually, all you need to do is cook some carrots and then top them with cheese and bake them until the cheese is melted. Some people also choose to drizzle some honey over the dish! It’s always good to try new things but maybe give your family a heads-up if you plan to bring cheese carrots as their Thanksgiving dessert!

Butterfinger Cake

Depending on your opinion on the candy bar Butterfingers, this cake may sound like the best new dessert to try.  It’s pretty simple in design as it’s like your average cake but topped with the crushed candy. All you really need is your favorite cake mix, whipped cream, and you guessed it, Butterfingers. This may be unique for us on the West Coast but it’s actually fairly popular in some Southern states so if you still don’t know what to bring for dessert try this sweet treat out!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Jell-o with Thanksgiving is truly American, but Strawberry Pretzel salad is a more interesting take on that tradition. Although it, like many of these dishes, is called a salad it’s actually a layered dessert. It is three layers with strawberry Jell-o on top, a baked crust of pretzels, and a cream cheese filling. Fruity, salty, and cheesy, it has something for everyone! Why not give your Jell-o an extra twist this Thanksgiving?

Southern Pear Salad

Another unique dessert on this list that’s popular in the South. It’s pretty easy to make so the real challenge will be getting your family to try this odd dish. Pear salad is pear halves with a dollop of mayonnaise, sprinkled with cheddar cheese, and a Maraschino cherry to top it off. It’s also sometimes served over a bed of lettuce so maybe this one actually counts as a salad! Although weird seeming, it does seem like a good example of salty and sweet to have on your table this Thanksgiving.

Ambrosia

Ambrosia Salad is a Southern Thanksgiving and Christmas classic. Although it may seem odd to some of us on the West Coast you can actually find pre-made Ambrosia in the grocery store as a last minute Thanksgiving dessert. There are many different versions of Ambrosia but most consist of a variety of canned fruits like mandarin oranges, pineapples, and cherries, miniature marshmallows, whipped cream, and shredded coconut. Think of it as a more sugary take on the classic fruit salad. Many people swear by this sweet treat so it seems smart to give this fun dish a try!

PieCaken

Last but certainly not least we have the PieCaken. A Piecaken is sort of exactly what it sounds like, a combination of pie and cake. It combines three Autumn desserts and stacks them into one mega-dessert. It is an apple upside-down cake, on top of a pumpkin pie, on top of a pecan pie, and it’s covered in frosting. This is a dessert that will wow anyone you want to impress and you can even use store-bought pies! If you have some extra time on Thanksgiving to assemble this bad boy I say it’ll definitely be worth the work!

Have you tried any of these desserts before? Comment below and have a Happy Thanksgiving!