Pumpkin, pecan or apple pie? Desserts reign in map of most searched Thanksgiving recipes

A look at the most Googled Thanksgiving recipes by state reveals interesting trends about America's sweet tooth, according to online retailer hayneedle.com.

On the map, Illinois, Delaware, and Hawaii all have unique recipes: Sweet potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin crunch, respectively. But as for the rest of the country, there is clearly a debate: Pumpkin, pecan or apple pie?

Most of the country is searching for recipes to put some pumpkin pie on their Thanksgiving table. According to the data, which looked at Google Trends from 2011-2015 during the days leading up to Thanksgiving, the fall sweet was the top searched recipe in 26 states.

Coming in second place was pecan pie, which reigns supreme in the South as the most searched recipe in 12 states. Apple pie is mostly popular in the northeast, claiming nine states.

Though the map seems to suggest that Americans just love their sweets on Thanksgiving, hayneedle.com speculated reasons for the desserts' popularity.

"It's possible that people are simply less loyal to desserts and would rather Google a recipe than save one for repeat usage," the company wrote in a blog. "It's also possible that dishes like turkey are traditionally left to the host, while guests are expected to bring desserts or side dishes."