9 Thanksgiving Nail Ideas That Are As Scrumptious As Pumpkin Pie

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The best part about changing seasons and upcoming holidays is the inspiration we get to revamp our glam, particularly as it pertains to manicures. While every holiday inspires a different aesthetic, Thanksgiving is special. It's still close enough to Halloween that it's imbued with witchy, spooky vibes, while marking preparations for Christmas, giving it a festive, holiday spirit. Best of all, in terms of colors, Thanksgiving is saturated in rich, moody, earth tones, which look great on nails.

From the appetizing orange tones of pumpkin pie to the reds, burnt ambers, and raw siennas of fall foliage, this holiday is ripe with manicure color ideas. We're taking cues from autumn harvests and the abundance of fall greenery. After all, fall 2025's prettiest nail trend is inspired by autumn's most dazzling natural wonder. With so much emphasis on the great outdoors during the Thanksgiving season, it makes perfect sense that many of the most seasonally-appropriate nail trends have to do with rich, natural colors. And even though Thanksgiving is such a traditional time of the year, there are dated nail polish colors that are getting left behind for good reason this fall. Long nails definitely have their place sporting festive trending colors, and there are also short nail ideas for fall 2025 that work beautifully around Thanksgiving. So in this cornucopia of tones, we're getting into the prettiest manicures with which to carve your turkey.

For those who love a barely-there nail tone but still want to embrace the richer hues of Thanksgiving, a fawn manicure is the perfect compromise. The soft, light brown color is warm, but it doesn't overpower as far as manicures go. It's almost like the color of gravy, with a soothing, calming effect. Essie's Expressie polish in Never Skip a Beat is a great choice, because it looks equally gorgeous on long nails as it does on short, and it's a low-impact choice that's perfect for Thanksgiving. 

Plum is the perfect choice for a Thanksgiving manicure. Rich with undertones of a deep reddish-purple, the shade checks all the boxes for those who love dark nails in the fall. Plum goes with everything while still serving the sophistication of a classic, red manicure, but with a twist. The ripe plum tone moves perfectly into the holiday season, giving the manicure strong staying power. Essie's nail lacquer in Bahama Mama is a deep plum tone with a glossy finish that delivers this Thanksgiving classic.

The dirty martini manicure is trending hard this fall, and for good reason. The earthy, olive green is the perfect Thanksgiving tone. While leaves are losing their pigment, greens are still a key hue of the season, but with a richer, moodier undertone. And since Thanksgiving is all about festivities and parties, a dirty martini manicure fits the bill. Essie's nail polish in Win Me Over is a great way to achieve this look. 

Pumpkin pie is the dessert of the season, so we're sourcing manicure ideas that match this deliciousness. With tones evocative of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger that give this holiday dessert its lift, a dark orange manicure is the perfect option. It's earthy enough that it registers as a neutral and works well with autumnal outfits. The Essie nail polish in Burnt Orange is a good way to achieve this pumpkin pie dream. 

With Cabernet Sauvignon in mind, the best red nails to wear around Thanksgiving are wine red ones. The look is full-bodied and vivacious, a more mature red than the cherry hues that dominated during the summer. Not as purple as the plum manicure, a wine red manicure has truer red notes with hints of brown undertones. The OPI Nail Lacquer in Malaga Wine is a perfect choice to achieve this intoxicating vibe. 

With scrumptious desserts in mind, a glossy, chocolate manicure has everything we want out of a Thanksgiving look. It's sophisticated and mature, but still dramatic enough that it serves up gorgeous nails. Moving on from the blacks and charcoals of Halloween manicures, chocolate nails have a warmer base and are a little more interesting than black manicures. Essie's polish in No To-Do is a deep, chocolate brown polish that lends itself beautifully to this look.  

For those with a high-maintenance streak, gold is a Thanksgiving manicure hue that screams luxury. A gold manicure echoes the warmth of the season while providing an elevated, metallic charm. Mineral Fusion Dark Glitter polish in Gold Rush is a great way to get this dramatic manicure, while remaining easy and effortless in terms of application. The nail look provides a touch of glamour while maintaining enough versatility to work with any look you put together. 

Butter yellow trended hard throughout 2025, dominating fashion, accessories, interiors, and more. But for Thanksgiving, it's a little too pastel and summery for the season. That's why we're upgrading to squash yellow, with warm, mustard undertones. It's a darker shade that suits autumn and the Thanksgiving season far better. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in Spill the Liber-tea is a solid choice for this desired effect.

Even though Thanksgiving is more about rich merlots and sultry reds, some of us love pink tones no matter the season. So, for the pink lovers out there, opt for something that has a shimmery glint so that the pink tones serve up a more complex, dimensional finish. Something like ILNP Nexus Holographic nail polish in Rich Raspberry is a great way to achieve a frost-bitten apple look. Even though it's pink, it's seasonally appropriate.