Turkey, we love you, but we all love the Thanksgiving side dishes best of all. Read on for this collection of all the best Thanksgiving Day side dish recipes, from homemade cranberry sauce to satisfying stuffings and mashes.
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The Best Thanksgiving Day Sides
Thanksgiving dinner may center around the turkey, but let’s be honest—the real stars of the feast are the sides. From buttery mashed potatoes and classic stuffing to fresh green beans, bright cranberry sauce, and a few modern twists, these are the best Thanksgiving Day sides to fill your table (and your plate).
Whether you want to keep things traditional or mix in something new, this roundup gathers the recipes that make the holiday meal unforgettable: warm, generous, and made to share. Here are all the best side dish recipes, by category:
- Stuffing and Dressing Recipes for the classic table
- Comforting Casseroles and Mashes that bring comfort and make-ahead convenience
- Vegetables and Salads to brighten the table and keep things fresh
- Biscuits, Breads and Boards to round out the table
And be sure to check out Unpeeled’s roundup of the best Thanksgiving dessert recipes, filled with your favorite classic pies, cakes, festive cookies, and more.
Thanksgiving Stuffings and Dressings
Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, no Thanksgiving table feels complete without it. From old-fashioned bread versions to Southern sausage and cornbread, these recipes bring that cozy, savory backbone every holiday feast needs. Each one bakes up golden, fragrant, and ready to soak up a little gravy.
Thanksgiving Stuffings and Dressings
Southern Cornbread Sausage Stuffing (Dressing)
This Southern cornbread dressing makes a moist, perfectly seasoned Thanksgiving side dish. Baked to golden brown.
Easy Challah Bread Stuffing (Dressing)
No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without the stuffing. This savory, deeply flavorful recipe is the one to make.
Comforting Casseroles + Mashes
Casseroles are Thanksgiving’s comfort food heroes. This roundup includes everything from the classic candied sweet potatoes and cheesy gratins to Italian baked ziti that always get second helpings. Many of these sides are make-ahead friendly, all-ages friendly, and perfect for feeding a crowd.
The Best Thanksgiving Casseroles + Mashes
Slightly-Fancy Mashed Potatoes (Steeped With Garlic, Onion, and Herbs)
Mashed potatoes are an all-time favorite side dish. These are better with cream steeped in garlic, onion and thyme for more sophisticated flavor.
Sweet Potato Casserole With Better Marshmallow Topping
Thanksgiving means candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Here, ginger and brown sugar help make this a perfect side dish.
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Cauliflower mashed potatoes are a low-carb wonder dish. This keto mashed cauliflower recipe adds butter + cheese for a flavorful, easy side.
Italian Artichoke Casserole
Simple frozen artichoke hearts, transformed into a fabulous baked Italian artichoke casserole recipe with well-seasoned breadcrumbs and cheese.
Classic Baked Ziti
Thanksgiving, Italian-American style. This baked ziti smothered in tomato sauce and meatballs is the cheesy, homey casserole you deserve.
Easy Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Comfort food doesn’t get much better than this easy, creamy stovetop mac & cheese. Your dinner needs this recipe.
Creamy Baked Cauliflower Gratin
Few things are as satisfying as a creamy baked cauliflower gratin recipe. Get the recipe for this Ina-inspired side.
Irish Colcannon
Colcannon combines buttery mashed potatoes with traditional cooked greens for a satisfying traditional Irish side dish.
Fresh Thanksgiving Vegetable Sides and Salads
Recipes for Thanksgiving sides tend to skew heavy and brown. These holiday recipes add some fresh color and flavor, while also keeping very much in the traditional Thanksgiving spirit of things. Think flavorful Brussels sprouts, centerpiece carrots, and roasted green beans—simple recipes that highlight the season’s best produce. These sides may play supporting roles, but they’ll steal plenty of attention.
Here Are the Best Thanksgiving Vegetable Sides and Salads
Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Ginger
The best homemade cranberry sauce recipe for Thanksgiving dinner: easy, sweet-tart, and bright with orange, cinnamon, and ginger.
Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Maple Drizzle
Crispy oven-roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with a maple cider vinaigrette. This is the ultimate festive winter vegetable dish.
Oven-Roasted Green Beans
Never steam again.!This is a fabulous recipe for roasted green beans, topped with buttery breadcrumbs toasted with shallot and bright zest.
Radicchio Salad With Orange, Apple and Pecans
This vibrant salad combines peppery radicchio with sweet orange, crisp apple, toasted pecans, herbs, and a tangy maple vinaigrette. Quick and easy, it takes just 15 minutes to prepare.
Italian Orange and Fennel Salad
This classic Italian salad, with olives and citrus vinaigrette, tastes as good as it looks. Best of all? It only takes about 15 minutes to make.
Kale and Butternut Squash Fall Salad
Fall and winter salad at its best. Kale tossed with roasted butternut squash, pecans, apples, and cider vinaigrette. A true autumn beauty.
How to Build a Great Fall Charcuterie Board
Your guide to making a gorgeous fall cheese and charcuterie board, from cheese selection to arranging your board, plus wine pairings.
Roasted Carrots With Citrus and Avocado
This beautiful recipe, from NYC’s ABC Kitchen, combines roasted carrots with avocado, sprouts and citrus for an amazing centerpiece side.
How to Arrange a Crudité Platter
Eat your veggies. Here’s how to make the ultimate crudité platter — one that looks gorgeous, bountiful, and will wow at your next party.
Simple Roasted Acorn Squash
This easy roasted acorn squash recipe makes a beautiful fall and winter side dish. Simply prepared, and simply perfect.
Native American Recipe: Wild Rice + Sweet Potato
Native American food is under-appreciated. This wild rice salad recipe from a top Native American chef is nourishing and flavorful.
Thanksgiving Biscuits and Breads
Every Thanksgiving table needs a little bread-y something to pass around. These biscuits and cornbreads deliver. From flaky biscuits to harvest cheese boards piled high with seasonal fruit, these recipes round out the meal beautifully. They’re simple to bake or assemble ahead and some of my favorite recipes of all.
Thanksgiving Biscuits and Breads
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread
You’ll love this sweet cranberry nut loaf cake, fragrant with orange. An easy and festive holiday dessert recipe.
Recipe for Jiffy Cornbread (+ How to Make It Better)
Jiffy cornbread baking hacks abound. But here are 10 very best sweet and savory ways to make this boxed mix better, from a top Southern chef.
Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread Loaf
A moist, dense cornbread loaf recipe, made with buttermilk, fresh corn, and just enough sweetness.
All-Time Favorite Pecan Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread feels so cozy and perfect right now. This recipe is truly excellent, with just the right combination of pumpkin, sweetness, and spice. Bake this into homey loaves, or make a seasonal layer cake or cupcakes.
High-Rise Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Tender, high-rise buttermilk biscuits stacked with so many buttery layers they split open by hand, waiting to be slathered in fresh butter and jam.
Buttermilk Pumpkin Biscuits
Flaky, tender, easy biscuits made with pumpkin, buttermilk, molasses, and spices for the very best of fall and winter baking.
Love these Thanksgiving side dish recipes? You’ll also love:
- 10 Fall Apple Recipes to Sweeten the Season
- The Best Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers
- What Wine to Pair With Turkey? Sommeliers Spill.
Slightly-Fancy Mashed Potatoes (Steeped with Garlic, Onion, and Herbs)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, cleaned
- 1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk
- 6 tablespoons butter, plus more to serve
- 1/4 yellow onion, peeled
- 1 generous sprig fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 generous sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
- pinch grated nutmeg
- Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal preferred)
- 12 turns fresh-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Clean the potatoes. Trim off any blemishes or eyes, and peel if desired. If using russets, cut the potatoes into thirds or quarters to speed boiling time. Note: You DO have to peel russet potatoes. Gold potatoes can be eaten peeled or with the skins.
- Boil the potatoes in a pot of well-salted water until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot, letting the residual heat evaporate excess moisture.
- While the potatoes boil, bring the half-and-half or milk just to a boil in a small sauce pot with the butter, onion, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, garlic, nutmeg, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, stirring occasionally. (I use Diamond Crystal salt; use less if using Morton's or table salt.)As soon as the liquid begins to boil, immediately remove the pot from the heat and let the liquid steep. Make sure not to let the mixture boil over.
- Strain most of the butter and milk through a sieve into the potatoes, discarding the onion, garlic, and herbs. Add some fresh black pepper. Mash and stir until fluffy and well mixed. Add the rest of the butter and milk as necessary.PRO TIP: I like to mash that potatoes in the pot over low heat, to keep them hot.
- Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or another splash of milk if necessary. Serve hot, with a pat of butter on top, and maybe a sprig of thyme and a few twists of black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
1 comment
Denise
I would hive this 5 stars if I could. This recipe started my experimentation with cornbread. I have since expanded and changed what I do. Now I only use organic cornmeal and use minimal sweeteners. But without this recipe my cornbread adventure would have never happened. To speak directly to this recipe it is 4 stars. Just remember if it’s too dry or wet to you just change the milk amounts. FYI – buttermilk is best but not necessary.