50+ Thanksgiving Recipes That Make Hosting Shockingly Easy

This Thanksgiving menu is packed with classic holiday favorites plus modern, unique, colorful dishes made with seasonal ingredients. The best part? You'll find everything you need in one place-from appetizers, sides, and mains to stuffing recipes and desserts.

 

Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite holiday-a day built around gathering with friends and family for a big, traditional feast. And since Thanksgiving is truly all about the food, hosting gets a whole lot easier when the menu is planned ahead. That's exactly why you're here: this roundup has everything you need, from holiday appetizers to sides, mains, stuffing recipes, and desserts - simple, reliable dishes whether you're cooking for a few people or feeding a house full of hungry guests.

We're talking turkey (or glazed duck), green beans, stuffing, roasted sweet potatoes, and all the classic sides like green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and warm dinner rolls. And of course, the desserts: pecan pie, apple pumpkin bundt cake, and all the treats that make the best leftovers the next day.

That's why I've rounded up my 50 best tried-and-true recipes, featuring both beloved classics and fresh, creative dishes made with fall-inspired ingredients like butternut squash, apples, acorn squash, pecans, cranberries, and Brussels sprouts. If you want something non-traditional to surprise your guests, you'll find plenty of those too.

Let's Start with Classic Thanksgiving Favorites

Easy Scalloped Potatoes are made with Garlic, Thyme, and Parmesan cheese - delicious, super cheesy potatoes made with white cheese only (no Cheddar cheese in this recipe!)

Garlic and Bacon Green Beans sautéed in olive oil and butter in a large skillet on the stovetop. The beans are crispy and crunchy.  A perfect recipe for Fall and Winter seasons.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Toasted Pecans, and Dried Cranberries is an easy Thanksgiving side dish that will add colors and vibrancy to your holiday menu!

My Holiday Roast Duck has tender and juicy meat, crispy skin, and it's glazed with the honey-balsamic glaze to give the duck a beautiful roasted look. It's been one of my most popular recipes for years. Tested, tested, and tested again. Tons of great reviews!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Maple Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, and Cranberries - perfect Autumn salad, bursting with colors and flavors! Healthy, delicious, gluten-free recipe packed with veggies.

Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic - Garlic roasted in olive oil, mashed potatoes blended with Parmesan cheese.

Hasselback butternut squash, roasted with sage-honey butter and topped with crunchy candied pecans.

Holiday Salad features classic holiday ingredients, such as pecans, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, and dried cranberries. They are tossed together with baby spinach, goat cheese, and homemade Honey-Mustard Lime Vinaigrette. This festive Thanksgiving salad will pair beautifully with your favorite main course (turkey, ham, prime rib, or beef tenderloin).

Cheesy Baked Asparagus with Garlic, Bacon, and Cheese - You can use Gruyere, Parmesan, Asiago Cheese, Pecorino Romano, or shredded Mozzarella (part-skim, low-moisture). It's low-carb and keto-friendly.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cinnamon-Brown-Sugar Apples - I make this for Thanksgiving every year! This easy-to-make side dish features cinnamon, brown sugar, and lemon juice, and is meatless, vegetarian, and gluten-free!

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries is bursting with Autumn flavors and spices (cinnamon and maple syrup) and will make a great addition to your traditional Thanksgiving menu.

Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball with Pumpkin Seeds, Cream Cheese, and sharp White Cheddar - Serve this appetizer with crackers or veggies.

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Spinach, Bacon, and Cheese is a perfect recipe to make in the Fall and Winter.  The stuffing is creamy and cheesy and pairs well with the sweet flavor of the butternut squash.

Pumpkin Apple Pecan Bundt Cake - you can optionally drizzle the cake with dulce de leche (or caramel sauce) and top it with chopped pecans, even though the cake is already really delicious. 

Cranberry Apple Pecan Bundt Cake always gets rave reviews!

Classic, old-fashioned pecan pie deserves a spot on your Thanksgiving table. Made with a flaky, buttery crust and a caramel-like sweet-salty filling. This recipe has been perfected over 60 years by my mother-in-law, and it's and an easy dessert to make at home. I also provide corn-syrup-free options.

Pear Almond Cake is packed with fresh fruit and sliced almonds! Only 15 minutes of prep; and 50 minutes of idle time (baking). Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! Serve it dusted with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or plain vanilla ice cream. It can be easily adjusted to be gluten-free and dairy-free!

Table of Contents (by Course)

Jump to:

• Let's Start with Classic Thanksgiving Favorites
• Thanksgiving Side Dishes
• Thanksgiving Potato Side Dishes
• Thanksgiving Appetizers
• Thanksgiving Salads
• Thanksgiving Main Courses
• Thanksgiving Gravy
• Thanksgiving Desserts
• Thanksgiving Stuffing
• MEATLESS Main Courses
• Thanksgiving Pasta Dishes
• Thanksgiving Day Breakfast
• More Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

This selection includes my most popular holiday sides that use classic Thanksgiving ingredients, such as butternut squash, acorn squash, Brussels sprouts, green beans, pecans, pumpkin seeds, apples, and more. The complete list (organized by main ingredient) of all my Thanksgiving side dishes are here.

Thanksgiving Potato Side Dishes

If you want to prepare your holiday potatoes in a slightly different way than regular mashed potatoes, give these recipes a try for your upcoming Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving:

Thanksgiving Appetizers

Thanksgiving side dishes certainly take center stage on turkey day, overshadowing even the turkey (at least for me and my family). But let's not forget about appetizers. Here are reader-favorite apps that feature traditional holiday ingredients, such as cranberries, pecans, and apples.

Thanksgiving Salads

Thanksgiving salads deserve a separate category on the menu as they are not quite side dishes (even those you can serve them as sides). These festive salads are bursting with colors and will add a festive look to any holiday table!

Thanksgiving Main Courses

While turkey is a traditional main course, it seems like everyone already has their own preferred way of cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving. Cooking the turkey takes a long time but it is a pretty easy, straightforward process. If you're looking for some alternative holiday main dishes, you might like my very popular Roast Duck, Cornish Hens, and some other less traditional main courses.

Thanksgiving Gravy

Here are 2 creamy sauces that go with just about anything: turkey, duck, chicken, cornish hen, pasta, vegetables, etc.

Thanksgiving Desserts

The Thanksgiving menu is not complete without desserts. Every family has their own favorite recipe for a pumpkin pie or a pecan pie. Consider adding these simple desserts to your regular menu:

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Thanksgiving stuffing comes in many forms. I actually prefer to cook stuffing not inside the turkey but in a separate side dish. It's a safer cooking practice and also prevents stuffing from getting mushy. And, what about stuffing butternut squash or spaghetti squash instead, as carrying vessels of this traditional Thanksgiving staple? Try these stuffing recipes below for your next holiday menu, and you might never do traditional stuffing the old way again:

MEATLESS Main Courses

Below is a selection of tried and true meatless main courses that have been popular with the readers of my food blog. These vegetarian Thanksgiving main dishes include Autumn ingredients, such as butternut squash, pecans, sweet potatoes, and more.

Thanksgiving Pasta Dishes

Consider these delicious pasta recipes as Thanksgiving sides or even as the main course. All of these pastas feature Fall-inspired seasonal ingredients that will make a perfect addition to your holiday menu.

Thanksgiving Day Breakfast

Don't forget to make something seasonal, Fall-inspired, and special for the Thanksgiving Day Breakfast. Here is a mix of both savory and sweet breakfast recipes that are sure to set you in the mood for the Thanksgiving dinner later.