Thanksgiving Side Dishes
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Gather ’round, food lovers! It’s that time of year again when we set the table, invite our loved ones over, and indulge in our favorite foods. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and while the turkey often takes center stage, let’s not forget the real stars of the show – the side dishes!
The BEST Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Sometimes, it seems like we can have the same side dishes at Thanksgiving year after year. But there are so many incredible recipes out there, you may just not know where to start! So I’ve rounded up the best selection of fast and easy Thanksgiving side dishes.
These recipes taste amazing, but are quick and easy which means any one can make them — even the novice chef.
We’ve included classics like stuffing, creamed corn, green bean casserole, 7 layer salad and gravy.
To mix things up we’ve included a few alternatives to those classics that are amazing. You can’t turn down our Crock Pot mac and cheese, lettuce frito salad, and green bean corn casserole. Choose your favorites and make the most delicious food ever.
Make sure to check out our Thanksgiving Desserts and Thanksgiving Meal Plan to plan your entire meal!
- Vegetable Side Dishes
- Potato Side Dishes
- Salad and Pasta Side Dishes
- Breads and Traditional Side Dishes
Vegetable Side Dishes
Vegetable side dishes are an essential part of a Thanksgiving feast, offering a burst of color, nutrition, and flavor to complement the main courses. Here are some delightful vegetable side dishes for Thanksgiving.
Broccoli Casserole
Give thanks for this creamy and comforting Broccoli Casserole – a must-have Thanksgiving side dish that’s a veggie lover’s dream! 🍽️🥦
Roasted Carrots with Dill
Roasted Carrots with Dill: A burst of flavor and a touch of elegance on your Thanksgiving plate. 🥕 You may not think to add this to your list of Thanksgiving side dishes, but they go with everything!
Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
Indulge in cheesy perfection with our Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole – the ultimate comfort food. Cheesy side dishes for Thanksgiving are always a hit.
Crock Pot Creamed Corn
Let your slow cooker do the work, while you savor the creamy goodness. This super easy creamed corn is a classic that everyone would love!
Corn Pudding Casserole Recipe
Transform corn into a rich and comforting corn pudding casserole with our mouthwatering recipe. There can never be too many casserole Thanksgiving side dishes!
Cheesy Bacon Ranch Crock Pot Creamed Corn Recipe
Get ready for a flavor explosion with our cheesy bacon ranch crock pot creamed corn recipe. Thanksgiving side dish recipes like these are easy and always taste incredible!
Easy Creamed Peas
A simple yet delightful addition to your Thanksgiving spread. You’ll love these easy creamed peas.
Green Bean Corn Casserole
Our Green Bean Corn Casserole Recipe is a Crowd-Pleaser! This simple twist on a classic Thanksgiving side dish is a must-make recipe.
Slow Cooker Ranch Carrots
Easy-Peasy Slow Cooker Ranch Carrots: A Tasty Twist on a Classic Side Dish! You’ll love serving these at all of your holiday meals.
Crock Pot Green Beans with Bacon
A sizzlin’ Thanksgiving duo that’ll have your taste buds doing the turkey trot! You can never have too many versions of green beans at your holiday meal.
The BEST Green Bean Casserole Recipe!
Get ready to unleash the ultimate green bean casserole recipe – your taste buds won’t know what hit ’em! This is one of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes and our recipe is the best.
Glazed Carrots
Try our delectable glazed carrots recipe for a sweet side dish delight. Making side dishes for Thanksgiving can be super simple!
Vegetable Casserole Recipe
Veggie casserole is a delicious dish that’ll make vegetables the star of the show. A great way to get a good serving of veggies into your Thanksgiving meal.
Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
Savor the perfect blend of crunch and flavor in every bite with bacon wrapped green beans. This easy side dish is great for Thanksgiving and ever meal in between!
Easy Roasted Vegetables
Elevate your plate with these simply delicious oven-kissed veggies. They are loaded with flavor and so good for any meal!
Potato Side Dishes
Thanksgiving is a time for indulging in a delicious feast, and potato side dishes are a must-have on many dinner tables. Here are some classic and creative potato side dishes, each with a brief description, to add variety to your Thanksgiving menu.
Crock Pot Potato Au Gratin
Creamy, Cheesy, and Oh-So-Satisfying. Make crock pot potatoes as an easy Thanksgiving side dish.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
This is a great set it and forget it recipe. Dive into creamy, dreamy goodness at your Thanksgiving meal!
Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting for the fluffiest, most delicious baked potatoes ever. Making crock pot side dishes for Thanksgiving always saves so much time and energy.
Crock Pot Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
Ranch seasoned goodness, slow-cooked to cheesy perfection. You won’t believe how easy and delicious it is!
Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
A slow cooker is your ticket to creamy potato perfection! This easy recipe is one of the best Thanksgiving side dishes.
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole Recipe
Casseroles are the key to a stellar Thanksgiving dinner, and this cheesy hashbrown casserole is one of the best.
Parmesan Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes
Let your slow cooker turn sweet potatoes into a savory delight. If you’re not a fan of sweet potato casserole, then you can make these savory potatoes instead.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
With just simple seasonings and a quick bake in the oven, you can have roasted sweet potatoes done in no time.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
Put that air fryer to use this holiday season and make these yummy sweet potato cubes. They’re crazy easy and make a great addition to the side dishes for Thanksgiving.
Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Smashed potatoes, doused in butter, herbs, and cheese — need I say more? This super easy recipe is great for the holidays.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Get ready for creamy, cheesy, and absolutely delicious flavor explosion in every bite. This potato casserole is hearty side dish that would go great with your Thanksgiving favorites.
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Prep now, enjoy later – your ticket to stress-free entertaining for the holidays. These yummy mashed potatoes are a show-stopping delight!
Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy, and absolutely delightful. Add this to your list of musts for Thanksgiving side dish recipes — the homemade cheese sauce is to die for!
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
If you need a quick recipe, these Instant Pot mashed potatoes will come to the rescue. So perfect to eat with a tasty bite of turkey!
Gravy Recipe
Every Thanksgiving meal needs gravy. This homemade gravy recipe pairs well with Thanksgiving side dishes and main dishes.
Mashed Potatoes
If you don’t have a go-to recipe for mashed potatoes yet, you have to try this one. You’ll love how creamy and delicious they turn out!
Hasselback Potatoes
Impress your guests with these crispy, tender, and utterly delicious spuds. Not only do they taste amazing but they look so pretty!
Cottage Potatoes
Cottage potatoes are a classic family favorite. Add this heart warming recipe to your list of Thanksgiving side dishes this year.
Loaded Potato Bombs
Loaded potato bombs are bursting with powerful flavor. I don’t think anyone would turn down a side dish for Thanksgiving that has potatoes, bacon, and cheese!
Salad and Pasta Side Dishes
Here are our favorite Salad and Pasta side dishes for Thanksgiving. These are perfect for taking with you if you are visiting friends and relatives. They are perfect for making ahead of time and feed a crowd.
Seven Layer Salad
A feast for the eyes and the taste buds! This beautiful 7 later salad is a gorgerous side dish to make for your Thanksgiving meal.
Cranberry Fluff Salad
I love fluff salads and this cranberry one is the best Thanksgiving side. The color is perfect and the flavor is sweet and tart.
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Skip the stove top mac and cheese and make this crock pot mac and cheese that is just a simple and way more tasty. Just the thing to make for your Thanksgiving meal!
Caesar Pasta Salad
Dive into the zesty, creamy goodness of caesar dressing infused with pasta perfection. If the salad is always looked over at your Thanksgiving dinner, then give this recipe a whirl.
Parmesan Orzo Recipe
Parmesan cheese and delicious orzo pasta team up in this quick and easy 15 minute recipe. There are so main Thanksgiving side dishes and main dishes that can take a ton of time, so keep a few in your back pocket that are simple and quick!
{Instant Pot} Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese
Did you know you can make mac and cheese in the Instant Pot? Well now you do! Just follow this easy recipe.
Lettuce Frito Salad
Add crunchy fritos to a tasty green salad and top it with a perfectly tangy dressing. Salad just got so much more exciting!
Broccoli Salad Recipe
Broccoli salad is an easy side dish to make for the holidays. This classic side is always a hit and a great way to make veggies extra tasty.
Watergate Salad
All you need to make this side dish is five ingredients! You’ll be blown away by how yummy it is.
Strawberry Tapioca Salad Recipe
Enjoy the luscious combination of strawberries and tapioca in every spoonful. A great and unique side dish for Thanksgiving!
Couscous Salad Recipe
This couscous salad is a lovely Mediterranean delight that’s light and refreshing! While Mediterranean food may seem a bit summery, this is a great dish for Thanksgiving too.
Snicker Salad
Indulge in the irresistible combination of candy bars and fresh apples. If you’ve never made a dessert salad, you have to try it out!
Asian Ramen Salad
This quick ramen salad is a great side to pair with protein. Ramen noodles have so many different fun uses and this recipe is a great example!
Bean Salad Recipe
While bean salad may not be a classic Thanksgiving side dish, it is a great recipe for the holidays. Loaded with flavor and a good source of protein!
Breads and Traditional Side Dishes
You can’t forget your tradition Thanksgiving Side Dishes! Plus, every meal needs a hearty bread to serve with it.
Stuffing Recipe
Grab a bite of tradition with this classic homemade stuffing recipe. Every Thanksgiving meal needs stuffing!
The BEST Cranberry Sauce Recipe!
Skip the canned cranberry sauce and make your own very easily. The flavor is so much better and the quality is stellar!
Crockpot Stuffing
If you need to keep some oven space open, make stuffing in the Crock Pot instead! It turns out just as amazing as anything you could make in the oven.
Cheddar Bay Biscuit Recipe
Recreate the irresistible Red Lobster favorite in your own kitchen. They’re a great biscuit to add to your Thanksgiving menu.
Apple Cranberry Bread
These two seasonal fruits combine to make a lovely quick bread. While it could be considered a dessert, its a good side dish too!
Olive Garden Breadsticks
Copycat Olive Garden breadsticks are a game-changer for Thanksgiving dinner. They are light and fluffy and are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Beer Bread Recipe
Homemade beer bread only needs six ingredients to create. It is a great side dish for Thanksgiving too!
Rosemary Bread
Fresh and warm rosemary bread is soft and flavorful. Add a slice to your plate of Thanksgiving food, you won’t regret it!
Light Crock Pot Applesauce Recipe
This delicious applesauce will not only leave your house smelling like fall while it cooks away in your slow cooker all day long, but it won’t make you feel guilty at all about indulging in it!
Cornbread
Melt in your mouth, quick and easy, homemade cornbread recipe that anyone can make with pantry ingredients! Thanksgiving side dish recipes like these are perfect all year round.
Dinner Rolls
This recipe make soft, light, buttery rolls that are perfect for a holiday dinner or anytime you want them.
Crescent Rolls Recipe
They are the perfect side dish recipe to your holiday dinners. Don’t forget to buttery these warm rolls with butter!
Kirsten says
Julie and Ashley,
Thanks for allowing me to share your round up in my Best Thanksgiving Round Ups post! I appreciate your contribution to the cornucopia of recipes. With your help, we’ve got hundreds of recipes for all sorts of Thanksgiving needs, from setting the table, to making ahead, to vegetarian dishes, to more desserts than my brain can comprehend.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says
What a great round up. Pinning!! Thank you so much Ashley for including Allie’s macarons.
Julie Evink says
Ashley did a wonderful job!
Jen Nikolaus says
This is the awesomest round-up, Julie! Great job, Ashley! Thanks for including me! Pinned!!
Julie Evink says
Thanks Jen! Ashley did a wonderful job!
Alyssa says
This is a fantastic round-up. Thanks so much for featuring me!
Julie Evink says
Ashley did a wonderful job! Glad we could include you 🙂
Meghan Early Swint says
Great job, Ashley! This is an amazing round up!! Thank you for including me. Pinned to my Favorite Recipes Board.
Julie Evink says
You both have done an amazing job!
Liz says
Thanks so much for featuring my Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies! What an amazing round-up of delicious food! 🙂
Julie Evink says
Ashley did a wonderful job!
Paula says
Great roundup! Thanks for including my recipes. So many other recipes I want to try! Pinned.
Julie Evink says
Thanks Paula! Ashley did a great job!
Tanya Schroeder says
I wish we could have HUGE buffet with all these gorgeous dishes lined up! Boy that would be some good eating! Thanks for sharing my recipes!
Julie Evink says
Me too!!!!