Let's be real, Thanksgiving dinner is all about the side dishes. From potato and sweet potato sides, to squash and pumpkin, green beans and brussels sprouts, to stuffing, salads and soup, I have got you covered. Today I am sharing my 50 most popular and favourite recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes, including classics like mashed potatoes and sweet potato casseroles, other favourites like creamy brussels sprouts and stuffed butternut squash, and healthy vegetable side dishes.
Potato and Sweet Potato Side Dishes
The Best and Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, buttery, and delicious, this is the best and creamiest mashed potatoes recipe you will ever find. It's velvety, smooth, and melts in your mouth.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
Sweet potato casserole with pecans packed with tender sweet potatoes and a buttery crunchy pecan topping is the best fall side dish for Thanksgiving dinner.
Rich and creamy potatoes au gratin is the ultimate comfort food made with sliced potatoes, cheese, and milk. It's the perfect side dish for the holidays.
Hasselback Potatoes are infused with garlic butter and feature signature cuts that make these potatoes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Mascarpone mashed potatoes are creamy, smooth, and comforting. Classic mashed potatoes are given a twist resulting in a super silky and rich mash.
Candied Yams are tender, buttery, tangy, and sweet with a delicious brown sugar glaze. This simple Thanksgiving side dish is quick and easy to prepare.
Crispy leaf potatoes are a delicious potato side dish made with layers of buttery, sliced potatoes that crisp up when baked. The perfect side dish.
Roasted Garlic Parmesan Baby Potatoes.
Quick and easy roasted garlic Parmesan baby potatoes are crispy on the edges and tender inside. They are delicious, flavourful and bakes in just 30 minutes.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
Velvety and smooth, garlic mashed potatoes with sour cream are the best, flavourful make-ahead side dish ever. Garlicky, buttery, creamy, and pure comfort.
Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes are a quick easy side dish that's healthy, delicious, and flavorful. A perfect side for your holiday table or weeknight dinner.
These crispy smashed potatoes are the perfect side dish. They’re easy to make, crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside, and so flavorful.
Easy Ham and Potatoes Au Gratin
Easy creamy ham and potatoes au gratin is a great way to use leftover ham with tender sliced potatoes and a cheesy béchamel sauce. The best comfort food.
Velvety, smooth, and creamy, this savoury mashed sweet potatoes dish is quick and easy and can be made ahead of time -- it is the perfect side for your holiday meal.
Instant pot mashed potatoes are the quickest and easiest mashed potatoes you’ll make in under 20 minutes (including prep!) in the pressure cooker.
Greek Lemon Roasted Baby Potatoes
Quick and easy Greek lemon roasted baby potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender inside, packed with a Greek flavour blend of lemon, garlic and herbs.
Healthy mashed potatoes are velvety, creamy, and delicious, with a fraction of the calories. Substitute with low-fat milk, Greek yogurt and chicken stock.
Scalloped potatoes are a creamy, cheesy, indulgent side dish that will make cheese lovers swoon. Every bite is savory, rich, comforting, and delicious.
Mashed red potatoes are a simple and easy side dish with elegant flavor and plenty of nutrition. They are creamy, comforting, and have the best texture.
Thanksgiving Stuffing
Easy vegetarian cornbread stuffing is the perfect make-ahead side dish to serve this Thanksgiving. So flavourful, moist and soft, yet crispy golden on top.
Cranberry Walnut Apple Stuffing
Cranberry walnut bread paired with sautéed apples, onions and rosemary is exactly what your holiday table needs! Hello cranberry walnut apple stuffing!
Squash Side Dishes
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice
Healthy hearty and wholesome stuffed butternut squash with wild rice and mushrooms is an easy cozy vegetarian fall dinner or side. The best comfort food.
Roasted butternut squash is the easiest vegan side dish you need this fall. It has a ton of flavour with just a few simple pantry staples.
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash is savory and sweet, with its flavor intensified when tossed and roasted in a homemade maple glaze with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
One Pan Roasted Harvest Vegetables
One pan roasted harvest vegetables with butternut squash, brussels sprouts and baby potatoes is the best fall side dish. So easy to prep in just minutes.
Mashed butternut squash is the perfect side dish for fall — creamy, smooth, and delicious, with the perfect balance between sweet and savory fall flavors.
Roasted Pumpkin Wedges with Parmesan Cheese
Soft and tender, easy roasted pumpkin wedges with Parmesan cheese is the easiest and most delicious side dishes to make this fall. Prep it in just minutes.
Curried Chickpea Stuffed Acorn Squash
Wholesome, hearty, curried chickpea stuffed acorn squash with curry flavours is the perfect vegan and gluten-free fall comfort food for your holiday dinner.
Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash
Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash are a quick, easy, flavorful, and delicious Thanksgiving side dish that you need this holiday season.
Air fryer butternut squash is a healthy side dish that is crispy on the outside and soft inside. It's faster than roasting in the oven and needs less oil.
Brussels Sprouts Side Dishes
Tender and caramelized, easy roasted brussels sprouts tossed in balsamic vinegar and honey is a classic household favourite to serve on your holiday table.
Delicious, garlicky, cheesy and creamy brussels sprouts bake is the ultimate comfort food side dish. So flavourful and the best way to eat brussels sprouts.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon is a quick and easy side dish with the best flavor and texture. The best part? This holiday side is ready in under 15 minutes.
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts are a quick and easy side dish made with just 5 ingredients and ready to serve in only 15 minutes. They're vegan and keto too.
Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Easy honey balsamic Brussels sprouts are a sweet savory side dish that's roasted until tender and caramelized, and coated in a delicious flavourful glaze.
12-Minute Crispy Roasted Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
Tender and crispy roasted air fryer brussels sprouts cooks in less than 12 minutes with very little oil. It is a holiday table game changer.
Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts
Parmesan crusted Brussels sprouts are a quick, easy, delicious side dish that's perfectly crispy outside and soft and tender inside. Ready in 30 minutes.
More Vegetable Side Dishes
Green bean casserole is a classic holiday side dish packed with fresh green beans in a delicious creamy mushroom sauce, and topped with crispy fried onions.
Mashed Cauliflower is a fluffy and buttery side dish and a low carb, keto-friendly alternative to mashed potatoes. Plus, it’s easier and quicker too!
Creamed spinach is a rich, creamy, and delicious side dish to make this fall. Easy to make ahead and reheats well — perfect for Thanksgiving holiday dinner.
Roasted Carrots are a healthy, delicious, and easy to make side dish with a slightly crispy interior and sweet and tender inside. Serve with any entree!
Green Beans Almondine is buttery, garlicky, and nutty. This classic French side dish is quick and easy to make, and loaded with flavor and texture.
Honey roasted carrots are a sweet, savoury, and salty side dish that pairs well with almost any entree. With these flavours, everyone will want seconds.
This buttery, garlicky Sautéed Spinach is the best way to enjoy this nutritious green. It's the ultimate healthy side dish and takes a few minutes to make!
Creamy corn casserole is a comforting side dish that is creamy, savory, slightly sweet, and filling — a classic and traditional Thanksgiving holiday side.
Oven Roasted Vegetables are a delicious flavorful side dish that goes well with almost any dinner main. Customize it with whatever veggies you have on hand.
Buttery sautéed garlic green beans is a simple side dish that is quick, easy and delicious. Make these vibrant, crispy and tender green beans in 10 minutes.
Quick and easy air fryer broccoli is a healthy side dish that takes just six minutes to cook in the air fryer. It's crispy, delicious, and flavorful.
Homemade Creamed Corn is creamy, delicious, and simple. It’s quick and easy to make at home and so much better than store-bought canned creamed corn.
With only a few ingredients, it is incredible how much flavour are packed in these 10-minute nutty green beans. Earthy green beans balance perfectly with crunchy pecans.
Maple Roasted Carrots with Yogurt Sauce
These maple roasted carrots with yogurt sauce are not only stunning, but they get all caramelized and crispy around the sides from the maple syrup… pure perfection!
Green Beans with Bacon is a delicious, flavorful side dish that comes together quickly in 20 minutes (including prep!) with a handful of simple ingredients.
Quick and easy roasted cauliflower is a delicious, flavourful side dish that you throw on a sheet pan and into the oven. Plus, it's vegan and gluten-free.
Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots
Sweet and flavourful easy garlic and herb roasted carrots is the perfect side dish to your holiday dinner or your everyday weeknight dinner.
Pesto green beans is a simple side dish that is quick and easy to make in under 10 minutes, tossed in buttery toasted walnuts and pesto. So delicious.
Oven-roasted corn on the cob with homemade garlic butter is buttery, juicy, crunchy, and perfectly charred on the outside — without a grill.
Buttery sautéed garlic mushrooms are silky smooth with an incredible caramelization and earthy rich flavour. A simple side dish in under 15 minutes.
Microwave Steamed Broccoli is tender, buttery, and delicious. With just 4 ingredients, this easy side dish takes minutes to prep and even less time to cook.
Roasted Garlic Green Beans (Air Fryer or Oven)
Quick easy roasted garlic green beans are tangy, sour, savoury, and sweet, with a tender and crunchy texture. Make them in the oven or air fryer in minutes.
Spinach gratin is a rich and creamy side dish with a layer of crispy melty cheese on top. This fancy side is easy to make ahead and freezer-friendly.
Vegetarian mushroom gravy is creamy, savory and thick, easy to make, loaded with flavor, and pairs well with everything! Make it vegan and dairy-free too.
Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Craving a big serving of mashed potatoes but with a quarter of the calories? Now you can with creamy garlic mashed cauliflower. Ready in just 20 minutes.
Pasta Sides
Classic baked mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food — creamy, cheesy, and cozy, topped with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. It's quick and easy too.
Stovetop Mac and Cheese with White Cheddar
Quick and easy, creamy stovetop mac and cheese with white cheddar is a delicious and comforting one pot 20-minute meal packed with three types of cheese.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Butternut squash mac and cheese is a flavorful and delicious fall twist on a classic, with a rich and creamy sauce that is secretly loaded with veggies.
Brie mac and cheese takes traditional macaroni and cheese to the next level. It's creamy, comforting, delicious, and easy to make in about 30 minutes.
Thanksgiving Salad
Fall Harvest Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple
Fall harvest salad with roasted butternut squash and apple is the only salad recipe you need this fall or winter. It's healthy, wholesome, and nourishing.
Apple Walnut Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Throw together crisp apples, crunchy walnuts, and sweet cranberries for a taste of the holidays in this fall apple walnut salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
Roasted brussels sprouts salad with creamy potatoes, crispy string beans, tender brussels sprouts, is tossed in a delicious homemade dijon vinaigrette.
Butternut squash salad is a light meal that's loaded with fall flavors — roasted butternut squash, baby kale, walnuts, dried cranberries, and feta.
Arugula Salad with Apple and Pecan
Arugula salad with apple and pecan is a quick and easy fall salad made with fresh seasonal ingredients in just minutes. Perfect for a holiday dinner table.
This Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad is easy to make, ready in under an hour, delicious, and loaded with health benefits. It's the perfect fall salad.
Winter Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans
Cozy winter kale salad with apple cider vinaigrette is easy to make with crispy apples, tangy goat cheese and crunchy spiced pecans in under 10 minutes.
Warm Lentil Salad with Butternut Squash
This warm lentil salad with butternut squash and shiitake mushrooms is the most comforting salad. Add it to your holiday dinner this fall.
Thanksgiving Soup
This delicious and easy roasted butternut squash soup brings all the taste of the holidays in one spoon. Rosemary, sage and thyme, need I say more?
One pot sweet potato soup is super silky, creamy and vegan, and packed with fall flavours. Make this quick and easy fall and winter soup in 30 minutes.
Creamy Cauliflower and Garlic Soup.
A handful of ingredients and a few simple steps makes creamy cauliflower and garlic soup one of the easiest and tastiest soups ever.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Instant pot butternut squash soup is the perfect fall dish to cook in your pressure cooker — warm, cozy, comforting, and creamy. Make in 15 minutes.
Roasted Acorn Squash Soup is smooth and velvety, packed with veggies, and loaded with fall flavor. Serve for a cozy lunch, dinner, or on Thanksgiving.
30-Minute Butternut Squash Soup
Another variation on butternut squash soup, this quick and easy 30-minute butternut squash soup is simple yet packed with flavour, is naturally vegan and gluten-free, and can be made ahead of time.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Soup
Creamy roasted butternut squash and cauliflower soup has all the fall feels and is vegan and gluten-free. Plus, it's super easy to make in a sheet pan.
Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup is rich, creamy, flavorful, and delicious. This vegan soup is ready just over 35 minutes with minimal prep and in one pot.
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Toasted Croutons
Butternut squash and apple soup with toasted croutons has some sweetness from apple and carrots, a kick from onions and curry powder, and is just all around comfort food.
Thanksgiving Bread
Sweet and savoury, buttery rosemary cornbread is soft and moist with golden crispy edges, flavourful and delicious, and so easy to make this holiday season.
Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
No knead, easy rosemary garlic focaccia bread is thick with a perfect golden and crispy texture on the outside, but soft, fluffy and tender inside.
Quick and easy pumpkin dinner rolls are soft and fluffy, flaky and butter, and perfect to serve alongside a warm and cozy fall meal or Thanksgiving dinner.
Flaky Garlic Cheddar Biscuits are a simple but delicious and flavorful no yeast bread that is ready for the oven with less than 15 minutes prep.
Pumpkin Cornbread is a sweet and savory side dish loaded with real pumpkin, and is moist, fluffy, and crumbly with crisp edges.
Potato Dinner Rolls are soft, light, and fluffy. These quick and easy dinner rolls are loaded with leftover mashed potatoes and simple pantry staples.
Pumpkin Focaccia Bread with Fresh Herbs
Delicious, easy pumpkin focaccia bread with fresh herbs is soft, fluffy, and springy, yet so crispy on the outside. Just 15 minutes of actual prep required.
Easy Cornbread Muffins are moist, fluffy, tender, and sweet. They're the perfect side dish to serve with a Southern barbecue or Thanksgiving holiday dinner.
Quick and easy, 90-minute cheesy garlic dinner rolls are soft and fluffy, buttery and garlicky, and full of cheese inside. The perfect side for dinner.
How to Make Ahead
You can make some of these Thanksgiving side dish recipes ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Check the individual recipes to see full make ahead instructions.
To reheat, place in the oven at 300F for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. If heating from frozen, let it thaw first and then reheat. If you can make any of these dishes a day or two before Thanksgiving, things will so much easier on the day of your holiday meal.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Once you have selected the sides that you want to serve on your Thanksgiving dinner menu, don't forget the turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course dessert:
- The Best and Juiciest Whole Roast Turkey
- Easy Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast
- Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Classic Homemade Turkey Gravy
- Easy Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce
- Easy 2-Ingredient Turkey Gravy
- 40 Best Thanksgiving Main Dishes
- 15 Best Thanksgiving Bread Recipes
- 30 Best Thanksgiving Appetizers
- 25 Best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
Did You Make Any of These Thanksgiving Side Dishes?
Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of recipes. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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PrintRecipe
50 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Browse over 50 most popular best Thanksgiving side dishes recipes for the holidays from potatoes, stuffing, squash, brussels sprouts, soup, salad & more. One of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes are these Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds yukon gold or russet potatoes (approximately 4-5 large potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup (or 2 ounces) cream cheese
- ¾ cup half and half cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water to cover potatoes by about an inch. Heat over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are soft when you insert a fork.
- Drain potatoes and place back in the pot. Use a potato masher (or a fork) to mash the potatoes.
- Add in the butter and cream cheese and use an electric hand mixer to mix until melted and incorporated into the potatoes.
- Slowly add in the cream and continue to whisk with the electric mixer. Add salt and pepper.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish, garnish with parsley, extra butter and serve warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: 50 thanksgiving side dish recipes, the best thanksgiving side dishes, thanksgiving sides, thanksgiving recipes, side dish recipes, best thanksgiving recipes
Aline says
This collection is exactly what I needed to plan for the holidays!! It's a perfect roundup!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you Aline! So glad you like the recipes. 🙂
Tatiana says
Every single one looks so good, Sam - I want to try all of them! Amazing recipe collection!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Tatiana! Let me know if you try any 🙂
GUNJAN C Dudani says
What an awesome round up and absolutely on time. I have short listed few of them to practice because serving it on the main day.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much! Let me know how it goes.
veenaazmanov says
Perfect collection of all the best recipes. Thanks. Need to get going with some this weekend.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Veena! Let me know if you make any 🙂