Easy Side Dishes for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of those meals where the sides steal the show, and I plan mine just as carefully as the main. Whether you are hosting a full sit-down dinner or bringing a dish to someone else’s table, these are the easy side dishes I come back to every single year because they hold well, travel easily, and make a plate look complete. Here are a few of my very favorites.
Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: These are my go-to for a reason. They come out silky smooth with real roasted garlic flavor, and they reheat beautifully if you are making them ahead. Mashed potatoes disappear faster than anything else on the Thanksgiving table, so I always make more than I think I need.
More Thanksgiving potato options: Twice Baked Potato Casserole, Smashed Red Potatoes, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Married Mashed Sweet Potatoes
A traditional stuffing: A good sausage stuffing is the one thing I get requests for every year. The Homemade Sausage Stuffing uses Italian sausage, celery, onion, and herbs baked into bread cubes with chicken broth, and it can be prepped the night before which matters a lot on a day with this many dishes running at once.
If you want something with a little more contrast, the Sausage Cranberry Stuffing adds dried cranberries for a sweet and savory version that tends to surprise people in the best way.
Stuffing options: French Bread Stuffing
Creamed Spinach: This is the side I pull out when I need something fast that still looks intentional on the table. It takes about 10 minutes, it is a bright color on an otherwise beige plate, and it gives guests who want something lighter a real option. A little Italian seasoning and cracked pepper takes it up a notch.
Thanksgiving vegetable sides: Broccoli Cheese Casserole, Parmesan Roasted Carrots, Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Sweet Potato Sides Worth Making
Sweet potatoes are one of those Thanksgiving ingredients that can go in a dozen different directions, and I think that is what makes them so useful. You can keep them simple and savory or lean into the sweet side with a marshmallow top, and either way the dish holds well and travels without issue.
Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole: This one is based on the restaurant version, with a brown sugar and pecan crust that sets up beautifully in the oven. It is rich enough to sit next to the turkey and hold its own, but it works just as well as part of a potluck spread where you need something that looks impressive without a lot of fuss.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes: This is the version I make when I want something that looks a little more put-together on the table. Layered with toasted marshmallows and walnuts, it has enough texture contrast that it does not get lost next to the other sides. It also reheats well the next day, which is always a factor in Thanksgiving planning.
More sweet potato ideas: Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Cranberry Sides That Do More Than Sauce
Most people put out a single bowl of cranberry sauce and call it done, but cranberry works in more places on the Thanksgiving table than just next to the turkey. These are the ones I keep coming back to because they pull double duty.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice: This is the one I make every year instead of buying a can. The orange juice adds a brightness that balances the tartness, and it comes together in about 15 minutes on the stovetop. I make it two days ahead and it only gets better.
Broccoli Cranberry Salad: This one earns its place on the Thanksgiving table because it is cold, it is crunchy, and it is made ahead. On a day when every burner and oven rack is in use, having a salad that is already done and waiting in the fridge is not a small thing. The cranberries tie it right into the holiday flavor without making it feel out of place.
Cranberry Fluff Salad: If you have people at your table who want something sweet alongside their meal, this is the one to put out. It is light, it is pink, and it takes almost no effort. I usually set it near the rolls so people see it early.
Last-Minute Sides That Still Impress
American Biscuits: These are 15-minute southern-style biscuits made with just flour, baking powder, cold butter, and buttermilk. No yeast, no self-rising flour, no complicated steps. They come out flaky and golden and they need to hit the table warm, so I time them to come out of the oven right as everything else is ready. Set them next to the gravy and they are gone before anything else on the table.
More biscuit and bread options: Easy Drop Buttermilk Biscuits, Cheddar Drop Biscuits, Southern Skillet Cornbread
Creamy Coleslaw: On a Thanksgiving table full of warm, soft dishes, a creamy slaw is the one thing that cuts through and resets your palate between bites. This one uses a homemade mayo dressing with lemon juice and white vinegar so it is bright and tangy without being sweet, and it takes five minutes to mix. The key is making it the night before so the dressing has time to soak in and the flavors come together. It holds well, frees up the stove completely, and is one less thing to think about on the day.
Holiday-ready salad options: Broccoli Salad, Green Bean Salad, Broccoli Cranberry Salad
A roasted vegetable casserole: When oven space is tight on Thanksgiving, a vegetable casserole earns its spot because it can go in early, hold well, and still come out looking like you put real effort in. I build mine around sweet potatoes, beets, and leeks when I want something that feels seasonal, or I go with zucchini and tomato when I want something that I know everyone will chow down on. Either way it is a reliable anchor for the vegetable side of the table.
Vegetable-forward holiday casseroles: Zucchini Tomato Casserole, Fresh Green Bean Casserole, Parmesean Cauliflower Casserole, Sweet Corn Casserole
Sides You Can Make in the Slow Cooker
Oven space on Thanksgiving is the real problem. Once the turkey goes in, it owns the oven for most of the day. These are the sides I move to the crockpot specifically so the oven stays clear, and every single one of them is done when you need it with no babysitting.
Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole: Green bean casserole cannot be skipped at Thanksgiving, and this version goes into the crockpot in the morning and is ready when everything else is. It tastes exactly like the classic but frees up the oven completely.
Crock Pot Sweet Potato Casserole: Brown sugar, pecans, and marshmallows, all done in the slow cooker so the oven stays clear for the things that actually need it. This one is on the table every year at my house and never has leftovers.
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes: Hash browns, Velveeta, cream of potato soup, and butter set it and forget it in the slow cooker. This is the one that disappears fastest at any potluck or family gathering, and it takes almost no effort to pull together.
Crock Pot Cheesy Corn: Creamy, cheesy corn made entirely in the slow cooker with no Velveeta required. It keeps the stove and oven completely free, and because it stays warm in the crockpot, it is one less thing to time perfectly when everything else is hitting the table at once.
More slow cooker options: Honey Dijon Brussels Sprouts, Slow Cooker Cheesy Vegetables
