The best Thanksgiving side dishes bring a little balance to a very full plate: savory dressing, creamy potatoes, a green vegetable, and something bright to go with the turkey. These 18 JenniferCooks recipes include Southern holiday favorites, cozy casseroles, colorful vegetables, cranberry sauce, and breads for passing around the table. Pick the dishes your family expects, then add one that gives the menu a different flavor or texture. You'll find the recipes grouped below, followed by tips for choosing a manageable menu and sharing oven space. Thanksgiving dinner is enough of a production without every side needing the same oven rack.
Jump to: classics · potatoes · vegetables · cranberry, salad & pilaf · breads
Classic Thanksgiving Dressing and Casseroles
Start with the familiar favorites: savory cornbread dressing, crunchy green bean casserole, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese, and broccoli rice casserole. The mac and cheese cooks in a slow cooker, which gives you an option when the oven is already spoken for.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Southern cornbread dressing with turkey combines dried, non-sweet cornbread, roasted turkey, buttery vegetables, saltines, and cream of chicken soup for a moist center and golden-brown top.
Crunchy Green Bean Casserole
This easy crunchy green bean casserole combines tender canned green beans, creamy mushroom soup, savory seasonings, and extra French fried onions in a 45-minute holiday side dish.
Easy Jiffy Corn Casserole
Imagine a warm, golden-brown casserole with just the right balance of sweet and savory.
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Using both evaporated milk and whole milk, plus a blend of sharp cheddar and American cheese, guarantees that silky, creamy sauce you crave in a good homemade mac.
Easy Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
Unlike the classic version, this recipe ditches the canned soups in favor of a homemade, creamy cheese sauce made with real ingredients.
Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potato Sides
Choose roasted garlic mashed potatoes for a creamy scoop beside the gravy, scalloped potatoes for tender layers in cream sauce, or mashed sweet potatoes with orange and thyme for a brighter flavor. One potato dish may be plenty when dressing and casseroles are also on the menu.
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
This recipe blends tender Yukon Golds with roasted garlic cloves, melted butter, and evaporated milk for a velvety texture and naturally buttery flavor.
Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes baked in a seasoned cream sauce until tender.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange & Thyme
The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes shines through, but a pop of citrusy orange zest and a little fresh thyme balances it.
Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dishes
This group offers glazed carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, creamy spinach and corn, and maple-bacon butternut squash. Mix textures as well as colors: a browned vegetable can be a welcome change beside several soft, creamy dishes.
Honey-Dijon Glazed Carrots with Bacon
Tender carrots with a craveable honey glaze
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Cauliflower
They also added a buttery breadcrumb that added a great buttery flavor to this as well.
Creamed Spinach
Creamy, cheesy, and perfectly seasoned, this easy creamed spinach comes together in minutes-an irresistible Southern-style side that pairs beautifully with steak, chicken, or holiday meals.
Easy Homemade Southern Creamed Corn
Sweet summer corn simmered in a rich, creamy sauce makes the best creamed corn.
Bacon Maple Hasselback Butternut Squash
Imagine your oven filling your kitchen with the irresistible aroma of caramelized maple syrup, warm cinnamon, and nutmeg blending seamlessly with the smoky scent of sizzling bacon.
Cranberry Sauce, Salad, and Rice Pilaf
Cranberry sauce brings a tart-sweet spoonful to the plate, apple pecan spinach salad adds fresh crunch, and orange cranberry rice pilaf gives you another way to serve a holiday starch. Choose the salad for a fresh finish or the pilaf when you want an alternative to another potato dish.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Nothing says the holidays quite like a bright, tangy cranberry sauce alongside your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham.
Apple Pecan Spinach Salad
There's nothing quite like crisp apples and fresh spinach tossed together with a tangy balsamic dressing.
Orange Cranberry Rice Pilaf
This Orange-Cranberry Rice Pilaf is the perfect side dish recipe-simple enough for a weeknight yet elegant enough for entertaining.
Biscuits and Cornbread for the Thanksgiving Table
Whipping cream biscuits and skillet cornbread both belong beside a holiday meal. Choose the bread that fits the rest of your menu, and give it its own baking slot. If cornbread dressing is already on the table, biscuits add a different texture.
Whipping Cream Biscuits
They were light, flaky, and had a tender crumb that didn't feel heavy.
Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
This Southern Buttermilk Cornbread is a southern classic that delivers every time-golden, crisp-edged, and tender inside.
How to Choose a Thanksgiving Side Dish Menu
For a manageable starting menu, choose dressing, one potato dish, one green vegetable, cranberry sauce, and a bread. Add another casserole or vegetable if your guest count and family traditions call for it. You don't need all 18 dishes to make the table feel generous.
A classic Southern combination from this collection is cornbread dressing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and whipping cream biscuits. For more variety, swap the green bean casserole for glazed carrots and add the apple pecan spinach salad. Check the yields in the individual recipes before deciding which dishes need a larger batch.
Plan the Oven Space Before You Shop
Write down the oven temperature, pan size, and cooking time for each dish. Then compare those needs with your turkey recipe. Two pans that need the same temperature still have to fit with room for air to circulate. A large roasting pan can make that decision for you.
The Brussels sprouts and cauliflower roast at 475°F, while the green bean casserole bakes at 350°F. Give them separate oven windows instead of treating them as interchangeable. Roasted garlic mashed potatoes also need an oven step for the garlic, even though the potatoes cook on the stovetop.
Use the stovetop carrots, creamed spinach, or rice pilaf to spread out the cooking. The slow cooker mac and cheese frees the oven, but it still needs the stirring and texture checks in its recipe. Choose a realistic finish time; a slow cooker is not permission to leave pasta cooking indefinitely.
What Can You Prepare Ahead?
Start the cornbread dressing early. Its cornbread needs drying time, and its turkey meat and drippings require their own preparation. Read that recipe before planning the rest of the meal so those steps are already accounted for.
The cranberry sauce is oven-baked, so make it ahead and refrigerate it rather than adding another baking dish to Thanksgiving morning. Keep the apple salad ingredients and dressing separate until serving, and follow the green bean casserole's instructions for adding the final fried onions near the end of baking.
The roasted garlic mashed potatoes can be reheated with a little milk and butter, as described in the source recipe. Make-ahead instructions vary by dish, so check the individual recipe before deciding to assemble, fully bake, refrigerate, or freeze it. Making something ahead helps only if you also reserve time and space to finish it.
Thanksgiving Side Dish Questions
Which sides work when the oven is full?
The glazed carrots, creamed spinach, and orange cranberry rice pilaf use the stovetop. Crockpot macaroni and cheese uses a slow cooker. Apple pecan spinach salad can be assembled near serving time with its components prepared separately. Check your burner and counter space as well as your oven space.
How many side dishes should I make?
Use five as a planning starting point: dressing, a potato, a green vegetable, cranberry sauce, and bread. Adjust for your guests, the recipe yields, and contributions from other cooks. A smaller menu with enough of each dish is easier to coordinate than many dishes competing for the same equipment.
Are all of these vegetable dishes vegetarian?
No. Some recipes include bacon, chicken broth, or chicken base, and the cornbread dressing includes turkey. Read the full ingredient list for each dish before planning for dietary needs; the name of a vegetable side doesn't tell you everything in it.
What is a good side dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinner?
Ask the host what is missing and whether there is room to refrigerate, bake, or reheat your dish. Cranberry sauce or a salad with dressing packed separately can keep you from needing an oven slot at the last minute. Bring the serving utensil, too.
Finish the Thanksgiving Menu
For the centerpiece, try my Herb Butter Roasted Turkey in an Oven Bag. My Classic Homemade Turkey Gravy brings the turkey, dressing, and potatoes together. Plan those recipes alongside the sides so the pan juices and cooking times fit your menu.
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