These Southern Thanksgiving recipes bring together 15 favorites for a traditional holiday meal, from herb-butter turkey and cornbread dressing to collard greens, sweet potato casserole, homemade rolls, and pie. This collection is for anyone planning the whole dinner or choosing one good dish to bring. Each recipe has its own instructions, so you can build a menu around your guest count, oven space, and family favorites. Start with the turkey and dressing, choose a few sides with different flavors and textures, and leave room for dessert. A generous Thanksgiving table doesn't require making every recipe on the list.
Jump to: turkey and dressing · side dishes · rolls and cornbread · pies and cobbler
Thanksgiving Turkey, Dressing, and Cranberry Sauce
Turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, and cranberry sauce give this menu its holiday foundation. The dressing includes roasted turkey and drippings, so read its preparation steps before planning the day. The cranberry sauce adds a sweet-tart contrast and can be prepared ahead.
Herb Butter Roasted Turkey in an Oven Bag
Fresh garlic-herb butter and a turkey-size oven bag make this whole roasted turkey juicy, golden, aromatic, and wonderfully low-maintenance.
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.
Classic Homemade Turkey Gravy
The combination of turkey pan drippings, chicken broth, and giblets creates a richly flavored, silky gravy.
Easy Baked Cranberry Sauce with Orange Marmalade
Fresh cranberries bake under a tight cover, then get stirred with sweet orange marmalade and lemon juice.
Southern Thanksgiving Side Dishes
These sides cover smoky greens, pecan-topped sweet potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, crunchy green beans, corn, and macaroni and cheese. Pick a mix of textures instead of filling every serving bowl with something creamy. Collard greens and stovetop creamed corn also give you options beyond the oven.
Southern-Style Collard Greens
Southern-style collard greens simmer with smoked ham hocks, sweet onions, garlic, and apple cider vinegar until tender.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Streusel Topping
Smooth sweet potato filling, vanilla and cinnamon, and a buttery brown sugar pecan streusel make this casserole a sweet companion to a savory holiday meal.
Homestyle Mashed Potatoes with Evaporated Milk
These homestyle mashed potatoes combine russet potatoes, warm evaporated milk, and melted butter for a creamy side dish.
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.
Creamed Corn
Tender corn kernels in a rich cream cheese sauce, with fresh or frozen corn options and stovetop, slow cooker, multi-cooker, and casserole directions.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
This creamy macaroni and cheese will hit the spot when you're craving comfort food!
Homemade Rolls and Southern Cornbread
Soft yeast rolls are good for catching gravy, while skillet cornbread belongs beside a bowl of greens. Choose the bread your family likes best, and remember that the dressing needs its own cornbread prepared ahead. A pan for the bread basket and cornbread for the dressing are separate jobs.
Homemade Yeast Rolls
These homemade yeast rolls bake up soft, fluffy, and golden with a tender enriched crumb and a buttery finish.
Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
This Southern Buttermilk Cornbread is a southern classic that delivers every time-golden, crisp-edged, and tender inside.
Thanksgiving Pies and Pecan Cobbler
Pumpkin pie, buttermilk pie, and pecan pie cobbler offer three different finishes: warm spice, tangy vanilla custard, and a buttery pecan dessert to scoop. Choose one or two for a smaller gathering. The cobbler brings pecan-pie flavor without rolling a pie crust.
Classic Pumpkin Pie
A classic pumpkin pie with smooth pumpkin custard, brown sugar, warm spices, evaporated milk, and a flaky deep-dish crust for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The Best Buttermilk Pie
The Best Buttermilk Pie has a creamy, custard-like filling, and is a Southern classic that has a rich and tangy vanilla flavor, similar in taste to Creme Brulee.
Classic Apple Pie
A classic double-crust apple pie with tart Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon, and clear tips for a flaky crust and filling that sets.
French Silk Chocolate Pie
This French Silk Chocolate Pie is a chocolate lover's dream dessert! The light and fluffy, intensely chocolate mousse filling will melt in your mouth and have everyone vying for the last piece!
Pecan Pie Cobbler
If pecan pie and cobbler ever joined forces, this would be their masterpiece-gooey in the middle, golden on top, and unapologetically Southern through and through.
How to Build a Traditional Southern Thanksgiving Menu
For a balanced menu, start with turkey, dressing, and gravy, then choose a green vegetable, a creamy side, something sweet-tart, bread, and dessert. One example from this collection is turkey with cornbread dressing, collard greens, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, yeast rolls, and pumpkin pie. Add sweet potato casserole or macaroni and cheese if those are the dishes your family looks forward to.
Check the yield in each recipe before shopping. These recipes make different amounts: the mashed potatoes serve six, while the dressing serves 12 to 14. A smaller gathering may need fewer dishes or smaller batches; a larger gathering may need extra pans of the favorites. Decide that before everyone volunteers to bring another casserole.
What Can You Make Before Thanksgiving Day?
The cornbread for the dressing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and baked yeast rolls are useful places to start. The sweet potato filling and streusel can also be prepared separately ahead. Follow each recipe's storage and reheating directions; making something ahead can mean preparing components or baking it completely.
- Start the dressing early. Its recipe calls for baking and drying the cornbread 2 to 3 days ahead. If making the finished dressing in advance, follow the baked-ahead method in the source post rather than holding the fully mixed, unbaked dressing overnight.
- Keep the sweet potato topping separate. The filling and praline streusel can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately. Add the topping on baking day, following the recipe and your baking dish's instructions.
- Bake pumpkin pie the day before. Follow the cooling directions, then refrigerate it until serving. This also takes its two-temperature baking schedule out of the holiday oven lineup.
- Make the cranberry sauce ahead. It needs cooling and chilling after baking, so it is a useful dish to finish before the final dinner rush.
- Bake the rolls ahead if needed. The recipe supports storing the baked rolls; an overnight refrigerated dough rise has not been tested. Use the published make-ahead method when timing matters.
Plan Around Your Oven Space
Write down the pan size, oven temperature, and cooking time for each dish you choose. Then give every oven dish a place in the schedule. The rolls bake at 375°F, while the turkey recipe uses 350°F; pumpkin pie starts hotter before the temperature drops. Sharing an oven takes more planning than finding an empty rack.
Use the stovetop methods for collard greens and creamed corn when that fits your menu, and leave the cranberry sauce and a finished pie out of the last-minute oven queue. The turkey recipe starts with a fully thawed, brined bird, so include that preparation well before roasting day. My turkey brine recipe explains its separate preparation schedule.
For dishes with crisp toppings, keep the finishing step close to serving. The green bean casserole adds its final fried onions during the last few minutes of baking, while the sweet potato casserole keeps its streusel separate during advance preparation. Those small details help the toppings stay distinct from the creamy fillings.
Southern Thanksgiving Menu Questions
Do I need both cornbread dressing and cornbread on the table?
No. The dressing is a complete side dish made with prepared cornbread, while a separate pan of cornbread is an optional bread choice. Serve yeast rolls instead if you want variety, or choose cornbread if you especially enjoy it with collard greens.
Is every recipe in this collection made ahead?
No. The collection mixes advance-prep options with dishes you may want to finish closer to dinner. Choose a few tasks to complete early, then use the individual recipes for exact preparation, storage, and finishing instructions.
Which dessert should I choose for a smaller Thanksgiving?
Choose the flavor your guests enjoy most: warmly spiced pumpkin pie, tangy vanilla buttermilk pie, or pecan pie cobbler. One dessert can be enough. Check the recipe yield before adding a second pie just because it is Thanksgiving.
What Belongs on Your Thanksgiving Table?
Tell me which dish your family asks for every year, or which recipe you're bringing to someone else's table. For more recipes from my kitchen, sign up below and keep a few new ideas handy for the next family meal.
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