The 32 Best Thanksgiving Recipes

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Roasted Turkey

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

A whole roasted turkey is a Thanksgiving essential and this bird's got it all, with crispy, butter-basted skin and tender, juicy meat. Carrots, onion, celery, and fresh herbs are used to stuff the turkey and infuse the meat with lovely fall flavor.
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Green Bean Casserole

The Spruce/Diana Rattray

Green bean casserole is a great argument for the theory that Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes. This holiday-worthy recipe uses simple ingredients to create a crowd-pleasing dish with all the crucial elements: tender green beans, a creamy mushroom sauce, and crispy fried shallots on top.
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Parker House Rolls

The Spruce Eats

Every Thanksgiving host needs to know one foolproof recipe for homemade dinner rolls. Consider this one for buttery Parker House rolls your new holiday essential. Make it easy on yourself by prepping the dough and shaping the rolls one day ahead. Store them in the fridge overnight for popping into the oven just before dinner.
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Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

The Spruce Eats

Holiday turkey and mashed potatoes are both better with gravy. Make your turkey gravy ahead of time with this recipe. Refrigerate it up to six days, then reheat with some of the drippings from the turkey roasting pan once that's ready.

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Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Diana Rattray

The Instant Pot makes short work of cranberry sauce. This delicious recipe includes cranberries, orange zest and juice, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon and only takes 15 minutes to cook. It's the perfect accompaniment to roast turkey, chicken, pork, or ham.
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Classic Thanksgiving Roast Turkey

The Spruce / Victoria Heydt

Traditional Thanksgiving dinners call for a whole turkey that will feed a crowd and leave you with leftovers for days. Follow this simple, fuss-free recipe for a roasted bird with tender meat and golden browned skin. The recipe includes instructions for making turkey gravy and tips for prepping and cooking both a stuffed or unstuffed bird.
07 of 32

Autumn Pumpkin Pie

The Spruce Eats

What would Thanksgiving be without pumpkin pie for dessert? This recipe produces one that's spiced to perfection with ginger, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Serve it warm from the oven with whipped cream on top.
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Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

This pumpkin chiffon pie recipe is a lighter, fluffier version of traditional pumpkin pie. The no-bake filling features whipped pasteurized egg whites to give it the lift. A little whipped cream and caramelized almonds put a showstopping finish on this dessert.

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Wild Rice Stuffing

The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

If you're living a gluten-free life, this wild rice stuffing could be the answer to your Thanksgiving dressing problems. It has the same flavor profile as traditional dressing and is amped up with mushrooms, dried sweetened cranberries, and toasted pecans.
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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Diana Rattray

Roasted garlic adds its deep flavor to mashed potatoes in this winning gourmet-inspired recipe. Choose Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes for the creamy mash and use the best-quality butter you can find for best results.
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Green Beans Sauteed With Garlic

The Spruce Eats

Bright garlicky green beans are always welcome on holiday tables. These are quickly steamed until crisp-tender, then sauteed with lots of garlic, pepper, cumin, and a little pinch of cayenne.
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Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

The Spruce Eats

The umami of mushrooms brings plenty of richness to this vegan and vegetarian-friendly gravy. Poultry seasoning is added to enhance the "meaty" flavor without any actual meat. Pour it over vegetables or serve with your holiday tofurkey.

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Turkey With Herb Butter and Maple Glaze

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

This popular turkey is filled with fruit and onion, rubbed all over with butter, basted with a maple glaze, and roasted in the oven for a gorgeous, lacquered bird. Either apple cider or apple juice can be used to make the irresistible glaze.
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Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Pastry

Diana Rattray

All-American apple pie makes a great fall holiday dessert. This version uses a rich cream cheese pastry for a pie with something extra-special. Use Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Gala apples, or any combination of the three for this pie.
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Classic Pecan Pie

Rusty Hill/Photodisc/Getty Images

Pecan pie is a classic Southern dessert often served at Thanksgiving meals. This recipe delivers a pecan pie with a rich sweet interior and plenty of toasted pecans on top for the perfect slice every time.
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Cabernet Cranberry Sauce

Ray Kachatorian/Getty Images

A vibrant ruby-red cranberry sauce infused with the heady richness of red wine is a lovely twist on a classic. Use cabernet or any other full-bodied red wine to create this winning sauce. Salt and cayenne are surprising ingredients that work magically to lift the flavors of the fruit.

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Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Want to save time on Thanksgiving day? Make these mashed potatoes up to two days ahead of time using your slow cooker, then reheat in the same appliance when ready to serve. These potatoes have a fantastic smooth consistency and buttery flavor that your family and friends will love.
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Traditional Crock Pot Stuffing

Kristina Vanni

Save time, work, and oven space on Thanksgiving day with this traditional stuffing recipe that cooks effortlessly in your crockpot. This is the classic turkey dressing recipe you know and love, made with day-old bread cubes, mushrooms, onion, celery, chicken or turkey broth, sage, thyme, and poultry seasoning.
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Vegetarian Apple and Fennel Challah Stuffing

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Delight vegetarians at your Thanksgiving table with this flavorful apple, fennel, and challah bread stuffing. The recipe is made with vegetable broth and cooks on its own in the oven rather than being stuffed into the bird.
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Sausage Stuffing

The Spruce Eats/Victoria Heydt

If you like a meaty stuffing, this is the essential dressing to serve alongside Thanksgiving mains. Delicious sausage stuffing is full of great seasonal ingredients, thanks to a mixture of sage, thyme, apples, dried cranberries, and whole wheat bread. You can prepare this recipe in the slow cooker or oven, or stuff it inside your holiday turkey for cooking until done.

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Easy Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Diana Rattray

Only six ingredients are needed to make a cheesy Brussels sprouts gratin that will make converts out of those who claim not to enjoy the vegetable. This is a rich holiday side dish, including salty bacon, cheddar cheese, and whipping cream with a buttery breadcrumb topping.
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Roasted Butternut Squash With Sage

Diana Rattray

Roasting in a hot oven brings out the natural sweetness of butternut squash. This popular holiday side dish could not be easier to make, seasoned with optional onion, dried sage, salt, and pepper.
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Perfect Roast Turkey With Bacon

The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

Bacon slices are draped over a whole turkey as it roasts in this outstanding recipe to level up this wonderfully juicy Thanksgiving entree. For even more flavor, add fresh chopped sage leaves to the butter that's used to coat the turkey.
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Cranberries

Diana Rattray

The combination of seasonal ingredients in this fall-inspired dish makes it perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday. Brussels sprouts and squash are simply roasted in the oven, then topped with tangy dried cranberries and toasted pecans.

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Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

For many families, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a sweet potato casserole on the table. This is the ultimate version, with all of the creamy, brown sugared sweet potato flavor you crave, along with a crunchy pecan topping.
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Homemade Mashed Potatoes

The Spruce Eats

What is the secret to making the perfect mashed potatoes? Find out in this essential Thanksgiving recipe, which offers tips on choosing the right spud for your mash, the best way to cook them, and what to add to lift their flavor. Don't miss the helpful tips and ideas for variations at the bottom of the recipe.
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Maple Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

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Maple syrup brings fantastic fall flavor to this winning sweet potato and apple casserole. Apple slices are simmered in a mixture of maple syrup, brown sugar, and butter until softened, then layered into a casserole dish with steamed sweet potatoes and topped with chopped pecans for baking.
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Scalloped Corn Casserole

The Spruce Eats

Scalloped corn casserole is a popular holiday side dish and it is so quick and easy to make. This recipe adds chopped bell pepper and paprika to the baking dish for extra crunch, color, and flavor.

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Brined and Roasted Turkey Breast

The Spruce Eats

Bone-in turkey breast takes a bath overnight (or up to 24 hours) in a basic brining liquid to add moisture to the mild meat. Then you rub on a little olive oil, add simple seasonings, and fill the cavity with optional fruit and fresh herbs to infuse the meat with extra flavor as it roasts until perfection.
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Classic Baked Corn Pudding

The Spruce Eats

Baked corn pudding is a traditional holiday side dish with an irresistible custard-like consistency and an appetizing golden-brown topping. Prepare it for your holiday table with this simple, classic recipe. You start by making a simple white sauce that's mixed with fresh or frozen kernels along with other pantry ingredients.
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Bourbon Apple Pie With Raisins and Pecans

Louise Lister/StockFood Creative/Getty Images

Southern-style bourbon apple pie with raisins and pecans is loaded with gorgeous flavor and texture. Bourbon (or whiskey, if you prefer) gives this nicely-spiced pie a boozy punch, with buttermilk, nuts, and fruit preserves adding extra down-home flavor.
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Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Diana Rattray

Wow Thanksgiving guests, or make a winning contribution to a holiday buffet party, with this sweet potato pecan pie. Spiked with a little brandy or bourbon, the luscious, smooth interior is beautifully balanced by the crunchy, toasted nut topping. Use a prepared pastry shell for a quicker preparation.