27 Recipes to Make for the Ultimate Friendsgiving

Easy Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy — The Spruce Eats

November wouldn't be complete without at least one Thanksgiving get-together dinner on the books. Whether your family is far away or you opt to spend the holidays with your friends, these creative holiday recipes will surely impress. They're easy to make, use delicious seasonal ingredients, and work for a variety of tastes and dietary requirements. Send this list to your friends, pick your favorites, and pull together a Thanksgiving meal to remember.

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01 of 27

Deep-Fried Turkey Breasts

The Spruce Eats

Turkey is, of course, the star of any Thanksgiving celebration. If you're a fan of the deep-fried food craze, why not use this cooking method? This Cajun recipe is a great way to feed guests at smaller gatherings, when an entire turkey would be overdoing it.
02 of 27

Keto Cornbread

The Spruce/Leah Maroney

Serve up a keto-friendly side dish with a quick and easy recipe that will satisfy your cornbread cravings without weighing you down. Almond and coconut flours replace the usual cornmeal and wheat flour for a tasty variation without carbs. You can also use it to make a keto stuffing.
03 of 27

Peach-Yam Casserole With Mini-Marshmallows

The Spruce Eats

Retro-cool casseroles are fun to serve at Thanksgiving gatherings and this peach-yam bake with mini-marshmallows is sure to be a hit. Using canned yams and canned peaches makes it a snap to assemble and it bakes up in less than an hour. Make it up to two days ahead and store in the fridge to reheat when guests arrive.
04 of 27

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Diana Rattray

Whip up an easy irresistible homemade cranberry sauce with this quick Instant Pot recipe. The ruby-red sauce cooks in just five minutes and gets a lovely sweet-tart flavor from vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

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Vegan Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Coconut Milk

belchonock/Getty Images

Look no further if you need a flavorful mashed sweet potato that's suitable for vegan guests. This genius recipe uses coconut milk and oil (or vegan margarine) to replace the usual dairy ingredients and spices the sweet mash with ginger and curry powder for good measure.
06 of 27

Homemade Vegetarian Tofu Turkey With Stuffing

The Spruce Eats

This Thanksgiving, wow your guests when you serve up a platter of homemade tofurkey, complete with a delicious, herbed vegetarian stuffing on the inside. A few different steps are involved, but the overall process is simple, with step-by-step instructions in the recipe. Vegetarian guests will love it!
07 of 27

Easy Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy

The Spruce Eats

Yes, there is such a thing as gluten-free gravy! This version is just as delicious as more traditional options, but excludes wheat-based ingredients, for a guilt-free turkey topper that cooks in only five minutes with a handful of simple ingredients.
08 of 27

Turkey Chow Mein With Fresh Vegetables

The Spruce Eats

Who says you have to serve a whole turkey for Thanksgiving dinner? Turkey chow mein is a fabulous alternative for noodle lovers. You can buy pre-cooked turkey to make this main dish even easier to throw together.

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Oven Bag Turkey

The Spruce Eats

Want to serve an Instagram-worthy roast turkey to your holiday crowd? Once you try this genius oven bag method for roasting a whole bird, you will never go back. It's so easy to do and the bird comes out of the oven moist, juicy, and golden-brown gorgeous.
10 of 27

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

The Spruce Eats/Leah Maroney

This outrageously decadent pecan pie cheesecake combines two favorite Thanksgiving desserts in one. All the flavor and crunch you love in a pecan pie are added to a rich, creamy cheesecake for a showstopping ending to your holiday meal.
11 of 27

Thanksgiving Cider Cocktail

The Spruce Eats/Katarina Zunic

Mix up a pitcher of this pumpkin and apple-flavored Thanksgiving cocktail to serve a crowd of thirsty guests this holiday season. Pumpkin vodka is layered with apple cider with a splash of soda to add some bubbly sparkle.
12 of 27

Baked Avocado Chips

Elaine Lemm

Upgrade your usual appetizer offering of guacamole and chips with this awesome recipe for baked avocado chips with zesty chili-lime seasoning. These chips are keto-friendly and carb-free, making it perfect for those guests who are eating carefully.

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

The Spruce Eats

Pumpkin bread pudding hits the spot on a cold autumn day and makes a great ending to a holiday meal with friends. French bread cubes and pumpkin puree are the star ingredients of this homey dessert that also includes classic pumpkin pie spices and dried cranberries.
14 of 27

Mushroom Wellington

The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

No one will miss the meat in this vegetarian version of the elegant British dish. In place of the traditional beef tenderloin are butternut squash, sweet potatoes, portobello mushrooms, kale, and faro. The delicious vegetable mixture is wrapped in puff pastry, baked until golden, and served with a light tarragon cream sauce on the side.
15 of 27

Gluten-Free Vegetarian Rice Stuffing

The Spruce Eats

Rice and toasted almonds replace the usual bread in this tasty, entirely gluten-free vegetarian and vegan stuffing. Celery, mushrooms, and poultry seasoning add that traditional stuffing flavor that guests love. Go ahead and swap the rice for whole grain quinoa, millet, or any other gluten-free grain, if you like.
16 of 27

Green Beans with Sauteed Onions and Crunchy Za'atar Breadcrumbs

Anita Schecter

Green beans are a Thanksgiving staple, but they're also a mainstay of Middle Eastern cuisines. This recipe tosses bright green, crisp-tender beans with onions, breadcrumbs, za'atar seasoning, and a little olive oil for an easy, tasty veggie side dish with great crunch.

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Low-Carb Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Armstrong Studios/Photolibrary/Getty Images

Blue cheese-stuffed mushrooms with no breadcrumbs make a fantastic low-carb vegetarian starter to serve at holiday gatherings. Do take the time to cook the mushrooms in batches, which allows their water content to evaporate, and helps to prevent soggy mushrooms caps.
18 of 27

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks With Fresh Herb Sauce

Laurel Randolph

Delight your friends with this vegetarian entree that showcases the delicious flavor of cauliflower. The hearty "steaks" take on a nutty, smoky aroma when grilled. The easy sauce of fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic is the perfect finishing touch.
19 of 27

Thanksgiving Fall Sangria

S&C Design Studios

Welcome guests to your fall gathering with this colorful sangria cocktail that tastes like autumn in a glass. Crisp white wine is spiked with gin and brandy, infused with green tea and pomegranate juice, and nicely spiced with cinnamon before being loaded up with bite-sized fall fruits.
20 of 27

Raw Lemon Garlic Marinated Kale Salad

Lindsay Upson/Getty Images

Serve this marinated kale salad with lemon and garlic as a vibrant first course at your holiday dinner. Your guests will rave about its freshness and you will love how easy it is to throw together with just a little garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and sea salt.

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Apple Pie Skillet Cake

The Spruce

Wow your guests with this gorgeous apple pie skillet cake that takes only 30 minutes to prepare on the stovetop. Serve it right from the cast iron skillet, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for topping.
22 of 27

Sweet and Spicy, Whole Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The Spruce/Laurel Randolph

Looking for a winning vegetable side dish for your holiday feast? Try this simple recipe for gorgeously caramelized, oven-roasted brussels sprouts prepared in a sweet and spicy honey, lemon, and cumin glaze.
23 of 27

Vegan Pumpkin Pudding

The Spruce Eats

Dairy-free, vegan pumpkin pudding is a comforting low-calorie dessert that vegans and non-vegans alike can enjoy after the Thanksgiving meal. It has a beautifully smooth texture and a lovely, spiced, sweet flavor from soy milk, molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
24 of 27

Carrot, Cabbage and Kohlrabi Slaw with Miso Dressing

Katie Workman/themom100.com

A crunchy vegetable slaw inspired by Asian culinary traditions is a refreshing side dish to serve alongside heavier holiday mains. To maximize crunch, salt the raw kohlrabi and cabbage and allow to drain in a colander for 15 minutes before tossing with other ingredients.

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Spiced Roast Pumpkin Chutney

Elaine Lemm

Spiced roast pumpkin chutney with apples, ginger, and brown sugar is a rich, thick preserve that is full of fall flavors and makes a wonderful accompaniment to roast poultry, meats, and cheese platters. The recipe makes enough chutney to fill six one-pound mason jars. Send extras home with your guests!
26 of 27

Apple Cider Doughnuts

Diana Rattray

Skip the fussy cakes and pies and treat your guests to apple cider doughnuts as a Thanksgiving dessert. The scrumptious rounds are made with buttermilk for extra moistness and have an intense apple flavor, plus a cinnamon-sugar coating that will have everyone reaching for seconds.
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Turmeric Rice with Golden Raisins

Miri Rotkovitz

Trendy turmeric is everywhere lately, bringing its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to everything from golden curries to turmeric tea. Add it to your Thanksgiving meal with this tasty recipe for turmeric rice with golden raisins.

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