Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

This classic sweet potato casserole is topped with a crunchy brown sugar and pecan streusel. This is so good, that you'll need to be prepared to take a bow.

Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Ultra creamy homemade mashed potatoes are a dream of a side dish. From the holiday table to a quick side, they're a filling and satiating addition to a meal. For anyone following a vegan lifestyle, the usual additions of butter and milk or cream are off the table, but that doesn't mean you can't still make a heavenly mashed potato dish.

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

A creamy green bean casserole is an essential side dish for any holiday meal, especially Thanksgiving, and it can easily be made gluten free. Most standard cream of mushroom soups and crispy fried onions contain gluten, but there are alternatives. This version is made with gluten-free cream of mushroom soup and homemade crispy fried onions coated with buttermilk and a gluten-free flour blend.

Baked Carrots with Cheddar Cheese Sauce

This carrot dish is a delicious baked gratin with cheddar cheese and a crumb topping. It's a nice change of pace from sweetened glazed carrots.

Vegetarian Butternut Squash Casserole

Fresh butternut squash and apples team up in this tasty vegetarian casserole. To make it vegan, use margarine instead of butter.

Easy Cheesy Corn Bake

This corn casserole is made with cheese, breadcrumbs, and eggs. Combinations of cream-style corn and flavors from traditional Mexican cuisines are used in this dish.

Hasselback Butternut Squash

Hasselback butternut squash is a gorgeous vegetarian dish that is a nice addition to any holiday table. It’s full of fall and winter flavors like walnuts, brown sugar, and sage. With only five ingredients and one pan, this dish is much easier than it looks. It will look like it took you all day to make and is sure to impress vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash With Cranberries

This attractive fall-themed vegetable dish would make a great Thanksgiving side. Another excellent seasonal blend is this roasted Brussels sprouts dish with pears and walnuts.

Surprisingly Simple Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes

Is your oven filled to the max? These slow cooker scalloped potatoes are super easy to fix and cook. Use cheddar or a milder cheese in the dish.

Chinese Green Beans

Skip the casserole and add some new flavors from some traditional Chinese cuisines to your Thanksgiving menu with these green beans. Add extra chile peppers if your family likes hot and spicy food.

15-Minute Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

The Instant Pot, or electric pressure cooker, is another appliance that will come in handy when the oven and stovetop are full. Just throw your ingredients into the pot about 15 minutes before you are ready to eat and voilà. They're so quick, you might start making them on the regular.

Shoepeg Corn Casserole With Sour Cream and Green Beans

This fantastic casserole is attractive and delicious. Buttery crackers provide a crunchy topping.

Roasted Parsnips

Roasting intensifies the sweetness in parsnips, and it's such a simple way to cook them. Toss the parsnips with vegetable oil, duck fat, or drippings for amazing flavor.

Classic Harvard Beets

These nutritious, delicious beets are another great option for your Thanksgiving menu. With a bit of glaze, a sweet, and sour mixture, and butter, this sweet side dish will be a perfect off-set to the savory main course: turkey. 

Savory Scalloped Potatoes

These scalloped potatoes are baked with a tasty white sauce seasoned with green onions and a dash of nutmeg.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

As quintessential comfort food, there are many things you can do to switch up this basic mac and cheese and turn it into a complete meal or decadent side dish. For instance, you can add breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping, mix in bacon, ham, or cooked ground beef or pork. 

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

A simple white sauce, Parmesan cheese, and buttery breadcrumb topping will transform this fresh cauliflower and broccoli florets into a delicious casserole.

Creamed Peas With Mushrooms and Onions

Swap out your boring old peas for this gussied-up version with sautéed onions and mushrooms. Your guests will sure be thankful.

Brown Sugar Glazed Golden Beets

These easy golden beets are vying for a gold medal as one of your Thanksgiving Day sides. Glazed with a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and fruit juice, sweet and savory fans will be cheering "hurray."

Easy Green Beans and Bacon

Now, we know that we have a few green bean sides on this list, however, these fresh green beans are a delicious option as they are flavored with butter, bacon, and simple seasonings. 

Easy Asparagus Casserole With Mushrooms

This tasty and versatile casserole is made with a basic seasoned white sauce (a.k.a. béchamel sauce). Add shredded cheese or toasted pecans if you'd like to jazz things up.

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower and Leeks

Buttery sautéed leeks and garlic give this mashed cauliflower a flavor boost. This is an excellent choice for guests who are watching their carbohydrate intake or are looking for an alternative to the traditional potato dishes.

Butternut Squash Kugel

This dairy-free kugel is flavored with maple syrup and vanilla. It's made with a pecan topping and works as a nice replacement for a sweet potato casserole.

Japanese Kale Kobachi

Try a dish with Japanese flair for your holiday meal. Sautéed kale is seasoned with mirin, soy sauce, and a pinch of sea salt.

Simple Honey Glazed Baby Carrots

This is a popular holiday side dish. The baby carrots are glazed with a simple mixture of honey, lemon, brown sugar, and butter.

Kohlrabi in Light Sauce

This German dish is made with cooked kohlrabi (German turnip) in a simple velouté sauce. Renowned for being thrifty and simple, if you're looking for a side dish to be ready in under 30 minutes, this is a winner.

Cheddar Cabbage Gratin

Cabbage is cooked and seasoned with garlic, a little spicy mustard, and a cheddar cheese sauce. The cabbage is baked with a buttered breadcrumb topping.

Savory Sweet Potato Gratin

This is a nice change of pace from the ubiquitous sweet potato casserole. It's made with only four ingredients, plus salt and pepper.

Green Beans Amandine

These fresh cooked green beans are flavored with some garlic, butter, and lemon juice. Sliced almonds add crunch to the dish.

Cauliflower and Cheese Casserole

This cheesy casserole is another family-pleaser. The cheddar cheese sauce gets some bite from a small amount of Dijon mustard.

Loaded Potato Casserole

If you love loaded baked potatoes or baked potato soup, you'll love this casserole. Mashed potatoes are combined with cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and cheddar cheese. Green onions, bacon, and more cheese top it off. Yum.

Roasted Butternut Squash With Sage

In this savory dish, cubed butternut squash is roasted with onions and sage. So easy and so delicious.

Easy Roasted Rutabaga

Roasting brings out the naturally sweet flavor of the rutabaga, and it is a super easy way to cook the vegetable. 

Easy Creamed Peas

This is an easy way to make creamed peas. The peas are cooked with some sliced onion and then they're combined with white sauce and pimiento.

Snow Peas With Butter and Lemon

Peapods are a simple preparation. Fresh snow peas are briefly boiled and then sautéed with butter and lemon zest. Toasted slivered or sliced almonds make a nice garnish.

Scalloped Potatoes With Bacon

A creamy bacon and onion sauce takes these scalloped potatoes to new heights. 

Slow Cooker or Baked Carnival Squash

Nutty carnival squash is cooked with butter in either the slow cooker or oven. If you want to add a bit more depth to the flavor, feel free to add some maple syrup or brown sugar.

Broccoli Casserole With Stuffing Crumb Topping

Buttery stuffing crumbs are baked atop this easy broccoli casserole.

Glazed Carrots With Five-Spice Powder

The combination of flavors in the five-spice powder - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty - add a powerful yet pleasant punch to the sweet glazed carrots.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Milk

These yummy mashed sweet potatoes will surely please your vegetarian and vegan guests. Coconut milk, ginger and curry powder add a warm fall-flavor to this mash.

Buttery Creamed Spinach

There's no labor-intensive sauce in this easy creamed spinach dish. The spinach is simply combined with heavy cream, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Broccoli Au Gratin

This kid-friendly broccoli casserole is made with cheese soup, sour cream, and shredded cheese. The topping is made with butter and Ritz cracker crumbs.

Easy Delicious Mashed Turnips

These easy cooked turnips are mashed with butter and milk (or cream). Add some potato to give the mash more body.

Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole With Crumb Topping

Apples and butternut squash team up to deliver incredibly decadent fall-flavors in this casserole. Topped with a brown sugar and butter crumb mixture, your guests will surely be asking for the recipe.

Slow Cooker Corn with Cream Cheese

This is a very easy slow cooker corn recipe made with the addition of cream cheese and butter. The combination makes for a creamy corn side dish your family will love. This is an excellent side dish to serve with pork chops, a pork loin roast, or add it to your holiday dinner menu.

If you're looking for a simple vegetable recipe for the slow cooker, this is an excellent choice.

Buttermilk Cornbread With Cream-Style Corn

Cream-style corn makes this buttermilk cornbread extra tender and flavorful. The kernels act as a natural sweetener, and you can add bacon, cheese, or jalapenos for more of a savory kick.

Lemon Garlic Broccoli

Spice up this simple broccoli with some crushed red pepper flakes, finely chopped red onion or shallots. 

Scalloped Asparagus With Cheddar Cheese Sauce

A basic white sauce and breadcrumbs make this asparagus casserole special enough for a Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Easy Maple Glazed Baby Carrots

For a worry-free vegetarian side dish, make these baby carrots with maple syrup and spices.

Creamed Onions

Use a combination of small white onions and small red onions for an attractive presentation. The cooked onions are served in a Cajun-spiced white sauce.

French Green Vegetable au Gratin

Vegetable gratin is such a lovely, versatile dish. It makes a great side dish that works well with many meats and fish dishes, especially turkey for Thanksgiving. The smallest hint of a secret ingredient, poultry seasoning, is nearly undetectable hidden in the cheese and green vegetable mixture, yet gives the dish a special complexity.

If you are serving this dish for a vegetarian, then leave out the poultry stock. 

Yellow Squash Casserole

A summer squash casserole is a popular holiday side dish in the South, and there are many ways to prepare it. This version includes cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, an egg, and a breadcrumb topping.

Steamed Green Beans

These no-frills green beans can be gussied-up with butter or olive oil and some chopped toasted walnuts or almonds. Lemon juice is another fantastic addition.

Baked Beet Casserole

Beets, lovely beets. This baked beet casserole recipe sweetens them up with a bit of sugar and adds just a touch of spices, so the natural flavors really shine through. Beet casserole is the perfect colorful side dish for your vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving. 

Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows

This marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole is always a hit. Best part about it is that this casserole can be prepared up to one day in advance, leaving you time to focus on how much turkey one needs for Thanksgiving.

Vegan Potatoes Au Gratin

Do you love potatoes au gratin, but need a tasty vegan side dish for this Thanksgiving? Then look no further. This vegan potatoes au gratin casserole dish is an ideal option, covered in a rich and creamy cheese sauce that has no dairy ingredients. 

Cheddar Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

This cheesy potato casserole is a great choice for your Thanksgiving feast. Feel free to add some ham or bacon to the potato mixture, or use a different cheese or blend of cheeses. Rub a cut clove of garlic over the baking dish for light garlic flavor. 

Brussels Sprouts With Stewed Tomatoes

Brussels sprouts team up with tomatoes in this colorful and flavorful dish. (Feel free to use canned or homemade stewed tomatoes). The tomatoes, bell pepper, and seasonings lend to a surprisingly quick preparation—about 30 minutes—and make it an excellent side dish for your holiday meal. 

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Using the slow cooker to make mashed potatoes means you have more room on the stovetop to make the gravy, vegetables, and other dishes, like cranberry sauce.

Make Ahead Duchess Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes are mounded or piped onto baking sheets and then baked to golden brown perfection. A great option is that these mounds of potatoes may be made ahead and frozen.

Summer Squash Souffle

The cooked summer squash is combined with eggs, shredded cheese, and milk, then baked with a buttered breadcrumb topping.

Crock Pot Roasted Vegetables

Root vegetables are slow-cooked to perfection in the crock pot. Add as much garlic as you like.

Extra Special Three-Cheese Macaroni 'N' Cheese

Macaroni 'n' cheese is a popular side dish in the Southern states, and this version is perfect for holiday dinners. Goat cheese and fresh herbs are combined with the cheddar cheese to make this mac 'n' cheese a dish to remember.

Stuffed Baked Potatoes With Bacon and Cheddar Cheese

This is yet another way to cook your potatoes. If you want something a little different, try these delicious baked stuffed potatoes.

Brown Sugar Candied Sweet Potatoes

These easy skillet sweet potatoes are glazed with a simple mixture of brown sugar and butter.

Classic Baked Corn Pudding

This popular corn pudding is an excellent choice for a Thanksgiving menu.

Pan-Roasted Asparagus

Get the crispy delicious browned bits you find on roasted or grilled asparagus without having to heat up your oven or grill. Pan-roasted asparagus is tasty, quick, and couldn't be easier. A hot pan, a bit of oil, and a tight-fitting lid to keep in the heat and help the asparagus cook evenly are all you need to create this Thanksgiving veg.

Crockpot Glazed Carrots

Baby carrots are perfect for this dish, but large carrots may be used as well. All you need is some honey, butter, and water. The carrots are cooked in the water and then they're glazed with the honey mixture.

Easy Brussels Sprouts Gratin

This simple version is made with six ingredients: Brussels sprouts, bacon, butter, cream, cheddar cheese, and bread crumbs. The stand-out feature is that there's no sauce to make. 

Mexican Corn With Peppers

Try something new with this corn dish inspired by some traditional Mexican cuisines. Bell peppers and seasonings flavor this tasty corn blend. (Feel free to use frozen corn kernels in this recipe, as corn is typically out of season during the fall.)

Peas and Carrots

The three ingredients in this side make a simple dish everyone will love. Feel free to add some red bell pepper, corn, or broccoli to the mix.

Skillet Corn With Bacon and Sour Cream

Bacon, bell peppers and sour cream add flavor, color, and interest to this easy skillet corn dish.