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40 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes

November 14, 2023

Here are our 40+ Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes! All of your favorite classic holiday recipes, plus a few extra for good measure.

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  • Fall
  • Thanksgiving
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Roundups
a bowl of homemade crispy shallot mashed potatoes made with butter, milk, garlic powder and salt
Photography by Gayle McLeod

All Your Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes, in One Place

From potatoes to stuffing, veggies to salads, this Thanksgiving recipe round-up list isn't missing a thing. If you are like us, you're already planning ahead to make the week leading up to Thanksgiving a breeze! Our hope for this extensive list is that it will be your one-stop recipe shop for all your easy Thanksgiving side dishes needs.

classic sausage stuffing in a baking dish with a serving spoon
sliced and roasted Candied Yams with Honey, Brown Sugar and pecans on a platter with a serving spoon

Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes

  • Classic Sausage Stuffing—day-old French bread is scented with sage and tossed with sausage and baked to perfection! If you are a purist looking to jazz things up? Then try this Cornbread Stuffing recipe.
  • These Candied Yams with Honey and Brown Sugar are comfort food at its finest and even easier than making a casserole.
  • Toasted almonds, with their delicate crunchy texture, are a perfect foil for these Green Beans Almondine. The resulting side dish is as elegant as it is simple—which is to say, very.
  • Cranberry Sauce is an argument for opening one less can. Make these (Cranberry Relish or Cranberry Chutney) from scratch using fresh or frozen cranberries.
cheesy corn casserole made with corn and creamed corn in a casserole dish with a spoon scooping out a serving
homemade green bean casserole with a creamy sauce, topped with French fried onions in a casserole dish

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Casseroles

homemade parker house rolls brushed with butter and sprinkled with flaky salt
homemade onion chive biscuits being buttered on a plate

Rolls and Biscuits for Thanksgiving Dinner

  • If you still can’t decide what bread to make for your Thanksgiving meal, we highly recommend these pillowy Parker House Rolls.

  • Onion Chive Biscuits for a little bit of oniony kick in fluffy biscuit form.

  • Quick and delicious, Herby Garlic Dinner Rolls are a total snap thanks to a shortcut secret ingredient: a bag of frozen Rhodes rolls.

  • Your favorite Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits are a perfect Thanksgiving indulgence!

homemade scalloped potatoes seasoned with thyme and nutmeg being scooped out of a casserole dish with a spoon
a bowl of homemade classic mashed potatoes made with butter, milk, salt & garlic powder topped with a pat of melting butter

Best Thanksgiving Potato Side Dishes

An Endive salad topped with pears, Roquefort, fresh chives, candied walnuts and drizzled with homemade pear vinaigrette
Radicchio salad with Creme Fraiche Vinaigrette sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts, thyme and drizzled with honey on a plate

Salads Make The Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes

We LOVE salad and we have so many that work perfectly for your Thanksgiving lineup! It might be hard to choose!

grated beet salad made with grated carrots, parsley, mint and homemade honey mustard dressing in a serving bowl
Kale Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing with crispy panko in a bowl
creamed spinach in a serving bowl made with butter, shallot, garlic, cream, dijon, spices and parmesan cheese
creamed brussels sprouts made with heavy cream and parmesan topped with toasted hazelnuts in a skillet

Best Creamy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

  • Creamed Spinach, the best way to eat your leafy greens on a holiday.

  • A simple side of Creamed Brussels Sprouts is prepared with cream, seasonings, parmesan, and toasty hazelnuts, and goes a long way on compliments.

  • A very easy spin on a classic would be this Creamed Corn. Made on the stove-top with only two ingredients and bonus—it's dairy-free!

  • This tasty Spinach Dip whips up quickly, and scoops up even faster.

homemade broccolini au gratin being scooped out of a baking dish
creamy Brussels Sprout au Gratin in a skillet sprinkled with bread crumbs with a wooden spoon

Traditional and Non-Traditional Gratins

quartered roasted acorn squash on a white platter with a large serving spoon
Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Labneh on a plate

Roasted Thanksgiving Side Ideas

creamy brussels sprouts with wild mushrooms topped with fried shallots in a skillet
Stuffed Mushrooms made with cream cheese, Parmesan and spices topped with toasted breadcrumbs and parsley on a serving plate

Mushroom Filled Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Braised Leeks with Beurre Blanc (French Butter Sauce) on a serving platter with a halved lemon beside it
Homemade Green Beans with Apples and Sage Butter on a serving plate with a serving fork

A Few More Thanksgiving Sides You’ll Love

candied brussels sprouts with hazelnuts in a serving bowl with a spoon
Braised Greens with Golden Raisins and Maple in a serving dish with a serving spoon

We Hope You Love These 40 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes.

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!

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40 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Questions & Reviews

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  • Jodie

    Can the Classic mashed potatoes and Candied yams with honey and brown sugar be made the day before

    We'd recommend making them the day of for best results but you can reheat if needed. The yams will do better reheated than the mashed potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving Jodie!

  • Malia

    YOURE WEBSITE IS SO COOL

    Thank you so much!

  • Mary

    I tested out the braised greens and my husband LOVED them and asked me to always make them! Can't wait to show them off on Thanksgiving!

    Thanks Mary, so happy you both enjoyed them!

  • Jenn

    I made the green beans with apples and sage butter for a friendsgiving and they were so yummy!

    Thanks Jenn!

  • Tresa

    I have made so many off this list and you can't go wrong! My favorites are The Kale Salad, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with orange vinaigrette, Roasted cauliflower with Panko and the brussels sprout salad.

    Thanks Tresa, glad you love so many!

  • jernejkitchen

    So many delicious recipe ideas, yum! Can't wait to try them.

    Yay! I know you can't try them all, but I hope you get to try a few!