51 Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes We Serve Each Year

Roasted Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese — Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

From classic mains to crowd-pleasing desserts, these traditional Southern dishes deserve a spot on your Thanksgiving menu. They're the tried-and-true stars of Thanksgiving spreads each year for a reason. Many of the recipes can be made ahead or prepared in the slow cooker to make getting your Thanksgiving meal on the table a little less stressful. With many dishes to prepare and only so much oven space, these make-ahead recipes can be life savers.

We can't imagine a Thanksgiving spread that didn't include roasted turkey with all the fixings, a smorgasbord of creamy casseroles, and of course, several pies (we're talking pecan, pumpkin and sweet potato). Don't forget buttery rolls, cranberry sauce, or corn pudding either. We've rounded up our list of holiday must-have dishes to make sure you and your guests will enjoy all the classics for Thanksgiving dinner. If you're lucky, there might even be leftovers to enjoy the next day!

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Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy

Recipe: Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy

A traditional Thanksgiving menu wouldn't be complete without the star of the meal: a roasted bird. Coated in herb-infused butter, it's no wonder why this dish remains a long-time favorite.

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Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever

Recipe: Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever

If you thought homemade pumpkin pie was difficult to pull off, think again. This easy pie can be prepared and stored in the fridge up to two days before serving.

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Buttermilk-Brined Turkey

Recipe: Buttermilk-Brined Turkey

Soaking chicken in buttermilk is a time-tested way to tenderize the meat before it's dredged and fried. The buttermilk brine works for turkey, too. Soaked in buttermilk with warm spices, turkey becomes properly seasoned and remains moist and tender once roasted.

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Classic Candied Yams

Recipe: Classic Candied Yams

Sweet and lightly spiced, this yam side dish might just be the center of conversation at Thanksgiving dinner. The debate is, which do you like better: candied yams or sweet potato casserole? Make sure to include in your argument that this dish can be assembled up to three days in advance of your holiday meal.

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Cornbread Dressing

Recipe: Classic Cornbread Dressing

This traditional cornbread dressing recipe can be made up to a month ahead of time and stored in the freezer. Who knew that delicious Southern-style dressing could be so stress-free come Thanksgiving?

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Turkey Gravy

Recipe: Turkey Gravy

Your roasted turkey wouldn't be complete without this homemade gravy. You'll also want to drizzle it on your mashed potatoes, dressing, and more.

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Classic Cranberry Salad

Recipe: Classic Cranberry Salad

With a short ingredient list and just 25 minutes of hands-on time, this easy cranberry salad is the perfect companion for your Thanksgiving turkey. Once you get a crunchy bite, you'll never go back to the congealed kind.

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Yeast Rolls

Recipe: Yeast Rolls

To ease cooking time on Thanksgiving Day, you can make the dough the night before and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Serve with softened butter, because we all know that buttery rolls are even better with extra butter.

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Classic Bread Dressing

Recipe: Classic Bread Dressing

Sourdough bread is the star of classic bread dressing. It's given plenty of holiday flavor with parsley, thyme, celery, leeks, and garlic.

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Buttermilk Spoon Bread

Recipe: Buttermilk Spoon Bread

The consistency of spoon bread is more like a savory pudding, rather than a bread. It makes the ideal side to sweet and savory vegetable casseroles for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots

Bacon adds plenty of flavor to traditional roasted Brussels sprouts. Look for smaller sprouts at the store for milder flavor that will have Thanksgiving guests eager for seconds.

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Angel Biscuits

Recipe: Angel Biscuits

The dough for these biscuits can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days before baking. You'll be thankful for these at your holiday table.

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Savory Corn Pudding

Recipe: Savory Corn Pudding

This old-school favorite makes one of our favorite vegetables into a creamy casserole that everyone will enjoy. Chopped onion and fresh thyme are welcome additions to this classic holiday side dish.

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Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole

Recipe: Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole

There won't be any leftovers of this cheesy dish that's one of our most popular casserole recipes of all time. Even kids at the holiday gathering will be keen for seconds of this broccoli casserole.

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Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe: Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese

We wouldn't dare leave this family-favorite off of our Thanksgiving table. Be warned, after guests get a bit of this comfort food with cubes of melty cheddar cheese mixed in, you'll have no choice but to make this dish year after year.

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Slow-Cooker Green Beans

Thanksgiving Sides: Root Vegetable Gratin — Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Green Beans Recipe

Thick-cut bacon packs on the favor in this easy green bean recipe. Follow these steps for green beans just like Grandma's that leave the stovetop available for your other holiday preparation needs.

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Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

Simply toss all the ingredients in your trusty slow cooker, and you'll have tender collard greens with minimal effort. To make your Thanksgiving day even more stress-free, these greens can be made up to two weeks in advance.

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Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Rustic Mashed Red Potatoes with Parmesan — Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

These potatoes are so rich and creamy, they delight all on their own—no gravy needed. Still, smothering them in homemade turkey gravy can only make them better.

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Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

Free up some oven space by cooking your sweet potatoes in the slow cooker. Bacon and garlic ensure that this dish isn't quite as sweet as typical sweet potato casserole, but it's just as delicious.

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Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe: Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

This top-rated casserole is topped with cornflakes, marshmallows, and pecans. It wouldn't be a Southern Thanksgiving without a hefty scoop of this sweet casserole.

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Old-School Squash Casserole

Recipe: Old-School Squash Casserole

To ensure your squash casserole is perfect, get as much of the water out of the squash as you can when cooking. Otherwise, that extra water will end up in your casserole.

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Old-School Green Bean Casserole

Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole

This classic casserole recipe opts for a homemade mushroom cream sauce rather than a canned soup. With creamy and savory flavors and crispy fried shallots, this recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving, but too good to only be eaten once a year.

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Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sauce

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sauce

Instead of serving cranberry sauce from a can, impress your guests with this hands-off slow-cooker recipe. A hint of ginger gives this sweet sauce just the right amount of zing.

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Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Recipe: Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie

Making this pecan pie in a cast-iron skillet gives it even more Southern flair, if that's possible. Though it only takes 10 minutes of prep time before going in the oven, this Utterly Decadent pie will prove decadent enough to live up to its name.

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Sliced Sweet Potato Pie with Molasses Whipped Cream

Recipe: Sliced Sweet Potato Pie with Molasses Whipped Cream

In addition to sweet potato casserole, we think your meal also needs a sweet potato pie. The seasonal flavors and flaky pie crust might just give your usual pumpkin pie a run for its money.

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Sweet Potato Rolls

Recipe: Sweet Potato Rolls

Sweet potato rolls are sweet enough already, right? Wrong. Let's go all out this Thanksgiving and dress those already picture-perfect rolls with a cane syrup glaze.

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Basic Deviled Eggs

Recipe: Basic Deviled Eggs

If you ask us, there's not an occasion where deviled eggs aren't welcome. This recipe promises classically delicious deviled eggs that are straightforward yet special enough for a spot in your holiday spread.

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Candy Roaster Squash with Sorghum, Black Walnuts, and Cranberries

Recipe: Candy Roaster Squash with Sorghum, Black Walnuts, and Cranberries

Candy roaster squash is a regional North Georgia specialty, but you can find it throughout the Southeast too. This delicious squash doesn't need too much dressing up and simple fall flavors from walnuts and cranberries, as well as a syrupy sorghum drizzle, do just the trick.

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Skillet Caramel Apple Pie

Recipe: Skillet Caramel Apple Pie

Your trusty cast-iron skillet is key to making this double-crust apple pie. Better than your typical pie plate, baking in a skillet will ensure a crisp and golden bottom crust rather than that disappointing soggy finish.

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Deep Fried Turkey with Creole Spices

Recipe: Deep Fried Turkey with Creole Spices

Skip the oven-space struggle and take the turkey to the fryer this year. Just make sure the bird is completely defrosted first.

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Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots

Recipe: Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots

Sweet flavor dresses up these colorful carrots. Serve up a platter of earthy, glazed carrots in an assortment of fall hues, sweet and fun enough to be enjoyed by even the usual anti-veggie suspects.

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Collard Greens with Garlic and Sippets

Recipe: Collard Greens with Garlic and Sippets

We're updating our classic collard greens prep with a decidedly fresher version with less cook time. The best part? We kept all the flavor and topped with torn snippets of sour dough bread. The result is a new take on a beloved Thanksgiving favorite.

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Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

What could be more comforting than a big scoop of macaroni and cheese alongside the Thanksgiving turkey and dressing? A macaroni and cheese recipe that's topped with bacon, of course.

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Fluffy Corn Pudding

Recipe: Fluffy Corn Pudding

This recipe is a cross between a soufflé and a custard. In short, it's an absolute delight. For those looking to save a few minutes on prep time, swap in frozen corn instead of fresh—either will work.

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Fried Arkansas Black Apples

Recipe: Fried Arkansas Black Apples

Here's a dish no one will soon forget. We called on Arkansas Black apples for this recipe, but you can use any firm apple variety you prefer.

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Grated Sweet Potato Pudding

Recipe: Grated Sweet Potato Pudding

Instead of our typical sliced-style sweet potato casserole, we shredded the potatoes to create a lighter side that still packs in all the flavor. This new take on classic flavors is baked in a cast-iron skillet—so you know it's good—and topped with lots of chopped pecans.

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Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing

Recipe: Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing

Traditional cornbread dressing gets a crunchy, seasonal upgrade with toasted pecan halves. The perfect addition of nutty and earthy flavors to your classic dressing will leave you wondering why you didn't think of this sooner.

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Roasted Root Vegetables with Spicy Pecan Topping

Recipe: Oven-Roasted Root Vegetables with Spicy Pecan Topping

Dress up the season's best veggies with a spicy pecan topping. Maple syrup, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne give this Thanksgiving side dish a just-right dose of heat.

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Spicy Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo

Recipe: Spicy Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo

We love a little spice-even when it comes to our Thanksgiving dressing. Mexican chorizo, green bell pepper, fresh cilantro, and a jalapeño chile give our Spicy Cornbread Dressing a big dose of Southwest flavor.

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Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Recipe: Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Our cranberry sauce is a classic through and through. Now, it's been updated with a time-saving hack thanks to a little help from our trusty Instant Pot.

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Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Recipe: Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Saving space on the stovetop is a real challenge for day-of Thanksgiving prep. This classic mashed sweet potato recipe calls on all the same flavors we love but without monopolizing an in-demand burner.

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Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Recipe: Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Once you find a homemade cranberry sauce you love, you'll never strictly serve the canned version again. Every year will be a duel of the cranberry sauces: store-bought versus homemade. We think this version will come out on top.

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Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole

Cubed sweet potatoes, dark brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract get piled into the slow cooker with the sweetest result. Top with marshmallows and cook for another 15 minutes. You won't be disappointed.

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Smothered Green Beans

Recipe: Smothered Green Beans

We absolutely drenched green beans in a delicious, flavorful glaze before sprinkling the top with crispy, salty bacon. They're an absolute dream achieved in just one pan.

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Mississippi Sweet Potato Pie

Recipe: Mississippi Sweet Potato Pie

Of course this sweet potato pie gets a little hit of bourbon—we couldn't call it Mississippi Sweet Potato Pie otherwise. Before spooning the orange filling into your pie crust, bake the sweet potatoes; Don't boil or microwave them. You'll taste the difference.

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Baked Corn Casserole

Recipe: Baked Corn Casserole

If Baked Corn Casserole isn't already a staple on your Thanksgiving table, let this recipe change that. It's a savory delight that friends and family will request year after year.

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Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe: Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole

Here's what every Thanksgiving host needs: more make-ahead recipes. This Sweet Potato Casserole gets all the prep out the way ahead of time, so you have one less thing to check off your to-do list the day of.

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Texas Pecan Pie

Recipe: Texas Pecan Pie

What sets our Texas Pecan Pie apart from a traditional pecan pie? Calling on the highest quality pecans you can get your hands on. Texans don't mess around when it comes to their pecans.

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Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Recipe: Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

While the presentation of this dish is oh-so pretty, it couldn't be easier to make. Rainbow carrots guarantee an eye-catching spread, but classic orange ones are just as delicious.

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Chocolate Pudding Pie

Recipe: Chocolate Pudding Pie

This silky smooth and rich pie will be a hit on the dessert table. Your guests will never guess that this decadent dessert is as easy as heating milk, cocoa powder, and instant coffee on the stove.

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