Thanksgiving is a time for the whole family to gather around and celebrate through the medium of our favorite thing: food!
There are so many incredible Thanksgiving recipes to choose from to make your dinner as memorable as possible that it can be hard to narrow them down.
In this list, I have done my best to collect my favorite dishes that ooze that Thanksgiving spirit and add something new to the classic dishes we have come to know and love.
Now, get your chef’s hat on, and let’s investigate some delicious holiday dishes!
Best Thanksgiving Recipes
1- Garlic Butter Bread Rolls
These garlic butter bread rolls are the perfect side to a Thanksgiving meal to mop up the gravy and eat with your tender turkey. They are soft inside and crispy on the outside from the roasted garlic butter topping.
But these are not your average plain garlic bread rolls; the garlic butter incorporates an herbaceous flavor from rosemary and parsley and finishes with a cheesy hit from some tasty Parmesan cheese.
These rolls are also a great flex because you can let everyone know you made bread from scratch!
2- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Pumpkin desserts are a must for this holiday, but a plain pumpkin pie can be repetitive over the years. These cheesecakes allow you to present your guests with the flavor of pumpkin in a new and exciting way.
These bite-sized cakes will look eye-catching on a Thanksgiving table and the taste will deliver just as well as the appearance!
Each cheesecake is topped with cinnamon-spiced whipped cream and drizzled with salted caramel to make this dessert the perfect bite.
3- Homemade Mac and Cheese
Is there anything more American than a side of homemade mac and cheese at Thanksgiving? No, I didn’t think so! Mac and cheese is a national classic that always has a place on a Thanksgiving table.
This recipe takes the plain mac and cheese as inspiration and adds some extra ingredients to make it something special.
The cheese sauce is marbled with a healthy helping of basil pesto to add an herbaceous, garlicky element. Then, fried chorizo and sundried tomatoes are folded through to add some tangy and meaty gems to find in every bite.
Your guests are definitely going to want seconds of this dish!
4- Honey Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots
Carrots are a side that many people don’t look forward to at Thanksgiving. They are often simply boiled and lack flavor and texture. Well, these carrots are something different.
The carrots are sliced in half and doused in garlic butter infused with honey, orange zest, herbs, and cayenne pepper. Then, they are roasted until the edges are caramelized and crispy.
These carrots ooze with a well-balanced depth of flavor that will wow your guests who expected just plain old carrots.
5- Thanksgiving Stuffing
Most stuffing is not actually cooked inside the turkey because it can’t get to the correct temperature to cook through without drying out the bird. Despite this, stuffing has still become a staple dish of a Thanksgiving dinner.
This recipe takes inspiration from a classic bread-based stuffing and adds some extra flare to make this dish incredibly memorable.
The base of the stuffing is sourdough, which brings a delightful, slightly sour flavor to the stuffing. The sourdough is combined with mushrooms, leeks, chestnuts, and bacon to create a riot of flavors that burst on your tastebuds.
6- Apple Crumble
Apple crumble is a dessert many of us remember from childhood, and that’s precisely what this recipe exemplifies.
It’s the perfect dish to finish off a big Thanksgiving meal with a sweet treat and some nostalgia.
The crumble topping includes coconut, which adds a pleasant texture and subtle flavor to the buttery crumbs.
This classic dessert is ideally served with a jug of homemade custard or a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to pair beautifully with the sweet fruit.
7- Pumpkin Pie
If you’re a Thanksgiving purist, you won’t be able to resist serving a classic pumpkin pie.
This recipe combines a rich pumpkin puree with various spices, brown sugar, and evaporated milk to create a silky filling that bursts with flavor. This is baked in a tender, homemade shortcrust pastry that melts in your mouth.
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not serve a pumpkin-themed dessert table with this classic pie flanked by the other pumpkin-themed desserts on this list?
8- Pumpkin Bread
This bread is a fun and delicious way to bring pumpkin into your Thanksgiving meal. The traditional spiced pumpkin bread is a crowd favorite, but this one could easily compete.
This recipe plays with the fillings and the topping to make this bread something to remember.
The batter uses apple cider and apple chunks to add a deep fruity flavor to the base of the bread. Then, it’s topped with a brown sugar streusel, creating a delightful crunch.
9- Spiced Red Cabbage with Apples
This cabbage dish is yet another classic that we have spiced up to make it a sought-after side.
The red cabbage is slow-cooked with apples, spices, sugar, red onion, and sherry or red wine to create a depth of flavor that is not expected in plain old cabbage.
This whole dish is topped with cubes of butter to make this dish super-rich.
This is a great side to prep in advance and heat just before serving to take the pressure off your Thanksgiving preparations.
10- Apple Fritters
Along with pumpkins, apples are another staple Thanksgiving dessert ingredient. Apple crumble is great but it’s also fun to find new ways to serve them, like these apple fritters.
The granny smith rings are coated in a tempura batter and deep-fried until crisp and golden. The batter is light, and the apples are tart, so the fritters feel bright yet indulgent.
Finish them off with a sprinkle of icing sugar, and you’ll have a moreish apple dessert you’ll be whipping up every year.
11- Apple Frangipane Tarts
If you want to add a hint of French flair to your Thanksgiving dinner, these apple frangipane tarts are a great way to mix it up!
This recipe has the bonus of teaching you how to make your own shortcrust pastry, which is a great skill to have in your cooking arsenal.
The crumbly pastry is paired with a soft and fragrant frangipane filling and topped with sliced apples for a fruity finish.
12- Roasted Pumpkin and Pomegranate Salad
Want to incorporate pumpkin into your meal in a savory way? This salad is an excellent way to do that in a tasty yet light manner.
Roasting the pumpkin first adds a delicious, caramelized element that gives the salad an intense depth of flavor. You can choose your favorite salad greens to pair with it; I suggest a blend of lettuce, spinach, and fresh rocket.
These veggie components are paired with punchy pomegranate seeds and funky goat’s cheese, which balances this salad out perfectly.
13- Pumpkin Pie Parfait
This is another dessert that puts a twist on pumpkin pie but will take a fraction of the time. If you want dessert to be quick and easy but full of flavor, this one is for you.
The parfait is served in glasses so you can see the apparent layers of crumbled ginger cookies, sweet pumpkin cream cheese, and whipped cream.
It’s beautiful, and they can be popped in the fridge ahead of time, ready to go when you’re ready to serve them.
14- Pumpkin Ginger Soup
Pumpkin is also an excellent ingredient to use as an appetizer. This soup is a light yet traditional way to start your Thanksgiving meal that is sure to go down well with the whole family.
The ginger is the ideal ingredient to add a little warmth and spice up the pumpkin in a very comforting way. The texture is not too thick, so you won’t get too full to enjoy the turkey.
Try pairing this soup with the garlic butter bread rolls mentioned in #1 of this list.
15- Loaded Potato Soup
If you want a soup that’s richer than the one above, look no further than this loaded potato soup.
Potato soup is a classic comfort food but can be jazzed up immensely by adding fun toppings. These add unique flavor and much-needed textural elements.
This recipe tops the soup with chorizo, roasted broccoli, and cheddar, which makes this dish one you’ll be craving for weeks after. Limit the size of your portions if you want to serve this as an appetizer.
16- Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
Sweet potatoes are another ingredient synonymous with Thanksgiving; this soup is the perfect way to bring them to your table.
This soup is thick, silky, sweet, and spicy; what more could you want?
The sweet potato is paired with carrots, which is a classic combination, but it also uses red curry paste to create a more unique flavor. It’s finished off with lime juice and sour cream to add a zesty zing and creamy texture that makes this soup the perfect appetizer.
17- Baked Sweet Potato With Sour Cream & Easy Chilli
Who doesn’t love a baked sweet potato on their Thanksgiving plate? Absolutely no one! They’re comforting, sweet, and a bit more interesting than a plain baked potato.
This version adds a few toppings to make this sweet potato more fun. The chili is a simple yet delicious addition enriched with kidney beans for added texture.
This is all topped off with sour cream to add a sour hit that cuts through the richness of the chili.
18- Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Burnt Butter & Sage Sauce
Gnocchi is not a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but making it from sweet potato instead of regular potatoes makes it more relevant and utterly delicious!
Burnt butter and sage are a classic sauce for gnocchi, but they are also flavors that are often used in Thanksgiving dishes. It’s a super simple sauce to execute that won’t have you working over the stove for hours.
The gnocchi are also much easier to make than you would expect from homemade pasta; they’re bound to become a regular dish for you even outside the holidays.
19- Classic Beef Lasagne
Beef lasagne is a wonderful addition to a Thanksgiving table, especially when you’re serving it as a full buffet spread. It’s comforting, full of flavor, and many people’s favorite.
To add brightness to the sauce, this recipe packs the meat sauce with veggies, including mushrooms, celery, and tinned tomatoes.
The richness comes from cooking down the mince with the red wine until it melts in the mouth.
20- Lemon Meringue Pie
There are not many people who would turn down a delectable lemon meringue pie at the end of a big Thanksgiving meal!
Thanksgiving dinner can be very heavy, so ending it off with a light, lemony tart is just what you need.
The lemon filling is very simple to make and sparkles with the flavor of fresh lemon against the creamy base.
This filling is housed in a light, homemade sable pastry and topped with plenty of fluffy meringue that is perfectly toasted.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this breakdown of some of the best Thanksgiving recipes I have to offer. Your guests are bound to be thankful for the incredible dinner you whip up from this inspiration, especially the ones with a unique twist.
Please let me know in the comments which dish you liked most, and be sure to share this dish so everyone you love can join in on the fun.
