Our Best Thanksgiving Menus for Every Gathering Style
Part of the magic of Thanksgiving is that each family celebrates a little differently. Some families gather around to tune into Thanksgiving football, while other families opt to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some families host an elaborate meal with all the extended cousins, while some prefer to keep it simple. No matter how you celebrate the holiday, Thanksgiving offers a chance to relax, reflect, and spend time with loved ones. But sometimes this core purpose can get muddled under all of the stress of holiday preparations. To take some worry out of the holiday, we've created 16 Thanksgiving menus that feature some of our all-star holiday recipes. These menus are tailored to every mood and taste, whether you want to celebrate with an extravagant dinner party or a laid-back beach dinner. Relieve some of that planning stress and leave the menu-crafting to us! Whether you're in search of impressive desserts or laid-back casseroles, we have options that suit every taste. No matter how your family chooses to celebrate Thanksgiving, we have a menu for you.
For-a-Crowd Thanksgiving
Casseroles galore! When you're cooking for a large Thanksgiving crowd, your 13-by-9 pan will be your best friend. With this big-batch menu, there's sure to be enough of everything to go around—and maybe even some left over! Finish off your Thanksgiving meal with a sheet cake, our favorite hack to make dessert for a crowd.
Recipes:
Smoked Turkey with Herb Rub
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese
Caramelized Onion Mashed Potato Bake
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Old-School Green Bean Casserole
Grits Dressing
Butter Pecan Sheet Cake
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Spiced Pecan Pie Bars
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Vintage Thanksgiving
Add a little vintage-style to the menu. From wobbly molded cranberry salad to classic candied yams, this meal will have you recalling the Thanksgiving meals of your childhood. Finish off the meal with one of our favorite lost pies of the South, old-school recipes that we've recently rediscovered.
Recipes:
Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy
Aunt Grace's Best Cornbread Dressing
Spiced Cranberry Mold
Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Old-School Green Bean Casserole
Classic Candied Yams
Sliced Sweet Potato Pie
Arkansas Black Apple Pie
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Traditional Thanksgiving
If you want to stick to the all-time favorites, this menu is for you. From classic roasted herb turkey to Southern cornbread dressing and old-school green bean casserole, this menu includes all the essential components of a classic Thanksgiving feast. Choose from three classic pie offerings—apple, pumpkin, and pecan—or make all three. Even Grandma will applaud this spread.
Recipes:
Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy
Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Old-School Green Bean Casserole
Angel Biscuits
Classic Cranberry Salad
Classic Candied Yams
Ultimate Apple Pie
Southern Pumpkin Pie
Best Pecan Pie
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Casual Thanksgiving
If you'd rather spend more time with your family than wasting days prepping for the Thanksgiving meal, this casual menu is for you. It includes all the basics you need for a great Thanksgiving feast without all the fuss. This menu is ideal for a family of four or a smaller Thanksgiving gathering. Cap the meal off with a homemade sweet potato pie that's sure to satisfy.
Recipes:
Smoked Turkey Breast
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Old-School Green Bean Casserole
Savory Corn Pudding
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots
Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie
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Extravagant Thanksgiving
Get fancy this Thanksgiving with a menu that's built to impress the guests (and the in-laws). Start off the night with elegant topped potato puffs as an appetizer, then move into a meal full of impressive specialty dishes, like roasted Brussels sprouts and homemade herb biscuits. You'll want to start preparing well in advance for this meal, but your guests won't soon forget it.
Recipes:
Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy
Potato Puffs with Toppings
Hasselback Sweet Potato Casserole
Pecan-Herb Cornbread Dressing
Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust
Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots
Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks
Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese
Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake
Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream
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Make-Ahead Thanksgiving
If you'll be out all morning on Thanksgiving watching a parade or attending a football game, there won't be time to prepare an elaborate meal. So assemble the slow cookers and plan ahead with this make-ahead Thanksgiving meal! You'd be surprised just how much you can cook in your slow cooker, from green beans to sweet potatoes to cornbread dressing. This make-ahead menu is worry-free and tasks can be easily divided up to make a potluck-style feast.
Recipes:
Citrus-Marinated Turkey Breast
Make-Ahead Gravy
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Slow-Cooker Green Beans
Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls
Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing
Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever
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Deep-Fried Thanksgiving
Uncle Jim has probably been trying to convince you to let him fry the turkey for years—well, why not give it a shot? Southerners will deep-fry just about anything, and this deep-fried Thanksgiving menu is supremely indulgent. From hush puppies to skillet cornbread dressing, get a real taste of the South this Thanksgiving.
Recipes:
Deep-Fried Turkey
Root Vegetable Fritters
Alabama Hush Puppies
Skillet Cornbread Dressing
Pineapple Casserole
Fried Skillet Potatoes
Southern Fried Corn
Easy Skillet Apple Pie
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Coastal Thanksgiving
If you're spending the holiday at the shore, tailor your menu to match your environment. This beachside Thanksgiving menu is light and breezy. It incorporates seafood in ever-classic ways—like in our vintage Oyster Casserole—and keeps everything easy and portable in case you want to take it on-the-go or outdoors.
Recipes:
Citrus-Marinated Turkey Breast
Rustic Mashed Red Potatoes with Parmesan
Oyster Casserole
Pineapple Casserole
Mini Apple Pies
Mama Mae's Ambrosia Salad
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Mix-and-Match Potluck Thanksgiving
Tired of the basics? Really change things up with this eccentric potluck menu. These recipes use all the Thanksgiving ingredients in completely new ways. Assign a dish out to each of your guests to make a worry-free holiday and create an exciting varied spread. Just be sure to coordinate ahead of time so you don't end up with three pecan pies!
Recipes:
Cajun Smoked Turkey
Hot Potato Salad
Diane's Southwestern Cornbread Salad
Macaroni Pie
Home-Style Green Bean Casserole
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie
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Healthier Thanksgiving
Stay light and lean this Thanksgiving with our healthier menu. from low-calorie green bean casserole to fresh, light ambrosia salad, this menu proves that just because it's healthier doesn't mean it can't be indulgent. It's sure to satisfy without inducing a food coma that'll last all night.
Recipes:
Citrus-Marinated Turkey Breast
Healthy Turkey Lasagna
Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Home-Style Green Bean Casserole
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Collard Green Creole Dirty Rice
Grilled Asparagus with Bacon and Mushrooms
Mama Mae's Ambrosia Salad
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
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Try-Something-New Thanksgiving
While we love to honor holiday traditions, sometimes you just want to shake it up a little. This menu will help you bounce out of your Thanksgiving creativity rut and brainstorm new ways to honor the holiday. No dry, flavorless turkey here: The star of the show is the sweet-and-spicy roast turkey, packed with flavor and coated in a honey-hot sauce glaze. With stunning sides like goat cheese mashed potatoes, herbed wild rice dressing, and sweet potato-and-collard green gratin, this menu pays homage to a traditional Thanksgiving spread while venturing outside the box.
Recipes:
Sweet-and-Spicy Roast Turkey
Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Herbed Wild Rice Dressing
Brussels Sprouts with Cornbread Croutons
Sweet Potato-and-Collard Green Gratin
Butterscotch-Spice Trifle
Persimmon Pie with Pecan Streusel
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BBQ-Style Thanksgiving
Fire up the smoker! This Thanksgiving is getting a barbecue-style makeover. Smoking your turkey adds so many new dimensions of flavor to the dry bird—you'll never want to go back to the traditional roast. Like the Thanksgiving turkey, barbecue is best served with lots of indulgent sides. Serve the smoked turkey with our best-ever mac and cheese, Southwestern-style spoonbread dressing, and savory corn pudding. This BBQ-Style Thanksgiving is a home run.
Recipes:
Herb-Rubbed Smoked Turkey
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Savory Corn Pudding
Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese
Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole
Southwestern-Style Spoonbread Dressing
Sweet Potato Cobbler
Kentucky Bourbon Pie
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Vegetarian Thanksgiving
Who said you need to have turkey on Thanksgiving? Load up on the veggie sides with this vegetarian Thanksgiving menu. Slow cooker lentil soup acts as the hearty main, but the sides are really the stars of the show. With lemon-almond green bean casserole, breadcrumb-topped mac and cheese, and scalloped potatoes, this vegetarian-friendly menu proves that you don't need meat to make a fantastic meal.
Recipes:
Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
Herbed Breadcrumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese
Lemon-Almond Green Bean Casserole
Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Collard Greens
Twice-Cooked Sweet Potatoes
Mama Mae's Ambrosia Salad
Chocolate Silk Pie
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Kid-Friendly Thanksgiving
If there will be more kids than adults in attendance at your Thanksgiving feast, this kid-friendly menu is the way to go. It includes all the essential components of Thanksgiving—from the turkey to the potatoes—in an easy form that kids will love. All the kids will go crazy for the cheese cracker-topped squash casserole (and it's a sneaky way to convince them to eat their vegetables). This menu is easy to prepare and easy to love!
Recipes:
Citrus-Marinated Turkey Breast
Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole
Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese
Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls
Corn Pudding Casserole
Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever
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Twists-on-the-Classic Thanksgiving
With slight twists on the classics, this Thanksgiving menu dresses up all your time-tested favorites in new ways. The ever-classic green bean casserole earns a crispy leek crown, and squash casserole gets a whimsical, kid-friendly topping. Ditch the sweet potato casserole for an elegant sweet potato soufflé to round out this old-made-new meal.
Recipes:
Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy
Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Leeks
Cheese Cracker-Topped Squash Casserole
Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel
Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon
Sweet Potato Soufflé
Apple Cranberry Pie
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Bonus: The Day After Thanksgiving
When you've got leftovers taking up all the space in your fridge, it's time to get creative. These day-after-Thanksgiving recipes help you make use of all that extra turkey meat in soups, sandwiches, and casseroles. You'll never tire of turkey with this variety of leftover recipes.
Recipes:
Turkey Tetrazzini
Turkey pot pie with Cranberry-Pecan Crusts
Turkey and Pimiento Cheese Club Sandwich
Turkey, Pesto, and Fresh Mozzarella Sandwich
Turkey Grilled Cheese with Gruyere and Caramelized Onion
Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
Turkey-and-Collard Green Stew