Holidays & Occasions Christmas Christmas Recipes Southern Holiday Dishes Everyone Should Know How to Make By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 10, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Laurey W. Glenn Being able to eat and cook Southern food is a blessing that Southerners should never take for granted. You don't need Mama to remind you—there really is nothing like classic Southern fare. There are some comforting dishes that every Southern cook should know how to make and others that only seasoned Southern cooks can master. The holiday season is a time when experienced and inexperienced Southern cooks come together to make culinary magic. There aren't many things that bring a family together quite like a roasted turkey, some classic cornbread dressing, or a green bean casserole. These Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes are the most classic of all time. From desserts like pecan pie and pound cake, to side dishes like collard greens and mashed potatoes, these recipes are timeless. We doubt we'll live to see the day that these classic Southern holiday recipes aren't making appearances on tables during the season. Gather around and take notes—these dishes will ensure your Southern holiday meal is done right. 01 of 30 Beef Tenderloin Iain Bagwell Recipe: Perfect Beef Tenderloin Beef tenderloin is a holiday mainstay because there are endless marinating, rubbing, and dipping options. 02 of 30 Roasted Turkey Greg DuPree Recipe: Roasted Herb Turkey Cooking a turkey for a holiday meal can be intimidating, but roasting with simple herbs will always be a go-to method. 03 of 30 Ham Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Glazed Spiral-Cut Ham For some families, ham is reserved for Easter, but it's interchangeable with other proteins around the winter holidays, too. 04 of 30 Southern Pumpkin Pie Don't shy away from this tastey Southern Pumpkin Pie and serve it up for any special occasion this fall. 05 of 30 Shrimp and Grits Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Shrimp and Grits A dish that often ends up on Christmas Eve tables in the South is Shrimp and Grits. This recipe came from Bill Smith, executive chef at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 06 of 30 Lasagna Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Vanessa's Make-Ahead Beefy Lasagna Lasagna is a Christmas Eve tradition for many families, and this make-ahead version can help you check it off your to-do list early. 07 of 30 Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole Green bean casserole will always find its way on a Southern dinner table during the holiday season. Try our slow-cooker version of the classic for hands-off ease. 08 of 30 Cornbread Dressing Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Cornbread Dressing Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, it's going to be present at holidays in the South. 09 of 30 Gravy Hector Sanchez Recipe: Ultimate Make-Ahead Gravy Whether you pour it specifically on your turkey and mashed potatoes or you prefer to mix it with everything, gravy is a staple at Southern holidays. Our Ultimate Make-Ahead gravy is the easiest way to get it there. 10 of 30 Corn Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Tee's Corn Pudding This fluffy side dish has been gracing Southern holidays with its presence for longer than we've been around. 11 of 30 Mac and Cheese Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese Even the pickiest kids at the holiday table will eat a full helping of mac and cheese. If you want to switch things up this season, we've got plenty of mac and cheese recipes to choose from. 12 of 30 Mashed Potatoes Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes We can't imagine a Christmas or Thanksgiving table that doesn't have a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes on it. 13 of 30 Sweet Potato Casserole Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Whether you top yours with marshmallows or brown sugar, the holidays wouldn't be complete without Sweet Potato Casserole in attendance. 14 of 30 Squash Casserole Greg DuPree Recipe: Old-School Squash Casserole You won't find a Southern church potluck, new neighbor's house, or holiday gathering that doesn't have a squash casserole on the lineup. 15 of 30 Collard Greens Jim Franco; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Simon Andrews Recipe: Southern-Style Collard Greens Even if they don't serve collard greens at Thanksgiving or Christmas, it's a safe bet Southerners will serve them on New Year's Day for wealth in the next year. Add some black-eyed peas for good luck, and you're set. 16 of 30 Cranberry Sauce Jennifer R. Davick Recipe: Cranberry Sauce You know it's true: Homemade cranberry sauce is better than the canned stuff, hands down. Cranberry salad is a Southern go-to as well, and we think you'll like our updated version much better than the congealed recipes of the past. 17 of 30 Dinner Rolls Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls We agree that frozen dinner rolls are so much easier on busy weeknights, but for holiday dinners, only homemade will do. Don't make the classic mistake of burning the dinner rolls, though! 18 of 30 Cornbread Jennifer Causey Recipe: Skillet Cornbread Although cornbread is a component of many other Southern dishes, it's just fine on it's own at our holiday tables. 19 of 30 Pecan Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie To Southerners, there's nothing quite like a rich pecan pie, and it's a constant at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. 20 of 30 Bread Pudding Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Praline Bread Pudding This decadent winter dessert is topped with a rich praline sauce. Our Test Kitchen recommends using stale, day-old bread—better for soaking up the sweet custard. 21 of 30 Caramel Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Caramel Cake This recipe might be old-fashioned, but it will never go out of style. 22 of 30 Pumpkin Pie Photo: Greg Dupree Recipe: Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever We have to admit, pumpkin pie just might beat pecan pie in the "holiday classics" category. If you're new to making it, start with this recipe. 23 of 30 Trifles Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate Trifle Although they look elegant and intricate, trifles are great recipes for new cooks because they're easy and quick to make. 24 of 30 Red Velvet Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Red Velvet Layer Cake What's more festive than a cake the color of Santa's famous suit? 25 of 30 Tiramisù Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Lemon Tiramisu Southerners take a tip from Italy with this classic dessert that's a holiday hit. 26 of 30 Sweet Potato Pie Jennifer R. Davick Recipe: Sweet Potato Pie Whether you make a creamy or sliced sweet potato pie, this recipe is Southern to its core. 27 of 30 Bûche de Noël Southern Living Recipe: Bûche de Noël Bûche de Noël is a traditional French holiday dessert that's shaped like a log, but you've heard it called a Yule Log around here. 28 of 30 Apple Pie Luca Trovato Recipe: Easy Skillet Apple Pie At Thanksgiving dinners in the South, apple pie has a reserved place right next to the pecan and pumpkin pies. 29 of 30 Cheesecake Jim Franco Recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake Although cheesecakes are delicious all year long, they can be beautiful for the holidays, and every Southern cook should know how to make a classic cheesecake. 30 of 30 Pound Cake Jennifer R. Davick Recipe: Million Dollar Poundcake Pound cakes are a Southern dessert that you can make for any holiday, and this one is worth a million dollars. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit