Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Recipes Our Favorite Traditional Recipes To Serve on Thanksgiving By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 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! 01 of 50 Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy Greg DuPree 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. 02 of 50 Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever Photo: Greg Dupree 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. 03 of 50 Classic Candied Yams Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 04 of 50 Cornbread Dressing Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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? 05 of 50 Turkey Gravy Greg Dupree 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. 06 of 50 Classic Cranberry Salad Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 07 of 50 Yeast Rolls Iain Bagwell 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. 08 of 50 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. 09 of 50 Buttermilk Spoon Bread Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 10 of 50 Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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. 11 of 50 Angel Biscuits Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 12 of 50 Savory Corn Pudding Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 13 of 50 Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole Photo: Hector Sanchez 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. 14 of 50 Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 15 of 50 Slow-Cooker Green Beans 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. 16 of 50 Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 17 of 50 Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes 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. 18 of 50 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Alison Miksch 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. 19 of 50 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Emily Laurae/Southern Living 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. 20 of 50 Old-School Squash Casserole Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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. 21 of 50 Old-School Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 22 of 50 Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sauce Iain Bagwell 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. 23 of 50 Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie Jennifer Davick 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. 24 of 50 Sliced Sweet Potato Pie with Molasses Whipped Cream Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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. 25 of 50 Sweet Potato Rolls Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 26 of 50 Basic Deviled Eggs Southern Living 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. 27 of 50 Candy Roaster Squash with Sorghum, Black Walnuts, and Cranberries Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 28 of 50 Skillet Caramel Apple Pie Photo: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox 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. 29 of 50 Deep Fried Turkey with Creole Spices Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 30 of 50 Honey-Glazed Spiced Carrots Iain Bagwell 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. 31 of 50 Collard Greens with Garlic and Sippets Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 32 of 50 Creamy Baked Macaroni 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. 33 of 50 Fluffy Corn Pudding Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 34 of 50 Fried Arkansas Black Apples Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 35 of 50 Grated Sweet Potato Pudding Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 36 of 50 Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 37 of 50 Roasted Root Vegetables with Spicy Pecan Topping Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 38 of 50 Spicy Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall 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. 39 of 50 Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Photo: Greg Dupree 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. 40 of 50 Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners 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. 41 of 50 Homemade Cranberry Sauce Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen 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. 42 of 50 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole Southern Living 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. 43 of 50 Smothered Green Beans Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis 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. 44 of 50 Mississippi Sweet Potato Pie Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen 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. 45 of 50 Baked Corn Casserole Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis 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. 46 of 50 Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole Here's what every Thanksgiving hostess 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. 47 of 50 Texas Pecan Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer 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. 48 of 50 Roasted Carrots and Parsnips Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch 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. 49 of 50 Chocolate Pudding Pie Micah A. Leal 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. 50 of 50 Hot Cranberry Bake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Hot Cranberry Bake Serve cranberry bake alongside Thanksgiving pies for a complete dessert spread. We've loved this recipe since 1992 and you'll taste why. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit