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Looking for some mouthwatering Thanksgiving dinner ideas to impress your guests this year? Look no further! This list has everything you need to create a memorable and delicious feast.
Who Doesn’t Love Thanksgiving?!
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner ideas, it can be a little overwhelming knowing where to start, especially if you’re the HOST. Don’t fret, we are sharing all the best recipes and tips to help you plan. We’ve included main dishes, appetizers, side dishes, and of course, dessert! To make things even more simple, use our Free Thanksgiving Menu Template to help plan your Thanksgiving dinner menu!
From juicy roast turkey and fluffy mashed potatoes to golden brown dinner rolls and classic pumpkin pie, this list has everything you need for a memorable holiday feast. Below you’ll find our top recipes for each section. We hope the list can give you inspiration for creating your own delicious menu.
Kristyn’s Turkey Dinner Tip
Don’t know what to do with all the leftover turkey? Check out our List of Leftover Turkey Recipes.
PRO TIP: Pin or bookmark this list so you’re ready with your entire Thanksgiving menu!
Table of Contents
Top 10 Most Loved Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas
From the perfect turkey recipe to easy, crowd-pleasing alternatives, the main dish is guaranteed to be the star of your holiday table.
How to Roast a Turkey
Total Time: 3 hours
Learn how to roast a turkey with all the tips and tricks you'll need to make a turkey full of flavor for Thanksgiving or any holiday.
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Crockpot Ham Recipe
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Crockpot ham has a quick prep and requires minimal effort. Covered with a brown sugar glaze, it's our favorite way to make a holiday ham!
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Crock Pot Pot Roast
Total Time: 7 hours 5 minutes
This melt-in-your-mouth crock pot pot roast is tender and flavorful. It takes just 5 minutes of prep before your slow cooker works its magic.
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Honey Glazed Ham
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Tender and juicy honey glazed ham is smothered in our simple 5-ingredient glaze creating our favorite recipe for holiday ham!
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Slow Cooker Roast Chicken
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Slow cooker roast chicken takes 5 minutes to prep then the crock pot does all of the work – the result is effortlessly flavorful!
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Swiss Chicken
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Indulge in cheesy comfort with creamy swiss chicken bake, an easy weeknight dish smothered in decadent creamy goodness.
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Prime Rib Recipe
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
This perfect prime rib recipe is cooked in the oven with a secret trick that gives you the most tender meat ever!
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Steak Marinade
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Our all-time favorite steak marinade requires only four ingredients and makes mouth-watering steak that tastes amazing!
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Easy Meatloaf
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
This easy homemade meatloaf recipe is hearty, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned—just like the classic comfort food you grew up with!
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Easy Turkey
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Directions for a perfectly roasted and seasoned turkey every time. Herb-glazed roast turkey is a juicy, moist show-stopper.
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Classic Side Dishes
Comfort food favorites that pair perfectly with any main dish.
Thanksgiving Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Total Time: 30 minutes
One skillet Thanksgiving Brussels sprouts are topped with bacon and goat cheese for a next-level side dish in only 30 minutes!
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Apple Pecan Salad
Total Time: 10 minutes
Topped with a poppyseed dressing, fresh apple pecan salad is a delectable combination of flavors and textures.
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Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Total Time: 35 minutes
These buttery smooth BEST mashed potatoes are our go-to potato side dish for every dinner and holiday get-together. They're my FAVORITE!!
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Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
This classic cheesy funeral potatoes recipe is a holiday favorite, perfect for feeding a crowd with its rich, comforting flavor!
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Glazed Carrots
Total Time: 20 minutes
Tender, tasty, and ready in a flash, sweet brown sugar glazed carrots are a four-ingredient side dish that's always a crowd-pleaser.
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Creamed Corn
Total Time: 20 minutes
Better than the canned version, this smooth and buttery creamed corn recipe is easy, cheesy, and delicious!
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Easy Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Total Time: 30 minutes
This easy green bean casserole is a holiday classic, featuring sauce-covered green beans and crispy onions baked to golden perfection.
Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
Total Time: 40 minutes
This is the cheesiest, creamiest, altogether best homemade mac and cheese you'll ever make! The whole family will definitely approve!
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Homemade Stuffing Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This homemade stuffing, made with sourdough bread, is exactly what you need to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey!
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Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans is a tasty staple at our house and one we couldn't live without!
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Mashed Potato Gravy
Total Time: 10 minutes
Our favorite mashed potato gravy boasts a smooth, rich, and savory flavor, and can be made without drippings!
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Corn Casserole Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes
Moist and tender corn casserole requires only a handful of ingredients for an easy side that is packed with flavor!
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Fresh Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Total Time: 17 minutes
Fresh cranberry sauce tastes amazing with every other dish on your Thanksgiving table. Make it ahead of time for less stress!
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Cheesy Potatoes Recipe
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Crockpot cheesy potatoes are the perfect, easy side dish for your next meal or holiday gathering. Just dump, cook, and enjoy!!
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Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Oven-baked cheesy scalloped potatoes are warm and comforting. They make an easy deliciously savory side for any dish!
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Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Dinner wouldn't be complete without rich, flavorful crock pot creamed corn! It's creamy, buttery, and preps in minutes – a holiday favorite!
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Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Creamy, cheesy crockpot mashed potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to any meal. They are SO easy to make – especially for busy holidays!
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Crock Pot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Everyone loves a good slow cooker recipe, and this crock pot mac and cheese is so simple, cheesy, and delicious!
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Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Crispy, creamy crockpot green bean casserole is beyond easy and just as tasty as the original oven-baked classic!
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Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Total Time: 40 minutes
Oven roasted brussel sprouts have a perfectly crispy outside and a melt-in-your-mouth center, and take just 10 minutes to prep!
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Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Savory cornbread stuffing is the perfect side dish, especially for holiday meals! The texture is perfect and the flavor is delicious!
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Rolls and Biscuits
Because no Thanksgiving table is complete without warm buttery rolls!
Dinner Rolls Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Our dinner rolls recipe delivers a soft, buttery best-loved recipe, perfect for holidays or any occasion and impossible to resist.
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Easy Yeast Roll Recipe
Total Time: 50 minutes
These easy yeast rolls can be made in under an hour with just 4 ingredients! With how quick and simple they are, they will become your new go-to dinner rolls.
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Potato Rolls Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Potato rolls are soft, fluffy, and buttery homemade dinner rolls that stay fresh longer thanks to creamy mashed potatoes in the dough.
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Simple Yeast Roll Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
Our classic yeast dinner rolls delivers pillowy soft, fluffy rolls that are easy to make, and perfect for any meal.
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Cheddar Bay Biscuit Recipe
Total Time: 14 minutes
These addicting copycat cheddar bay biscuits whip up in under 15 minutes, and they taste even better than the real thing!
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Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are so soft they melt in your mouth!! They are huge, buttery, and just like the real deal!
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Crescent Rolls
Total Time: 2 hours 32 minutes
Flaky homemade crescent rolls are soft and tender. They are perfect for Sunday dinner or a holiday gathering!
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Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Total Time: 22 minutes
This golden flaky buttermilk biscuits recipe is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Enjoy them on their own, with jam, or smothered in gravy!
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Desserts Worth Saving Room For
End your dinner on a high note with our favorite pies and simple treats that everyone will be thankful for.
Butter Pecan Cake
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Indulge in the delicious goodness of our butter pecan cake, topped with a toasted pecan buttercream frosting for a show-stealing sweet treat!
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Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Deceivingly simple spiced pumpkin bundt cake is smothered in tangy cream cheese frosting for a beautiful fall-inspired dessert!
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Easy Pecan Pie Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Our BEST and easy pecan pie recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and has a quick prep – a classic that's perfect all year!
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Pumpkin Dump Cake
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
This simple spiced pumpkin dump cake preps in minutes for a perfectly delicious shareable dessert all fall long!
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Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Homemade pumpkin pie is a best-loved recipe, and a must during the holidays delivering a perfectly spiced pumpkin filling and flaky crust!
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Buttermilk Pie
Total Time: 1 hour
Our classic Southern buttermilk pie features a sweet and tangy custard filling prepped in just 5 minutes with a flaky premade crust!
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Sour Cream Apple Pie
Total Time: 5 hours 35 minutes
Sour cream apple pie elevates the classic with a rich, tangy, and creamy custard and a buttery crumb topping!
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe
Total Time: 54 minutes
Soft, chewy pumpkin chocolate chip bars filled with warm spices, sweet pumpkin, and rich chocolate—your new favorite fall dessert.
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Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
This classic pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling is soft, spiced, and swirled to perfection for an irresistible fall dessert.
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Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe
Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
This chocolate cream pie has two types of chocolate in a creamy custard, topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls!!
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Pumpkin Delight
Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
This four-layer pumpkin delight features a crunchy pecan base with creamy pumpkin, cream cheese, and a whipped cream crown.
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Apple Pie Recipe
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
With a flaky, buttery crust made from scratch, and a gooey, sweet filling, this BEST apple pie recipe will not disappoint!
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Pumpkin Lasagna Dessert
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Pumpkin lasagna with layers of Oreos, cream cheese, pumpkin pudding, and whipped cream is a no-bake fall dessert that’s creamy and festive!
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Pecan Pie Cheesecake Recipe
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Pecan pie cheesecake combines a creamy cheesecake layer with a buttery, caramel-pecan topping. It is perfectly indulgent!!
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Pumpkin Cupcakes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Spiced pumpkin cupcakes are so soft, moist, and flavorful. They pair perfectly with delicious homemade cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
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Pecan Pie Bars Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour
With a buttery shortbread crust and caramelized pecan filling, it's impossible not to love these sweet and nutty pecan pie bars!!
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Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies Recipe
Total Time: 40 minutes
Thanksgiving sugar cookies decorated like turkeys are soft, adorable, and fun to make with kids for the holiday table or class parties!
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Pumpkin Brownie Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
These are the yummiest chocolate pumpkin brownies you will ever taste! They are sure to satisfy anyone's pumpkin addiction.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Total Time: 1 hour 57 minutes
These delightful pumpkin cheesecake cookies combine two irresistible desserts into one irresistible bite, perfect for fall!
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Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Total Time: 5 hours
Pumpkin pie cheesecake bars are full of fall spices. This layered dessert is sure to impress at any holiday gathering!
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50+ Best Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
Looking for some mouthwatering Thanksgiving dinner ideas to impress your guests this year? Look no further! This list has everything you need to create a memorable and delicious feast.
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 1 turkey, thawed
- 5-6 stalks celery, chopped
- ½ onion, chopped
- 4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic, peeled
- 2-3 apples
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons compound butter, (such as Italian Garlic Butter)
Glaze
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 3 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cut your celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Add ⅔ of them to the bottom of your roasting pan.
- *Note: Be sure to use a roasting pan with an elevated rack to keep the bird somewhat above the liquid.
- Prepare the turkey by removing the added items (neck, giblets, gravy packet) – no need to rinse the turkey – leave the tie on the legs – this helps keep it together.
- Place the turkey in the prepared pan and stuff the remaining veggies inside the turkey.
- Add one apple, cut in half, inside the turkey.
- Place remaining apples (also cut in half) around outside of the turkey.
- Cut the butter into 1 tablespoon pats. Carefully lift skin away from meat and slide pats of butter between the skin & breast.
- Add chicken stock to the bottom of the pan.
- Melt the compound butter and brush over the entire turkey.
- Roast in preheated oven, uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Remove, baste, tent with foil – return to oven.
Reduce heat to 375°F
- Continue roasting an additional 2-2½ hours depending on the size of your turkey (check label for exact cooking times per size). Basting every 40-45 minutes.
- Check temperature near the end – once you reach a minimum of 165°F in the thickest part of the turkey, it's time to add your glaze.
- Whisk glaze ingredients in a small bowl to combine.
- Brush glaze over turkey and return turkey to oven, uncovered, and cook an additional 15 minutes to crisp the skin.
- Remove and let rest 10-20 minutes before carving. Be sure to discard all veggies and fruits from inside the turkey and in the roasting pan before discarding.
Notes
Recipe Tips.
- To determine the size of turkey needed, calculate 1-1½ pounds of turkey per person.
- To ensure your turkey thaws properly, move it to the fridge on the Monday before Thanksgiving for 4-11 lbs, Sunday for 12-15 lbs, Saturday for 16-19 lbs, and Friday for 20-24 lbs.
- Only stuff the turkey immediately before it goes into the oven; never prepare it stuffed the night before (bacteria growth can happen). Do not pack the stuffing tightly, as it needs air circulation to cook properly.
- Once the turkey is out of the oven, scoop all the stuffing out of the cavity into a separate serving dish along with the veggies from the roasting pan.
- To enhance the flavor even more, you can also use a Turkey Brine.
- Use the turkey drippings to make Turkey Gravy, which is perfect to pour on Mashed Potatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 603kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 57g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 212mg, Sodium: 1098mg, Potassium: 1329mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 4650IU, Vitamin C: 9.2mg, Calcium: 137mg, Iron: 4.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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50+ Thanksgiving Desserts to Sweeten Your Feast
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Kristyn,
May you and your family have the Happiest Thanksgiving. You have some great recipes, that I copy for later.
God bless all of you.
Thank you!! Hope yours was wonderful as well!
This is such a great all-in-one-stop for Thanksgiving recipes! These recipes are fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
So many great recipes to choose from!! I’ve got all of mine printed and ready to go.