Thanksgiving recipes for the whole table
Appetizers, colorful sides, salads that steal the show, mains beyond the bird, desserts, and a signature drink. Everything we actually cook for Thanksgiving, in one place.
Author’s Note
Every year around the first week of November, I go into full chef mode. I’m talking menu plans sketched out in a spreadsheet weeks in advance, no kidding. Alex thinks it’s hilarious. But here’s what almost a decade of hosting this holiday has taught me: the classic Thanksgiving table is a lot of beige-on-beige mush, and it really doesn’t have to be.
The two of us have eaten mostly plant-based for years, so our Thanksgiving has never been about the turkey. It’s about everything around it: the apple salad people ask me for every single year, the Brussels sprouts that taste like mac and cheese, a pumpkin tiramisu that doesn’t need the oven. Funny thing is, those are the dishes that get the most requests, from the turkey eaters too.
So this is the plan I’d hand to a friend. Pick one or two from each course, lean on the make-ahead list, and build a menu that’s yours. Happy Thanksgiving from our kitchen to yours!
Crisp Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
If I could eat one salad for the rest of time, this one is it.Sonja
- Crisp tart apple slices with pops of pomegranate seeds, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy cinnamon-spiced pecans over fresh greens.
- A zingy maple and apple cider vinegar dressing that cuts right through the mashed potatoes and gravy.
- Make-ahead friendly: dressing up to a week early, pecans a few days, then toss it together right before dinner.
Appetizers
The best appetizers are the ones I can prep and have ready once friends and family arrive. Most of these take 30 minutes or less, and many can be made the night before.
Side dishes
The classic Thanksgiving conundrum is a table of beige-on-beige mush. These are the sides that make everyone ask for the recipe: something creamy, something crispy, something fresh.
Salads
Instead of brown and mushy, the salad can be one of the most delicious things on your plate. Roasted squash, crunchy apples, pomegranate jewels, tangy dressings: everyone reaches for seconds.
Mains beyond the bird
In our decade of eating vegetarian at Thanksgiving, it’s often the vegetarian or vegan dishes that turn out to be the best loved around the table. Serve one next to the turkey, or make it the centerpiece.
Desserts
This holiday is the best time for going all-in on fall flavors. Many of these taste better made ahead: cheesecakes, tiramisu, and puddings need time to set, which is ideal when the oven is spoken for.
While the oven’s busy, the Instant Pot isn’t
While your oven and stovetop are occupied, the pressure cooker can be making a monstrous batch of mashed potatoes. Or green bean casserole. Or dessert.
Drinks, with or without
At my house I’m all about the signature drink. And after watching the non-drinkers sip water while everyone else clinked glasses, I’m making sure the mocktail is just as celebratory this year.
Sonja’s make-ahead plan
Thanksgiving is chaotic enough. Here’s how I spread the work over the week so that on the day, it’s mostly reheating, tossing, and pouring. Tap a day to open it.
Week ofDressings, syrups, and the freezerUp to 7 days ahead
- Make salad dressings: most vinaigrettes keep at least two weeks in a jar. Shake well before using.
- Spiced simple syrups for the sangria or apple cider syrup for the margaritas keep a few days in the fridge.
- Bake cookies early and freeze them in airtight containers for up to a month.
- Pick your menu, then write the shopping list.
2 daysDips, nuts, and quick breadsThings that get better overnight
- Cranberry cream cheese dip, marinated olives, cheese balls, and spiced nuts can all be made up to two days ahead.
- Quick breads like sweet potato bread and cranberry orange bread: bake, wrap tightly, store at room temperature. Slice right before serving.
- Mashed potatoes and mashed squash can be made a day or two ahead and reheated on the stovetop with a splash of milk or cream.
1 dayAssemble, set, and chillThe big prep night
- Assemble casseroles (yes, the Brussels sprout casserole) and the lentil loaf; cover and refrigerate, bake the day of.
- Stuffed mushrooms: prep completely, cover, refrigerate overnight (or outside, if it’s cold enough!).
- Cheesecakes, tiramisu, and puddings need the time to set. Fruit pies bake today; custard pies like pumpkin, tonight or tomorrow morning.
- Wash and dry the salad greens, wrap in paper towels, refrigerate. Roast any vegetables for salads.
- Make soup if you’re serving a starter: it tastes better the next day anyway.
Day ofRoast, toss, pourMorning and afternoon
- Morning: juice the citrus, prep garnishes (apple slices in lemon water, pomegranate arils in little containers), rim the glasses.
- Pre-batch stirred cocktails in a pitcher; they just need ice and a garnish at go time.
- Cut and season the roasting vegetables early, then roast them while the turkey (or lentil loaf) rests.
- Pull refrigerated pies out about 30 minutes before dessert.
- Salad: toppings in the bowl, dressing on the side until the last possible moment. Nobody wants soggy salad.
How I think about the menu
Contrasts, not courses
I aim for a mix of textures: something creamy like mashed potatoes, something crispy like roasted Brussels sprouts, something fresh like an apple salad. And colors! A table that’s a burst of color just tastes better.
Respect the oven
Oven space is always the bottleneck. I pick at least one or two sides to make ahead and serve at room temperature, like salads or a grain dish like farro with mushrooms, and let the Instant Pot carry the potatoes.
Special diets, without special versions
It’s easier to make several dishes that happen to be vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free than to re-engineer the classics. Most of the sides and salads here naturally fit, so everyone eats the same food, together.
All of our Thanksgiving guides
45 Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes- 30 Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers
- 20 Top Thanksgiving Salad Ideas
- 30 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
- 40 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
- 30 Thanksgiving Desserts
- 40 Thanksgiving Cocktails & Drinks
- 5 Thanksgiving Mocktails
- 10 Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes
We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook authors, busy parents, and a real life couple who cooks together. Since 2010 we’ve shared simple, seasonal recipes from our home kitchen, every one tested on our family and photographed by us.
