Thanksgiving Recipes

Welcome to our ultimate collection of Thanksgiving recipes! Whether you're looking for make-ahead gems or quick one-pan wonders, this post offers our favorite easy and delicious recipes, from classic turkey to savory sides and festive desserts. Plus, we share our top tips for holiday cooking to ensure your Thanksgiving dinner is a resounding success.

At Borrowed Bites, we have been perfecting and serving holiday dishes for over 20 years, ensuring every celebration is special and as stress-free as possible. We're confident you'll find recipes here that do the same for you and yours!

You can never have too many recipe ideas for your next Thanksgiving feast! Some years we prefer to serve the same classics and others we like to add a twist to the dinner table - try this Cranberry Lemonade Recipe!

Whichever camp you fall into, we hope these recipes give you some fresh inspiration for your big meal!

Make ahead holiday recipes

We LOVE recipes that can be prepped in advance to make celebration day a little less stressful. We have marked all of the recipes below that can be either partially or fully prepared early with a gold star like this: ⭐️

Holiday appetizer recipes

In our family, it is absolutely not Turkey Day if there isn't a table full of snacks and hors d'oeuvres! These ones make regular appearances at parties:

• ⭐️ 3 Ingredient Cheese Ball Recipe (we've served this same one for 30 years!)
• Chicken Apple Sausages with Maple Glaze
• Hot Honey Brie Bites Recipe (with Puff Pastry)
• ⭐️ Hot Honey Marinated Mozzarella Balls
• Bruschetta with Mozzarella Recipe
• ⭐️ Spicy Jalapeno Deviled Eggs (so good!)
• ⭐️ Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe with Crumble Topping
• Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe

Main dish recipes for Thanksgiving

From traditional juicy turkey breast to perfectly glazed ham, these main dishes will win the show! Plus we include a couple non-traditional favorites if you're looking for something new to try.

• How to Cook Ham in a Roaster Oven (the best way to save oven space!)
• ⭐️ The Best Pineapple Glaze for Ham Recipe
• ⭐️ 3-Ingredient Ham Glaze
• ⭐️ Smoked Turkey Breast Brine Recipe
• How to Cook Turkey Breast in a Roaster Oven
• Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin Recipe (drool-worthy!)
• Creamy Boursin Pork Tenderloin
• Rum Ham Glaze Recipe

Side dish recipes for Thanksgiving

Who ever said that sides can't be the star of the menu? We load up on more sides than mains around here. (Keep scrolling for potato recipes!)

• Cranberry Sauce with Grand Marnier Recipe
• Skillet Roasted Corn
• Fresh Green Beans with Bacon
• Maple Brussels Sprouts Recipe
• Green Beans Almondine
• ⭐️ Autumn Chopped Salad
• Cranberry Rice (studded with pecans)
• Orange Cranberry Rice
• 20-Minute Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
• ⭐️ Make-Ahead Baked Mac and Cheese (best ever!)
• Parmesan Garlic Roasted Carrots
• Spinach Avocado Salad
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Holiday potato recipes

From make ahead casseroles to crispy bites, you can pick any number of potato favorites from this list!

• Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Toppings
• ⭐️ Duchess Potatoes Casserole Recipe
• ⭐️ Make-Ahead Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe (we get rave reviews on this one)
• ⭐️ Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
• ⭐️ Sour Cream Potato Bake
• ⭐️ Duchess Potatoes Recipe
• Crispy Hasselback Potatoes (w/ Yukon Gold Potatoes)
• ⭐️ Crispy Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes
• Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Bread recipes

Your menu simply isn't complete without bread on the side! From semi-homemade to completely from-scratch options, these won't let you down.

• Easiest Rhodes Rolls (we serve these every year!)
• Pull Apart Bread (using frozen dough)
• ⭐️ 5 Ingredient Cream Biscuits
• Moist Skillet Cornbread
• Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

Pie Recipes

Your menu will be made complete with a delicious pie... or 3! There are too many to choose from. The best part is that all of these are ⭐️ make-ahead friendly ⭐️!

• Maple Pecan Pie (no corn syrup!)
• French Silk Pie Recipe (literally my favorite dessert ever!)
• Coconut Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
• Key Lime Pie Recipe (and my other favorite dessert ever, plus it's easy!)
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
• Creamy Lemon Pie with Raspberry Sauce
• Lemon Pie
• Creamy Coffee Pie

Cheesecake recipes

Another holiday classic is creamy, decadent cheesecake. We have quite the collection! Serve full-size cheesecakes or check out the bottom of the list for minis and cheesecake bars. Bonus- the vast majority of these do not need water baths and they all perfect for making ahead of time!

• Tiramisu Cheesecake
• Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
• Golden Oreo Cheesecake
• Creamy Oreo Cheesecake Recipe
• No Bake Cheesecake Recipe
• ⭐️ White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (sweet and tangy- amazing every time!)
• Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
• Blackberry Cheesecake with Lemon Oreo Crust
• Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe
• Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
• Mini Cheesecakes Recipe
• ⭐️ Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars (super popular!)
• Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars

More Thanksgiving dessert recipes

If you're looking for something other than pie or cheesecake, here are some other favorite desserts to serve every fall season. Most of these can be fully made or mostly ⭐️ prepped ahead ⭐️ as well.

• Apple Pie Dessert Biscuits
• Apple and Blueberry Crumble
• Homemade Maple Glaze
• Microwave Caramel Pecan Sauce
• Caramel Apple Slices
• Coconut Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Caramel Coffee Frosting
• Carrot Bundt Cake with Pineapple
• White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
• Chocolate Mousse Parfait
• Pecan Squares
• Apple Cider Bundt Cake
• Simple Pumpkin Cake

Thanksgiving day breakfast ideas

We love a special holiday breakfast. Here are a few festive favorites that we think would be amazing served on Thanksgiving morning!

• Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake Recipe with Crumble Topping
• Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe
• Monkey Bread with Biscuits (my favorite!)
• Rhodes Monkey Bread

Pro tips for Thanksgiving dinner

1. When you plan your menu, choose at least 2-3 items that can be prepped in advance. This will keep the day-of cooking less stressful and help you get more food on the table.
2. Choose a few different cooking methods to ensure your oven doesn't get too crowded. Consider using a roaster oven, slow cooker, electric skillet, or pot for some dishes so that you don't end up needing the oven for everything at the same time.
3. Make an extravagant recipe or two - that's what holidays are for! But make sure to include a couple simple recipes to balance out the work. For example, I might go all out on a from-scratch apple pie, but I'm also definitely going to use frozen Rhodes dinner rolls.

Helpful kitchen tools

The following affiliate links are some fun kitchen supplies to make your occasion extra special.