Little-known reality: my profession began in catering. Once I moved to Austin at 21, I scored a job as an occasion planner for a catering firm, completely unaware of how a lot I’d fall in love with the joys of pulling off high-pressure occasions. I used to be new to town, staying up late at a neighborhood espresso store, sketching out menus that felt balanced and considerate—comforting classics alongside dishes with simply sufficient creativity to shock company.
To this present day, Thanksgiving menu planning brings out the identical spark for me. Designing the meal has turn into my favourite strategy to kick off the season—equal elements creativity, technique, and a bit of instinct. And in the event you’ve ever discovered your self questioning what dishes actually matter, how a lot meals you want, or methods to hold issues manageable (and scrumptious), you’re not alone. I hear from so lots of you every fall who need Thanksgiving to really feel joyful—not overwhelming.
That’s the place my tried-and-true Thanksgiving menu formulation is available in. It helps me create a balanced meal that checks all of the bins for custom, taste, and ease—with out cooking sufficient to feed the neighborhood.
Take into account this your blueprint to plan a Thanksgiving menu that feels considerate, seasonal, and stress-free.
My greatest tip: instinct + a strong construction.
Thanksgiving is deeply nostalgic—everybody has a dish meaning one thing to them. So sure, honor the household must-haves. But in addition give your self permission to edit. For a smaller crowd, you don’t want each dish on the desk. A considerate mixture of flavors, textures, and colours will at all times win over amount.
Over time, I’ve landed on a easy formulation that retains me on observe and ensures the meal feels plentiful, balanced, and achievable (particularly in the event you’re internet hosting and delegating!).
Use this as your information, and fill in every class together with your favourite recipes—or scroll under for mine.
My Foolproof Thanksgiving Menu Components
Right here’s the construction I return to each single yr. Fortunately, most of my members of the family are nice cooks, so I additionally use this formulation to divvy up what individuals will deliver potluck-style.
1. Turkey: Fried, roasted, or smoked. Typically we do two—one for the desk, one for leftovers.
2. Gravy: Even when it’s not your favourite, it belongs right here. Friends count on it, and it ties the whole lot collectively.
3. Potatoes: Mashed, scalloped, or crispy roasted. (A silky mashed potato by no means disappoints.)
4. Dressing/Stuffing: Cornbread, sourdough, wild rice, oyster—select your model and don’t overthink it.
5. An Orange Vegetable Aspect: Candy potatoes, butternut squash, honeynut squash, roasted carrots.
6. A Inexperienced Vegetable Aspect: Brussels, inexperienced beans, broccolini, sautéed kale, or collards.
7. Bread or Rolls: I normally outsource this half—nice bakery rolls or a easy selfmade focaccia do the trick.
8. Dessert: A minimum of one pie (pumpkin or pecan are classics), however be at liberty so as to add a wild card—apple, buttermilk, or chocolate pie are at all times welcome.
Internet hosting tip: In case you’re having a smaller gathering, choose your favourite 5 or 6 classes and let go of the remaining. Considerate simplicity > an overcrowded desk.
Planning Logistics
Let’s discuss technique. Nice Thanksgiving menu planning isn’t nearly what you serve—it’s when and the way you put together every dish. A little bit planning goes a good distance, and once you map out portions and make-ahead steps, you’ll step into the vacation relaxed, assured, and really capable of benefit from the day.
Beneath, I’m sharing a easy information to portioning your meal and prepping forward so your kitchen feels intentional, not chaotic.
How A lot Meals to Make for Thanksgiving
One of many greatest questions I get yearly: How a lot meals do I really want? Right here’s a easy cheat sheet I depend on:
Turkey: 1–1.5 lbs per particular person (nearer to 1 lb for boneless, 1.5 lbs if bone-in otherwise you need leftovers)
Stuffing/Dressing: ½–¾ cup per particular person
Mashed Potatoes: 1 cup per particular person
Gravy: ¼–½ cup per particular person (extra in the event you’re workforce “gravy on everything”)
Veggie Sides: ½ cup per facet, per particular person (select two and also you’re set)
Bread/Rolls: 1–2 per particular person
Pie: 1 slice per particular person (however we at all times make sufficient for 2…)
Internet hosting tip: In case you love leftovers, construct that into your parts. In case you’d slightly not eat turkey sandwiches for every week, lean towards the decrease finish of those estimates.
What You Can Prep Forward of Time
The key to a easy Thanksgiving? Don’t do all of it on Thursday. Right here’s a useful breakdown:
2–3 Days Earlier than
Chop onions, herbs, and aromatics
Prep stuffing base (bread dried + aromatics sautéed)
Make cranberry sauce (it will get higher because it chills)
Bake any pies that maintain effectively (pecan, apple, chess pies)
Day Earlier than
Put together casseroles (inexperienced beans, candy potatoes) and refrigerate unbaked
Make salad dressing + prep greens
Assemble your cheese or snack board components
Set the desk and label serving dishes
Morning Of
Roast turkey (or reheat in the event you cooked it the day earlier than—sure, it really works!)
Bake/reheat casseroles
Heat rolls
Toss salad and end garnishes
Mild candles, activate music, pour a glass—the enjoyable half begins!
Sanity saver: Label every serving dish with a sticky be aware (e.g., “mashed potatoes”) so that you don’t neglect what goes the place when it’s go-time. Small element, massive payoff.
Able to construct your menu? Beneath, you’ll discover my favourite Thanksgiving recipes—from mains to sides to pies. Combine and match one dish from every class utilizing the formulation above and also you’ll have an entire, foolproof Thanksgiving menu with zero guesswork.
Scroll, choose, and begin planning probably the most scrumptious day of the yr.
Turkey
Good Roast Turkey
Each November I discover myself googling one of the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe, and after making an attempt each technique underneath the solar, I turned to professional chef Michael Fojtasek of Austin’s award-winning Olamaie to assist me excellent the final word traditional: a easy brined roast turkey with crispy pores and skin and juicy, flavorful meat.
Potatoes
The Solely Mashed Potato Recipe You’ll Ever Want
No Thanksgiving desk is full with out silky mashed potatoes, and this vegan model delivers all of the buttery, creamy goodness everybody craves—plus, you may make them a couple of hours forward so that you’re not speeding when the remainder of the feast hits the desk.
Fake Parmesan Cauliflower “Potatoes”
As a mashed potato purist, I used to be skeptical of cauliflower mash—till this model from Helene Henderson’s Malibu Farm Dawn to Sundown proved it could look and style identical to the true factor, delivering that wealthy, tacky, traditional taste with out compromise.
Orange Vegetable Aspect
Squash & Farro Salad With Apples, Goat Cheese, & Pecans
Roasted squash, nutty farro, crisp apples, creamy goat cheese, and toasted pecans come collectively in a hearty fall salad that’s equal elements cozy and recent—an unexpectedly standout facet that balances the richness of the Thanksgiving desk fantastically.
Roasted Honeynut Squash with Scorching Honey, Pecans, and Rosemary
Every little thing about this roasted honeynut squash recipe makes it a top-tier choice in your Thanksgiving menu planning choices. Topped with pecans for the proper crunch and sizzling honey for a little bit of a kick, company might be raving over this distinctive and flavorful facet.
Charred Candy Potatoes With Dates
Candy potatoes are an apparent selection for an orange Thanksgiving facet dish, however this salad is something however primary. Pomegranate seeds deliver a tangy distinction to the savory flavors of the autumn root veggie, and caramelized dates encapsulate the proper candy salad topping.
Mashed Candy Potatoes With Brown Sugar Cornflake Crunch
In case you love a nostalgic tackle recipes, this traditional Thanksgiving facet dish was made for you. The filling is product of recent mashed candy potatoes and topped with a crunchy, brown sugary topping for the final word mix in textures. One chunk will deliver you proper again to your golden youthful days watching Saturday morning cartoons and consuming an enormous bowl of cornflakes.
Roasted Delicata Squash With Feta, Almonds, and Herbs
Candy, caramelized delicata squash meets salty feta, crunchy almonds, and a bathe of recent herbs on this easy facet that feels rustic, elegant, and completely at house on a Thanksgiving desk.
Charred Carrots with Honey-Lime Yogurt, Dates, and Almonds
Smoky charred carrots get a vibrant, tangy elevate from honey-lime yogurt, then completed with candy dates and crunchy almonds for a facet dish that’s equal elements earthy, vibrant, and unexpectedly show-stopping.
Roasted Acorn Squash
In relation to Thanksgiving sides, Tieghan Gerard, aka Half Baked Harvest, completely nailed this roasted acorn squash. Squash is at all times a filling facet that everybody loves, however isn’t at all times prepped to its fullest potential. It’s balanced, candy, and a bit of bit nutty. What extra might you ask for?
Blood Orange & Beet Salad
Have you ever ever seen a prettier shade combo? Deliver the beets and oranges in a bowl separate from the yogurt, then organize on a platter simply earlier than serving.
Dressing/Stuffing
Skillet Cornbread Stuffing With Caramelized Onions
This vegetarian cornbread stuffing skips the additional loaf-baking step and folds the onions, kale, and seasonings proper into the batter earlier than baking in a cast-iron skillet, making it faster, less complicated, and irresistibly rustic to serve.
Inexperienced Vegetable Aspect
Winter Kale Salad with Apple & Gruyère
Crisp winter kale pairs with candy apples, nutty Gruyère, and a vibrant French dressing on this cozy-yet-refreshing salad that cuts via the richness of the vacation desk and provides simply the correct amount of crunch.
Vacation Chopped Kale Salad With Mustard-Shallot French dressing
This jewel-bright chopped kale salad—tossed with a zippy mustard-shallot French dressing and studded with seasonal gems like pomegranate and roasted squash—brings crunch, shade, and freshness to the desk, and simply would possibly turn into your new potluck signature.
Candy & Bitter Cider Brussels Sprouts
These Brussels sprouts are tossed in a tangy-sweet cider glaze and roasted till caramelized and crispy—an irresistible combo that turns even the skeptics into superfans.
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon French dressing
This shaved Brussels sprout salad delivers vibrant lemony taste, crunch, and a contact of sweetness—an energizing, crowd-pleasing facet that steals the present on even probably the most festive desk.
Pies & Tarts
Maple Pecan Pie
This maple pecan pie comes straight from my mother’s kitchen—wealthy, gooey, buttery, and kissed with heat maple sweetness. It’s a real household traditional, and when you style it, it simply would possibly turn into a Thanksgiving custom in your home, too.
Brûléed Pumpkin Pie
This bruléed pumpkin pie takes the traditional up a notch with a crackly caramelized sugar prime—creamy, spiced filling meets brûlée-style crunch for a vacation dessert that feels acquainted, however unforgettable.
Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
This pumpkin pie with a spicy gingersnap crust is the one I request each single Thanksgiving—silky, warmly spiced filling meets a crisp, cookie-like base for a dessert that’s traditional, a bit of sudden, and actually one of the best.
My Mother’s Basic Buttermilk Pie Recipe
This traditional buttermilk pie from my mother’s recipe field is straightforward, tangy-sweet, and impossibly silky—an understated Southern favourite that at all times earns a spot at our Thanksgiving desk.
Apple Ginger Pie
This apple-ginger pie layers tender spiced apples with a heat ginger kick for a comfortable, aromatic twist on the traditional—an irresistible slice we look ahead to all Thanksgiving season.
This put up was final up to date on November 5, 2025, to incorporate new insights.
