53 Thanksgiving Food Ideas for an Unforgettable Feast

For just one day a year, we feast on roast turkey, jellied cranberries, and marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole—dishes so synonymous with Thanksgiving, they earn the exclusive designation of “Thanksgiving food.” Preparing and hosting a literal feast is difficult enough without having to scour the web for the best Thanksgiving recipes, which is why we did that work on your behalf. Tragically, we can’t cook the turkey for you, but we can give you everything you need to craft the perfect Thanksgiving dinner menu.

While you could stick with a vegetarian Thanksgiving menu and not worry about the turkey at all, for some, the bird is nonnegotiable. For those, this collection includes several turkey recipes, smoked versions, grilled versions, and those roasted in parts. If you want to do some light extracurricular reading, we’ve also got guides on how long to cook a turkey and how to carve that bird.

Still, everyone knows the day’s real highlight will be the Thanksgiving side dishes: cornbread stuffing, dinner rolls (ideal for mopping up turkey gravy), and lemony green beans are always bound to steal the show. And if you’re wondering what to sip and nosh on throughout the day, we highlight a few Thanksgiving cocktails and Thanksgiving appetizers here, but click through to those collections for more.

Thanksgiving desserts? Glad you asked. Again, we’ve henpecked some top choices, but that link you just read right past has all the sweets you could possibly want. As for the next day, our turkey leftover recipes promise much more than your average sandwich. Ready to dive in? Let’s go.