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Delicious Side Dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner: Family Favorites You’ll Love

Thanksgiving dinner brings a flood of memories – from the smell of roasting turkey in the oven to the warm laughter around the table. But the unsung heros that are often forgotten are the side dishes! From melt in your mouth buns to bacon wrapped stuffing bites, this list of side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner—featuring some of our family favorites —will help make your holiday table unforgettable.

Family Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes from the Harbour Breeze Home Recipe Box

Growing up, Thanksgiving dinner meant huge family dinners. The table was extended with all of its leaves and our farmhouse was filled with lots of laughter and kids running around. Our own Thanksgiving dinners have usually been quieter with just our family of 5 – and even quieter now that we’re just cooking for two. So, sometimes we just do a simple turkey dinner with all the shortcuts we can think of.

But, over the years, I’ve written some of our favorite recipes that pair well as side dishes for the Thanksgiving (and Christmas) dinner table. Here they are:

1.Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

Dinner buns shaped like crescent rolls.

These melt in your mouth dinner buns are so quick and easy to make – thanks to the help of your bread machine! Served warm with butter, they’re perfect for dipping in a little turkey gravy, too…

2. Classic Potato Salad with Egg

A bolw of potato salad with egg as garnish on the top

I admit, we don’t often have potato salad as a Thanksgiving side dish, but many readers tell me they do. If you’re looking for a classic potato salad recipe just like Grandma used to make – this one is it!

3.Bacon Stuffing Rolls

Bacon wrapped stuffing on a pan

I’ll tell you what – bacon wrapped stuffing bites will forever change your Thanksgiving dinner! After I set these out one year, they are the most requested side dish at our house. You can make your own homemade stuffing (recipe is included in the post), or you can use stovetop stuffing mix as an added convenience. Either way, they are absolutely delicious.

4.Overnight Buns

A collage of yeast buns in different shapes including cinnamon rolls, dinner buns, crescent rolls, and a cinnamon loaf

Overnight yeast buns were what my mom always made for Thanksgiving dinner. The dough can be formed into many different shapes, left to rise overnight, and be ready to bake when you wake up in the morning. They are divine!

5.Mustard Sauce for Ham

Mustard sauce for ham in a jar

If you decide to serve ham instead of turkey for Thanksgiving this year, Grandma’s homemade mustard sauce will be a hit! It only takes a few minutes to make and is so delicious drizzled over hot, smokey ham slices.

6.Broccoli Salad with Cranberries

Brocolli salad in a white bowl with cranberries and bacon bits with a creamy dressing

Classic broccoli salad with bacon and cranberries is a wonderful salad to compliment Thanksgiving dinner. It can conveniently be mixed together the day before making it less work on the day of!

7.Orange Fluff Salad

orange fluff salad in a clear glass serving bowl

Turkey dinners always included some sort of jello salad when I was growing up. This classic orange fluff salad with Cool Whip tastes so refreshing!

8.Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

a casserole dish with scalloped potatoes with mushroom soup and cheesey topping

This easy cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe has a secret. It uses cream of mushroom soup to make a quick and easy sauce. Topped with cheese, it’s classic comfort food at its best!

9.Make Ahead Carrot Casserole

A pan of baked carrot casserole

This delicious and easy cheesy baked carrot casserole with shredded carrots can be assembled the day before it’s baked. It’s so handy to have the prep work done ahead!

10. Light & Fluffy Baking Powder Biscuits

A close up picture of a light and fluffy baking powder biscuit

Learn the simple tips and tricks of easy biscuits with my Mom’s baking powder biscuit recipe.

11. Roast Sweet Potato

Roast sweet potatoes on a pan

You can’t go wrong with yummy roast sweet potatoes! Baked to crispy perfection with spices, they make a great sidedish for Fall.

12.Classic Cornbread

A stack of cornbread pieces on a serving plate.

Made with simple ingredients, this classic oven-baked cornbread is moist, flavorful, and perfectly golden. Serve it alongside your Thanksgiving turkey for a comforting, homestyle side dish everyone will enjoy.

What are your favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving Dinner?

I know that I’ve missed some favorite recipes that are served at many Thanksgiving dinner tables (like mashed potatoes and gravy). What are your favorite Thanksgiving sides? I would love to know. Comment below so I can read what they are. I’d love to add more favorites to this list!!

Recipes for Turkey Leftovers

And once Thanksgiving (and Christmas) dinner is over, do you look for leftover turkey recipes? Here are are favorites:

Pin this to remember it later

A collage of Thanksgiving dinner side dishes.

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8 Comments

  1. For the last few years, my family has helped make Thanksgiving Dinner. My husband cooks the turkey, one daughter makes the dressing, the other daughter makes sweet potato casserole and broccoli casserole,my granddaughter make green bean casserole, I make mashed potatoes and Sister Schubert and I make rolls.😂 For dessert my son-in-law makes pumpkin and pecan pies. He also makes a Pumpkin Soup for the first course. I have it easy on Thanksgiving. At Christmas I do all the cooking.

    1. Oh, Nancy! That sounds like such a fun Thanksgiving dinner! Not only does it help spread the work around, it allows you all a chance to taste each other’s yummy Thanksgiving recipes. They all sound so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.

  2. These all sound delicious! We make stuffing, glazed carrots, green bean casserole and French pork stuffing. But my favorite is the cranberry orange relish lol

    1. Colleen, your sides sound delicious! But, I must admit -I’ve never heard of French pork stuffing and cranberry orange relish!! Now I must go research.;) Thanks so much for sharing.

  3. Our family always went to my Grandmother’s house, while she was living. There was always turkey and ham, dressing,sweet potato casserole,mashed potatoes and gravy and deviled eggs. We would also have green beans and of course, my favorite, baked beans. It is a special time, visiting with family, you don’t get to see often.

    1. Oh, Sharon – what fabulous memories that sounds like. I loved going to my Grandma’s for Thanksgiving dinner, too. And, goodness – it’s been ages since I had deviled eggs! I just might need to make some. Thanks so much for sharing.

  4. I have been unable to open the recipe for bacon wrapped stuffing rolls..has anyone else had the same problem? They look delicious. I would love to make them.

    1. Hi Sandy, Thank you so much for letting me know that link to the stuffing wasn’t working! I have it fixed now. So sorry about that little glitch! I hope you and your family like that yummy recipe as much as we do!

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