Looking for new Thanksgiving side dish ideas? From crispy potato bakes to sausage stuffing balls, these recipes will earn a permanent spot on your menu year after year.
Thanksgiving classics are classics for a reason. So if you’re adding something new to the table, it had better be good enough to earn its place alongside them!
That’s exactly what I’ve gone for with these 14 Thanksgiving side dish ideas. Some are familiar favourites with a little something extra, while others might not have crossed your mind for Thanksgiving at all. But every single one is seriously delicious and absolutely worth adding to your menu.
Without further ado, let’s tuck into the recipes shall we?!
1. Mashed Potato Gratin
This dish is an absolute showstopper. A whole layer of buttery, cheesy mashed potatoes hiding underneath crispy slices of garlic parmesan potato. Be prepared for every person at the dinner table to ask for the recipe.
If mashed potatoes are your thing, don’t miss my collection of Mashed Potato Recipes for plenty more delicious variations!
2. Honey Balsamic Carrots
These carrots roast in a honey-balsamic glaze until beautifully sticky and caramelised. The balsamic balances the sweetness, while fresh thyme brings everything together. Simple ingredients, but the results are seriously delicious.
3. Sausage Stuffing Balls
Juicy sausage, plenty of sage and grated apple for sweetness – these stuffing balls are beyond delicious. They’re soft in the middle, golden on the outside and dangerously easy to keep going back for!
4. Garlic Butter Sweet Potato Stacks
Thinly sliced sweet potatoes tossed in garlic, rosemary, butter and parmesan, then tightly stacked and baked until tender and caramelized. These little individual portions taste just as amazing as they look!
5. Ultra Creamy One Pot Mac and Cheese
This is mac and cheese at its creamiest, and there’s no separate cheese sauce to make! Cooking the pasta in the same pot helps create a gorgeous silky sauce that coats every last piece of macaroni.
If you’re after even more cheesy goodness, I’ve got a whole collection of Mac and Cheese Recipes worth checking out!
6. Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cranberries
A salad? Stealing the show at Thanksgiving?? Quite possibly with this gem. Crunchy broccoli, crispy bacon, sweet cranberries, salty feta and flaked almonds, all tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing. The combination is ridiculously good!
7. Cheesy Baked Asparagus
Sure, asparagus is great, but add garlic, melted mozzarella and a golden parmesan topping and you’ve got one heck of a good time. With just four main ingredients and around 15 minutes, this couldn’t be easier to make!
8. Sage and Onion Stuffing
Homemade sage and onion stuffing is hard to beat when it’s done properly. I grew up on this stuff, and I’m here to let you know this is the best way to make it. Buttery breadcrumbs, slowly softened onion and celery, and plenty of fresh sage and thyme give this classic all the flavour it deserves.
9. Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese
Roasting the garlic until it’s sweet and mellow adds incredible depth to the cheese sauce without overpowering it. Everything then gets baked with a gorgeous golden topping. Rich, cheesy comfort food at its finest!
10. Cajun Butter Sweet Potato Bake
If you fancy something a little more savoury than the usual sweet potato sides, this is a thing of beauty. Thinly sliced sweet potatoes coated in Cajun-spiced butter and parmesan, baked until tender and lightly caramelised.
11. Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes
The sour cream adds a gorgeous subtle tang to these buttery mashed potatoes, while plenty of fresh chives keep everything tasting lovely and fresh. It’s a simple combination, but one that works so well!
12. Roasted Garlic Bread
Roasting the garlic until it’s soft, sweet and caramelised makes the most incredible garlic butter. Spread it through a baguette and bake until golden, and you’ve got garlic bread that’s genuinely worth the extra step.
13. Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce doesn’t have to be just sweet and sharp! Cinnamon and nutmeg bring a lovely warmth, while a pinch of cayenne adds a little kick. It’s incredibly simple to make, but packs in so much flavour.
14. All Purpose Gravy Without Drippings (Make Ahead)
No meat drippings? No problem! This gravy builds its flavour with vegetables, good stock, herbs and a few savoury extras, so it still comes out beautifully rich and full of flavour. You can even make it ahead!
And there we have it! A collection of the most delicious Thanksgiving side dish recipes. If you loved this Roundup be sure to Pin it for later! Made any of the recipes? Let me know how you got on in the comments.
