Classic Thanksgiving Feast (with Make-Ahead Tips)

This is our Classic Thanksgiving Menu with everybody's favorite holiday foods! Prepping for Turkey Day can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for many home cooks. Whether it's your first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner for friends or family and you are putting together a traditional Thanksgiving dinner menu or you have just been asked to bring one or two dishes to someone else's house, I've been there and I've got you!

Table of Contents

There is so much good food to choose from when planning a traditional Thanksgiving menu, so I've pulled together all of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes in one place for you to help relieve some of the stress that comes with pulling together a big meal by making your holiday menu planning easier.

From roastturkey to dressing (aka stuffing), sweet potatoes to green beans, and homemade rollsto pies and everything in between, these are my BEST Thanksgiving menu recipes that grace our table every fourth Thursday of November. Some are classics, some are new favorites, all are delicious!

Many of these recipes can be made ahead to so you can have a stress-free holiday and spend more time with family and friends!

These are all classic Thanksgiving recipes for making a traditional Thanksgiving meal. See my entire collection of Thanksgiving recipes HERE if you need even more Thanksgiving dinner ideas!!

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are all of my best Thanksgiving menu recipes gathered into one place! If you visit our house at Thanksgiving time, these are the dishes you would be served!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecans

Win over even the most averse sweet potato eaters with this Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecans. It’s a family favorite holiday classic that is made even more delightful with both a crunchy pecan streusel topping and toasted marshmallows on top!

Make-Ahead Tip: You can cook and mash the sweet potato filling and top with the streusel topping up to 3 days in advance, then refrigerate until Thanksgiving Day. Just cover and bake for 40 minutes until hot, then add the marshmallows and toast them before serving!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Skip the canned stuff and make this easy homemade cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries, sugar, and just a hint of cinnamon and orange. Fresh cranberry sauce is so much better than store bought and only takes about 10 minutes to make.

Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the cranberry sauce 3-4 days in advance and let it chill in the fridge to serve cold.

Easy Southern Cornbread Dressing

Southern Cornbread Dressing is the perfect side dish to round out your holiday feast! Made with classic savory flavors, cornbread dressing (aka stuffing) is often declared as the favorite part of our Thanksgiving dinner!

Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the cornbread for the dressing 4-5 days in advance and assemble the dressing the day before Thanksgiving so it can be baked fresh Thanksgiving Day. Or make and freeze up to 3-4 weeks in advance.

Many people think that the turkey is the main event at their holiday meal so what Thanksgiving menu would be complete without an amazing turkey recipe?! Brining your bird helps it stay extra moist and the applewood smoke makes the juiciest, most succulent smoked turkey ever! Plus, it frees up your oven to bake more sides and pies!

Make-Ahead Tip: Make the brine the day before Thanksgiving and let the turkey soak overnight. Start prepping and smoking the turkey about 5-6 hours before you plan to eat.

Bacon Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

No smoker? No problem! This Bacon Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey recipe makes an incredibly flavorful, moist bird that is the perfect centerpiece for your holiday meal! The smoky bacon and spices are a wonderful change from the traditional butter & herb approach and will have everybody singing your praises come Thanksgiving Day!

Make-Ahead Tip: You can prepare the bacon rub, stuff and truss the turkey a full day in advance so that all you have to do on Thanksgiving Day is let the turkey sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then place it in the oven. A typical 12-pound turkey will take around 3 hours to cook, then you will let it rest for 30-45 minutes before carving.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Of all the roll recipes I have tried (and loved), these Lion House Dinner Rolls are the ones that get made most often at our house, and for good reason. They really are the best!

Helpful Tip: I have strong feelings about making rolls the day you plan to eat them because they are so wonderful fresh out of the oven. Rolls are my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner! But you can speed up the process by letting the dough proof in the Instant Pot on the Yogurt setting. It will cut the rising time in half!

Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter

What could be better on your homemade dinner rolls than Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter? It takes your rolls to the next level!

Make-Ahead Tip: Go ahead and make this a week in advance!

Fresh Green Bean Casserole

Fresh Green Bean Casserole covered in french fried onions is a creamy, crunchy, classic Thanksgiving menu side dish that nobody seems able to resist despite full plates and full bellies! This one is made from scratch with fresh beans and no cream of something soup, which makes it even more incredible than traditional green bean casserole.

Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the green bean casserole one day in advance and keep it in the fridge without the onions, which will get soggy if they sit on the casserole for too long. Then just top with the french fried onions and bake on Thanksgiving Day.

The BEST Homemade Mashed Potatoes!

Buttery, creamy mashed potatoes that are perfect with or without gravy! These may be basic, but everybody loves them anyway!

Make-Ahead Tip: You can either make your mashed potatoes 2-3 days in advance and keep them in the fridge, or up to 2 months earlier and store them in the freezer. There are details in the post about how to reheat for the best results!

How to Make the Best Fruit and Cheese Platter

We usually skip lunch on Thanksgiving Day, but that doesn't mean everybody doesn't want something to nosh on. A Fruit & Cheese Platter is a good option for an easy appetizer that is sure to delight guests.

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie

This Easy Homemade Pumpkin Pie recipe is a classic addition to any Thanksgiving dessert table! Perfectly spiced and made with fresh or canned pumpkin puree, this pleasing pumpkin pie is perfect with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream!

Make-Ahead Tip: This pie freezes well so you can make it 1-2 months in advance. Just be sure to thaw in the fridge overnight and let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour to thaw completely before serving. Or just make it a couple days in advance and it will stay good in the fridge.

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

Everybody loves this irresistible Raspberry Pretzel Salad recipe with it’s salty-sweet combo of crunchy pretzel crust, creamy cool whip and cream cheese filling, and sweet-tart raspberry jello top! It’s a holiday favorite!

Make-Ahead Tip: This dessert salad can be made up to 2 days in advance. I don't recommend any longer than that or the pretzel crust will get soggy.

Slow Cooker Creamed Corn

This Slow Cooker Creamed Corn recipe is a classic, easy side dish for your holiday table and a great one for your Thanksgiving menu plan. We love the extra flavor and texture of the crispy bacon and chopped chives that complement the natural sweetness of the creamy corn.

Make-Ahead Tip: Start the creamed corn 4-5 hours ahead of dinner and it will be ready right on time! Or make it up to a month in advance and freeze so that all you have to do is reheat on the stove.

Classic Southern Collard Greens

Silky, smokySouthern Collard Greensare a classic savory side dish that belongs on your Thanksgiving table. They taste amazing with a big chunk of cornbread!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Rich and creamy, this easyPumpkin Cheesecakeis the BEST and even better than Cheesecake Factory. It's one of our favorite Fall desserts and perfect for Thanksgiving, especially for people who aren't pie-lovers!

Fruit Salad with Marshmallows and Whipped Cream

This easy and delicious Fruit Salad with Marshmallows and Whipped Cream is pretty much a dessert, but since it’s called a salad, it's okay to eat it with dinner!

Best Homemade Apple Pie Recipe

Who doesn’t love Homemade Apple Pie? Made with my favoritepie crust recipeand only lightly spiced so the sweet-tart apple flavor can really take center stage, this classic apple pie recipe is the best I’ve ever tasted!

Make-Ahead Tip: Apple pie can be made ahead and kept in the fridge or freezer, but I like making it the day of. To help with prep though, you can make and freeze discs of pie crust well in advance. Just thaw on the counter and roll out, then fill with your apple pie filling and bake!

Chocolate Cream Pie

Rich, decadent chocolate custard topped with sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings inside a crushed Oreo cookie crust make this Chocolate Cream Pie a creamy, cool dessert that is guaranteed to please!

Make-Ahead Tip: Make the crust and chocolate filling up to 2 days in advance, then just make fresh whipped cream to serve.

Perfect Cornbread

Your search for the ultimate cornbread recipe is over! This soft and slightly sweet cornbread is thebest, most perfect cornbread ever. It’s tender and moist and amazing with butter and dripping honey.

Pomegranate in a Pear Tree Punch

Have a fun non-alcoholic beverage for guests to enjoy with this Pomegranate in a Pear Tree Punch as part of your Thanksgiving menu. It's festive, delicious, and easy to make!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Up your pumpkin pie game this Thanksgiving holiday with a Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. It is a lighter, airier version of the traditional pumpkin pie.

Make-Ahead Tip: This pie can be made two days in advance and kept in the fridge. Just make fresh whipped cream to serve!

Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Buttery pie crust filled with freshly sliced bananas and an easy-to-make homemade custard (thanks to a secret weapon) make this the most delicious old-fashioned banana cream pie ever.

Make-Ahead Tip: This pie is really best made fresh, but you can make the crust in advance using my favorite pie crust recipe.

Copycat Costco Mac and Cheese

Super creamy, cheesy, and delicious, this Copycat Costco Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food made with five different kinds of cheese. Of all the macaroni & cheeses in the world, this one is my favorite!

Make-Ahead Tip: You can assemble the mac & cheese a 3-4 days in advance and keep in the fridge, then just heat up in the oven or slow cooker. Or freeze up to a month in advance!

Homemade Blackberry Pie

Everybody has their favorite pie at Thanksgiving and this Blackberry Pie is mine! The sweet-tart filling gets me every time.

Best Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe

This easy Homemade Cherry Pie recipe is the best I’ve ever had. It’s made from scratch with an easy cherry pie filling using canned tart cherries, which means you can easily enjoy homemade cherry pie for Thanksgiving even though fresh cherries are no longer in season.

Make-Ahead Tip: The cherry filling can be made 3-4 days in advance and kept in the fridge. The pie crust can also be made in advance and frozen. Just thaw on the counter, roll out, and fill with the cherry pie filling before baking.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples is a wonderfully savory side dish that is special enough for a holiday dinner and will have everybody asking for second helpings.

Coconut Cream Pie

This old-fashioned Coconut Cream Pie is the stuff dreams are made of. Flaky, buttery crust filled with a creamy, homemade custard and topped with lots of whipped cream and toasted coconut! It’s heaven for coconut lovers.

Classic Southern Pecan Pie

Ooey-gooey, crunchy, sticky and sweet, Classic Southern Pecan Pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert, right up there with pumpkin pie!

Garlic Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Make Garlic Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes and skip the gravy! Creamy and oh-so flavorful, this potato side dish is sure to be a hit with your Thanksgiving dinner!

Cranberry Jello Salad with Cream Cheese Topping

It can't be just my family that always serves Jello at Thanksgiving, right? This Cranberry Jello Salad is a sweet-tart dessert salad loaded with crushed pineapple, chopped pecans, cranberries and a tangy cream cheese topping!

Make-Ahead Tip: It's Jello, so definitely make this a couple days in advance so it's one less thing to think about!

Pumpkin Roll

A classic Fall favorite, this perfectly spicedPumpkin Rollhas a tangy and sweet cream cheese filling. The beautiful swirls make for a wonderful presentation for a fantastic Fall dessert perfect for any occasion!

I hope you love all of these House of Nash Eats Thanksgiving menu recipes. I would love if you tag me on Instagram in your stories and posts if you make any of these recipes this holiday season so I can see what you have made!

Classic Thanksgiving Feast (with Make-Ahead Tips) - House of Nash Eats (33)

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