Create a scrumptious Thanksgiving menu with ease using these delicious recipes. From mains to sides and desserts, mix and match your favorites to create a custom Thanksgiving dinner that will delight both family and friends.
1. Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins with Gravy
The most tender, melt-in-your-mouth turkey tenderloins you will ever enjoy. Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins are juicy, delicious and slow cooker simple. Plus … gravy! What’s not to love? And the great news is you can make it to feed only two or three, but you can also scale it up and feed a large family. It’s a favorite slow cooker recipe that leaves my oven free for other baking.
Get the easy recipe: Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins with Gravy.
2. Baked Ham with Cranberry Glaze
My delicious baked ham recipe with cranberry glaze has knock-your-socks-off flavor that will bring friends & family running to the table. It’s the perfect easy recipe for family dinners or a holiday dinner party. Savory, smoky & salty with a sweet and tangy glaze, this Cranberry Glazed Ham is a delectably flavorful centerpiece that will be welcome on any menu. Just 4 ingredients and 5 to 10 minutes are all you need to prepare this scrumptious baked ham for the oven. Get the easy recipe!
Get the easy recipe: Baked Ham with Cranberry Glaze.
3. Mississippi Pot Roast
Melt-in-your-mouth Mississippi Pot Roast is tender, succulent slow cooker roast beef. With only five simple ingredients, it’s easy on the budget and takes only 5 minutes to toss in the crock pot. This is a spectacular, kid-friendly recipe that is also holiday and company-worthy. This easy pot roast will be the star centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table!
Get the easy recipe: Mississippi Pot Roast recipe.
4. Best Slow Cooker Ham, 3-Ingredient Simple
My Best Slow Cooker Ham is deliciously tender, smoky, and savory with just the slightest touch of tangy and sweet. It’s a superbly simple, 3-ingredient recipe, and the fact that it cooks in the slow cooker makes this ham the perfect solution for potlucks, holidays and family gatherings! Your oven will be free to handle all the other Thanksgiving deliciousness.
Get the easy recipe: Best Crock Pot Ham.
5. Thanksgiving Casserole
Yum! You won’t celebrate holiday leftovers the same way ever again! Your family is going to swoon for Thanksgiving Casserole. Four ingredients left over from any turkey dinner and about 5 minutes to mix them together will net you the winner’s trophy for best use of leftovers in the holiday season. We call it a little bit of heaven on a plate. So good! It’s comfort food and delicious food all wrapped into one amazing meal! Our family looks forward to it with as much, or more, enthusiasm as the original Thanksgiving meal. Yours will, too.
Get the easy recipe: Thanksgiving Casserole.
6. Maple Mustard Pork Loin, Only 4 Ingredients
Maple Mustard Pork Loin is SO easy. The happy bonus is that it has a company-worthy scrumptious flavor. This is a 4‑ingredient-simple slow cooker recipe that takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours to cook. It’s also gluten, grain and dairy-free. Five minutes of prep work gives you a savory, juicy pork loin with outstanding flavor. The mustard gives it a wonderful zing and is tempered ever so slightly by the sweetness of pure maple syrup. Cajun seasoning adds a light kick of spice that rounds out a delightful flavor profile. The pan drippings from this roast make a fabulous drizzle for serving.
Get the easy recipe: Maple Mustard Pork Loin.
7. Braised Beef Short Ribs, Thanksgiving for Two
Braised Beef Short Ribs are tender, savory, saucy, deliciousness. They burst with flavor. (Short ribs are definitely a more expensive cut, which makes this the perfect recipe when you’re only serving two to 4 people special meal.) These succulent beef ribs literally fall from the bone. The sauce is made from the braising liquid, and it’s deeply beefy, rich and complex. It only takes about 15 minutes to prep this dish. The slow braising magic happens in the oven — all hands-off and no additional work for you. When the ribs are done, just reduce the liquid to create your sauce and serve. I can’t wait for you to enjoy this sumptuous, beefy dish with your someone special!
Get the easy recipe: Braised Beef Short Ribs.
8. Baked Chicken Breasts, Tender, Juicy & Quick
Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts are one of my main go-to quick-fix dinners. This scrumptious chicken is juicy and tender every time, and the prep takes only minutes. Perfect Baked White Meat Chicken is delicious on its own, paired with a baked potato or baked sweet potato, in a rice bowl or with a green salad. Besides making them as the scrumptious main dish of our meal, I often batch cook them and keep them in the fridge (or freezer) to be able to easily prepare delectable weeknight dinners in a hurry. Get the juicy secret to perfectly baked chicken breasts.
Get the easy recipe: Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts.
9. Slow Cooker Meatloaf with Sweet Potatoes
Stove Top Stuffing Meatloaf baked in a slow cooker is tender, juicy, savory and delicious. This slow cooker meatloaf with sweet potatoes is an easy one-pot meal that takes only minutes to prep. Your crock pot does all the heavy lifting. It’s a scrumptious, budget-friendly dinner that’s loved by anyone who tries it. Perfect for potlucks, family reunions and the holidays, as well as weeknight family dinners. Slow Cooker Meatloaf is company-worthy comfort food of the very best kind. You’re gonna love it!
Get the easy recipe: Slow Cooker Meatloaf with Sweet Potatoes.
10. Easy Delicious Roast Chicken
Easy Roast Chicken is the delicious star of any family dinner or gathering. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare it for the oven and the result is a beautifully seasoned bird with crispy skin. The tender meat is scented with onion, herbs and lemon. Roast chicken is an affordable meal for 4 to 6 people and a proud centerpiece on any Thanksgiving table. Juicy, tender roast chicken will be a huge holiday hit!
Get the easy recipe: Oven Roasted Chicken.
11. Air Fryer Cornish Hens for Two
Mouthwatering crispy skin and tender, juicy chicken make this scrumptiously simple air fryer Cornish Hen Recipe perfect for any date night dinner. If you need a special occasion meal that is sure to impress, air fryer Cornish hen is your delectable solution. It’s gluten and dairy-free and so darn good! You guys! You have to try this! Cornish hens in the air fryer are easy to prepare and even easier to expand into a full, delicious meal.
Get the easy recipe: Air Fryer Cornish Hens.
12. Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole is a scrumptiously perfect comfort food classic you’ll be asked to make over and over again. The creamy, buttery sweet potatoes are topped with a crunchy pecan streusel. We love serving Sweet Potato Casserole with ham, turkey or even as the side for pot roast, pork loin or chicken. It is simply the perfect complement to any protein. Sweet Potato Casserole is definitely a holiday sensation! Even the littles like it, and it’s an easy recipe to mix up! Make it a day or two ahead, and then bake it right before you want to serve it.
Get the easy recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole.
13. Cranberry Apple Salad
My delicious, beautiful and easy Cranberry Apple Salad is a show-stopping side dish everybody loves! It’s a perfect holiday and fall celebrations salad. Tart cranberries, crisp fall apples, celery, orange zest and pecans are set in a tangy raspberry gelatin mixture that makes this Cranberry Apple salad a perfect complement to turkey, ham or roast chicken. Cranberry Apple Salad not only hits all the best flavor notes, but it’s also bursting with texture. It has the mouthfeel of a chunky relish and all the sweet-tart notes to cut through the creamy, fatty dishes it’s served alongside. Easy to prep and so delicious!
Get the easy recipe: Cranberry Apple Salad.
14. Creamy Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes
Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Garlic is one of the simplest, most satisfying comfort food side dishes you can add to any meal. No family dinner or holiday gathering would be complete without mashed potatoes. They’re creamy, buttery, and delicious on their own or topped with gravy. They taste like you’re eating out at a nice steakhouse, but you get to enjoy them in the comfort of your own home. (And for a fraction of the price!) This recipe is so easy and so versatile. Use the garlic, leave it out. Peel the potatoes or cook them with skins on. Vary it to satisfy the crowd you’re feeding. This easy recipe for mashed potatoes will become one of your favorite go-to recipes!
Get the easy recipe: Creamy Red Skin Mashed Potatoes.
15. Air Fryer Green Beans with Garlic Butter Sauce
Air Fryer Green Beans with Garlic Butter Sauce is, quite simply, the perfect side dish. You’ll love these buttery delicious green beans, dotted with fresh garlic, chili flakes and sesame seeds. It’s a simple, 15-minute vegetable side dish that could easily become the star of the meal! The air fryer frees up time in the oven and on the stove top when holiday preparations keep both of those busy. You’re going to love how simple such a delicious recipe is to prepare!
Get the easy recipe: Air Fryer Green Beans with Garlic Butter Sauce.
16. Mandarin Orange Salad
Mandarin Orange Salad, known to some as Orange Fluff, is a cool, citrus-y and refreshing addition to the menu at any special gathering. This is one of those rare recipes that is as welcome over the Fall and Winter holidays as it is at Easter dinner, in the spring, and picnics during summer. The delicious mandarin orange jello salad only requires 5-ingredients. You can’t beat creamy, cool and luscious for a show-stopping crowd-pleaser. It’s a lighter, sweet and refreshing treat alongside heavier holiday dishes. I’m always asked for the recipe. And in my family, it’s a cherished holiday tradition.
Get the easy recipe: Mandarin Orange Salad.
17. Green Beans and Potatoes
Green Beans and Potatoes is an easy, delicious, comfort food side dish (or main) done in around 30 minutes! Perfect for family dinners and the holidays! What could be better than pieces of crispy bacon, toasted onions, roasted baby red potatoes and fresh green beans? Maybe just tossing them together in simple herb butter and roasting them into one beautifully scrumptious and flavorful dish! Instead of the stovetop, I make this dish in my air fryer (or the oven) for roasty, toasty caramelized veggies that leave you wanting more. You’ll never find a more simple and loved side dish for the holidays or potluck gatherings, either. Every morsel will be gone in minutes!
Get the easy recipe: Green Beans and Potatoes.
18. Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce, 3-Ingredient Simple
This is the easy Cranberry Sauce recipe that will change your mind about cranberry sauce. (It did mine. 😋) Even if you’re like me and have never liked cranberry sauce that comes wiggly, jiggly sliding out of a can, you will be proud to put this delicious side dish on your holiday tables. As a matter of fact, I hope you’ll love it so much that you’ll be ready to serve it year-round. Yup! It’s really that good. Tart, sweet and citrusy, this delicious Whole Berry Cranberry sauce has texture and flavor you won’t believe. Just three ingredients and some water in one pan on the stove for ten minutes. That’s it!
Get the easy recipe: Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.
19. Easy Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
Slow Cooker Creamed Corn is scrumptious pops of sweet fresh or frozen sweet corn nestled into a creamy delicious cream cheese sauce. It’s a perfect side for summer BBQs and gatherings. And it’s a Sunday dinner favorite. It’s also unrivaled as a delectable holiday side dish. Its flavor and texture simply can’t be matched. Load the slow cooker with all the ingredients for this luscious and creamy Creamed Corn and let it do all the work while you get busy with your day. 5 minutes of prep creates luscious creamed corn results for dinner or any special gathering.
Get the easy recipe: Slow Cooker Creamed Corn.
20. Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad is the hit of every backyard BBQ and potluck dinner, but it’s also one of our favorites for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Holiday menus are busting at the seams with creamy, fatty, comfort food dishes and this delectably nutritious salad is the balance they all need. Broccoli Cauliflower Salad contains crunchy veggies, bacon, cheese and more. It’s all tossed together with a lightly sweet and tangy, creamy salad dressing. Cauliflower Broccoli Salad with Bacon is the best of easy salads for your Thanksgiving menu. You won’t get to bring any back home when you take it to holiday gatherings. It will be one of the first salads to disappear.
Get the easy recipe: Broccoli Cauliflower Salad.
21. Kale Salad with Apples and Roasted Butternut Squash
Kale Salad with Apples and Roasted Butternut Squash is as lovely as it is delicious. Pops of white, red, purple, and orange create a beautiful display against the leafy greens. It will be the most delicious centerpiece of any dinner table. And friends, if salad can be comfort food (Pssst … it can!), THIS salad definitely is! Lightly caramelized and tender butternut squash, crisp apple slices, and crunchy pecans rest on a bed of torn kale and slivered red onion. This delicious salad is a celebration and a great addition to any Fall or Thanksgiving salad table.
Get the easy recipe: Kale Salad with Apples and Roasted Butternut Squash.
22. Pineapple Bacon Cheese Ball
My Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball is an easy-to-make appetizer that is absolutely scrumptious! It will be the creamy, cheesy, showstopping centerpiece of your next girl’s night, tailgating party, holiday buffet or family gathering. You’ll only need about ten minutes and some chilling time to make this gorgeous and tasty cheeseball for your Thanksgiving appetizer table. It can even be made a couple of days ahead!
Get the easy recipe: Bacon and Pineapple Cheese Ball.
23. Charcuterie Cups, Easy, Individual Appetizer Servings
Charcuterie Cups are the perfect appetizer solution for any gathering or get-together. They are gorgeously colorful, individualized servings of munchies. Perfect for holidays, graduations, baby and bridal showers, picnics and more. Fill them with favorite snacks or traditional seasonal appetizer treats. Wherever you decide to serve them, you’ll love these simple, nutritionally balanced and personal-sized charcuterie cups and how easily they come together!
Get the easy recipe: Charcuterie Cups.
24. Homemade Beef Summer Sausage
My Homemade Beef Summer Sausage recipe is EASY to make and so much more delicious than anything you’ll buy at the store. Summer parties, Memorial weekend, backyard barbecues and bonfire snacking are all just a few of the perfect times to whip up this easy summer sausage recipe. Pair it with cheese, crackers, toasty bread, pickles, olives, fresh fruit, and veggies for a spectacular movie night snack board. It’s perfect for tailgating, charcuterie boards, holiday buffet tables and gift baskets. You can’t go wrong with this delicious, savory, salty snack, no matter when you serve it. Perfect for Thanksgiving appetizer tables!
Get the easy recipe: Homemade Beef Summer Sausage.
25. Biscuits, Hot Delicious Homemade Bread in 30 Minutes
Biscuits are the easiest way to put homemade bread on the table for any meal or special gathering. Flaky, tender biscuits are great with soup and casseroles and perfect for holiday menus. Serve them anywhere and you’ll get rave reviews! They are buttery and delicious — crisp tops and bottoms — soft, tender layers inside. Homemade Biscuits are mouthwateringly delicious and you can have them on your Thanksgiving table in 30 minutes!
Get the easy recipe: Easy Homemade Biscuits.
26. Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins (or Regular)
Pumpkin Muffins taste like fall, Thanksgiving and everything warm and homey about the holidays. They’re an easy-to-make option for breakfast, snacks or a perfect family dinner side dish. We love them on the Thanksgiving table, too! The recipe is written to be gluten-free. However, I make these with all-purpose flour quite often, too, and they’re spectacular! My gluten-free pumpkin muffins are light and tender. They’re moist and autumn spice delicious. Gluten-free pumpkin muffins are dairy-free, too. It may be a little dangerous that these little pumpkin delights are SO delectable AND so easy to make! You’re gonna love them.
Get the easy recipe: Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins.
27. Soda Bread, the Easiest 30-Minute Rustic Loaf
I love quick bread recipes and this is one of THE best! My soda bread recipe is pure heaven! And it’s too often overlooked for holiday baking. It’s quick, easy and requires no yeast. It’s the fastest, most delicious “crusty bread” you could wish for. And the little pops of sweet raisins make it ideal for holiday meals and gifting. It needs nothing but a thick slather of real butter. Simple, 4-ingredient homemade bread perfection!!! You’re gonna love it!
Get the easy recipe: Easy Soda Bread.
28. Our Favorite Sweet Cornbread
The best Sweet Cornbread I’ve ever eaten is moist, tender, and delicious! It gets extra bursts of sweetness from sweet corn right in the batter. Cornbread is a perfect complement to soups, stews and casseroles, as well as pot roast and turkey or chicken dinners. That means it’s heavenly alongside your Thanksgiving favorites. The recipes for cornbread are as widely varied as the people who enjoy it. Our favorite Sweet Cornbread recipe is just what you’d expect: a sweet version. It is the most moist, flavorful and tender cornbread I’ve ever eaten. You’ll be proud to serve this scrumptious cornbread for the holidays!
Get the easy recipe: Favorite Sweet Cornbread.
29. Pumpkin Bars, Easy and Delicious
Pumpkin Bars (Pumpkin Spice Bars) are an easy 30-minute bake and absolutely scrumptious! All the warm homey spices we love for Fall and Thanksgiving are folded into these moist and tender dessert bars. They’re topped with silky, smooth cream cheese frosting. They’re easy to make with pantry ingredients you probably already have. These delicious pumpkin bars will be a smash hit wherever you serve them!
Get the easy recipe: Easy Pumpkin Bars.
30. Homemade Apple Pie Recipe
My scrumptious Homemade Apple Pie has crisp, buttery, flaky crust. It’s bursting with three varieties of juicy sweet-tart apples and the warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. My husband says it’s the best apple pie he’s ever eaten. That’s high praise from a man who knows his way around a pie! lol Whether for summer picnics, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just to usher in fall and the harvest season, apple pie is a favored dessert for celebrations and holiday gatherings. It’s a beloved symbol of comfort, being welcome and being home. And you can definitely make one! My picture tutorial will walk you through it step-by step.
Get the easy recipe: Homemade Apple Pie.
31. Chai Spiced Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Chai Spiced Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are easy, delicious, cookie perfection! These easy pumpkin cookies are like being wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping creamy chai latte, while sitting next to a bonfire on a cool evening. A pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie is soft and chewy. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, pumpkin, warm spices and homey cookie goodness. If a cookie can be a warm hug, this one wins. Definitely a must on the Thanksgiving dessert table.
Get the easy recipe: Chai Spiced Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
32. Apple Crisp
Apple Crisp is a family favorite classic dessert. It’s so easy to make and absolutely scrumptious! Classic comfort food. Imagine snuggling up in a comfy blanket in your favorite chair on an autumn evening. There’s a wood fire crackling in the fireplace, plus the laughter and conversation of family and friends around you. Smell the cozy, welcoming aromas of the fire, the apples, toasty pecans and warm spices filling the house. That, my friend, is this apple crisp. Bliss!
Get the easy recipe: Apple Crisp.
33. Brown Sugar Brownies
Brown Sugar Brownies are stunningly delicious and easily the best Blonde Brownies recipe you will ever make! They have all the Fall flavors I want on my Thanksgiving dessert table. Brown Sugar Brownies have irresistible crunchy, crackly tops and bottoms. Soft, chewy and rich, caramel-y centers filled with pecans. Perfect for outdoor gatherings, holiday celebrations, lunchbox desserts or everyday snacking. They’ll also be included in every cookie tray or holiday basket I make. You guys, these are SO good!
Get the easy recipe: Brown Sugar Brownies.
I hope you enjoy all these recipes, and check the blog often for the many new holiday recipes that will be posted there over the next few weeks. No matter what your budget or how many people you’re cooking for, you can make a fabulous Thanksgiving feast with recipes from this post. Mix and match your favorites and your Thanksgiving dinner will be a marvel. Enjoy!
About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
