25 Friendsgiving Recipes That Will Please Even Your Pickiest Friends (2024)

Who says you have to turn on your oven to make delicious turkey? After trying this easy recipe, not us. All you need to do is mix up a simple brown sugar rub, coat the meat, and let your slow cooker do the rest! That way, your oven can take on more important tasks like pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole. 😏

Get the Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe.

When it comes to the big Thanksgiving feast, we consider the roast turkey and the sweet potato casserole as sides to the STUFFING. A good stuffing makes or breaks Thanksgiving dinner, and this one will absolutely make your holiday meal all the better.

Get the Classic Stuffing recipe.

For this recipe, we ditched the canned cream of mushroom soup and went for fresh instead. By sautéing mushrooms with thinly sliced onion in butter, you're building a base with some serious depth of flavor. Cook the mushrooms enough that they get a little caramelized, and you'll really be good to go.

Get the Green Bean Casserole recipe.

Just because you're not serving a real turkey doesn't mean you can't get in on the theme. Enter: this adorable cheeseball. We used carrots, pecans, pretzels, and bell peppers to create the iconic look, but feel free to sub out for different ingredients for what you have on hand. Serve it with crackers and use the decorations as dippers too!

Get the Turkey Cheeseball recipe.

Quick: Name one thing better than creamy, buttery, steamy, perfect mashed potatoes! See? You can't! So put down the instant potatoes, grab your favorite spuds, a large pot, a masher, and let's get ready for comfort in a bowl.

Get the Perfect Mashed Potatoes recipe.

We love classic sautéed Brussels sprouts, but sometimes we crave something with a bit more kick. These slightly spicy salty-sweet sprouts make for a unique and easy Thanksgiving salad that's quick to throw together and sure to impress.

Get the Shredded Brussels Sprouts recipe.

Not only are pumpkin pie bars the perfect way to feed your hungry crowd on Thanksgiving, they're also so much easier to make than a traditional pie. No crust chilling. No crimping. Just a quick press into the pan, and your shortbread crust will be ready to go.

Get the Pumpkin Pie Bars recipe.

Sweet potato casserole is always a favorite at our Thanksgiving celebrations, so we thought we'd turn it into an appetizer too. These bites will go fast, so make extra!

Get the Sweet Potato Bites recipe.

Sometimes, roasting a whole turkey is just too much of an undertaking. A roulade, though? It's surprisingly easy (we swear!), super-flavorful, and much easier to carve. Perfect served with a side of mashed potatoes and some tart cranberry sauce.

Get the Turkey Roulade recipe.

Creamy, sweet, and conveniently orange, butternut squash adds extra body, richness, and color to mac & cheese. A little thyme does some heavy lifting, making the homey comfort classic a little fancy, and bringing some fall flavors to the table that are *chef’s kiss*.

Get the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese recipe.

Drippings are obviously ideal, but they aren't totally necessary to make a really good gravy. What you do need: butter, onion, garlic, and all the favorite Thanksgiving herbs. Quick and easy, this is the perfect way to make gravy if you aren't cooking a whole roast turkey or chicken.

Get the Gravy Without Drippings recipe.

Most sweet potato casseroles have only marshmallows or pecans. Don't even think about making this mistake. Topping with a pecan streusel and then marshmallows helps this casserole stand out above all the rest.

Get the Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows recipe.

It's time for butternut squash to claim its rightful place on your Thanksgiving table. This savory casserole is packed with bacon and two types of cheese (mozzarella and cheddar) and just enough kale to lend the dish a healthy-ish twist. Equally versatile as a side dish or a main, this vegetable casserole is a hearty, easy, and delicious way to eat your greens this holiday season.

Get the Butternut Squash Casserole recipe.

Looking for a fall dessert that won't weigh you down? Perhaps to serve after a holiday feast? This light and airy cranberry pie is just the thing. The filling tastes like a combination of coconut panna cotta, cranberry curd, and, mysteriously, raspberry sorbet. The crust, made of crushed Biscoff, is the perfect foil for the sweet-tart filling. Plus, it tastes like cookie butter.

Get the Cranberry Pie recipe.

Fans of creamed spinach will absolutely love this hearty, creamy kale and gnocchi bake that puts the classic side dish front-and-center on your plate with gnocchi as the main attraction. It's quick to put together since the gnocchi cook right in the sauce, making them extra creamy and delicious.

Get the Creamy Kale & Gnocchi Bake recipe.

If you're unfamiliar with dates, it's time to familiarize yourself! The date's sweetness is the perfect counterpoint to crisp, salty bacon and creamy goat cheese.

Get the Bacon-Wrapped Dates recipe.

Quit stressing over a perfectly roasted turkey for Thanksgiving! It's hard and it takes up all of your oven space. This year, make your turkey in the air fryer; it takes way less effort with far better results, and you're guaranteed to have crispy skin and juicy turkey! Also it's a phenomenal way to make a smaller Thanksgiving.

Get the Air Fryer Garlic Herb Turkey Breast recipe.

Take your pecan pie to the next level by turning it into a rich and nutty cheesecake! Extra creamy base + sweet and sticky pecan topping = best Thanksgiving dessert ever.

Get the Pecan Pie Cheesecake recipe.

A combo of spices adds a riot of flavor to those carrots that may or may not have been sitting in the crisper for too long. Serve alongside our air fryer tandoori turkey breast for a completely air-fried Thanksgiving meal.

Get the Air Fryer Moroccan-Spiced Carrots recipe.

Kabocha squash is an unsung hero of the autumn harvest. Sure, people love apples, pumpkin and butternut squash, but kabocha has a more complex flavor than its gourd cousins. It's more savory and nutty than butternut squash. This dish is hearty enough to be a main but also could work great as a veggie side at your next Thanksgiving.

Get the Kabocha Squash recipe.