61 Easy Thanksgiving Recipes for a Less-Stressful Feast
Even if 2023 is the first year you’re in charge of the cooking, you can count on dinner being great if you start with these easy Thanksgiving recipes. (And even if you’re a seasoned pro, it’s worth remembering that sometimes, simple is best.) Below, you’ll find foolproof options for every part of your Thanksgiving gathering: no-fuss appetizers, bountiful vegetable sides, our favorite stuffing recipes, and a burnished bird, plus crowd-pleasing desserts and big-batch drinks that won't add to your last-minute prep. Fire up the good ol' Thanksgiving spreadsheet and start saving the recipes now.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson1/61The Simplest Roast Turkey
Turkey can be the most stressful part of Thanksgiving. But this bird from Gourmet is truly one of our best easy Thanksgiving recipes of all time. Both the white and dark meat will come out juicy and tender. (Before you get started, you might want to read this guide to thawing a frozen turkey and how to carve it when it’s done.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi2/61Simple Classic Stuffing
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine4/61Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
One of the big challenges every Thanksgiving is figuring out how to schedule time in your oven and on your stovetop. Save yourself the headache by cooking this year’s mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot instead.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton5/613-Ingredient Thanksgiving Gravy
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton6/61Cranberry Orange Relish
You know what’s easier than a jammy, cooked cranberry sauce? An uncooked relish like this one, which simply needs to be whirred in a food processor. This classic version from Gourmet is simply flavored with orange, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. It’ll be a lovely accompaniment to your juicy turkey—and any of the other easy Thanksgiving side recipes that you make.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Sean Dooley7/61Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Nothing against ornate marshmallow-topped sweet potato casseroles, but this side dish is pretty perfect without all the window dressing.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich8/61Miso-Butter Roast Chicken With Acorn Squash Panzanella
It’s definitely easier to make chicken for Thanksgiving than to bother with the bigger bird. So we planned a whole menu around this delicious recipe. It comes with a crispy, craggy bread and squash salad which has all the buttery, herby flavor of classic stuffing.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine9/61Classic Pumpkin Pie
This silky pumpkin pie is filled with a simple mix of canned pumpkin purée, heavy cream, light brown sugar, and whole milk, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves. And while the homemade pie crust is a stunner, we won’t shame you for calling in a store-bought frozen pie crust on such a busy day.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton10/61Apple-Cranberry Crisp With Oatmeal-Cookie Crumble
Toss fruit with sugar and seasonings, mash together an oat-y, almond-studded crumble with your hands, then combine the two for the easiest Thanksgiving dessert ever.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich11/61Pastrami Turkey Breast
All too often, different parts of the turkey cook at different rates, and you end up with dry white meat by the time the dark meat is finished cooking. There's a simple solution: pick just the turkey breast. This recipe from Chris Morocco makes perfectly moist, deeply seasoned slices of turkey for the ultimate Thanksgiving sandwiches.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton12/613-Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole With Maple Pecans
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton13/613-Ingredient Caramel Apple Tart
If you have store-bought frozen puff pastry and a jar of pre-made caramel sauce, you're well on your way to this no-fuss dessert. The prep time for this apple tart is 30 minutes, and the total time from start to finish is just one hour.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog14/61Quick Thanksgiving Turkey With Lemon-Garlic Butter
What’s the fastest way possible to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving? Skip the whole turkey: instead, roast bone-in breasts and legs. (You don’t need to butcher a turkey yourself: You can buy the individual pieces or have your butcher break a whole bird down for you.) Once you put the pieces in the oven, they cook in about 1 hour 15 minutes, and are so much faster and easier to carve and serve.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi15/61Classic Pecan Pie
Sticking with easy recipes doesn’t mean you have to skip the classics. This toasty pecan pie can even be made a day ahead; just bring to room temperature before slicing.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog17/61Roasted Sweet Potato and Delicata Squash With Cranberry Agrodolce
The sweet and sour cranberry sauce for this holiday-ready side does double duty: it looks gorgeous (and tastes great) drizzled over roasted delicata squash and sweet potatoes, but it’s also an excellent condiment to serve with the turkey. Don’t worry—this recipe makes a good amount so you'll have plenty to serve on the side.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson19/61Thanksgiving Sangria
Making Thanksgiving cocktails one by one is too much hands-on prep time for a busy host. The pro move is to make them by the batch like in this festive punch recipe. Combining favorite fall flavors with sparkling pear or apple cider gives sangria a refreshing spin.
Photo by Peden & Munk21/61Classic Baked Ham
Some families skip the turkey on Thanksgiving—and others always offer both the bird and a glazed ham. This recipe will walk you through everything you need to know to prep one for the first time. Just don't forget to serve with rolls or biscuits and good mustard for making little sandwiches.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog24/61Skillet Stuffing With Italian Sausage and Wild Mushrooms
Thanksgiving stuffing in less than an hour? Believe it. Cooking and baking the stuffing in the same skillet not only saves time—it cuts down on dishes too. This stuffing is ideal for a smaller gathering, or one where there’s going to be both a sausage-studded version and a vegetarian stuffing.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart25/61Chess Pie
For this classic Southern pie, you’ll blind bake the crust first, then fill with a mixture of beaten eggs, sugar, cornmeal, flour, buttermilk, lemon, and vanilla before baking again.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich27/61Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese
For many folks, mac and cheese is the most important part of the Thanksgiving meal. But chef Erick Williams didn’t really like the dish until he and his sous-chef spent a few years perfecting this silky, creamy version for his Chicago restaurant, Virtue.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog28/61Homemade Cheese Spread With Garlic and Herbs
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Kim29/61Sweet Potato Pie
You can make this classic sweet potato pie with or without the praline topping. We promise neither version is difficult; but if pie is too much, make Thanksgiving cookies instead.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton30/61Escarole, Pear, Parmesan, and Basil Leaf Salad
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart31/61Graham Cracker Crust
If you find pie crust intimidating, it’s worth knowing this: pretty much any pie can be made with a press-in crust instead. This graham cracker crust will dress up your Thanksgiving cheesecake, but it’s good with a pumpkin filling too.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson32/61Our Favorite Stuffing With Cornbread and Sausage
Our ultimate version of Thanksgiving stuffing has a mix of country bread and cornbread, savory breakfast sausage, and lots of fresh herbs. There’s rosemary, parsley, sage, and thyme—might as well harvest all your backyard herbs. You can assemble the stuffing (before baking) a day ahead, which buys you time on Thanksgiving day.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell33/61Turkey for Two With Pan-Sauce Gravy
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi34/61Sweet Potato Casserole With Easy Candied Pecans
Instead of streusel, this casserole has a simple buttery brown sugar–pecan topping. You can cook the sweet potatoes a few days ahead and stash them in your fridge before blitzing in a food processor—or smashing with a ricer or potato masher.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich35/61Skillet Cornbread
Feel free to invite your guests to bring fancy homemade dinner rolls. But for a bread basket that offers maximum flavor for minimum effort, the best move is this 30-minute cornbread.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton36/613-Ingredient Thanksgiving Turkey with Orange and Sage
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton37/61Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes
There are so many ways to cook Thanksgiving spuds—mashed with sour cream and thyme, torn, hasselback, or done up Lyonnaise-style with caramelized onions. But these easy potato wedges with rosemary and garlic from Gourmet will always be a favorite of ours.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton38/613-Ingredient Thanksgiving Stuffing
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova39/61French's Green Bean Casserole
For many families, this quintessential casserole is a must-have for the entire holiday season. A creamy mushroom sauce surrounds tender green beans, which are then topped with crispy fried onions. Easy Thanksgiving recipes don’t really get more classic.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich40/61Savory Herb Bread Pudding
What’s the best stuffing to make for vegans? This recipe from cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a great start—make it even more flavor-packed by warming the oil with lots of herbs first.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich41/61Warmed Spiced Olives
Cold olives from the fridge: fine. Warm, richly spiced olives? Fancy. If you’ve been wondering about the easiest snacks for Thanksgiving, this recipe is your answer. The cooking oil is infused with fennel seeds, lemon zest, dried bay leaves, and Aleppo pepper before the olives are added and warmed through.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert42/61Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Spiced Maple Glaze
These sweet potatoes are roasted at a pretty high temperature to make sure they caramelize rather than steaming. A metal fish spatula is ideal for turning them as they cook.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova43/61Fresh Cranberry Sauce
It doesn't get simpler than this back-of-the-bag classic, made with just fresh or frozen cranberries, sugar, and water. Feeling fancy? Add a little citrus zest or put a cinnamon stick in the saucepan while you simmer the sauce. When you’re done, you could even add a little gin or whiskey.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell44/61Crispy Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini45/61Pumpkin Icebox Pie With Snickerdoodle Crust
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton46/61Foolproof Spatchcocked Turkey With Garlic-Thyme Butter
If you’ve been disappointed by other roast turkeys, this recipe—complete with step-by-step videos—will redeem the bird. Moist meat and crispy skin are guaranteed, and the leftover turkey makes a great sandwich with dijon, cranberry sauce, pickled onion, and a little gravy mayo.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson51/61Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash
Photo by JP Bevins, Food Styling by Molly Baz52/613-Ingredient Pumpkin Mousse
This easy Thanksgiving dessert requires only pumpkin purée, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. You’ll cook the pumpkin and condensed milk briefly, then mix with fluffy whipped cream and chill. We love to serve it with gingersnaps instead of spoons.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson53/61Sheet-Pan Roasted Squash and Feta Salad
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne54/61Buttermilk Pie
This tangy buttermilk pie recipe is really great with vanilla bean paste, but if you can’t find it, vanilla extract is fine.
Photo by Constance Mariena56/61Baked Brie With Almonds
Baked Brie recipes just feel festive—and they offer a lot of punch with very little labor. Bake the cheese on a lined baking sheet, then drizzle with honey and top with almonds and figs.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich57/61Cranberry Relish With Pineapple and Orange
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell58/61Green Beans Amandine
Tossing blanched green beans and almond slices in nutty brown butter is a pro move. Add this platter to your Thanksgiving table and you’ll likely get requests to repeat this recipe next year.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Anna Surbatovich, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson59/61Individual Apple Crisp
This simple Thanksgiving recipe lets you make single servings that are perfect for intimate gatherings that don’t require a full apple pie.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott60/61Stock-Braised Turkey Legs
If you’ve been stressed about finding a way to cook a perfect turkey—and your crowd prefers dark meat anyway—consider this surefire method to flavorful, tender, never-dry turkey legs. You can even cook these ahead, chill them in the braising liquid, and reheat, covered, before you broil them. Added bonus: turkey legs are also a cheaper option for Thanksgiving than a whole bird. Check out our menu for more budget-friendly Thanksgiving recipes.
