55 Perfect Vegetable Side Dishes For Thanksgiving
Spoiler alert: Green bean casserole always steals the spotlight.
When planning the Thanksgiving meal, the roast turkey may technically be the centerpiece, but it's the vegetable side dishes that make the feast complete. Because let's be honest, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans, and mashed potatoes always manage to steal the spotlight from the rest of the table. So we think it's high time we rounded up all the best holiday vegetable sides for Turkey Day. Be sure to save this go-to list of Thanksgiving vegetable side dish recipes to make your holiday planning a whole lot easier.
When it comes to the classic Thanksgiving vegetable sides, you've got to have some manner of potato, be it a sweet potato or russet potato. We're always happy to see mashed sweet potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes on the table. But when we want to shake things up, we always turn to our recipes for sweet potato salad, toasted sesame oil mashed potatoes, and air fryer sweet potato hash for some foolproof sides everyone will love.
We think a well balanced Thanksgiving plate is one that's full of color and textures. Which is why we've got tons of recipes to help you taste almost the entire rainbow this holiday season, like our miso roasted carrots, stuffed acorn squash, and grapefruit & goat cheese-fennel salad.
Looking for all the classic Thanksgiving dishes? Here's all our traditional Thanksgiving recipes. For even more ideas, check out our full collection of Thanksgiving recipes, including our best Friendsgiving recipes, non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner ideas, as well as vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes. Now that your Thanksgiving sides are covered, keep your crowd happy with Thanksgiving punches and Thanksgiving desserts!
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
You know the only thing that may be better than mashed potatoes? Roasted garlic mashed potatoes! That extra-savory flavor from melty, roasted garlic adds the perfect kick to classic mashed spuds (we also add a splash of tangy balsamic vinegar to kick them up a notch).
Get the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe.
Classic Green Bean Casserole
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.
Balsamic Roasted Baby Carrots
Sweet baby carrots are the perfect match for this tangy balsamic glaze. Fancy enough for a holiday meal but easy enough for a weeknight, this recipe is endlessly riffable and guaranteed to deliver crisp-tender carrots every time.
Get the Roasted Baby Carrots recipe.
Corn Casserole
This classic Southern side is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. If you prefer, drained and rinsed canned corn can be used instead of frozen, and you could substitute more milk in for the heavy cream. The finished casserole won't be quite as decadent, but it will still be delicious.
Get the Classic Corn Casserole recipe.
Holiday Roasted Vegetables
The dried cranberries and balsamic vinegar add some sweetness and tartness, while the pecans add a crunch to these holiday-worthy vegetables. We use Brussels sprouts and carrots, but feel free to add extra vegetables or swap in some of your favorites.
Get the Holiday Roasted Vegetables recipe.
Perfect Baked Sweet Potato
Adding sweet potatoes to your Thanksgiving spread is an easy and delicious way to eat healthy during the holidays—the vegetable is a total superfood, packed with vitamin C and fiber. They're also totally versatile, but baking them whole in the oven is arguably the simplest way to prepare them, and they will be the perfect base for all types of toppings.
Get the Perfect Baked Sweet Potato recipe.
Creamed Brussels Sprouts
These are a holiday party MUST—even Brussels haters will love it. Not a fan of Fontina? Gruyère or white cheddar would also be delicious here!
Get the Creamed Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Hash
Smoked paprika and dill make these supercharged potatoes a savory breakfast-lover’s dream (but it's perfect for dinners too!). Change up the spices depending on what’s in the pantry (chili powder would be nice).
Get the Air Fryer Sweet Potato Hash recipe.
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
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.
Grapefruit & Goat Cheese Fennel Salad
For this salad, we paired fennel with some other cold weather-friendly ingredients: juicy grapefruit, briny Kalamata olives, creamy goat cheese, and some rich toasted pine nuts. Most things are highly adjustable: Swap in your favorites; just keep those toasty nuts!
Get the Grapefruit & Goat Cheese Fennel Salad recipe.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
After baking brown-sugar-butter-slathered squash until perfectly tender, you'll top the squash with a hearty filling of quinoa, kale, and chickpeas. Flecked with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, the savory pilaf has the perfect balance of texture, flavor, and pops of color. It's sweet, savory, protein-packed, and filling—what more could you want for Thanksgiving?
Get the Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe.
Cauliflower Stuffing
This low-carb cauliflower stuffing proves that you don’t always need bread to make an amazing stuffing. Cauliflower is basically a sponge: It’ll soak up the flavor of whatever you cook it with, so we recommend going heavy on the herbs (and the butter! 😈).
Get the Cauliflower Stuffing recipe.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
We all love classic sweet potato casserole, but sometimes it feels like the marshmallows steal the spotlight. So this year, why not mix it up—literally—and try mashing them instead? Steamed 'til beautifully tender and then blended with plenty of butter and half-and-half, these easy mashed sweet potatoes are creamy and just sweet enough. You won’t even miss the marshmallows.
Get the Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe.
Honey Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts
The hardest part of making these Brussels sprouts is leaving them alone. They're cooked until perfectly tender and golden brown, then glazed with a balsamic glaze that will change your life. If you're anything like us, you're going to be popping these in your mouth like they're popcorn.
Get the Honey Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Best-Ever Farro Salad
With pecans, Parm, green apples, and leafy arugula, this salad is hearty and holds up well—AKA a make-ahead dream. It's got ALL the elements you need: sweet, salty, soft, crunchy, fatty, fresh, but feel free to make it your own with your preferred mix-ins too.
Get the Farro Salad recipe.
Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows
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.
Miso Roasted Carrots
These sweet-savory carrots are topped with the most delicious mix of crunchy nuts and spices. We like pistachios and black and white sesame seeds, but feel free to swap in your favorites.
Get the Miso Roasted Carrots recipe.
Air Fryer Broccoli
For perfectly crisp and tender broccoli, skip the oven and use your air fryer. You can get away with minimal oil, making it a smart way to cook the veggie, while still tasting absolutely delicious.
Get the Air Fryer Broccoli recipe.
Butternut Squash Casserole
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.
Best-Ever Candied Yams
For many, candied yams are an indispensable part of the Thanksgiving meal, along with mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce. We agree! Though candied yams might be super-sweet on their own, they're the perfect complement to a plateful of savory dishes. Our version gets an added kick from bourbon—we think once you try them, you'll never want yams without it!
Get the Candied Yams recipe.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.