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The holiday season means family gatherings galore! Which is great and all, until you realize you volunteered to bring appetizers to one too many potlucks, and you have to host family for a few days over the weekend – which means feeding them 3 meals a day.
Don’t panic! We know how stressful this can be, so we’ve gathered up our favorite seasonal recipes for sharing with friends and family during Thanksgiving. From breakfast all the way through lunch, appetizers, dinner, and dessert, these 31 Thanksgiving food ideas are perfect for any family gathering, no matter what time of day the shindig starts.
Keep reading or click the links below to jump to any section:
Thanksgiving Breakfast & Brunch
1. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Hosting a Thanksgiving brunch? Make these bakery-style muffins 1 to 2 days in advance, and you’ll have an easy treat to put out for breakfast alongside fresh fruit, juice, and coffee.
2. Sweet Potato Cinnamon Spice Bread
Speaking of things you can make ahead, you’ll want to whip up a few loaves of this sweet potato cinnamon spice bread for Thanksgiving, too. You can even prep this seasonal quick bread up to a few weeks in advance (so, like, now!) and stick it in the freezer until you need it. Hand them out to neighbors and friends you’re thankful for as a sweet surprise, or keep them to yourself for an easy afternoon snack the whole family will love.
3. Croissant French Toast Bake
If you need a freshly baked (and kid-friendly) breakfast to serve during Thanksgiving week, try this dump-style french toast bake. The helpful secret to making this recipe? Pick up croissants from the bakery section while doing your pre-holiday grocery shopping, and if they’re a little stale by the time you make this french toast bake, it’ll actually taste even better.
4. Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
If Thanksgiving brunch is a thing for your family, you’ll want to add this breakfast hash to the menu. Made with just sweet potatoes, onions, and peppers, it’s a simple and easy addition to any breakfast that celebrates seasonal ingredients.
5. Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
A holiday staple in our family, this decadent chocolate chip banana bread is the perfect Thanksgiving week treat! Bring it to a Thanksgiving brunch, serve it for an easy kid-friendly breakfast while your nieces and nephews are in town, or put it out for dessert with coffee and tea.
6. Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Wedges
You could call this “small plate” style recipe a brunch side dish or an afternoon snack – but no matter what time of day you make it, your guests will gobble it up! All you really need are sweet potatoes and bacon for this easy, hands-off recipe that bakes in the oven.
7. Overnight New York Style Bagels
If you’re feeling ambitious, show your loved ones you’re thankful for them by making these fresh, fluffy New York style bagels from scratch! They’re a labor of love, but they’re totally worth it. Whip up a batch of garlic herb cream cheese while you’re at it for a Thanksgiving breakfast that’ll impress everyone.
8. Maple Butter
What better addition to a fall breakfast than a little bit of maple butter? Add it to toast, bagels, croissants, or any other breakfast food for a sweet treat. And honestly, we love putting some maple butter out for Thanksgiving dinner as well to go with whatever fresh bread you may have whether it’s cornbread, beer bread, or some homemade sourdough. Whip up a large batch in just a couple minutes and enjoy it all week long.
Thanksgiving Appetizers & Snacks
9. Spinach Artichoke Dip Phyllo Cups
This is one of our favorite holiday appetizers because it’s so easy, and so adorable! These bite-sized apps are easy to make ahead of time and bake in about 10 minutes or less. Which is ideal if your family likes to show up to the party already starving, asking why the food isn’t out yet…
10. Whipped Brie With Calabrian Chiles
If you’re looking to add a little spice to your holiday appetizers, then this whipped brie is for you. Silky smooth brie topped with calabrian chiles in oil and served with some flatbread crackers makes for a great addition to any cheese board or appetizer spread. Just be sure to make plenty because you won’t want to miss out on this one.
11. Roasted Garlic Baked Brie En Croute
Take a simple baked brie to the next level with this garlicky baked brie en croute using Pillsbury crescent roll dough! While this appetizer takes a little bit of effort to prepare, you’ll be proud to serve it as a standalone snack or as part of your holiday charcuterie board.
12. Cheesy Spinach And Artichoke Dip
Dips are a must-have at any family gathering. This easy spinach and artichoke dip is gooey and cheesy, just like how your favorite restaurants make it, and perfectly dippable with crostini, pita, or tortilla chips. Bonus: you can make a big batch of it in the slow cooker if you want a hands-off cooking method!
13. Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Appetizer
If you really want to impress your friends and family, serve them this elegant appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner. Who can resist the decadent pairing of maple bourbon and bacon crumbles with sweet potato?
Thanksgiving Week Lunches & Dinners
14. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Soup is one of the best Thanksgiving week meals. Easy to make, warm and comforting, and great for leftovers. This Panera inspired broccoli cheddar soup is basically a bowl of cheese pretending to be a healthy soup. But don’t let that stop you from serving this for all your friends and family this holiday season as we know it’ll be a hit!
15. Eggplant Parmesan
If there’s any big batch meal you should prepare for the family heading into Thanksgiving week, it’s this eggplant parmesan. Make a few trays and stick them in the fridge so people can reheat single servings whenever they’re hungry. Just make sure to pick up some sub rolls for those DIY eggplant parm sandwiches!
16. Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Alternatively, you can make this slow cooker chicken parm and provide sub rolls or plain pasta for guests to enjoy it with. Start it in the morning so it’s ready by lunchtime, and let the slow cooker keep it warm all afternoon in case grandpa doesn’t eat lunch until 3pm.
17. Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Seriously, slow cookers should be your best friend if you’re hosting during Thanksgiving week! This spicy slow cooker vegetarian chili is another great big batch meal you can prep ahead of time and keep warm on the counter all day long. Make it for lunch or dinner, and watch it disappear as guests gobble it up.
18. Creamy Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup
In Alex’s family, everyone gathers for what’s known as “soup night” the night before Thanksgiving. If you’re headed to a soup potluck, or you just need an easy lunch or dinner to feed the family you generously offered to host this weekend, make a build-your-own loaded potato soup buffet! Prepare this soup ahead of time and reheat it in the crockpot, then line up your toppings on the counter. Let everyone assemble their own bowl and gather around the dinner table for a stress-free evening.
19. Italian Sausage & Peppers Pasta
This 25-minute pasta dinner is just as easy as it is delicious. It’s creamy, savory, and satisfying, and so easy to scale if you’re cooking for a larger crowd. For families of pasta-lovers, this simple dinner is a no-brainer during Thanksgiving week.
20. Quinoa & Chorizo Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
If you don’t mind putting in a little extra effort, these quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes are the perfect seasonal dinner for Thanksgiving week. They even make a great main dish for Thanksgiving dinner, for those who don’t love turkey!
21. Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash With Spinach
We all know Thanksgiving day is full of carbs, and it’s easy to feel weighed down the next day and not really want to eat. But if your holiday festivities last all weekend long, you’re going to need some lighter options to balance out all the turkey and stuffing! Enter spaghetti squash – the perfect seasonal vegetable that can be served as a main dish when you’re a little too full.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
22. Crispy Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato is one of our favorite sides during the fall season and that is no exception for Thanksgiving. These simple crispy sweet potatoes are an easy way to add the lovely superfood to your feast without all the work of a sweet potato casserole or other various forms. And with a little added chipotle powder and paprika, these crispy potatoes are on the savory side as opposed to being topped with marshmallows.
23. Cinnamon Applesauce
We can’t think of a better way to use up any remaining apples you have laying around from your apple picking adventures this year. With just a little work, you can turn those apples into the perfect side dish for any Thanksgiving week lunch or dinner, even Thanksgiving dinner itself! It’s amazing what a little sugar and cinnamon can do to make some fresh apples into a delicious, healthy treat.
24. Oven Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
Make green beans more exciting with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! Whether you’re serving these during the week or with Thanksgiving dinner, a little bit of cheese goes a long way in making sure even the kids eat their veggies.
25. Fall Vegetable Medley
This easy oven baked medley of fall veggies can be made in a big batch and reheated throughout the week if you need an easy vegetable side dish for the week leading up to Thanksgiving. It takes some time to chop up all the veggies, but once you pop it in the oven you’re free to spend time relaxing with the family.
26. Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole
Add this side dish to your Thanksgiving menu ASAP if you love sweet potato casserole with mini marshmallows… but not everyone else in your family does. This recipe allows you to make individual servings of your favorite sweet potato side dish for yourself and anyone else with similar taste, without having too many leftovers.
Thanksgiving Desserts
27. Sweet Potato White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yes, these cookies are made with sweet potato! They’re soft and chewy and taste like cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar – what more could you ask for out of a Thanksgiving dessert? Make a big batch early in the week and set some aside for Thursday; otherwise, they’ll all be gone before Thanksgiving night!
28. Sweet Charcuterie Board
Think charcuterie, but make it dessert. Apples and caramel, mascarpone cheese, mini chocolate chips, and fluffy brioche bread – mmm. Perfect for serving the night before Thanksgiving, when your guests are looking to graze but not fill up too much before the big meal.
29. Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Fudge
This creamy caramel and chocolate fudge recipe only takes 10 minutes to prep and 3 hours to set before you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s surprisingly easy to make and looks super elegant, making it the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving festivities.
30. 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
If sea salt caramel chocolate fudge isn’t your thing, then give our peanut butter fudge a go instead. Even better, just make both since they’re so easy! But with just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of work, you can have some homemade peanut butter fudge ready for all your guests to love in no time.
31. Candied Bacon Chocolate Pretzel Bark
For lovers of all things sweet and salty, this pretzel bark will hit the spot. It’s super shareable and perfect for munching on all week long leading up to Thanksgiving! Better yet, make a big batch ahead of time and bring it to all your Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving potlucks for a tasty yet low-effort dessert.
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