Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (2024)

5.0 from 4 votes

Whether you’re seeking classic Southern Thanksgiving Day recipes or something totally new, I am sure you’re going to love one (or more!) of these wonderful southern dishes for the holiday season!

Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (1)

Thanksgiving is a time of family, food, and traditions. While you may have grown up with meatloaf, green beans and dinner rolls, it’s also a time to try new things! And what better way to show your thanks for the cook than by cooking them something they will love? Take a peek at these traditional Southern Thanksgiving Recipes!

Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (2)

Roast turkey, buttery biscuits, southern cornbread dressing and pumpkin pie may have permanent spots on your Thanksgiving feast, but if you’re anything like me, you’d like to throw a new Thanksgiving meal into the mix every now and again, like a new recipe for stuffed roasted turkey thighs, or apple and onion stuffing, or a creamy pumpkin flan.

Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (3)

If you’re looking for new Thanksgiving recipes, scroll down to find some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes from the Southern cuisine. With ideas ranging from classics like classic southern mashed potatoes and green bean casserole to inventive stuffings and desserts, you’re going to find a dish (or two!) you’ll love for your southern Thanksgiving tables.

Before diving into these amazing recipes, you should also check the best Italian Thanksgiving meal ideas too!

Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (4)

Table of Contents

Southern Thanksgiving Main Dishes Recipes

Deep Fried Turkey

Fried turkey is incredibly easy to make, so crispy on the outside and perfectly tender and juicy on the inside.

Herb Butter Roasted Turkey

Juicy Cheesecloth Roasted Turkey covered with herb butter rub and stuffed with garlic, onions, carrots, lemon, granny smith apple and celery.

Turkey Necks with Gravy

Flavorful turkey necks cooked to perfection in your pressure cooker. Perfect for holidays or a weekend

Chicken and Dressing

Chicken and Dressing is a classic for any holiday meal. Loaded with delicious flavors and great for a main dish or side dish.

Stuffed Roasted Turkey Thighs

TheseRoasted Turkey Thighs Stuffed with Dried Cranberries, Mushrooms and Sausage are the perfect alternative to roasting a whole bird for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Classic Southern Side Dishes Recipes

Candied Yams

Southern candied yams is an old fashioned sweet potato side dish that’s slow cooked in a candied mixture of brown and white sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and orange juice concentrate on the stove top. Perfect for Thanksgiving or anytime of the year!

Collard Greens (Instant pot)

It’s possible to make perfectly tender, Southern-style collard greens in a fraction of the time with the Instant Pot! Just five minutes of pressure cook time are all you need for this ultra flavorful side dish.

Honey Butter Skillet Corn

This easy honey butter skillet corn recipe is a delicious dinner side dish or perfect for the holidays. Here’s how to make it!

Green Bean Casserole

Homemade green bean casserole recipe made from scratch with a creamy sauce and crispy fried onions. A classic old-fashioned southern Thanksgiving side dish recipe.

Creamed Peas

Creamy and perfectly seasoned, this homemade Creamed Peas recipe is ready in under 15 minutes! It’s made with simple ingredients including frozen peas, so it’s an easy side dish to prepare for holidays or any night of the week, and pairs well with justabout everything.

Green Beans with Bacon

These green beans make the perfect low carb side dish. Now there will be at least one thing low carb on the Thanksgiving table we can eat besides the turkey!

Smoked Mac & Cheese

This smoked mac and cheese is made with 3 types of cheese, is creamy, smoky, and is the perfect side dish for your next barbecue!

Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits

Making drop biscuits with sweet potatoes is a very Southern thing to do. They drop biscuits are so easy to make using easy ingredients.

Pineapple Baked Beans

Put a fresh and flavorful spin on your baked beans dish with pineapple. Here is an easy recipe that everyone will gobble up!

Southern Style Mashed Potatoes

These Southern Style Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. Made with just five ingredients are perfect for a holiday like Thanksgiving but easy enough to enjoy any night of the week.

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe made with smooth and creamy mashed sweet potatoes and topped with brown sugar, pecans, and gooey mini marshmallows. Everyone’s favorite sweet and savory sweet potato side dish and a must-have on anyThanksgiving table.

Corn Souffle

This corn souffle is so easy to make. It is a wonderful side dish for the holidays.

Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

Add this Roasted Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe to your southern Thanksgiving dinner menu! Side dishes are the best part of Thanksgiving and this acorn squash recipe is mynew favorite one!

Creamy Jalapeno Corn

This creamy jalapeno corn is an easy, 20 minute side dish that is perfect for a barbecue or weeknight meal. Spicy and cheesy, this dish is packed with bold flavor.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Southern baked macaroni and cheese, also called soul food mac and cheese, is the ultimate in comfort food. Creamy, rich, ooey-gooey, super cheesy, with those crispy brownedcheese edges…no one can resist perfectly baked mac and cheese.

Best Southern Thanksgiving Gravy and Stuffing Recipes

Homemade Gravy

The south makes their own gravy from scratch! The recipe is so easy to make using simple ingredients that you have in your kitchen.

Giblet Gravy

This giblet gravy is a family recipe steeped in southern tradition. Make it in just 20 minutes!

Cranberry Sauce

Canned cranberry sauce is okay. But this homemade cranberry sauce is so much better!

Cornbread Stuffing

This southern cornbread stuffing/dressing is loaded with flavor and texture with homemade cornbread, fresh herbs, onions, and celery.

Best Cornbread Recipe

The best cornbread recipe you’ll ever eat! It’s sweet and moist with a beautiful crumb, and has bursts of fresh corn in every bite. Plus this Homemade Cornbread is easy to make in 30 minutes – no mixer required.

Southern Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

Chocolate Pecan Tart

Upgrade traditional pecan pie with this make-ahead Southern Chocolate Pecan Tart. With a pie crust, the filling is like pecan bars but extra good because it includes chocolate

Sweet Potato Pie

Homemade Sweet Potato pie is the perfect holiday dessert. This pie recipe is rich, creamy, silky smooth, lightly spiced, and expertly sweetened.

Oatmeal Pie

A sweet and gooey filling packed with oats and brown sugar is baked into a buttery crust to create this fabulous oatmeal pie recipe. Perfect for Thanksgiving or holidays.

Southern Fried Apples

Southern Fried Apples can be served as a topping for a big bowl of vanilla ice cream for dessert, or hot buttered biscuits for breakfast and buttermilk pancakes for brunch.

Pumpkin Flan

Easy Pumpkin Flan, so creamy and delicious, combing favorite fall flavors!

Banana Pudding

This easy recipe for Banana Pudding is extra delicious with cream cheese, Chessman cookies, French vanilla pudding mix, and lots of sweet, ripe banana slices.

Pecan Pie Bars

This is the Best Pecan Pie Bars recipe with a caramelized pecan pie on a flaky shortbread crust. With an amazing taste, these easy pecan pie bars are sure to please pecan pie lovers.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

When you’re filling your dessert table, don’t forget about chocolate lovers! This 2-ingredient cherry chocolate cake is quick and easy to make, and it’s so yummy!

Peach Cobbler

This is one of the best peach cobbler recipes you’ll ever find. Made simply and easily using canned peaches and a delicious golden brown crust, it’s the perfect comfort food ending to any meal.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

This easy Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with cream cheese frosting begins with a cake mix. Make ahead and freeze for an extra easy, extra moist Thanksgiving dessert!

Chocolate Pecan with Bourbon Pie

Classic Southern dessert recipe that’s sure to impress any crowd. Filled with chocolate, pecans, and a splash of bourbon, this delightful Chocolate Pecan pie is scrumptious!

Pineapple Casserole

Pineapple Casserole is creamy, fruity filling and buttery, crumbly topping compliment each other so well, and it’s a fantastic Southern side dish or dessert to serve with ham, turkey, ribs, or beeftenderloin for any holiday dinner!

Pecan Pie Cobbler

Easy and delicious Pecan Pie Cobbler is the perfect Thanksgiving dessert. Add it to your holiday menu

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Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (9)

Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes

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5.0 from 4 votes

40 Best Southern foods for your Thanksgiving dinner menu list: mains, side dishes, dressing and desserts

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Best Southern Thanksgiving Recipes in 2024 (2024)

FAQs

What is the key ingredient to a perfect Thanksgiving Day dinner? ›

I think if we're all honest, we know that Thanksgiving is mostly about the starches. Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fresh-baked rolls – these are the true heroes of the meal, and there will be a lot of them on the table, which is totally fine.

What does a Southern Thanksgiving dinner consist of? ›

A typical Southern Thanksgiving dinner usually includes ham or turkey—sometimes both—along with cornbread dressing, sides, and spectacular desserts.

What is the most popular side dish served at Thanksgiving? ›

What are Americans' favorite Thanksgiving Day dinner side dishes? Most enjoy dressing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn casserole, yams, mashed potatoes, and hot rolls. This will vary from home to home, of course, but these are the more traditional.

What is the most loved Thanksgiving food? ›

Popular Thanksgiving foods ranked
  1. Stuffing.
  2. Potatoes. ...
  3. Pies and other sweets. ...
  4. Other random foods. ...
  5. Rolls. Though rolls are certainly not a main dish, they are a key element of any Thanksgiving meal. ...
  6. Turkey. The classic entree for Thanksgiving is definitely a large turkey dish. ...
Nov 10, 2023

How do you make Thanksgiving unique? ›

Different Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving
  1. Have a Mini-giving. This one is inspired by my daughter's love of ASMR and mini cooking videos. ...
  2. Go themed. ...
  3. Declare a spending embargo. ...
  4. Throw a co*cktail party. ...
  5. Make it a potluck. ...
  6. Go out to a really fancy meal. ...
  7. Spend the day hunting your food. ...
  8. Be intentional with your photos.
Nov 20, 2020

What is the most popular dessert at Thanksgiving? ›

In general, pie reigns supreme as a Thanksgiving dessert. While some families have their nice selections of pie servings, tradition says apple, pumpkin pie, and a southern pecan pie are the go-tos, typically made with a buttery pastry pie crust.

What do black folks eat on Thanksgiving dinner? ›

This is usually a mix of traditional Thanksgiving food and Black culture. You'll see the classic Thanksgiving dishes like turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing paired with collard greens, yams, mac and cheese, and other traditional Black dishes.

What is Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Published in the November 22nd, 1860 issue of Harper Weekly, by Thomas Nast (known for the invention of the character Uncle Sam) Nast captured and celebrated the ethnic diversity and envision the political equality of citizens of the American republic.

What is the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving dinner? ›

The Charlie Brown “Meal”

Jelly beans, popcorn, pretzels and toast. Yep, that's it!

What are the 12 most popular Thanksgiving dishes? ›

Scroll through to take a look at our most popular Thanksgiving recipes.
  • 01 of 24. Perfect Turkey. ...
  • 02 of 24. Roasted Brussels Sprouts. ...
  • 03 of 24. Cranberry Sauce. ...
  • 04 of 24. Homemade Mac and Cheese. ...
  • 05 of 24. Sweet Potato Pie. ...
  • 06 of 24. Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll. ...
  • 07 of 24. Slow Cooker Turkey Breast. ...
  • 08 of 24. Cream Corn Like No Other.
Oct 26, 2023

What are 3 main foods on Thanksgiving? ›

The meal usually has turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, corn, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pies, but many feasts differ between families and cultures. What is your family's traditional Thanksgiving dinner?

What does everyone cook for Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey: Roast turkey is the centerpiece of most Thanksgiving meals. It is often seasoned with herbs and spices and served with gravy. Stuffing: Also known as dressing, stuffing is made with bread cubes, onions, celery, herbs, and sometimes sausage or other ingredients. It is often baked inside the turke.

What are the top 10 most popular Thanksgiving foods? ›

Top 10 Thanksgiving Dishes
  1. Turkey.
  2. Stuffing/Dressing.
  3. Pumpkin Pie.
  4. Sweet Potato Casserole.
  5. Mashed Potatoes.
  6. Ham.
  7. Green Bean Casserole.
  8. Cranberry Jelly.
Nov 22, 2023

What are the 3 traditional foods Americans eat during Thanksgiving? ›

Along with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry the "traditional" table now included white bread, apple pie, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and various fruit pies.

What is the least favorite dish for Thanksgiving? ›

"For the third year in a row, cranberry sauce takes first place as the most disliked traditional Thanksgiving food. Over 31% of respondents, 82 million American adults, do not want cranberry sauce for their Thanksgiving dinner.

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