If you've ever stood in front of a packed oven on Thanksgiving afternoon, holding a casserole dish with nowhere to put it, this list is for you. These 25 easy Thanksgiving side dishes are the ones that make the day simpler, not harder.
I've hosted enough holiday dinners to know the turkey gets all the attention, but the sides are what people remember. They're also where the grocery bill can quietly get out of hand if you're not careful.
So this 2026 roundup of sides leans on cheap staples, slow cooker shortcuts, and dishes you can make a day or two ahead. Mix and match a few from each part of the list and you'll have a full table without a full meltdown.
Save this post to your Thanksgiving board now so it's easy to find when menu planning starts.
What You'll Find:
1. Mashed Potatoes
Nobody has ever asked me to skip the mashed potatoes. Not once, in all the years I've hosted.
They're the first dish I make and the one I worry about least. Boil, drain, mash, add butter and salt, and you're done.
The budget math is hard to beat, too. A ten pound bag of russets often costs less than one fancy side from the deli counter, and it feeds a crowd with enough left over for turkey sandwiches the next day.
2. Classic Green Bean Casserole
Say what you want about canned soup, but Thanksgiving doesn't feel official until someone pulls this out of the oven. The crunchy topping is the whole reason I go back for a second scoop.
3. Cinnamon Apple Sweet Potato Casserole
If the marshmallow version feels like too much sugar next to the turkey, try this one instead. It still tastes like fall, just a little less like dessert.
4. Thanksgiving Stuffing Balls
Stuffing in a baking dish is great until you're trying to serve twelve people with one spoon. Rolling it into balls fixes that, and everyone gets a fair share of the crispy outside.
Honestly, the crispy bits were always the part people fought over anyway.
Pro tip: Food Network points out that stuffing is one of the rare sides that gets better after some time in the freezer, as long as you hold off on the eggs. Make it a couple of weeks early and thank yourself later.
5. Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
I spent years firmly against Brussels sprouts. Then someone added maple syrup and bacon, and I had to admit I was wrong.
The secret is getting them brown and a little crispy on the edges. Soft, steamed sprouts gave them a bad name, and this is the fix.
6. Best Ever Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese at Thanksgiving is a hot topic depending on where you grew up. At my table, it's not up for debate. It goes right next to the turkey, and it goes fast.
A block of cheddar and a box of elbows cost a lot less than most holiday sides, too. Shred the cheese yourself, though. The bagged kind has a coating that keeps it from melting as smooth.
7. Broccoli Apple Salad
Every heavy table needs one cold, crunchy thing, and I'd pick this over a plain green salad any day. It holds up in the fridge overnight, so you can make it the night before and cross it off your list early.
Planning your menu this week? Save this post to your Thanksgiving board so the whole list is right there when you shop.
8. Crock Pot Glazed Carrots
Carrots never get enough credit, and I think it's because they're always an afterthought. Tossing them in the slow cooker changes that, since they cook themselves while you deal with everything else.
The Kitchn makes the same case for leaning on your slow cooker at Thanksgiving. It opens up space in the oven and on the stove, and it keeps food warm until everyone finally sits down.
9. Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
I haven't met a single person who turns down a loaded baked potato. This gives you that same flavor in one pan, without baking twenty potatoes one at a time.
10. Garlic Thyme Roasted Mushrooms
Mushrooms are the side I make when I want something that feels a little fancy but costs next to nothing. A couple of packs from the store, a few garlic cloves, and a hot oven. That's it.
11. Green Bean Stuffing Casserole
Two Thanksgiving classics in one dish is my kind of shortcut. If you only have room in the oven for one casserole, this covers both bases.
It's also a great one for Friendsgiving, since it travels well and nobody has to argue about who's bringing the stuffing.
12. Thanksgiving Spinach Crescent Rolls
I'm a big fan of any recipe that starts with a can of crescent dough. These work as a snack and a bread basket at the same time, and they tend to vanish before the turkey even gets carved.
Quick question before we keep going: which side would you fight for a spot on your table? Tell me in the comments.
13. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Some people treat this as a side. I treat it as the reason to show up.
Taste of Home lists marshmallow sweet potatoes among the old school sides that have stuck around in family recipe boxes for decades, right alongside green bean casserole and creamed spinach. My theory is that nobody wants to be the one who stops making it.
It's sweet, it's cozy, and the pan is always scraped clean before the pie comes out.
14. Thanksgiving Peas and Pancetta
A bag of frozen peas is one of the best deals in the whole grocery store, and this turns it into something that looks like you tried a lot harder than you did. The salty crunch is what makes it.
Can't find pancetta, or don't want to pay for it? Regular bacon works just fine, and you probably already have some in the fridge.
15. The Best Broccoli Casserole
There's a reason recipes like this get passed down for decades. Cheesy broccoli with a crunchy top just works, and it's easy enough to throw together the morning of.
16. Garlic Herb Roasted Veggies
When the menu starts leaning heavy, a pan of roasted veggies keeps things balanced. Everything goes on one sheet pan, which means one less dish to wash at the end of a very long day.
Prep tip: Chop your veggies the night before and store them in zip bags in the fridge. Thanksgiving morning goes so much smoother when the cutting board is already put away.
17. Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
Creamed corn from a can was a hard pass for me growing up. The homemade kind is a whole different story, and making it in the slow cooker means the stovetop stays free for gravy.
18. Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad
I love a salad that looks like it belongs on a holiday table. Kale holds up better than lettuce on a buffet, too, so this won't wilt into a sad pile by the time people circle back for more.
19. Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Yes, there are a lot of potatoes on this list. No, I'm not sorry.
Scalloped potatoes feel special without asking much of you, and the leftovers reheat better than almost anything else here.
Pro tip: Reheat scalloped potatoes covered with foil at a low oven heat instead of the microwave. The sauce stays creamy instead of turning oily.
20. Crack Green Beans
The name is silly, but the recipe earns it. Once people try these, plain steamed green beans never make it back onto the menu.
I like having one green bean dish on the table that isn't creamy, and these fill that spot. The glaze is sweet and salty in the best way.
21. Easy Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
Last year my oven was booked from 8am straight through dinner, and something had to give. The sweet potatoes went into the slow cooker, and nobody could tell the difference.
That's the trick with a big holiday meal. Not everything needs the oven, and the dishes that don't should get moved out of the way early.
If you're hosting on a budget, slow cooker sides also mean you're not buying a stack of extra foil pans just to squeeze everything in.
22. Creamed Spinach
Creamed spinach is the steakhouse side that somehow never shows up at Thanksgiving, and I think that's a mistake. It's rich, it's easy, and a bag of frozen spinach keeps the cost way down.
23. Easy Ultimate Baked Beans
I know, baked beans feel like a summer cookout thing. But if your crowd includes some big eaters, a skillet of these stretches the meal without stretching your wallet.
24. Butternut Squash Apple Bake
Butternut squash can be a pain to peel, so here's my tip: buy the precut kind. It costs a little more, but it saves twenty minutes and at least one close call with the knife.
25. Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
If I had to pick one side to bring to someone else's Thanksgiving, it'd be this. It travels well, tastes great warm or at room temp, and it adds some color to a table that tends to lean beige.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows are still the ones people ask for most. For something lighter, add a crunchy salad or a pan of roasted veggies.
For most tables, five to seven sides is plenty. Aim for one or two potato dishes, a green veggie, something bready, and one fresh salad so the plate doesn't feel all beige.
Stuffing, mashed potatoes, and most casseroles can be prepped a day or two early. Cold salads like the broccoli apple salad are even better after a night in the fridge.
Your slow cooker on the warm setting is the easiest answer. Casseroles can also sit covered in foil in a low oven once the turkey comes out to rest.
Mashed potatoes win every time. Roasted carrots, peas with a little bacon, and glazed baby carrots are close behind and cost only a few dollars to feed a crowd.
Yes, and I'd push you to. Sweet potatoes, creamed corn, glazed carrots, and mashed potatoes all do great in a slow cooker and leave your oven open for the turkey.
Anything with a little sweetness or tang balances out the turkey. Sweet potatoes, cranberry salads, and maple glazed veggies pair so well with a savory bird and gravy.
Most cooked sides keep for three to four days in the fridge in sealed containers. If you won't finish them by then, freeze them flat in zip bags for later.
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Final Thoughts
Thanksgiving doesn't need twenty dishes made from scratch the morning of. Pick a few favorites, lean on your slow cooker, and let the cheap staples do the heavy lifting.
The best part of the meal is who's sitting around the table anyway. The sides just make it taste better.
So tell me: which one of these is making it onto your table this year?
Don't forget to save this post to Pinterest so your menu is ready when the grocery run comes around.