The Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu

Sharing a full menu of meals to cook for your turkey day extravaganza.

In my family, Thanksgiving is our sport. Sure, we play touch football together and somehow one person always ends up bleeding, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. When the Thanksgiving season starts to roll around we plan. The first year I shared cooking responsibilities with my parents, we had the entire menu planned by October 10.

Every other year my family gathers together at my childhood home and we feast. We typically pack 30 or so people in our house and eat all day long, so a massive list of dishes is actually necessary. Courses are always involved, and despite our chat with my father telling him we don’t need a pasta course, he inevitably always brings it back.

This year is an “off” year, so I’ll actually be traveling up to a cabin in the Adirondacks with some friends for the week. And while we are planning on sharing the cooking responsibilities, I can’t help but dream up the perfect menu for our day—and share it with all of you, of course.

Let me start by saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with turning to pre-made packages for your Thanksgiving meal this year. If that makes life easier for you and gives you more time to hang out with your family and friends, honestly, do it. Remember, it’s one day of eating, and your long-term health is not determined based on one meal.

However, if you are looking for recipes to inspire a day of cooking and feasting, I have them listed for you right here. From the ultimate grazing board to the perfect way to cook a turkey—and delicious mini pumpkin cheesecakes!—here’s your ultimate menu for Thanksgiving day.

To get you started

There’s going to be a lot of cooking happening on Thanksgiving, so you’re going to certainly need your energy—aka, carbs. Pour yourself a giant cup of coffee and bake a batch of these Perfectly Cozy Pumpkin Muffins.

If your crowd tends to come early, you could always throw together one of these Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Breakfast Recipes to bake the morning of—like a Spiced Pumpkin French Toast Casserole, or a Vegetable Strata.

Course #1: Bites & Beverages

Honestly, with so many other delicious dishes to focus on for the main event, I don’t like spending a whole lot of time on the appetizers—so a giant grazing board will do. Here’s a recent step-by-step guide on how to put together The Ultimate Grazing Board for your gathering (which also will work well for any holiday shindig this season, may I add).

Because I don’t drink anymore, I’ve had my eyes on a few mocktails for the occasion. This Honey Roasted Pear Sparkling Mocktail elevates the usual non-alcoholic beverage with roasted pears and a brown sugar rim. An Autumn Harvest Thanksgiving Punch will also be a crowd-pleaser if you are serving many guests at once.

If you want to shake up something a little more sophisticated, Seedlip has an Apple Highball using their Garden 108, and Lyre’s has a full list of festive Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Drinks using their spirit alternatives.

Course #2: Soup & Salad

I love a meal that starts off with a good soup and salad course—usually accompanied by some kind of crusty homemade bread or focaccia for dipping in the bowl.

You can never really go wrong with a Creamy Butternut Squash Soup on Thanksgiving day. (If you need a non-dairy version, this Buttercauli Soup is a recent favorite.) If you’re not so into squash or creamy-based soups, this brothy Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup will be a satisfying alternative—and pretty filling if you plan on taking a good amount of time between each course (we usually treat the soup/salad course as lunch in our home).

For a salad, I love throwing together this Delicata Squash Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette. If you can’t get your hands on a delicata squash, you could also make this simple Thanksgiving Salad featuring sweet potatoes, apples, dried cranberries, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Course #3: Fowl & Feast

And now, we feast!

Of course, let’s start with the fowl—a fancy word for the bird.

I highly recommend following this cooking method for The Best Way to Cook a Turkey. It’s my foolproof step-by-step method for roasting the best possible juicy bird, without drying it out or overcooking it. You’ll be using homemade herb butter, which honestly, you could make a large batch of and serve with your dinner rolls at dinner.

Speaking of rolls—I love a classic squishy dinner roll at Thanksgiving; makes for easily sopping up cranberry sauce and gravy. This Big Batch Quick Dinner Rolls should do the trick!

For the gravy, let’s go with this White Wine Gravy—using those drippings from the roasted bird. you can whisk this together while the bird is resting on the counter after the roast.

While I am prone to enjoying a classic cream-of-mushroom-based green bean casserole (hot dish?), this Green Bean Casserole skips the can of cream of mushroom and boosts the flavor with shredded gruyere cheese and white wine, giving this usual dish a gourmet twist.

The canned stuff is always a classic, but honestly, I’m a big fan of making Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce. Orange? Yes, it really, truly gives the cranberry sauce that zing of citrus that pairs nicely with all of the creamy, gravy-like foods on your plate.

Now…I’m not a big fan of mashed potatoes (we’ll save the disgusting reason why for another day), so I would prefer to throw together a batch of these crispy Hot Honey Butter Smashed Potatoes instead. I also am a big fan of Sweet Potato Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Topping.

I love a good roasted vegetable with my Thanksgiving meal, so these Lemon, Pomegranate, and Parmesan Brussels Sprouts will likely join the table this year (especially if there are leftover pomegranate aerials from the salad!)

And of course, the table is not complete without stuffing. We always make my grandmother’s Walnut, Sausage, and Apple Stuffing on Thanksgiving, and never deter to other recipes. It’s just that much of a winner.

Course #4: Tea & Treats

There’s nothing like ending a big meal with a decaf coffee or a steaming cup of tea. While you could go for any ol’ bags of tea for this, I think treating your guests to something special like Tea Fortē’s Paradis Collection could be a nice finishing touch. The Presentation Box makes it easy for guests to choose a tea in beautifully designed pyramid packages. Plus, the teas are incredible.

For dessert, I’ve had my eye on this Naturally Sweetened Pecan Pie for a few months now. I’ve become a rather big pecan pie fan these past few years (thanks to a particular friend who I know will chuckle reading this), and I think this pie would be a nice change of pace to the usual apple and pumpkin offerings.

Now you can always go with those usual pies, but if you want to surprise your guests, give your pumpkin pie a little twist with these Mini Ramekin Pumpkin Cheesecakes. Top with whipped cream and fresh berries in individual ramekins and I guarantee you they will be a major hit.

Well, I hope this guide gives you some ideas for cooking on Thanksgiving day. Feel free to share your day with me, would love to see what you cook up. Enjoy your turkey day feast!