Thanksgiving Sides from Scratch: 10 Essential Classics

There is a school of thought that holds that Thanksgiving is not really about the turkey. The turkey is the occasion. The sides are the dinner. This is not entirely wrong. The green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the cranberry sauce - these are what people look forward to, what they return for seconds of, and what produces the argument about whether the mashed potatoes or the mac and cheese are the essential American side dish. (The correct answer: both, at the same table, simultaneously.)

This post covers ten Thanksgiving sides - each from scratch, each with the specific technique that distinguishes the homemade version from the tinned or ready-made alternative. Several of these dishes are better made ahead, which is noted for each.

1. The Gold Standard Mashed Potatoes

Make-ahead: 1 day ahead. Reheat in a double boiler.

The American Thanksgiving mashed potato is a specific thing: deeply buttery, very smooth, rich enough to be almost creamy. Not the lumpy, slightly healthy-feeling mashed potato of British tradition - something closer to a potato purée enriched to its limit.

Serves 8-10 | Active time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg Yukon Gold (UK: Maris Piper), peeled and quartered
• 150-175g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 200-250ml warm double cream or crème fraîche
• 1 tsp fine sea salt + more to taste
• White pepper

Method: Cover potatoes with cold salted water. Bring to a boil. Cook until completely, falling-apart tender (20-25 minutes). Drain. Steam dry in the empty pot over low heat for 1 minute.

Pass through a ricer or food mill into the empty pot (a ricer produces a smoother mash than a masher; do not use a food processor - it develops starch and produces glue). Add the cold butter in cubes, 30g at a time, stirring vigorously between each addition until completely absorbed. Stir in the warm cream gradually. Season generously with salt and white pepper.

The Joël Robuchon principle: The highest ratio of butter to potato that the mash can absorb while remaining stable is approximately 1:3 (butter to potato). Robuchon's famous pomme purée uses 1:2. The Thanksgiving version sits at approximately 1:8 to 1:10 - very buttery by normal standards, exactly right for the occasion.

2. From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole

Make-ahead: 2 days ahead through to before the final bake.

The tinned soup version of green bean casserole is an American comfort food institution. The from-scratch version with a homemade mushroom cream sauce is the same comfort food made genuinely good.

Serves 8-10 | Active time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 700g green beans, trimmed and halved
• 300g cremini or chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 40g unsalted butter
• 40g plain flour
• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 150ml double cream
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• Salt and black pepper
• Crispy onion topping: 2 large onions, very thinly sliced + plain flour + oil for shallow-frying + salt

Method:

Make the crispy onion topping: Toss thinly sliced onions in a thin coat of flour seasoned with salt. Shallow-fry in 1cm of neutral oil over medium-high heat in batches until deeply golden and crispy (5-6 minutes). Drain on paper towels. These keep crispy for 24 hours in an airtight container - make ahead.

Make the mushroom cream sauce: Sauté mushrooms in butter over high heat until golden (5 minutes). Add garlic (1 minute). Add flour, cook 2 minutes (a roux - see How to Make a Roux). Add stock gradually, whisking. Add cream and thyme. Simmer until thickened. Season.

Blanch the beans: 4 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. Refresh under cold water (retains the green colour).

Assemble: Combine beans and sauce in a baking dish. Refrigerate up to 2 days.

On Thanksgiving: Top with crispy onions. Bake at 175°C for 25 minutes until bubbling. The crispy onion top goes on immediately before baking - if added ahead, it softens.

3. Cornbread Stuffing (Dressing)

Make-ahead: Make cornbread 1 week ahead. Assemble stuffing 2 days ahead. Bake on the day.

Serves 10-12 | Active time: 40 minutes

For the cornbread: Combine 200g cornmeal, 150g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 eggs, 250ml buttermilk, 60ml melted butter. Bake in a 20cm square tin at 200°C for 20-22 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool, crumble, dry overnight on a baking tray.

For the stuffing: Sauté 2 large diced onions + 4 sticks diced celery in 100g butter until very soft (10-12 minutes). Add 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp fresh thyme, 2 tsp fresh sage, 1 tsp fresh rosemary. Cook 2 minutes. Season.

Combine with crumbled cornbread and any day-old white bread (approximately 200g additional). Add 600ml warm turkey or chicken stock - the mixture should be moist but not wet. Add 2 beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly.

Transfer to a buttered baking dish. Cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 2 days.

On Thanksgiving: Bake covered at 175°C for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 20 more minutes until the top is golden and crisp.

4. Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Make-ahead: Up to 2 weeks ahead. Refrigerates perfectly.

Serves 8-10 | Active time: 15 minutes

Combine 340g fresh or frozen cranberries + 200g caster sugar + zest and juice of 1 large orange + 3 tbsp water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have burst and the sauce is thick and jammy (10-12 minutes). Remove from heat.

The sauce will set further as it cools. Refrigerate in a jar.

Variations: Add 2 tbsp of bourbon for depth. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon for warmth. Add a handful of toasted pecans to the cooled sauce for texture.

5. Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

Make-ahead: 2 days ahead. Bake on the day.

Serves 8-10 | Active time: 30 minutes

The filling: Bake 1.2kg sweet potatoes at 200°C until very soft (50-60 minutes). Cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh. Beat with 50g butter, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 2 eggs, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp vanilla, pinch of salt until completely smooth.

The pecan streusel: Combine 80g plain flour + 80g soft brown sugar + 50g cold cubed butter + 100g roughly chopped pecans. Rub together until crumbly.

Spread filling in a baking dish. Top with streusel. Refrigerate up to 2 days.

On Thanksgiving: Bake at 175°C for 30-35 minutes until the streusel is golden and the filling is set. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.

6. Southern-Style Baked Mac and Cheese

Make-ahead: 1 day ahead. Bake on the day.

Serves 10-12 | Active time: 35 minutes

Make a béchamel: 50g butter + 50g flour (see How to Make a Roux) + 750ml whole milk + ½ tsp mustard powder + pinch of cayenne + salt + white pepper. Off the heat, stir in 200g grated mature Cheddar + 100g grated Gruyère + 50g cream cheese until melted.

Cook 500g macaroni until 2 minutes less than al dente. Drain.

Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large baking dish. Refrigerate.

Topping: 100g panko breadcrumbs + 30g melted butter + 30g grated Parmesan. Scatter over. Refrigerate.

On Thanksgiving: Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Broil/grill for 2 minutes at the end for maximum top crustiness.

7. Turkey Gravy (Made with Drippings)

Make-ahead: Stock 2 days ahead. Base 1 day ahead. Finish on the day.

Make turkey or chicken stock (see How to Make Stock). Make the gravy base: melt 50g butter, add 50g flour, cook 2 minutes, add 600ml of the stock gradually, whisking. Simmer until slightly thickened. Season. Refrigerate.

On Thanksgiving: After the turkey comes out, pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin. Set the tin over medium heat on the hob. Add 150ml white wine or stock, scraping all the fond from the base. Add the prepared gravy base and any additional turkey drippings. Simmer 5-8 minutes. Strain. Adjust seasoning.

8. Dinner Rolls

Make-ahead: Bake 1 week ahead and freeze; thaw and warm at serving.

Soft, buttery enriched dough rolls - the one thing on the Thanksgiving table that requires the Baking collection's enriched dough technique (see Brioche and Enriched Dough). Pull-apart rolls baked in a cast iron skillet are the traditional Thanksgiving presentation.

From frozen: thaw at room temperature (2 hours), warm at 160°C for 8 minutes, brush with melted butter.

9. Pumpkin Pie That Actually Sets

Make-ahead: Up to 4 days ahead. Refrigerate.

Serves 8 | Active time: 20 minutes | Baking: 55 minutes

Pastry: Single blind-baked shortcrust shell (see Shortcrust Pastry in the Baking collection).

Filling: Whisk together: 2 tins (840g total) pumpkin purée + 3 large eggs + 200g soft brown sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp ground ginger + ¼ tsp ground cloves + ¼ tsp nutmeg + ½ tsp salt + 350ml evaporated milk until completely smooth.

Pour into the cooled blind-baked shell. Bake at 175°C for 50-60 minutes until the edges are fully set and the centre wobbles as a single, cohesive mass (not as liquid).

The set test: The centre should look slightly underdone when removed - it sets further as it cools. A pumpkin pie left in the oven until the centre appears fully set is overbaked and will crack.

Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve cold or at room temperature with lightly whipped cream.

10. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic

Make-ahead: Halve sprouts 2 days ahead. Roast on the day (25 minutes).

Serves 8 | Active time: 10 minutes

Halve 700g Brussels sprouts. Toss with 150g diced pancetta or thick-cut bacon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Spread on a single layer on a large baking sheet.

Roast at 220°C for 20-25 minutes until the cut sides are deeply caramelised and the bacon is crispy. Scatter 80g toasted pecans and a final drizzle of balsamic over the top.

The Side Dish Timing Schedule

For a 2pm Thanksgiving dinner:

Pro Tips

• The oven is the scheduling constraint. Two or three things can share the oven at the same temperature - coordinate baking temperatures when possible (most sides work at 175-190°C).
• Potatoes and mac and cheese are the highest-stakes reheat. Both benefit from a splash of additional cream or milk during reheating to restore their original consistency.
• Cook pumpkin pie 4 days ahead for the best result. A freshly baked pie, eaten the day it's made, doesn't have the custard-set texture that a day-old pie has. Make it Wednesday, eat it Thursday.

🔗 Complete Thanksgiving

• Thanksgiving Dinner: The Complete Feast, Made Ahead
• How to Make a Roux: Foundation of French Sauces
• How to Make Stock from Scratch
• Shortcrust Pastry: The Foundation of Every Tart
• Seasonal & Holiday Cooking: The Complete Guide