Easy Thanksgiving Dinner Menu (16 Recipes for the Whole Meal)
This Easy Thanksgiving Dinner Menu has everything for the big meal in one place: a couple of starters, a roast turkey or ham, the classic sides, three desserts and a plan for the leftovers. It’s 16 recipes that work together, with slow cooker and no-bake dishes mixed in so your oven can focus on the turkey.
Want more choices for any course? My Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Appetizers and Easy Thanksgiving Desserts have the full lists.
Your Easy Thanksgiving Dinner Game Plan
- Pick your main first: The Roast Turkey Recipe needs no brine, so there’s no overnight bucket. If you’d rather skip the turkey, the Glazed Ham With Roasted Carrots starts with a fully cooked ham and roasts a side in the same pan.
- Make a dessert the day before: The No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars need time in the fridge to set, so get them done ahead and that’s dessert sorted.
- Use the slow cooker for two dishes: The pumpkin soup and the cranberry sauce both cook in the slow cooker, which keeps the oven and stovetop free.
- Plan the oven around the turkey: Bake the stuffing and cornbread once the turkey is out of the oven, and keep the stovetop for potatoes and green beans.
- Save some turkey for later: Set aside a few cups of leftover turkey for the Turkey Pot Pie later in the week.
Thanksgiving Starters
BLT Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs piled with bacon, lettuce and tomato. Prep them ahead and set them out when people arrive, so nobody goes hungry while the turkey finishes.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
A creamy pumpkin soup with Parmesan, finished with crispy bacon, that cooks hands-off in the slow cooker. Ladle it into small cups for a warm first course.
Thanksgiving Main Dishes: Turkey and Ham
Roast Turkey Recipe
Juicy turkey with golden, crispy skin from a simple herb butter spread under and over the skin. There’s no brine, so it’s a good choice if this is your first time cooking the turkey.
Baked Ham
A savory ham with a tangy mustard glaze and a crunchy golden breadcrumb topping. A great main if your crowd prefers ham, or as a second main for a bigger table.
Glazed Ham With Roasted Carrots
A fully cooked ham baked low and slow and brushed with an orange marmalade, honey and Dijon glaze. The carrots roast in the same pan, so your main and a side are ready together.
Classic Thanksgiving Sides
Sourdough Stuffing
Sausage, herbs and sourdough bread baked until crisp on top and soft underneath. It’s my favorite side on the whole Thanksgiving table.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, buttery potatoes with garlic mashed right in. Make a big bowl, because they go with the turkey, the ham and the gravy.
Cheesy Green Beans
Green beans with bacon, garlic and melted cheese, all made in one pan on the stovetop. Quick to cook while the turkey rests.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Cinnamon-roasted sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple syrup and crunchy pecans. Sweet without the marshmallows.
Skillet Cornbread
Cast iron cornbread with crispy edges and a touch of sweetness. It takes the place of dinner rolls and soaks up the gravy.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest and cinnamon, made in the slow cooker. Sweet, tart and an easy step up from the can.
Thanksgiving Desserts
Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
The classic, with a smooth spiced pumpkin filling in a flaky, buttery crust. Serve with whipped cream.
Easy Apple Pie Recipe
Spiced apples in a saucy filling under a golden lattice crust. Pumpkin pie’s best partner on the dessert table.
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin cheesecake on a Biscoff crust with whipped cream, pecans and caramel. Made the day before in the fridge, so it never needs the oven.
What to Make With Thanksgiving Leftovers
Turkey Pot Pie
Leftover turkey in a creamy sauce under a flaky, golden crust. The best reason to cook a bigger turkey than you need.
Sweet Potato Brownies
Fudgy brownies made with leftover mashed sweet potatoes and topped with chocolate ganache. A sweet way to clear the fridge after the holiday.
Come cook with us! I share new easy recipes and dinner ideas in my Facebook group, and it’s a friendly spot to see what everyone is making this week. Join the group here.
Easy Thanksgiving Dinner Menu FAQ
Want even more choice? My Easy Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Appetizers has 16 sides and starters, and my Easy Thanksgiving Desserts has 19 sweet ideas for the end of the meal.
