61 Easy Thanksgiving Recipes for a Less-Stressful Feast
Even if 2023 is the first year you’re in charge of the cooking, you can count on dinner being great if you start with these easy Thanksgiving recipes. (And even if you’re a seasoned pro, it’s worth remembering that sometimes, simple is best.) Below, you’ll find foolproof options for every part of your Thanksgiving gathering: no-fuss appetizers, bountiful vegetable sides, our favorite stuffing recipes, and a burnished bird, plus crowd-pleasing desserts and big-batch drinks that won't add to your last-minute prep. Fire up the good ol' Thanksgiving spreadsheet and start saving the recipes now.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson1/61The Simplest Roast Turkey
Turkey can be the most stressful part of Thanksgiving. But this bird from Gourmet is truly one of our best easy Thanksgiving recipes of all time. Both the white and dark meat will come out juicy and tender. (Before you get started, you might want to read this guide to thawing a frozen turkey, how long to cook a turkey based on its size, and how to carve it when it’s done.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi2/61Simple Classic Stuffing
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine4/61Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
One of the big challenges every Thanksgiving is figuring out how to schedule time in your oven and on your stovetop. Save yourself the headache by cooking this year’s mashed potatoes in an Instant Pot instead.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton5/613-Ingredient Thanksgiving Gravy
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton6/61Cranberry Orange Relish
You know what’s easier than a jammy, cooked cranberry sauce? An uncooked relish like this one, which simply needs to be whirred in a food processor. This classic version from Gourmet is simply flavored with orange, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. It’ll be a lovely accompaniment to your juicy turkey—and any of the other easy Thanksgiving side recipes that you make.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Sean Dooley7/61Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Nothing against ornate marshmallow-topped sweet potato casseroles, but this side dish is pretty perfect without all the window dressing.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich8/61Miso-Butter Roast Chicken With Acorn Squash Panzanella
It’s definitely easier to make chicken for Thanksgiving than to bother with the bigger bird. So we planned a whole menu around this delicious recipe. It comes with a crispy, craggy bread and squash salad which has all the buttery, herby flavor of classic stuffing.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mira Evnine9/61Classic Pumpkin Pie
This silky pumpkin pie is filled with a simple mix of canned pumpkin purée, heavy cream, light brown sugar, and whole milk, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves. And while the homemade pie crust is a stunner, we won’t shame you for calling in a store-bought frozen pie crust on such a busy day.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton10/61Apple-Cranberry Crisp With Oatmeal-Cookie Crumble
Toss fruit with sugar and seasonings, mash together an oat-y, almond-studded crumble with your hands, then combine the two for the easiest Thanksgiving dessert ever.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich11/61Pastrami Turkey Breast
All too often, different parts of the turkey cook at different rates, and you end up with dry white meat by the time the dark meat is finished cooking. There's a simple solution: pick just the turkey breast. This recipe from Chris Morocco makes perfectly moist, deeply seasoned slices of turkey for the ultimate Thanksgiving sandwiches.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton12/613-Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole With Maple Pecans
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton13/613-Ingredient Caramel Apple Tart
If you have store-bought frozen puff pastry and a jar of pre-made caramel sauce, you're well on your way to this no-fuss dessert. The prep time for this apple tart is 30 minutes, and the total time from start to finish is just one hour.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog14/61Quick Thanksgiving Turkey With Lemon-Garlic Butter
What’s the fastest way possible to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving? Skip the whole turkey: instead, roast bone-in breasts and legs. (You don’t need to butcher a turkey yourself: You can buy the individual pieces or have your butcher break a whole bird down for you.) Once you put the pieces in the oven, they cook in about 1 hour 15 minutes, and are so much faster and easier to carve and serve.
