How to Make the Perfect Stress-Free Thanksgiving Menu
By Rebecca St. Clair
Making the perfect stress-free Thanksgiving menu is a must if you are hosting this epic family feast. This Thanksgiving menu if full of everyones favourite food, cozy recipes, fall flavoured dishes, and best of all make-ahead casseroles so you can get as much done ahead of time!
Whether you are hosting a friendsgiving pot-luck style and everyone is bringing a dish, hosting your first Thanksgiving for family and friends, or if you are an old pro wanting to try out some new holiday recipes, this is the ultimate list of stress-free Thanksgiving recipes with tips and tricks to help the big day go off without a hitch!
There are so many delicious recipes to choose from, so keep this list handy as your one stop shop for all of your Thanksgiving day recipe needs! Most of these recipes are classic Thanksgiving food, from the festive turkey to pies, that are time honoured and delicious!
Stress-Free Thanksgiving Sides
Maple Sweet potato casserole
Warm, smooth, mashed sweet potatoes with a hint of maple and cinnamon spice. A gloriously golden toasted marshmallow topping makes this casserole the perfect decadent side dish to grace any festive table!
Make Ahead Casserole
Make this casserole 1 or 2 days before the big meal. All you need to do the day of is cover the top with your favourite topping and toast in the oven!
Easy Broccoli Casserole with canned soup
This easy creamy casserole is packed with flavour and cheesy goodness. Topped with a crisp and crumbly bread crumb topping for the perfect flavourful side dish!
Make Ahead Casserole
Another easy make ahead option! This casserole can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. All you need to do the day of is sprinkle on the crispy topping and toast in the oven!
Rich and Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole
Rich and extra creamy mashed potatoes with a crispy toasty bread crumb crust. A perfect cozy side dish to pretty much any meal!
If you are making a turkey there is going to be plenty of gravy to go around, so mashed potatoes are a must for this festive meal.
Make Ahead Casserole
Even these creamy mashed potatoes are a perfect make ahead casserole! The potato casserole can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. On the big day cover with bread crumbs and bake to golden perfection!
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
This macaroni and cheese bake is rich, decadent, and full of cheesy flavour. The silky smooth sauce is complimented perfectly with the toasty, golden, cheesy crust on top!
This decadent side dish can often be found on Thanksgiving tables and is especially popular with the kids!
Easy Crockpot Stuffing
The flavours and aroma of a holiday feast are all wrapped up in this deliciously flavourful, classic side dish.
If you really want to make this from scratch this recipe will teach you how to bake your own stuffing bread with the herbs and spices baked right in!
Make Ahead Tips
You can bake the bread and chop all of the vegetables 1 to 2 days in advance. Leave the bread to dry out so on the big day all you need to do is toss everything in the crockpot!
Ruby Red Cranberry Sauce
Tangy and sweet. Ruby red cranberry sauce will bring that added brightness to make a perfect holiday feast!
This is a super simple recipe that is so much better homemade!
Make Ahead Tips
Make this sauce up to 5 days in advance and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Bakery Worthy Stress-Free Thanksgiving Bread
Individual Pull-Apart dinner rolls
Gorgeous soft and pillowy pull apart dinner rolls. This big batch recipe is perfect for family gatherings, as it makes about 36 individual rolls. But I bet you can’t eat just one!
Options for garlic pull-apart dinner rolls if you want something a little more flavourful.
Traditional French Baguettes
These gorgeous Artisanal bread loaves are soft and pillowy on the inside with a golden chewy crust.
Perfect for slicing and soaking up gravy or slather with garlic butter and warm in the oven for the perfect garlic bread loaf!
This is also a great bread to slice and serve as a base for appetizers before the big meal like bruschetta.
Soft and buttery dinner rolls
These easy pillowy soft dinner rolls are a classic for any Thanksgiving dinner. These little buttery buns are easy to make at home and always come out golden and delicious!
Make Ahead Tips
Make the dough the day before and let them rise in the fridge. All you need to do the day of is pop them in the oven and bake, for perfect freshly baked rolls.
Festive Stress-Free Thanksgiving Desserts
Cozy Honey Apple Crisp
This cozy dessert is full of warm spice, soft sweet apples, fragrant honey, and a deliciously crisp and crunchy golden crust. A perfect quick and easy dessert that comes together in no time!
Make Ahead Tips
Prepare the whole dish up to baking. This recipe only takes about 30 minutes to bake in the oven so as soon as the turkey comes out pop this in, for a warm and cozy fall flavoured dessert.
Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Is there a more classic dessert for Thanksgiving than pumpkin pie? Golden, Flaky crust. Rich and creamy pumpkin filling mixed with warm holiday spices. This is the classic pumpkin pie you’ve been dreaming of!
Make Ahead Tips
This pumpkin pie can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the fridge. If you really want to get a jump on things, it can be frozen for up to 3 months!
Honey apple pie
This mile-high pie is so rich and absolutely stuffed with sweet, sticky, cinnamon apples in a generous honey infused syrup. It is all incased in a deliciously, flaky, homemade pie crust that is brushed with a gloriously sweet honey glaze.
Make Ahead Tips
You can make this festive apple pie up to 2 days in advance and store it at room temperature.
Fresh Banana Cream Pie
Smooth intense banana flavour! This easy dessert is soft, silky and filled with slices of fresh banana. Layers of rich banana pudding is then garnished with rich, sweet whipped cream and even more fresh banana on top!
This pie is ready in no time because it is made with pudding mix!
Make Ahead Tip
Make this pie up to 3 days in advance and store in the fridge. Garnish with fresh banana slices right before serving.
Dreamy Chocolate Cream Pie
The perfect end to a decadent meal is a truly rich and decadent dessert!
Homemade dark chocolate filling is topped with a pile of silky smooth whipped cream and all of this deliciousness is layered inside of a crunchy graham cracker crust.
Make Ahead tips
This creamy dessert can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the the fridge until ready to serve.
Amish Peach Pie
This peach pie is packed with soft sweet peaches in a tender flaky crust. The fresh peaches are topped with a sweet and tangy custard like cream for the perfect balance of sweet sunny flavours.
Make Ahead Tips
Make this bright and sunny pie up to 3 days in advance and store in the fridge. Whip some fresh cream to garnish on top right before serving.
Cranberry Cheesecake Squares
These festive dessert squares are packed with with holiday flavour! A rich and creamy cheesecake, sweet and tangy cranberry sauce, and a golden crumbly topping dotted with white chocolate.
These squares are so quick and easy to make, you’ll want to make them again for Christmas!
Make Ahead Tips
These bright coloured festive squares can be made up to five days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Traditional Apple Pie
This time honoured classic pie is always a fan favourite! A golden flaky crust, fresh sweet apples in a sweet cinnamon syrup.
This traditional pie is easy to make from scratch in your own kitchen!
Make Ahead Tips
This pie can be made 2 days in advance and stored at room temperature until ready to serve.
Elegant Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
This light and airy twist on the classic pumpkin pie if perfect for any Thanksgiving feast.
This pie is piled high with whipped layers. Its’ millions of tiny bubbles holds the creamy pumpkin and seasonal spices in a soft orange cloud!
The Festive Stress-Free Thanksgiving Turkey
Maple turkey with sweet and salty gravy
This tender, juicy, turkey is packed with flavour and lightly burnished with a sweet maple drizzle.
Tips for make this a fool-proof festive show stopper that will impress even the most seasoned chefs!
This extra flavourful turkey also make extra flavourful gravy with a hint of maple. Everyone will be licking their plates clean!
Make a list for a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner
Now that you have planned the menu it is time to make a list. This will make sure nothing gets forgotten and you can time everything out a few days in advance.
Grocery List
Take stock of your fridge and pantry. Make note of everything you will need to purchase to make all of the recipes. No one wants to go running out to the store midway through a recipe!
Take note of how much space you have. Do you have room in the fridge for a fresh bird, or will you need to buy frozen?
Make a time-line
With so many recipes swirling around in your brain, it is easy to forget something and get stressed! Write them all down and draw up a time line. Which recipes can you prepare a few days in advance?
What recipes do you need to make or complete the day of the feast? What time do they need to go in to be ready on time? How much room will you have in the oven?
After all of the preplanning is done, all you need to do is follow the list! With as much prep and recipes completed before the big day, the day of Thanksgiving dinner will be a breeze and you will even have time to visit with your guests!
Sample Time-Line for the Perfect Stress-Free Thanksgiving
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