23 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Dishes That Make Holiday Hosting Easy

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6 to 8

"It's just as crowd-pleasing but a little more modern (and much less cloying) than that mashed casserole everyone is familiar with," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen says. You can assemble the bake ahead of the big day, then pop it in the oven right before dinner.

• Time Commitment: 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

"I love a good ol’ Caesar…or even just a pile of mixed greens with a creamy dressing," Gillen explains. "But when a salad needs to have enough pizazz to cut through a rich meal, I reach for a recipe that’s more complex." Make the punchy dressing and mix the produce ahead, then assemble the salad right before serving.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
• Serves: 8

"It's not the most highbrow thing to serve to a crowd, so I gave it a little makeover," Gillen explains. "My take on French onion dip is made with deeply savory caramelized onions and tastes just as obsession-worthy as the original (but with a little more class)." Making it ahead allows plenty of time for the flavors to meld.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6 to 8

This app—basically a reverse of pigs in a blanket—can be served warm or at room temperature. The secret to this simple make-ahead Thanksgiving recipe is store-bought pizza dough.

• Time Commitment: 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 6

Less time cooking means more time sipping wine with your guests. These spuds are extra rich and tangy, thanks to cream cheese and sour cream, while a touch of nutmeg gives them an autumnal je ne sais quoi.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
• Serves: 12

Perfectly sized portions of deliciousness await. If you want this make-ahead gem to be even easier to pull off, use store-bought boxed stuffing mix (I won't tell).

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
• Serves: 10

This recipe only requires five ingredients, but more importantly, it can be whipped up one week before the big feast. Use the leftovers for cranberry, Brussels sprouts and Brie skillet nachos, cranberry-Brie puff pastry pops or cranberry-Brie pie crust bites.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, kid-friendly
• Serves: 4

Tired of turkey? Opt for this impeccably seasoned (and totally freezable) dish instead. Picky kids will go gaga for the garlic-panko crust, so much so that they won't ask for ketchup on the side—maybe.

• Time Commitment: 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8

Making this tasty dip a couple of days in advance is easy. The hard part? Keeping your hands off it until the guests arrive. Peel, chop and bake the sweet potatoes in advance so they're cooled and ready to blitz at a moment's notice.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 10

No turkey pan drippings necessary (meaning you don't need to cook the bird first to get this side out of the way), thanks to umami-packed portobello mushrooms. Even better, there's no tricky roux; simply add flour while you're sautéing the vegetables.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

This seasonal gem will last up to four days in the fridge, in case you'd like to get ahead on your holiday prep. Substitute maple syrup for honey to make it vegan (and more autumn-inspired).

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 10

Make the pie crust way ahead of time (like, weeks!), cover it tightly in plastic wrap and stash it in the freezer until you’re ready to bake. You won’t even have to thaw it before baking, plus it’ll keep its shape even better in the oven. Ta-da.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Freeze these bite-sized meatballs for up to one month in advance. Then, thaw and serve them with a side of cranberry sauce (no, you don’t have to make it from scratch...but bonus points if you do).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegan, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Whip up this healthy side dish the day before and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to plate. The wheat berries are just as toothsome, nutty and satisfying served cold as they are warm or hot.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, one pot, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4

This gluten-free fall stew keeps in the fridge for four days or in the freezer for one month, so you have plenty of time to get it ready for its Thanksgiving debut. I'll take extra basil on mine, thanks.

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 24 rolls

There's no knead (get it?) to make these the day of Thanksgiving. Prepare the rolls a few days in advance and keep them in an airtight container until the big dinner. Warm them up in the oven before serving with plenty of honey butter.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: Paleo-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
• Serves: 12

These no-bake cuties can be served straight out of the freezer, so they're the ultimate make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert. The crust is nothing but Medjool dates, pecans and a touch of salt. In the words of Ina Garten, how easy is that?

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 4 to 8

A hearty vegan main that can be made the day before Thanksgiving is one you want on your roster. It stars tender, peak-delicious delicata squash and sweet potatoes, but you can adjust with any spuds or gourds that you have on hand.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

Prep everything in advance and then assemble each pumpkin bowl on the big day. (And I highly recommend making a triple batch of the maple pecans so you have something to serve as a snack with cocktails before the meal starts.)

• Time Commitment: 2 hours
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian
• Serves: 8

Pop this cheesy goodness in the freezer so all you have to do is heat before serving. Butternut squash, fresh sage, grated nutmeg and toasted pine nuts make it a fall lover's dream (not to mention the provolone, ricotta, fontina and Parmesan cheeses).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8 to 10

The kids' table will devour this evergreen make-ahead Thanksgiving recipe on sight. Once the cake is finished, let it chill in the refrigerator for a few days, or transfer it to a zip-top freezer bag where it’ll keep for up to one month.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, dairy free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 8 to 10

This fall soup is super rich and starchy *without* butter or cream. (Leave it to coconut milk and Yukon gold potatoes.) Just leave out the coconut milk before freezing, then add it to the mix once you’re ready to reheat.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

Brown sugar and honey bring naturally sweet acorn squash to life, while salty hazelnuts and crushed red pepper flakes make for a savory contrast. Prepare this make-ahead Thanksgiving recipe the day before and serve it at room temperature or warm.