30 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes That Will Impress Everyone at the Table

Hasselback everything is so trendy right now, and you don’t need to be a knife expert to master the technique. Just halve and slice a squash horizontally and you’ve created an easy but impressive side.

All you need is a spiralizer (or, you know, a container of pre-spiralized veggies from the grocery store) to make this fancy holiday side. Mix the seasonal spirals with the creamy sauce and get ready to be served compliments.

Yep, you can whip up these indulgent potatoes in less time that it takes to watch your favorite Thanksgiving episode of Friends.

Honey and harissa are both major crowd-pleasers, and the sweet and spicy flavors come together wonderfully. Eden Grinshpan’s carrot recipe is easy to follow, and is an easy addition to any Thanksgiving feast.

If you don’t have persimmons on your Thanksgiving table, you’re doing it wrong. Brighten up a typically heavy greens dish with this autumnal fruit and kale salad.

The Nothing Fancy author knows a thing or two about easy side dishes. Roman’s squash recipe takes less than five minutes to prep, and it’s just soooo good.

Mac and cheese is an essential part of any Thanksgiving repertoire. And if you cook this one-pot version in nice cookware, you can serve the gooey cheesy pasta straight out of the only pot it was cooked in.

Casseroles are designed to be simple and foolproof. This version combines green beans with mushrooms and crispy onions for that textural contrast you love.

No one’s expecting fries at Thanksgiving, and that’s kind of the whole point. Swap out your typical mashed sweet potatoes for an easy-to-eat finger food.

If you’re responsible for the entrée as well as the sides, cut out a few steps and bake them all at once. This tray includes turkey, stuffing, potatoes and green beans.

Almost easier than popping open a can, this make-ahead recipe lets you serve impressive fresh cranberry sauce with minimal effort. (And best of all, no ridges.)

A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, a lot delicious. Serve this cornbread as a warm side straight out of the hot skillet.

PSA: Thanksgiving dinner can never have too many types of potatoes. These boiled and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes are super crispy—don’t expect leftovers.

Sweet, savory and just crispy and creamy enough, this simple Brussels recipe is hugely sophisticated in flavor and looks beautiful on the table.

A healthier and easier alternative to traditional stuffing, this veggie-packed side is gluten-free, vegetarian and just as good the next day (well, if there’s any left).

Here's a healthy(ish) spin on the Thanksgiving comfort food thanks to a heaping of cauliflower. But don't worry, this recipe doesn't skip on gooey, decedent cheese.

Two in-season vegetables comes together in this decedent side dish.

It has all the flavors you associate with traditional Thanksgiving stuffing (or dressing, if that’s more your style), like fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley, plus jewel-like pomegranate seeds and crunchy almonds. It just happens to be gluten-free and made with our favorite veggie of all time.

Making this dish is as easy as slicing bread (literally), and the taste is infinitely adaptable (mozzarella today, Swiss tomorrow).

Trust us: No one will miss the dairy when they taste this vegan cashew dressing. It’s creamy and slightly sweet—just what the crisp, slightly bitter radicchio needs.

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There are two kinds of Thanksgiving people: Those who serve cranberries from a can—and those who don’t. While we love the nostalgia-factor of a tubular cranberry sauce, we’re more likely to serve the fresh version at our own Turkey Day feast. And why not? This fresh cranberry sauce requires only three ingredients and is ready in all of 20 minutes.

If you want a side dish that isn’t too overwhelming but packs a lot of punch, look no further. This hearty salad marries together the flavors of squash, kale, apples, radishes and farro.

We know Thanksgiving dinner takes hours to put together, so put this quick side salad on the menu to help make things easier.

Forget onion rings: These crispy oven-baked delicata squash rings with garlic-lemon sauce are destined to become your new favorite Thanksgiving appetizer.

An addictively delicious side dish to serve with an extra dollop of sour cream.

These oven-baked Parmesan Brussels sprout bites are practically perfection. Dish them up with tangy dipping sauce and cute toothpicks and then watch them disappear like magic.

Ah, polenta. It’s creamy and comforting, but so often misunderstood. Stand over the pot, stirring, for hours on end? No thank you. Enter this hands-off method for creamy oven polenta from Sheela Prakash’s cookbook, Mediterranean Every Day. Suddenly, the cheesy dish is a an easy side.

The best part? This vegetable side dish takes less than 20 minutes to make and calls for just five ingredients.

A Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without roasted sweet potatoes, especially these from Amanda Frederickson’s cookbook Simple Beautiful Food.

Hey there, autumn. Crisp, tart apples and juicy pomegranate seeds add brightness to spiced cauliflower and nutty tahini dressing.