Thanksgiving: Menu Plan, Family Activities & Tips

We’ve created this Thanksgiving Guide as a one-stop shop for all of your thanksgiving needs. Includes simple, no-fuss recipes, fun activities for the whole family, ideas for leftovers, and more.

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Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

We’ll pulled together a few very doable recipes for each portion of the meal for you. Pick one or two from each section and enjoy a homemade meal!

Appetizers

• Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese – An easy holiday favorite. Salty, sweet, chewy, and creamy in one bite.
• Spinach Artichoke Dip with Roasted Red Peppers – So much flavor and it’s beautiful too!
• Hummus & Veggie Sticks – Tasty and not too filling. Need to save room for that turkey!
• Homemade Chex Mix – My grandma would have bowls of this out everywhere when we celebrated Thanksgiving at her house. Be warned, it’s addictive!
• Honey Whipped Goat Cheese – This 10-minute appetizer will be gone, I tell you. We give you four topping options.
• Simple Charcuterie Board – Follow our 4 easy steps to the perfect board. Anyone can do this.

Main Course

• Roast Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy – Cheaper and easier to manage for a smaller group. Serves up to 8.
• Whole Roast Turkey – I have used this detailed guide by The Yummy Life a few times now.
• Crockpot Ham – This method frees up the oven. Serve with our delicious Pineapple Sauce or Cranberry Orange Sauce on the side to make it extra special.
• Ham and Cheese Sliders – Everyone loves these! Make ahead of time and freeze before the big day.
• Maple Glazed Pork Loin – A little outside the box, but still a great fall-themed main dish for a crowd.

Side Dishes

• Autumn Chopped Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette – Trust me. This salad is a WINNER.
• Simple Homemade Stuffing – So easy. You’ll never go back to store bought after this.
• Gourmet Boursin Mashed Potatoes – These are THE mashed potatoes you’ll want to make! Decadent, creamy, and filled with flavor. Or consider making our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
• Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans – Who wants a green bean casserole when you can wrap them in bacon?? Or try an easier and faster one: Garlic Green Beans.
• Maple Glazed Carrots – Easy and delicious side.
• Cranberry Orange Sauce – Gorgeous color and amazing flavor in just minutes. Make ahead and freeze! (You could also try out our Apple Cranberry Sauce if cranberry sauce is a bit too tart for you.)
• Bread Machine Dinner Rolls – These are so easy to make and light and fluffy! We also have Bread Machine Wheat Rolls, too.
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes – Looking for an easy, delicious, and healthier way to include sweet potatoes? This is it!

Dessert and Drinks

• Pumpkin Dump Cake – Easier and tastier than pumpkin pie, in our humble opinion.
• Snickerdoodle Cookies – These are SO good. Fun to have kids help with the prep, too.
• Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies – Use store-bought yellow cake mix or our homemade yellow cake mix for these EASY and delicious fall cookies.
• Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte – Such a treat to have before or after a Thanksgiving meal!
• Pie in a Jar – These personal-sized pies are made in little mason jars that can go straight from your freezer to your oven to your mouth.