recipes

53 Thanksgiving Vegetables So Tasty You’ll Stop Calling It Turkey Day 

Brussels sprouts. Green beans. Winter squash. All our favorite Thanksgiving vegetables in one delicious place.
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Photo by Yudi Ela, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

Turkey and stuffing may get all the glory, but Thanksgiving vegetables are the holiday’s real heroes. Round out your Thanksgiving dinner with creamed spinach, roasted brussels sprouts, and plenty of squash and green beans to strike the perfect balance. Our favorite vegetable sides for Thanksgiving are clever takes on the classics that keep our taste buds on their toes. Your guests will ooh and aah at the sight of vibrant beet fritters and exclaim about the alluring aroma of these coconut-milk-braised carrots as soon as they walk through the door. And don’t forget to make space on the table for the undisputed king of Thanksgiving vegetables: creamy mashed potatoes. (Yes, potatoes count as vegetables. At least in our book.) Get more Thanksgiving sides ideas over here.

  • 3/53

    Warm Sorghum Salad With Pickled Beets

    This salad uses ancient grains to create a dish that reflects Mexico and the American South. For chef Maricela Vega it meshes both of their histories while making the most of the foods she is surrounded by.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    4/53

    Garlic-and-Parmesan-Braised Greens

    Savory, lip-smackingly rich, and meltingly tender—you’ve never had greens quite like this before.

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  • Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Props from Meilen Ceramics
    5/53

    Beet Fritters With Beet Greens Yogurt

    So you love beets but don’t love waiting hours for them to roast? Shred ’em along with some potato to make these crispy dinner fritters.

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  • Photograph by Jaida Grey Eagle, prop and food styling by Rose Daniels
    6/53

    Beans and Greens Salad With Cranberry-Sumac Dressing

    This salad is a textural dream—creamy Tepary beans, sturdy dandelion greens, crumbly goat cheese—but our favorite part might be the bright cranberry-sumac dressing.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova
    9/53

    BA's Best Tabbouleh

    The key to tabbouleh, a bright, herby salad from the Levant, is to use a very sharp knife so that you can slice through the parsley and mint just once.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura
    10/53

    Maple-Glazed Carrots

    With their sweet-hot kick from maple syrup and red chile flakes, these oven-roasted carrots will have everyone asking for more.

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  • Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    11/53

    Coconut Creamed Greens

    These greens are impossible to stop eating. A sauce of coconut milk, a hot chile, and spices create a full range of bitter, sweet, and tingling flavors.

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  • Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    12/53

    Glazed Leeks With Pine Nut Salsa Verde

    When cooked until tender, doused in a chile-honey-vinegar sauce, and finished with a nutty, herby salsa verde, humble leeks transform into the in-demand side that no one saw coming.

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  • Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    13/53

    Cheesy Cabbage Gratin

    Every editor who claimed this cheesy gratin would be “too much!” ended up going back for seconds and thirds. We think you’ll do the same.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio
    14/53

    Charred Broccoli Salad With Figs

    This charred broccoli salad with swooshes of rich broccoli-tahini sauce is for you, broccoli stans!

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  • Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli
    15/53

    Sweet Potatoes With Tahini Butter

    Steaming offers extreme speed and high hydration, which means that whatever you cook—from seasonal vegetables to proteins—will be done quickly and always moist.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    16/53

    Brussels Sprouts With Pistachios and Lime

    These roasted whole brussels sprouts get so crispy you’ll worry they’re burnt (they’re not!). Then toss ’em in a date molasses–brown butter glaze.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminsky
    19/53

    Ice Water Salad

    A stunning salad that's as crunchy and refreshing as it gets—plus, you can make it up to six hours in advance.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    20/53

    Shingled Sweet Potatoes With Harissa

    The classic savory-sweet side gets a makeover with the addition of harissa for an extra hint of spicy-earthiness. We promise you won’t miss the marshmallows.

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  • Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    21/53

    Shaved Fennel Salad With Croutons and Walnuts

    This is an antidote to every side salad that ever was. Instead of meh greens, it’s got shavings of fennel that bend and twist but keep their refreshing crunch.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    22/53

    Squash and Radicchio Salad With Pecans

    This squash-centric salad has an irresistible pecan dressing and hardy radicchio that refuses to wilt.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
    25/53

    Smoky Carrot Dip

    A sweet and smoky roasted carrot dip with chickpeas, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. We could eat it by the bowlful.

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  • Peden + Munk
    26/53

    Honeynut Squash With Radicchio and Miso

    What’s a honeynut squash, you ask? It looks like a miniature butternut squash and has sweet, firm flesh that stands up to any cooking method.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    27/53

    Shaved Carrots With Charred Dates

    Tangy, crunchy carrots meet soft and sweet blackened dates for literally everything you want in one bite.

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  • Photo by Oriana Koren, food styling by Lillian Kang, prop styling by Jillian Knox
    28/53

    Bitter Greens With Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

    If you aren’t into bitter greens, this salad from vegetable maestro Bryant Terry may change your mind.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    31/53

    Parsnip Confit With Pickled Currants

    Parsnips bathed in warm olive oil and bejeweled with currents means you'll never look at root vegetables the same way again.

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  • Alex Lau
    32/53

    BA’s Best Green Bean Casserole

    Chris Morocco’s take on the Thanksgiving classic is anchored by umami-rich browned criminis, a béchamel with nutty Parmesan, and extra crispy shallots (of course).

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    39/53

    Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

    With this brussels sprouts recipe, get straight to the good stuff: those sweet, bright green, tender-crisp leaves.

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  • Alex Lau
    40/53

    Butternut Squash Cacio e Pepe

    Think of this butternut cacio e pepe recipe as pasta cacio e pepe...with sausage. It’s comfort food-y, so it could use some fresh greens and/or veggies to help balance it out. Check out step-by-step photos here.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Yekaterina Boystova
    51/53

    Italian Chopped Salad

    This winter salad with peak season bitter greens, salami, and crispy chickpeas is hearty enough on its own, but not so over-the-top that you can’t also pair it with pasta for dinner.

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  • Photograph by Kelly Marshall, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    52/53

    Raw and Crispy Kale Salad With Ginger and Coconut

    In this refreshing Thanksgiving salad, half the kale gets crisped up in the oven like chips while the rest is tossed with a gingery soy-tahini dressing.

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