Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (2024)

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (1)

Toss your boring Thanksgiving dishes out the window and try something new and crazy and fun. Regular mashed potatoes? Nope. Standard stuffing? Not this year. Roasted whole turkey? We're making a turkey purse instead. We're not kidding. It's a turkey purse. (You'll have to keep reading to learn more about it.)

Wow your guests with any of the recipes ahead, which all take a dish you're used to and put a new spin on it. Some of them might even be something you would have never even thought of trying, and that's what makes them exciting. Your guests will thank you for such an amazing holiday experience. We promise!

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (2)

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Put a twist on mashed potatoes by adding goat cheese.

Get the recipe: goat cheese mashed potatoes

02

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (3)

Pumpkin and Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

You can't go wrong with the most iconic Fall flavor: pumpkin!

Get the recipe: pumpkin and cheddar scalloped potatoes

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (4)

Red Hot Oyster and Kimchi Dressing

Bet you never thought of adding oysters and kimchi to your Thanksgiving dressing.

Get the recipe: red hot oyster and kimchi dressing

04

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (5)

Stuffing Muffins

Turn your standard stuffing into an appetizer by making it in muffin pans.

Get the recipe: stuffing muffins

05

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (6)

Squash Casserole

Anyone can have regular squash, so why not bake it into a festive casserole instead?

Get the recipe: squash casserole

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (7)

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole With Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans

This recipe adds bacon to your potato casserole. That should convince you to try it.

Get the recipe: bourbon sweet potato casserole with sweet 'n' savory bacon pecans

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (8)

Coca-Cola Ham

You read that right. This recipe includes Coca-Cola in your ham.

Get the recipe: Coca-Cola ham

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (9)

Walnut and Angostura Pie

Top off your holiday meal with this tasty pie made with walnuts and angostura.

Get the recipe: walnut and angostura pie

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (10)

Cranberry Apple Pie

Invoke the flavors of Thanksgiving with this tasty pie.

Get the recipe: cranberry apple pie

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (11)

Pecan Pie Shooters

Break your pecan pie down into something more fun with these shooters.

Get the recipe: pecan pie shooters

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (12)

Roasted Red Kuri Squash and Wild Rice Salad

Try out a new type of squash for Thanksgiving — like red kuri squash.

Get the recipe: roasted red kuri squash and wild rice salad

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (13)

Boneless "Turkey Purse" With Stuffings and Peppercorn Gravy

Yes, you read that right. This is a turkey purse stuffed with all the good things Thanksgiving has to offer.

Get the recipe: boneless "turkey purse" with stuffings and peppercorn gravy

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (14)

Bourbon Maple Pumpkin Seed Caramels

These could be a dessert or even a sweet appetizer if you so choose.

Get the recipe: bourbon maple pumpkin seed caramels

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (15)

Tahini-Thyme Brussels Sprouts

Make your brussels sprouts stand out on the table with the addition of fun flavors.

Get the recipe: tahini-thyme brussels sprouts

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (16)

Rice Pilaf With Cranberries and Pears

Throw cranberries into your rice for a pop of tart sweetness.

Get the recipe: rice pilaf with cranberries and pears

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (17)

Savory Pumpkin Custard

If you make this recipe, you absolutely have to serve it in a pumpkin. It's required.

Get the recipe: savory pumpkin custard

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (18)

Butternut Squash Lasagna

This isn't your regular lasagna! It's packed with squash fit for a Thanksgiving table.

Get the recipe: butternut squash lasagna

18

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (19)

Cranberry Salad

Toss out your boring cranberry sauce and make a cranberry salad instead.

Get the recipe: cranberry salad

19

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (20)

Deep-Fried Stuffing

If your family is the type that loves fried food, this recipe is for you.

Get the recipe: deep-fried stuffing

20

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (21)

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Pack your acorn squash full of this delicious quinoa mix.

Get the recipe: quinoa stuffed acorn squash

21

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (22)

Brussels Sprouts Mac and Cheese

What's better than plain brussels sprouts? Brussels sprouts made into mac and cheese.

Get the recipe: brussels sprouts mac and cheese

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (23)

Air Fryer Baked Brie With Cranberry Filling

Dust off your air fryer for this delicious holiday recipe.

Get the recipe: air fryer baked brie with cranberry filling

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (24)

Cheddar Apple Butternut Squash Soup With Cinnamon Pecan Crumble

Start your Thanksgiving meal with this yummy warm soup.

Get the recipe: cheddar apple butternut squash soup with cinnamon pecan crumble

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (25)

Cheddar Rye Apple Hand Pies

Send your guests out the door with one of these hand pies.

Get the recipe: cheddar rye apple hand pies

25

Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (26)

Mini Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pies

How darling are these mini mushroom and goat cheese pies?

Get the recipe: mini wild mushroom and goat cheese pies

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (27)

Sweet Potato Noodles With Prosciutto and Cranberries

Instead of roasting or mashing your sweet potatoes, why not make them into noodles?

Get the recipe: sweet potato noodles with prosciutto and cranberries

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (28)

Banana Bread Pudding

Give your bread pudding a fruity twist by using bananas.

Get the recipe: banana bread pudding

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (29)

Instant Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash

Try making this Fall recipe in your Instant Pot.

Get the recipe: Instant Pot stuffed acorn squash

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (30)

Thanksgiving Pull-Apart Bread

This recipe may be billed as leftover pull-apart bread, but you could also make it for the main show.

Get the recipe: Thanksgiving pull-apart bread

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (31)

Beer Bread Muffins

Beer bread muffins? Sign us up.

Get the recipe: beer bread muffins

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (32)

Turkey Soup With Stuffing Dumplings

Rather than roasting your turkey, try making a soup with it instead.

Get the recipe: turkey soup with stuffing dumplings

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Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (33)
Wow Your Guests With 30+ Totally Creative Thanksgiving Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the top 10 Thanksgiving foods? ›

Top 10 Thanksgiving Dishes
  1. Turkey.
  2. Stuffing/Dressing.
  3. Pumpkin Pie.
  4. Sweet Potato Casserole.
  5. Mashed Potatoes.
  6. Ham.
  7. Green Bean Casserole.
  8. Cranberry Jelly.
Nov 22, 2023

How to do Thanksgiving with a large group? ›

The best dishes to make for big groups are things that you can make ahead, which is why casseroles are such a Thanksgiving icon. Mac and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing or dressing (whichever name you call it), and baked yams can all be finished in advance and put into the oven while your turkey is resting.

What is the number 1 Thanksgiving side dish? ›

Mashed potatoes are a traditional Thanksgiving side dish for a reason, and we definitely look forward to serving up this delicious dish every November.

What is the second least favorite Thanksgiving food? ›

Sweet potatoes or yams, disliked by more than 29 percent of respondents, took a close second. “I didn't expect this one as I would happily eat sweet potatoes over more than half of the items listed,” wrote Eric Jones, co-founder of The Vacationer and a math professor at Rowan College South Jersey.

What is the most important meal on Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey. Some would say a turkey is the most important food item at the table. A turkey is the center of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, 88 percent of Americans eat Turkey on Thanksgiving, with 46 million Turkeys eaten on the holiday.

What are the 3 traditional foods Americans eat during Thanksgiving? ›

Millions of people across the United States will sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes, squash, corn, and cranberries. These foods have become synonymous with Thanksgiving, but how did they end up on tables from Maine to California?

How can I make Thanksgiving more interesting? ›

15 Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Fun and Active
  1. Take a Walk or Hike. Rob and Julia Campbell / Stocksy United. ...
  2. Play a Party Game. ...
  3. Run a Turkey Trot. ...
  4. Sample the Local Flavor. ...
  5. Play Flag Football. ...
  6. Adapt Classic Games. ...
  7. Find the Turkeys. ...
  8. Run a Popcorn Relay Race.
Nov 17, 2020

How much stuffing do I need for 50 people? ›

In order to fill the cavity of the bird you are stuffing, you should make 3/4 cup of stuffing per person. You may not be able to fit all the stuffing into your turkey. If this is the case, then you can even make a casserole to fill up your guests!

What is a true Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison.

What to bring to Thanksgiving dinner as a guest? ›

Here are a couple of suggestions:
  1. Flowers (arranged in a vase or container)
  2. Cornucopia.
  3. Box of chocolates.
  4. Box of teas.
  5. Gourmet treats like specialty cheeses, jam containers, crackers or a beautifully packaged gourmet gift basket.
  6. Wine.
  7. Holiday drink mix.
  8. Book.
Nov 16, 2023

How many side dishes should you have for Thanksgiving? ›

How many dishes should I serve with the turkey? For 4 people, choose 1-2 appetizers and 3 sides. For 8 people, choose 1-3 appetizers and 3 sides. For 16 people, choose 2-3 appetizers and 3 or more sides.

What are 5 traditional Thanksgiving foods? ›

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer. The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie.

What are 3 main foods on Thanksgiving? ›

Many Americans would regard Thanksgiving dinner as "incomplete" without stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cranberry sauce. A recipe for cranberry sauce to be served with turkey appeared in the first American cookbook, American Cookery (1796) by Amelia Simmons.

What are 4 commonly consumed foods at Thanksgiving other than turkey? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

What do most Americans eat on Thanksgiving? ›

Traditional foods are a large part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Many families include the entire family in the food preparation. Traditional foods include turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Many people serve pie for dessert at the end of the meal.

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