Your Thanksgiving Menu Planner
We’ve made it easy to plan your Thanksgiving meal.
Enjoy these recipes from celebrated chefs, authors, and Experience Life‘s recipe developers.
Main Course
Classic Roast Chicken
The ultimate comfort food. Learn how to season your chicken, ensure it's juicy, and get that crisp, golden skin (hint: use butter!).
Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, Gravy, and Stuffing
Heritage turkeys require some extra care when cooking, but they are well worth the effort.
Side Dishes
Green-Bean Casserole With Crispy Shallots
A delicious dairy-free spin on a comforting holiday classic: Green-Bean Casserole.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
This recipe will convert any Brussels sprouts naysayer — even kids and picky spouses! The mild, nutty bitterness of the caramelized sprouts combines beautifully with smoky pork. There’s a reason this recipe is the most popular one on my blog.
Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole
We sub in full-fat coconut milk for heavy cream in this mushroom-packed green bean casserole.
Bryant Terry’s Molasses, Miso and Maple Candied Sweet Potatoes
Enjoy an earthy, candied sweet potato dish this Thanksgiving!
Roasted Squash Bowls With Quinoa Pilaf, Greens, and Pistachios
Use an acorn or baby dumpling squash as your "bowl" for this meal.
Cinnamon-Glazed Carrots
This quick side dish, flavored with maple syrup, cinnamon, and coconut oil, will appeal to even your most picky family members.
Corn Spoon Bread
A great side for Thanksgiving or any fall meal. To zing it up, replace the cheddar with pepper-jack cheese.
Wild Rice Pilaf
We use a mix of wild rice and brown rice in this simple pilaf, which is studded with dried cranberries.
Wild Rice Mushroom Stuffing
With earthy ingredients like mushrooms, apples and wild rice, this is a richly flavored, healthier, and gluten-free alternative to packaged bread-cube stuffing.
Salads
Fall Harvest Salad
Delicata squash, baby kale, goat cheese, and roasted walnuts are topped with a dressing made with maple syrup and Dijon mustard.
Walnut, Date, and Herb Salad With Chive Oil
If you're an herb lover, try basil, chervil, dill, and tarragon in this salad.
Persimmon Prosciutto Salad
These greens topped with persimmons and pomegranate arils will give your meal some festive flair.
Dessert
Orange Almond Cake
This almond-flour cake is topped with a delectable maple cream-cheese frosting.
Blackberry and Almond Crumble
Plump, tart blackberries offset the inflammatory effects of the sugar while chopped Marcona almonds give the topping a great little crunch.
Mini Faux Cheesecakes
Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan in a convenient single-serve portion size — with no baking required.
Beverages
Fennel-Ginger Digestif
Ginger and fennel are well known for their digestion-supporting powers, making them a great choice for this warming after-dinner drink.
Winter “Sangria”
Prepare this wine-free recipe the night before serving so the fruit flavors can meld.
Chai-Spiced Hot Cider
Cozy up with this drink that combines the comfort of apple cider and spicy chai.