Here are some of the best Thanksgiving dinner ideas AND their recipes. So, these cover both traditional and creative Thanksgiving meal ideas. They include menus and recipes like light, small, hearty, traditional, & non-traditional themes. Also, it’s a part of our Food Guides, Thanksgiving, Holidays, Ham, and Pork categories. Plus, it’s listed in our Holiday Dinner Suggestions article.
2 Sizes of Traditional or Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas
Prepare to see 2 entire sections of ideas for small and large sets of people gathering around for the best Thanksgiving dinner ideas. The meal sizes are shown for 2 to 5 people and 6 to 20 people. The 2-5 people section will cover small and easier ideas. And the 6-20 people section will cover medium to large ideas for lots more people.
Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Menu Ideas for 2 to 5 People
Firstly, here’s a section for a small and simple Thanksgiving dinner menu for 2 to 5 people. They’re still a lot of sides and extras for a great holiday meal. Now, the traditional main Thanksgiving course is turkey. Read about Thanksgiving turkey dinner traditions:
TURKEY Idea 1: Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for 2-5
- Turkey
- Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Green Bean Casserole
- yeast rolls
- basic lettuce salad
- pecan pie
TURKEY Idea 2: Basic Thanksgiving Menu for 2-5
- Turkey
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Dressing/Stuffing with gravy
- crescent rolls
- cucumber salad
- cheesecake
TURKEY Idea 3: Basic Thanksgiving Menu for 2-5
- Turkey
- Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Dressing/Stuffing
- whole cranberry sauce
- homemade yeast rolls
- cantaloupe salad
- pecan pie
HAM Idea 1: Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for 2-5
- Turkey
- Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Green Bean Casserole
- yeast rolls and/or cornbread muffins
- basic lettuce salad
- pecan pie
HAM Idea 2: Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for 2-5
- Ham
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Dressing/Stuffing with gravy
- whole cranberry sauce
- yeast rolls
- cucumber salad
- cheesecake
HAM Idea 3: Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for 2-5
- Ham
- Green Bean Casserole
- Potato Salad
- crescent rolls
- cantaloupe salad
- pecan pie
Lighter Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 2-5
Light creative Thanksgiving meal ideas are usually for a small number of people, although they don’t have to be. Also, this is a good idea if you’re wanting to avoid a heavy holiday meal. So, here are a few lighter meal plans with lots of creative options. In this case, enjoy for a casual and easier, lighter holiday meal. Overall, build your meal based on choices.
LIGHTER Idea 1: TURKEY Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 2-5
- Turkey
- baked potatoes
- asparagus with cherry tomatoes
- whole cranberry sauce
- strawberries & vanilla yogurt
LIGHTER Idea 2: HAM Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for 2-5
- Ham
- sweet potatoes
- green beans & carrots
- whole cranberry sauce
- strawberries & vanilla yogurt
LIGHTER Idea 3: SALMON Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 2-5
Seafood is a great option for creative Thanksgiving meal ideas.
- Salmon
- saffron rice
- zucchini & yellow squash
- shrimp cocktail
- chocolate covered raisins
Large Hearty Best Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas for 6-20
Generally, these are for the more busy, active Thanksgiving meals. The great things is you’ll have both the creative and the traditional Thanksgiving dinner menu. So, for less guests, go with the smaller count of choices. For example, if you’re having 8 guests, choose 3-4 sides. However, if having about 20 guests, you’ll want to be closer to having 5-6 different sides. So, for more guests, it’s fine to have all kinds of menu items. To summarize, keep reading to see all the options later in the “All Thanksgiving Holiday Recipes …” section.
TURKEY Menu 1: Hearty Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 6-20
- Turkey
- Dressing/Stuffing with Gravy
- Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Zucchini & yellow squash
- Green Bean Casserole
- Yeast Rolls
- Homemade white bread
- Whole cranberry sauce
- basic lettuce salad
- Cucumber Tomato Salad with Ranch Dressing
- Pecan pie
- Chocolate chip cookies
TURKEY Menu 2: Hearty Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 6-20
- Turkey
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Baked macaroni & cheese
- Dressing/Stuffing with Gravy
- Crescent rolls
- Homemade white bread
- Whole cranberry sauce
- Cucumber salad
- Cheesecake
- Strawberries & vanilla yogurt
TURKEY Menu 3: Hearty Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 6-20
- Turkey & Ham
- Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
- Dressing/Stuffing with Gravy
- Asparagus with tomatoes
- Corn on the cob
- Yeast Rolls
- Whole cranberry sauce
- Cantaloupe salad
- Pecan pie
- Cheesecake
HAM Menu 1: Hearty Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 6-20
- Ham
- Mashed potatoes & gravy
- Green bean casserole
- Cooked Southern cabbage
- Zucchini & yellow squash
- Yeast rolls
- Cornbread muffins
- Basic lettuce salad
- Grapes
- Cauliflower & broccoli salad
- Cheesecake
- Chocolate chip cookies
HAM Menu 2: Hearty Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 6-20
- Ham
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Dressing/Stuffing with gravy
- Baked macaroni & cheese
- Yeast rolls
- Crescent rolls
- Whole cranberry sauce
- Cucumber salad
- Pecan Pie
- Cheesecake
HAM Menu 3: Hearty Creative Thanksgiving Meal Ideas for 6-20
- Ham, Turkey, & Salmon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole
- Cooked cabbage or Cabbage Soup
- Saffron rice
- Potato Salad
- Crescent rolls
- Cornbread muffins
- Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
- Cantaloupe salad
- Pecan pie
- Cheesecake
ALL Thanksgiving Holiday Recipes: Customize Your Menu
Thanksgiving Main Course Ideas
Overall, for main courses for 2-5 people, choose 1. Then, for 6-20 people, choose 1-3.
- Turkey (oven roasted), What Size Turkey to Buy
- Ham
- Salmon or More Recipe Ideas for Salmon
- Salmon Patties
- Crab Cakes
- Rotisserie Grilled Chicken
- Ribeye Steak on Grill
Thanksgiving Meal Sides
So, for side dishes for 2-5 people, choose 2-3. Then, for 6-20 people, choose 3-6.
- Sweet Potatoes (good with meat)
- Pecan encrusted sweet potato casserole (also can be served as a dessert)
- Baked potato (good with meat or seafood)
- Southern Potato Salad or Mashed Potato Salad
- Green Beans Skillet (good with meat or seafood)
- Whole cranberry sauce (good with meat)
- Asparagus with cherry tomatoes (good with meat or seafood)
- Celery Soup (no cream) (good with meat or seafood)
- Skillet Potatoes & Green Beans (good with meat or seafood)
- Baked macaroni & cheese
- Cooked cabbage or Cabbage Soup (good with ham)
- Corn on the cob (good with meat)
- Green beans & carrots (good with meat or seafood)
- Saffron rice (good with seafood)
- Zucchini & Yellow Squash (good with meat or seafood); read more about difference between zucchini & yellow squash
- Sugar snap peas (good with meat or seafood)
- Fried mushrooms and horseradish dipping sauce
Thanksgiving Recipes Salad
So, for salads for 2-5 people, choose 1-2. Otherwise, for 6-20 people, choose 2-3.
- Whole cranberry sauce
- Cucumber Tomato salad
- Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
- Salad using Romaine lettuce
- Basic lettuce salad with Croutons
- Sliced tomatoes with cheese
- Shrimp cocktail
- Crab salad
- Cauliflower and Broccoli salad
- Deviled eggs
- Carrots & celery sticks with veggie dip
- Cantaloupe salad
- Cantaloupe Cubes
- Watermelon Cubes or Triangles (How To Pick A Good Watermelon CHART)
- Lime Jello salad cream cheese
Bread Ideas for Thanksgiving
Meanwhile, for breads for 2-5 people, choose 0-1. Then, for 6-20 people, choose 1-2.
- Yeast Rolls
- Cornbread muffins
- 10 inch Skillet cornbread (8 slices), 12 inch Skillet cornbread (12 slices), 6 inch Skillet cornbread (4 slices)
- Garlic crostini
- White bread
- Crescent Rolls
- Italian Bread or French Bread and Seasoned Olive Oil Dip
Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas
So, for desserts for 2-5 people, choose 1-2. Then, for 6-20 people, choose 2-4.
- Pecan Pie
- Cheesecake
- Cookies such as Chocolate chip
- Chocolate-covered raisins
- Strawberries & vanilla yogurt
- Banana pudding with Vanilla wafers
Thanksgiving Appetizer Ideas
Finally, for appetizers for 2-5 people, choose 0-1. Likewise, for 6-20 people, choose 1-3.
- Deviled eggs
- Garlic crostini
- Cheese cubes
- Grapes
- Croutons
- Flat Bread & Hummus with no Tahini
- Crackers with Crab Dip or spinach dip
- Carrots & celery sticks with veggie dip
- Fried mushrooms and horseradish dipping sauce
- Honey roasted nuts such as peanuts, pecans, walnuts
Related Meal or Appetizer Ideas
By all means, see below for some of our best long lists of ideas for other events. In the meantime, check out “Easy Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, Grocery List + Tips“.
Conclusion of Best Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas
Overall, you can now plan out your options for making the best Thanksgiving dinner ideas. Moreover, you can start your list. Also, check out the many recipe links or use your own. Likewise, decide what to make and what to buy. Also, you have an idea of what can be made in advance to save time. Share your meal plan that you are deciding on or have done before. Also, here’s another good article about “Thanksgiving Meal Ideas“. Tell me what you’re planning or have made before & leave a comment below.
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