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Our Top 10 Classic Thanksgiving Recipes

    From Turkey to mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce - our Top 10 Classic Thanksgiving Recipes that you can't NOT make for your Thanksgiving menu! | natashaskitchen.com

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    Making a brand new recipe for Thanksgiving (the biggest food day of the year) is risky and intimidating, so instead of sharing something new, I put together a list of our top 10 favorite, tried-and-true, Thanksgiving recipes. These are our top rated recipes – well loved by our family and the Natasha’s Kitchen Family (that’s YOU!).

    I hope you have a delicious week and take many moments to reflect on being thankful. I’m thankful for so much – how the Lord brought our family out of Ukraine as refugees in 1989 to enjoy the abundant life we live in America. It’s humbling to me when I start to consider all that the Lord has blessed me with; the people we have influenced and the families we have blessed with this blog of ours. I’m so thankful for your love and support.

    May the Lord bless your families with health, peace, joy and prosper you in whatever your heart desires. I usually write all this sappy stuff at the end but since only 10% of folks reach the bottom of a post (not you, but statistically), I wanted to be sure you all got the message loud and clear. I’m thankful for YOU! 🙂

    Now on to the list of Thanksgiving recipes you can’t NOT make for your feast…

    #1 ULTRA CREAMY Mashed Potatoes:

    Our most popular recipe right now!! Everyone loves a good mashed potatoes recipe, but this one is just completely silky, rich and unforgettably good. It’s my friend, Anna’s recipe. She shared it with us last year and it has been our favorite ever since. Love potatoes? Here is every potato recipe we have.

    A blue bowl of Creamy Mashed Potatoes garnished with parsley

    #2: Autumn Chopped Chicken Salad

    This was a tough one to pick but this is currently the favorite and also happens to be the salad I’m bringing to this years Thanksgiving dinner along with #5 (see below). It has the best flavors of Autumn and the dressing is oooohh so good (KEEPER ALERT)! See more exciting salads here.

    A bowl of autumn chopped chicken salad with two wooden spoons in the bowl

    #3: Salmon Crostini

    These are always a crowd pleasing favorite. That cream cheese spread is excellent. Salmon canapés are so simple to make and show up to 90% of our major holiday and birthday parties. We buy the smoked salmon in Costco. They come in packs of 2 so I freeze one for the next party ;). See more appetizer ideas here.

    These smoked salmon tea sandwiches (crostini) show up at 90% of our parties. Everyone loves them. The cream cheese dill spread is wonderful!

    #4: Sweet Potato Casserole

    If you have sweet potato lovers at your party, this is a must-make recipe! It is creamy and puffs up slightly like a soufflé. That crunchy pecan crust makes it holiday-worthy. My sister, Tanya, made this for last year’s Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big win. More sweet potato recipes here! 

    A plate with sweet potato casserole and next to it a fork

    #5: Classic Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping!!

    This one’s a toss up. I always make our classic cheesecake for Thanksgiving including this year’s dinner, but our pumpkin cheesecake and mini cheesecakes are definitely the most popular this time of year. Either one is sure to be a hit!

    New-York style cheesecake and a blueberry sauce that doubles as a topping for waffles, or anything else you could possibly drown with blueberry sauce.

    #6: Salmon Layer Salad (Shuba)

    I don’t think Thanksgiving is the same without Shuba. It’s a weird and wonderful flavor combination that I find completely irresistible and my sister, Sveta makes it every Thanksgiving.

    A large plate of the salad Shuba

    #7: Hot Apple Cider

    You’re guests will come hungry and thirsty too! This is such a tasty holiday punch. It’s awesome for all the winter parties. Explore more party drinks HERE (like our most popular Cranberry Pineapple Punch!!).

    This honey apple cider is such a wonderful Fall recipe. Apples are inexpensive, crisp and delicious. You can use any variety of apples for this recipe.

    #8: Cranberry Sauce

    It’s so easy and flavorful. If you’re used to the canned version, you are in for a real treat! Bonus: This one is all-natural and sweetened with honey! Oh and it’s infused with orange and cinnamon – come to Mama!!

    A bowl of homemade cranberry sauce with a spoon.

    #9: Turkey Gravy

    I call this the “Mother” of all gravies. It is made with drippings from your turkey which creates the most flavorful gravy known to me. Folks will remember you for your gravy. If you aren’t making the turkey this year, here are some easy gravy recipes for you.

    Hands down, the best turkey gravy. Try this and you'll never toss those turkey drippings again; liquid gold! @natashaskitchen

    #10: Juicy Roast Turkey.

    If you don’t have a your heart set on a turkey recipe (or maybe you’re a little freaked out about making turkey), watch our video tutorial and get our Juicy Roast Turkey recipe here. Hopefully you are already thawing your turkey (and if not, try a quick-thaw method).

    Making a juicy and flavorful Thanksgiving Turkey is easier than you think! A Video for how to make a Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe that your guests will love! | natashaskitchen.com

    P.S. Keep that leftover turkey meat. This leftover turkey in a creamy mushroom sauce makes the time you spent plucking the bird so TOTALLY WORTH IT! It’s so easy and completely delicious. I’m betting you’ll make it over and over.

    This Leftover Turkey recipe is by far my favorite way to use up leftover turkey! Turkey in creamy mushroom sauce is so easy and a big win in our family!

    Have a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving my friends! For more Thanksgiving recipes and inspiration you may LOVE the following posts:

    Q: What dish is the highlight of Thanksgiving dinner for you?
    I would love to hear from you in a comment below.

    Natasha Kravchuk

    Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

    Read more posts by Natasha

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    Comments

    • Kay Kurpjuweit
      November 7, 2023

      I appreciate the recipes above. and will try their method.
      On a recent river cruise they served a wonderful Cornbread and white bread combo dressing that was mild and had wonderful flavor.
      I always add cooked and drained Jimmy Dean Sausage to my dressing.

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        November 7, 2023

        Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

    • Sabina Cote
      November 16, 2019

      Natasha, I love all of your recipes and I love to watch your video’s too. I was wondering if you had a good easy Thanksgiving recipe for Dressing? I have struggled with this for years. My Mama made the best dressing, but unfortunately she isn’t with us any longer. And I never got her recipe. 😢 Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and videos. I am one of your biggest fans. ❤️

      Reply

      • Natasha
        November 16, 2019

        Hi Sabina, I wish I could help with that. We didn’t grow up eating dressing at Thanksgiving so I don’t have a great recipe yet, but when I come up with something truly wonderful, I will be sure to share it.

        Reply

      • Kristin Boruff
        November 21, 2020

        my father always used the Pepperidge Farm recipe on the back of the bread cube bag. Delicious!!

        Reply

      • Irene
        November 26, 2020

        I like mine with apples, bacon pieces, celery, carrots, giblets, and of course onion sautéed first. This year I am going to try addig a little bit of dried cranberries to the mix. I use a bone broth to moisten it. Everyone always loves it.

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          November 26, 2020

          Yum! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing that with us!

          Reply

    • Saro
      November 23, 2018

      Hello Natasha! Thanks to you this Thanksgiving my family and I feasted on the BEST, most DELISH, attractively fluffy and white mashed potatoes!!! I’ve honestly been trying for the past 3-5 years to make decent mashed potatoes to no success. I’ve learned from you that I was using the wrong potatoes, not using enough butter, needed hot not cold milk, and shouldn’t salt the water while they cook. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!! I’m going to subscribe to your family food blog and look forward to trying more of your excellent, clear, simple, recipes that I’m confident will yield more great results! I found the video on this recipe greatly increased my confidence while a house full of guests milled about! God Bless you😊👍

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        November 23, 2018

        I’m so happy you enjoyed that. It sounds like you have a new favorite! Thank you for sharing that with us!

        Reply

      • Debbie
        November 14, 2022

        I make my mashed potatoes like Mama always did. We use evaporated milk instead of regular milk. Delicious!!!

        Reply

    • Inna
      November 24, 2017

      Roasted asparagus and green beans on our table to go with the turkey and mashed potatoes!

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        November 25, 2017

        Yum, that’s delicious! 🙂

        Reply

    • Ilona C
      November 22, 2017

      thank you for all your awesome recipes!!
      they always turn out amazing
      i have never been disappointed !!!

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        November 23, 2017

        My pleasure! I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks for following Ilona!

        Reply

    • Belle
      November 21, 2017

      I visit your website to look for recipes to make for the holidays every year (or whenever there’s a special occasion) and you always come through with the best recipes that never disappoint. I love that I can always count on you, Natasha! Thank you so much!! I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!!

      Reply

      • Natasha's Kitchen
        November 22, 2017

        My pleasure Belle! Happy Thanksgiving to your family! Thanks so much for following and sharing your encouraging, thoughtful comments!

        Reply

    • Cindy
      November 21, 2017

      We love the leftover turkey pieces with the mushrooms. I have made that often when we have a turkey.
      May the Lord continue to bless you and your family and I am so glad he made it possible for you to come to America so you can share your traditional recipes with all of us. Happy Turkey Day!!!

      Reply

    • Cindy K.
      November 21, 2017

      I read in the comments that you wanted a good dressing recipe. We do not stuff our bird. It extends the cooking time, so over the years I have learned to simulate the dressing inside the bird by adding extra hot liquid.
      I buy two loaves of good buttermilk white bread. (I used to bake my own when I had more time) I cube it and drizzle olive oil over it and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I toast the bread in the oven until it is crisp. I do this several days before. On the day of the feast I saute onions and celery, melt a stick of butter, add about 24 o.z of chicken stock and heat until boiling. Take the liquid off the heat and add the bread, stirring until all of it is moistened. I then ask my husband for about a cup of turkey drippings from the pan. I admit these are estimations. I would start with less liquid and you can always add more. We like the dressing very moist. Season more with salt and pepper if needed.

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        November 21, 2017

        Thank you so much for sharing! That sounds wonderful!!

        Reply

    • Sharon S Faerber
      November 21, 2017

      The dressing with gravy poured over the top ! Yum !!!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        November 21, 2017

        OOOh do you have a good dressing recipe you could share? We don’t make dressing traditionally in our family, but I would love to start a new tradition!

        Reply

        • SR
          November 21, 2017

          My mom made the absolute BEST dressing. She never measured but I can tell you approximately.

          Pan of freshly made cornbread, crumbled
          Loaf of white bread, torn into small pieces
          3 cups cooked white rice
          4 large eggs
          1 bunch of celery, chopped finely including leaves
          1 large onion, chopped
          Small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
          Box vegetable, chicken, or turkey stock
          3 cubes of butter
          Salt, pepper

          Melt butter in very large pan. Add chopped onions, celery. Sauté until veggies are soft. Add 1 cup of stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

          Place cornbread, bread, and rice in a very large mixing bowl or roasting pan. Pour veggies/butter/stock from pan over bread and rice. Toss to coat. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in parsley. Mixture should be fairly wet. If it’s too dry, add more stock gradually.

          At this point, my mom always put a dab of the mixture into a pan and cooked it so she could taste the seasonings. Add more salt and pepper as needed.

          Cook stuffing separately in a roasting pan or place inside raw turkey.

          Note: my family does not like sage. But sage is commonly used in stuffing and could be added to butter step.

          Variations include adding chopped mushrooms or dried cranberries. But my mom just stuck to the basics and there was NEVER leftover stuffing. 🙁

          Reply

          • Natasha
            natashaskitchen
            November 21, 2017

            Woah that sounds awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing your Mom’s recipe! 🙂

            Reply

            • SR
              November 21, 2017

              OMGosh! I forgot that my mom did toast the white bread in the oven until it was completely dried out. So sorry! How could I have forgotten? She would do that in the evening on Wed and make extra. Then we would have Melba toast for breakfast on Thanksgiving. Sorry Mom!!

            • Natasha
              natashaskitchen
              November 21, 2017

              Ok thank you so much for clarifying! 🙂

          • Cindy
            November 21, 2017

            This very similar to my families recipe for stuffing. We ad marjoram and a tiny bit of sage to ours. It is to die for.

            Reply

            • Natasha
              natashaskitchen
              November 21, 2017

              Thank you for sharing that Cindy! 🙂

            • SR
              November 22, 2017

              That sounds good! I have never tried marjoram in my stuffing recipe.

              Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Treasure the moments.

    • Valya @ Valya's Taste of Home
      November 21, 2017

      Turkey and mashed potatoes for us 🙌

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        November 21, 2017

        YES!! It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving dinner without them!

        Reply

    • Jenny from www.jennyisbaking.com
      November 21, 2017

      Thanks so much for this overview, really helpful!

      Reply

      • Natasha
        natashaskitchen
        November 21, 2017

        You are so welcome!! 🙂

        Reply

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