17 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What Thanksgiving dishes can be prepared ahead of time? ›

Traditionally, the food is prepared on Thanksgiving day and is completed 20–30 minutes ahead of being served. But you could prepare some components a week in advance. If you do a turkey, it is at its best fresh out of the oven. But you could do it a week in advance and just reheat it.

2 Days Before:

Assemble casseroles. Sweet potato or green bean casseroles can be stored uncooked in the fridge and baked on Thanksgiving. Bake rolls and breads. Make pie crust or thaw your pie crust; bake pumpkin pies.

If you don't plan on stuffing the bird, but preparing the dressing as a side dish, you can prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time as long as you freeze the stuffing immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. USDA recommends that you never refrigerate uncooked stuffing.

It's easy: Simply cook it a day or two in advance, let it cool completely, then carve the bird into large pieces—breasts, wings, thighs and drumsticks. Store in a container in the refrigerator until the big day. This method actually result in juicier meat—and an infinitely more relaxed host.

You can make the mashed potatoes a few hours before dinner, and then keep them warm on the stovetop. When you should start cooking: A couple hours before dinnertime.

That's why we love getting a jump-start with one or several make ahead Thanksgiving sides. From stuffing to potato sides to cranberry sauce, rolls, and more, we've got 54 make ahead Thanksgiving sides that can be prepped, assembled, or even totally cooked anywhere from a day to a month in advance.

You haven't said whether you are going to cook the stuffing inside the bird or out, but it's fine to make almost any stuffing a few hours before you'll need it. The important thing is to keep it properly chilled so that bacteria won't have a chance to grow in it.

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.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving has long been known as "Blackout Wednesday," according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and depending on your local bar's drink specials, it might be called "Drinksgiving," "Black Wednesday," "Thanksgiving Eve," "Wacky Wednesday," "Whiskey Wednesday," or " ...

Is it OK to make cornbread dressing ahead of time? ›

We have found that cornbread dressing tastes best re-heated the next day, so technically, you can make this dish one day early, refrigerate it and then re-heat over very low heat before serving. In our family, I make it the morning of Thanksgiving and let it rest before re-warming and serving.

The day before Thanksgiving means travel, traffic — and, for many families, takeout. Cooking another meal the night before the impending feast isn't high on many of our priority lists, which explains why the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest pizza nights of the year across the country.

3 Days Out

Defrost your turkey in the refrigerator over the course of the next three days. When it's defrosted (or if you're starting with a fresh bird) you can start the flavoring process with a simple dry or wet brine. Shop for perishable ingredients like vegetables and any fresh herbs.

Make-ahead mashed potatoes are a great option for the holidays. You can do nearly everything — boil, peel, and mash; stir in milk and salt — up to two days ahead. Before serving, reheat.

When serving your turkey the next day, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline advises that cooked turkey may be eaten cold or reheated. To reheat your turkey, USDA gives the following recommendations: In the Oven: Set the oven temperature no lower than 325°F.

Transfer the turkey and mashed potatoes into oven-safe dishes, add a little stock to the turkey and butter to the potatoes, and cover both dishes. Reheat them together for about 30 minutes at 350°F. You're winning the leftover dinner game right now.

88% say they plan to purchase food for Thanksgiving, with the most popular items being turkey or turkey breast (59%), dinner rolls or bread (54%), holiday pies (52%), stuffing/dressing (50%) and vegetables (48%)