The 13 Thanksgiving foods that matter, ranked, for 2024

Thanksgiving is the best food holiday of the year. Yes, I said it. Christmas ham, latkes during Hanukkah, and hot dogs on the Fourth of July are great. But none can compare to the ferocious feast that is Bird Day. And it’s not just because of the bird.

Turkey is obviously the food most associated with Thanksgiving – the bird eaten at the first Thanksgiving so American that Ben Franklin thought it should be the country’s national bird instead of the bald eagle. Luckily, we don’t eat any eagle on Thanksgiving, but we do eat lots of sides and desserts.

But which Thanksgiving food is the best? Before you sit down to dinner on Thursday, take a look at our rankings of the best Thanksgiving foods.

13. Green bean casserole

When done right, it’s amazing. It’s usually not done right. A boring vegetable mixed with canned soup and topped with fried onions out of a bag? No thanks.

12. Dinner rolls

They are a versatile food item, great for soaking up gravy and whatever else is left on your plate or for snacking on before the rest of the food is ready. But we eat bread every day, and we don’t get Thanksgiving food every day. Pillsbury rolls baked at home are better than store bought rolls, but still. Don’t stuff bread, friends.

11. Cornbread Casserole

My tyrannical editor insisted that I include this dish and wrote this gushing post that I can neither attest to nor deny: “Although this gooey treat isn’t on every Thanksgiving dinner table, it should be. It’s just the right mix of sweet and spicy, soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. And it’s more than simple to make: no more than five ingredients, the recipe is usually found on the back of the ‘Jiffy’ corn muffin mix box. Seriously, if you haven’t tried it, make some and bring it this year – you’ll be the new favorite cousin.”

10. Cranberry sauce (fresh)

It’s not Thanksgiving dinner without cranberries, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And a ton of cranberries are grown right here in the Garden State! They add a sweetness and tartness to the plate and go well with almost any other side. The fresh version of the sauce is good because the actual berries add texture to the mix.

9. Cranberry sauce (canned)

Watching cranberry sauce slide out of a can and onto a plate is a Thanksgiving tradition that rivals even the Thanksgiving Day Parade. What, your family doesn’t? Strange. It’s fun, and the soft, jelly-like texture combined with the sourness of the sauce makes it one of the unsung heroes of the holiday.

8. Gravy

Homemade? Amazing. Out of a can? Usually just as good. You don’t have to eat gravy for the rest of the year if you don’t want to. But if you don’t have it on Thanksgiving? You’re playing yourself. It’s the glue that holds everything together, and not just because it sometimes looks like glue. It saves the day if the turkey is cooked through and is best friends with mashed potatoes. The term is “good gravy” for a reason. Because it’s good.

7. Turkey

See. There will be no turkey slander here at NJ.com. Is it the best meat in the world? Absolutely not. But when is it done right? It is abundantly delicious. I’ve talked about turkey tips here, but for the uninitiated – don’t overcook or underseason the bird, don’t be afraid to try some dark meat, and don’t cover half your plate with turkey.

6. Macaroni and cheese

Show me someone who doesn’t like mac n’ cheese and I’ll show you someone who is lactose intolerant. But seriously, who doesn’t love that? It’s pasta and cheese. It’s basically foolproof. You can ask if it’s a Thanksgiving food, but I won’t hear you. I’m too busy eating my deep chunk of mac n’ cheese.

5. Sweet potatoes

Potatoes were already good. Then they made them cute! What will they think of next? The sweetest vegetable is pretty much universally loved. Even children like sweet potatoes. They are incredible in a casserole topped with brown sugar and marshmallows or delicious simply fried on their own. Heck, they’re even good in a pie.

4. Mashed potatoes

Of course you can have mashed potatoes whenever you want. But they really shine when served with the rest of a Thanksgiving meal. They are great on their own with just butter, even better with sauce and elite when paired with almost anything else on the plate. Also, don’t be afraid to put them on your Thanksgiving sandwich the next day.

3. Pumpkin pie

It’s basically the one time a year we eat pumpkin pie – why not eat it for Halloween? I differ. It’s a creamy and seasonal way to celebrate the holidays, with a lovely almost custard-like texture and a sensational taste. The best part? Even the worst pumpkin pie is pretty good. Sweet potato pie is not the same dessert, but it is quite similar and just as delicious.

2. Fruit tart

Pie is better than cake. And many of the best pies are fruit pies. Even apple pie, perhaps the most overrated pie (I said what I said) tastes incredible at Thanksgiving. Blueberry pie? Register me. Peach pie? You shouldn’t have! Cherry pie? Fantastic song. It’s not Thanksgiving without pie.

1. Filling

Stuffing is easily the Thanksgiving food with the highest approval rating. Everyone loves stuffing, and for good reason! It is undeniably delicious, very seasonal and almost always tasty. Everyone has their own spin on stuffing – a well-prepared sausage stuffing is a game-changer – but even straight out of the box it’s spectacular. Of all the foods on this list, these forkfuls of tasty heaven are the moments for which we are most grateful.

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Jeremy Schneider can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.