What to Serve with Turkey (Best Side Dishes)

What to serve with turkey comes down to a handful of classic pairings: creamy potatoes, roasted vegetables, a proper stuffing, and something sweet-tart like cranberry sauce to cut the richness. If you are planning a full Thanksgiving spread or just a Sunday roast turkey dinner, this list of side dishes takes about the same time to read as it does for your bird to rest, so pick your favorites while you wait.

This roundup pairs naturally with my turkey rub recipe if you're still deciding how to season the bird, and once dinner's over, my guide on how to carve a turkey breast will get you through the table without a struggle. For more ideas beyond this list, browse the rest of my side dishes collection.

Potato Side Dishes to Serve with Turkey

Potatoes and turkey are a classic pairing because the starch soaks up gravy the way nothing else does; a good potato side is nonnegotiable on the plate.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole With Bacon

Creamy mashed potato base loaded with bacon and cheese, baked until the top turns golden. Works well for a crowd since it holds on a buffet without drying out.

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Oven Roasted Baby Potato Recipe

Small potatoes roast fast and crisp up on the outside while staying tender inside, no boiling or peeling required. A lower-effort starch when the oven is already full of turkey.

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Sous Vide Potatoes with Rosemary

Precision-cooked potatoes come out evenly tender edge to edge, then get a quick pan-sear for color. Good option if you already have the sous vide setup running for something else.

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Vegetable Side Dishes to Serve with Turkey

Vegetable sides balance the richness of turkey and gravy; roasting or glazing brings out natural sweetness that plays well against savory meat.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli

Both vegetables roast on one pan with olive oil and salt until the edges caramelize. Cuts down on oven-juggling during a big meal.

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Crispy Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

Sprouts get boiled, smashed flat, then roasted so every piece has a crisp, cheesy edge. More textural payoff than plain roasted sprouts.

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Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

Quick-roasted asparagus with a bit of char on the tips. Adds a green, bright note to a table full of heavy browns and creams.

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Hot food stays at 140F or above and cold food at 40F or below; that's the rule I teach every holiday. Shop the warmers, chillers, and thermometers that keep a buffet safe from the first plate to the last.

Stuffing, Dressing, and Grain Sides for Turkey

Stuffing and dressing carry the herbs and drippings that make turkey taste like turkey!

Vegetable Stuffing Recipe

A vegetarian stuffing built on sautéed vegetables and herbs instead of sausage, good for guests avoiding meat in the stuffing itself.

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Seasonal Favorite

This is my award-winning Crisco pie crust recipe; flaky, tender, and made with simple ingredients you already have.

Crisco Pie Crust

Salads to Serve with Turkey

A fresh salad cuts through a heavy plate; the acidity and crunch give your palate somewhere to reset between bites of turkey and gravy.

Classic Hot Bacon Dressing (Pennsylvania Dutch Style)

Warm, sweet-tangy bacon dressing poured over spinach right before serving so the leaves wilt slightly. A Pennsylvania Dutch classic that reads as vintage-holiday on a Thanksgiving table.

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Amish Broccoli Salad with Cauliflower, Bacon & Raisins

Raw broccoli tossed in a creamy, slightly sweet dressing with bacon and cheese. Make-ahead friendly, which matters on a day when oven space is the bottleneck.

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Orange Fluff Salad

A retro whipped gelatin-and-fruit salad, the kind that shows up on grandma's holiday table. Leans into nostalgia rather than being a health-forward salad, which is the point.

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English Pea Salad with Bacon and Cheddar

Creamy English pea salad with sweet peas, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, and red onion in a tangy dill dressing. Make it up to a day ahead.

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Sauces, Gravies, and Condiments for Turkey

Turkey is a lean protein, so sauce is not optional; gravy and cranberry sauce both add moisture and a hit of flavor turkey does not bring on its own.

Turkey Gravy from Drippings

Made directly from the roasting pan drippings so nothing goes to waste. The most direct payoff for the time spent roasting the bird.

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Classic Giblet Gravy

A traditional route that uses the giblets for deeper flavor, for readers who want the old-school version.

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5 Minute Cranberry Sauce (Just 3 Ingredients!)

Simple, fast, and correctly tart rather than cloyingly sweet. A good counterpoint to how rich the rest of the plate gets.

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Cranberry Apple Chutney

A chunkier, more savory-leaning cranberry option with apple and warm spices. Good for readers who find plain cranberry sauce one-note.

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Cranberry Salsa With Jalapeno And Citrus

A brighter, more textured cranberry option with citrus and jalapeño, good for a table that wants something less traditional.

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Bread and Rolls to Serve with Turkey

Warm bread rounds out the table and gives you something to mop up the last of the gravy; keep it simple so it does not compete with everything else.

Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls

A frozen-dough shortcut that still gets a from-scratch result with the right proofing and baking technique. Practical for a day with too much else happening.

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Cranberry Orange Bread

A quick bread with cranberry and citrus that doubles as a bread-basket option or a lighter breakfast the next morning.

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I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!

Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 18 years, Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

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