These 10 elegant Thanksgiving side dishes are rich, bright, colorful, and easy to create! With vegetarian options, as well as vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, and low-carb, you’ll have an easy time finding a perfect side dish for every guest!
These recipes make traditional favorites a little more special, a little more refined, and perfectly elegant. Tailor-made sauces and simple decorative touches spruce up these Thanksgiving standards just so, without adding a lot of time to your preparation!
Help yourself to my favorite, elegant Thanksgiving sides!
1. Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Smoked Paprika Candied Pecans
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans
These Brussels sprouts with bacon, cranberries and smoked, candied pecans are the ultimate Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish! They’re baked in bacon fat till crispy, then mixed with cranberries and candied pecans, spiced with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper!
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2. Thanksgiving Salad with Beet, Pear & Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Thanksgiving Salad with Beet, Pear and Apple Cider Vinaigrette
This roasted beet and pear salad is a perfectly seasonal and colorful salad recipe for Thanksgiving!
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3. Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto with Caramelized Onions
Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto with Caramelized Onions
This pumpkin risotto with balsamic caramelized onions is a creamy, delicately autumn-spiced masterpiece! The easiest, and tastiest autumn side dish for Thanksgiving or any decadent autumn dinner party!
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4. Stuffed Acorn Squash with Farro and Mushrooms
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Farro and Mushrooms
This stuffed acorn squash with farro, mushrooms, kale and red onion is an exquisite fall side dish that looks beautiful and tastes so exciting!
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5. Baked Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese
Baked Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese
These roasted garlic mashed potatoes are baked to perfection! Heavenly soft and fluffy on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside – this extra special potato side-dish will deliciously complete a cozy dinner party spread, or be one of the tastiest stars of your Thanksgiving or Christmas menus!
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6. Massaged Kale Salad with Apple
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheddar & Parmesan
Roasted cauliflower with crispy, sharp white cheddar and freshly grated parmesan is one of my favorite side dishes for cozy, Autumn dinner parties and Thanksgiving!
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7. Pesto Zucchini Rosettes
Pesto Zucchini Rosettes
These baked pesto zucchini appetizers are made with puff pastry, Boursin cheese and 2 pretty colors of zucchini. They take less than an hour to make, you can make them a whole day ahead of time and they can easily be made vegan!
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8. Pumpkin Rice with Fall Vegetables
Pumpkin Rice with Fall Vegetables
This creamy pumpkin rice recipe includes roasted cauliflower, sautéed zucchini and red onion. Made with wild rice, canned pumpkin puree and a little parmesan to make it creamy, this exquisite Fall side dish will impress every guest at Thanksgiving or the Halloween dinner party!
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9. Homemade Bread Stuffing with Anjou Pear and Mushroom
Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing with Anjou Pear and Mushroom
This traditional homemade bread stuffing recipe is moist and crunchy, flavorful and packed with earthy herbs and spices. The very best stuffing for turkey, duck, chicken or Cornish game hen!
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10. French Green Beans with Shallots and Sesame Ginger Sauce
French Green Beans with Shallots and Sesame Ginger Sauce
These blistered French green beans with shallots and sesame ginger sauce make a perfectly elevated Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish!
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Wendy
Where is the recipe that was on the bottom right? It looked like pastry with zucchini ribbons swirled inside. Thank you!
Genevieve Morrison
It’s funny, I updated this post only last night and removed it by mistake. I’ve put it back. It’s #7 🙂