The 13 Thanksgiving foods that matter, ranked, for 2024

Thanksgiving is the best food holiday of the year. Yeah, I said it. Christmas ham, latkes during Hanukkah and hot dogs on the Fourth of July are great. But none compare to the gluttonous 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 that was eaten at the first Thanksgiving, so American that Ben Franklin thought it should be the country’s national bird instead of the bald eagle. Thankfully we aren’t eating any eagle on Thanksgiving, but we are eating plenty of sides and desserts.
But which Thanksgiving food is the best? Before you sit down to gorge yourself at dinner on Thursday, take a look at our rankings of the best Thanksgiving foods.
When it’s done right, it’s great. It usually isn’t done right. A boring vegetable mixed with canned soup and topped with fried onions out of a bag? No thanks.
They’re a versatile food, great for sopping 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 rolls bought at the store, but still. Don’t fill up on bread, friends.
My tyrannical editor insisted I include this dish, and wrote this gushing entry, to which I can neither attest nor deny: “While this gooey treat isn’t found on every single Thanksgiving dinner table, it should be. It’s just the right mix of sweet and savory, soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. And it’s beyond 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.”
It’s not a Thanksgiving dinner without cranberries, don’t let anyone tell you different. And a ton of cranberries are grown right here in the Garden State! They add a sweetness and tartness to the plate, pairing with just about every other side. The fresh version of the sauce is nice because the actual berries add texture to the mix.
Watching cranberry sauce slither out of a can and plop onto a plate is a Thanksgiving tradition that rivals even the Thanksgiving Day Parade. What, your family doesn’t do that? Weird. It’s fun, and the soft, jelly-ish texture teamed with the tartness of the sauce makes it one of the holiday’s unsung heroes.
Homemade? Amazing. Out of a can? Usually just as good. You don’t need to eat gravy 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 sometimes it kind of looks like glue. It saves the day if the turkey is overcooked and is best friends with mashed potatoes. The phrase is “good gravy” for a reason. Because it’s good.
Look. There will be no turkey slander here on NJ.com. Is it the best meat in the world? Absolutely not. But when it’s done right? It’s plenty delicious. I’ve talked turkey tips here, but for the uninitiated — don’t overcook or under-season the bird, don’t be afraid to try some dark meat, and don’t cover half your plate with turkey.
Show me someone who doesn’t like mac n’ cheese, and I’ll show you someone who is lactose intolerant. Seriously though, who doesn’t love it? It’s pasta and cheese. It’s basically fool-proof. You may question if it is a Thanksgiving food, but I will not hear you. I will be too busy happily eating my heaping glob of mac n’ cheese.
Potatoes were great already. Then they made them sweet! What will they think of next? The sweetest vegetable is pretty much universally beloved. Even kids like sweet potatoes. They are incredible in a casserole topped with brown sugar and marshmallows or delicious simply roasted on their own. Heck, they’re even great in a pie.
Sure, you can have mashed potatoes whenever you want. But they really shine when served with the rest of a Thanksgiving meal. They’re marvelous by themselves with just butter, even better with gravy and elite when paired with just about everything else on the plate. Don’t be afraid to stick them on your Thanksgiving sandwich the next day, either.
This is basically the one time a year we eat pumpkin pie — why don’t we eat it on Halloween? I digress. It’s a creamy and seasonal way to celebrate the holiday, with a lovely texture that’s almost custard-like and a sensational flavor. The best part? Even the worst pumpkin pie is pretty darn good. Sweet potato pie isn’t the exact same dessert, but it’s pretty similar and just as yummy.
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 on Thanksgiving. Blueberry pie? Sign me up. Peach pie? You shouldn’t have! Cherry pie? Terrific song. It isn’t Thanksgiving without pie.
Stuffing is easily the Thanksgiving food with the highest approval rating. Everyone loves stuffing, and for good reason! It’s undeniably scrumptious, very seasonal and is almost always tasty. Everyone has their own spin on stuffing — a well-prepared sausage stuffing is a game-changer — but even just straight out of the box it is spectacular. Of all the foods on this list, these forkfuls of savory heaven are the moments for which we’re most grateful.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.