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Thanksgiving comes down to oven space. These 30+ make-ahead Thanksgiving side dishes can all be prepped, assembled, or fully cooked before the big day, so the only thing competing for the oven on Thursday is the turkey. Start with the make-ahead mashed potato casserole, slow cooker green bean casserole, and cornbread dressing — those three alone take most of the pressure off.
Several of these are actually better made early, because a day in the fridge gives the flavors time to settle together. I have sorted them by what they are, so you can fill in the gaps in your menu and work backward from there.
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Pin RecipeHow Far Ahead You Can Make Each Dish
Oven space on Thanksgiving day gets crowded fast. Do yourself a favor and make some — or even all — of your sides before the big day. Lots of these dishes even taste better made ahead of time, because it gives the flavors a chance to really develop together.
As a rough guide: casseroles assemble one to two days ahead and bake the day of, or freeze up to a month out. Potatoes and cooked vegetables keep three to four days cooked. Gravy, cranberry sauce, and anything jello-based are all better the day before. Rolls and cornbread freeze best of all.
Potatoes
1. Make-Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole
This one was built for exactly this job. Assemble the whole casserole, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake it the day of while the turkey rests.
2. Classic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes hold beautifully for a few days. Warm them with a little extra butter stirred through and they taste like they just came off the stove.
3. Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Mix up a big bowl, cover it, and keep it in the fridge for up to four days. A few minutes in the microwave and they are ready for the table.
4. Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Layer the potatoes a day ahead and refrigerate the dish unbaked. Give it a little extra time in the oven since it is going in cold.
5. Easy Cheesy Potatoes
One of the most requested sides on my site, and one of the easiest to do in advance. Assemble, chill, then bake the day of.
6. Amish Funeral Potatoes
Funeral potatoes, hashbrown casserole, cheesy potato bake — whatever you call them, they assemble ahead and bake straight from the fridge.
Sweet Potatoes and Yams
7. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Make the sweet potato base ahead and freeze it, then thaw overnight. Add the marshmallows and pecan topping right before it goes in the oven so they stay perfect.
8. Sweet Potato Soufflé
Lighter than a classic casserole and just as make-ahead friendly. Mix the filling a day early, then bake the day of.
9. Yam Casserole
A good one for a crowd. Put it together the day before, refrigerate, and reheat covered so the pecans on top do not darken too much.
Corn and Cornbread
10. Corn Pudding
On the sweeter side, which makes it the dish picky eaters go for first. It freezes well, so this is one you can make weeks out.
11. Corn Soufflé
Five ingredients and almost no work. Stir it together the night before, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake it the day of.
12. Scalloped Corn
An old-fashioned side that reheats without drying out. Bake it a day ahead and warm it covered until it is hot through.
13. Cheesy Cornbread Casserole
Somewhere between cornbread and a casserole, and it holds up either way. Make it ahead and warm it, or freeze it weeks out.
14. Homemade Cornbread
Bake the cornbread, cut it into squares, and keep it in an airtight container or the freezer until the big day.
Green Beans and Vegetables
15. Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
The slow cooker frees up the oven, which is the whole problem on Thanksgiving. Add the crispy onions right before serving so they stay crunchy.
16. Southern Green Beans with Bacon
Green beans cooked low and slow with bacon only get better sitting overnight. Make them a day or two early and reheat gently.
17. Honey Glazed Carrots
Sweet, savory, and they reheat beautifully, which is why they end up on my holiday table so often. Make them a few days in advance.
18. Broccoli Casserole
Assemble it ahead and keep it in the fridge. Bake it the day of so the cheese on top is melty and just starting to brown.
19. Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
Hearty enough to feed a crowd and forgiving about reheating. Make a big pan and warm it covered.
20. Cauliflower Au Gratin
A restaurant-worthy vegetable side you can put together in advance. Reheat it covered, then uncover at the end to crisp the top.
21. Creamed Spinach
The secret to how creamy this gets is a block of cream cheese. Make it ahead and warm it slowly on the stove so it does not separate.
22. Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
Cook them ahead, then crisp them up in a hot oven right before everyone sits down. Worth doubling — they disappear.
Stuffing and Gravy
23. Cornbread Dressing
If you have never made dressing with cornbread, start here. The flavors settle in overnight, so making it ahead genuinely helps it.
24. Sausage Stuffing
Assemble it a day or two early and reheat it in a low oven so it does not dry out. Cover it until the last few minutes.
25. Sausage and Apple Stuffing
Sweet and savory at once. Make it a few days ahead and reheat low and slow to bring the apple back up to its best.
26. Turkey Gravy
Nobody wants to be making gravy while the turkey is resting. Make it ahead, refrigerate it, and whisk it over low heat to loosen it back up.
Rolls and Bread
27. One-Hour Dinner Rolls
Bake the rolls ahead and freeze them. Warm them in a low oven right before dinner so they come to the table soft and toasty.
28. Parker House Rolls
Buttery, foldable, and freezer-friendly. Bake, cool, and freeze, then reheat wrapped in foil.
Cranberry and Cold Sides
29. Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is better made ahead, and it makes the whole house smell like the holiday while it simmers. It keeps for days in the fridge, or freeze it.
30. Cranberry Jello Salad
This one has to be made ahead — it needs hours in the fridge to set. Make it the day before and forget about it.
31. Creamy Pistachio Salad
Mix it, chill it, serve it. Nothing to reheat and nothing to cook, which is exactly what you want on a day when the oven is full.
Tips for Making Sides Ahead
- Cool a dish completely before it goes in the fridge or freezer, or the steam turns the topping soggy.
- Hold crunchy toppings back — crispy onions, pecans, marshmallows, breadcrumbs — and add them right before baking or serving.
- Reheat covered with foil so nothing dries out, then uncover for the last five or ten minutes to bring the top back.
- A casserole going into the oven cold needs longer than the recipe says. Start checking about 15 minutes past the stated time.
- Label anything headed for the freezer with the dish and the date, and plan on thawing it in the fridge overnight.
- If you are short on oven space, move at least one side to the slow cooker or the stovetop.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Once the sides are handled, the rest of the menu is the easy part. My most popular Thanksgiving recipes has the full food list by course, and easy Thanksgiving side dishes covers the ones best made the same day. For the main event, there is roast turkey, turkey brine, and how to roast vegetables if you want to keep it simple. Afterward, leftover turkey recipes will get you through the weekend.
Not cooking for a holiday? My make ahead side dishes roundup covers the same idea for parties and weeknights.
Which of these is going on your table this year? Leave a comment and let me know — and if you make one, come back and give it a star rating so other readers know what to try.
