Top 15 Thanksgiving Recipes

by Whitney Bond
November 12, 2021

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From drinks to appetizers, turkey to stuffing, these Top 15 Thanksgiving recipes are guaranteed to inspire your Thanksgiving menu for years to come!

collage of images showing popular Thanksgiving recipes

This week marked the 8th annual “Thanksgiving Week” on the blog. A week dedicated to delicious new twists on classic Thanksgiving recipes. I’m so excited for you all to make the recipes I shared this week, but I also wanted to share some of the most popular Thanksgiving recipes from the past 10 years of blogging!

I rounded up the Top 15 Thanksgiving Recipes by page views, and with everything from turkey to creamed corn, and stuffing to sangria, you’ll be able to plan your entire Thanksgiving menu on just this page!

While the key to planning a great Thanksgiving menu is filling it with delicious recipes, you’ll also need to be armed with great kitchen tools to pull off the big dinner!

I remember throwing my first Thanksgiving dinner in California and running out every hour on the hour to pick up things like meat thermometers and baking pans when trying to prep for the dinner! (Which is really not convenient, especially since at the time I was living in LA!)

That’s why I created this handy dandy Top 15 Thanksgiving Kitchen Tools List to save you all the hassle, and give you a list of everything you need, which can be ordered on Amazon to arrive before Turkey Day!

I went through every recipe on the Top 15 Thanksgiving Recipes list and pulled every kitchen tool you’ll need to make each recipe!

Top 15 Thanksgiving Kitchen Tools

Roasting Pan – you’ll need one of these babies to roast your turkey! Remember to base the size of your roasting pan on the size of the turkey you’ll be cooking!
Electric Carving Knife – a standard carving knife will do, but seriously an electric carving knife will change your life! I don’t just use mine on Thanksgiving, I use it every week throughout the year to slice bread, steak, pork and any other meats I’m cooking up!
Large Cutting Board – if this is not something you already own, grab one now, so you’ll have somewhere to slice the turkey!
Sauce Pan – a necessity for making cranberry sauce, gravy and more!
Mesh Strainer – I use a strainer to make the cranberry glaze for my Cranberry Glazed Turkey. They’re very inexpensive and great to have around all year!
Basting Brush – another very inexpensive tool that you’ll use to baste the turkey, brush egg wash on the Cheesy Mushroom Spinach Puff Pastry, and continue to use throughout the year!
Glass Pitcher – you might need two of these to double up on the Cranberry Apple Sangria! I promise it will be quick to go! 😉
Microplane Zester – probably one of the most underrated kitchen tools! I use my zester almost every day! I use it on Thanksgiving to grate fresh parmesan cheese on this Portobello Mushroom Brussels Sprout Casserole and to grate fresh orange zest into the cranberry glaze for the turkey!
Baking Sheet – it never hurts to have 3 or 4 baking sheets available on Thanksgiving to roast sweet potatoes, butternut squash or brussels sprouts!
Meat Thermometer – a must have kitchen tool for knowing when your turkey is done!
Slow Cooker – A slow cooker can help free up space in the oven on Thanksgiving, use it to make Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Stuffing, Crock Pot Creamed Corn or Slow Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirled Brownies for dessert!
Skillets – you’ll need a couple of good skillets on Thanksgiving to saute vegetables for the stuffing, puff pastry and brussels sprout casserole!
Baking Dish – you’ll need a 9″ x 13″ baking dish to prepare the Caramel Apple Bread Pudding, a must-make Thanksgiving breakfast or dessert recipe in my book!
Mixing Bowls – you’ll basically need mixing bowls for everything, make sure you have a few on hand!
Food Processor – a blender can be used instead, but I love having my food processor on hand to make everything from pesto to salad dressings!

While you’re online, picking up all of the tools you need for your Thanksgiving recipes, might as well grab some of the items on your grocery list as well! The less items on your list, means less time at the grocery store fighting the crazy crowds the week of Thanksgiving! #Winning