27 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes That Will Save You Time

Published Nov. 16, 2020Updated Nov. 20, 2025

When planning a festive Thanksgiving menu, it’s important to take into account time and real estate as much as taste. What will fit in the oven or stovetop on the big day, and what can you make in advance? Whether cooking for one, two or a few, these make-ahead recipes, along with a little planning and strategy, will minimize your day-of tasks.

Credit…Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.

This dip from Andy Baraghani is a green, herbaceous relief from all the hearty, brown food you’ll be eating. It’s also a wonderful party appetizer, regardless of the season.

DO AHEAD: Make the dip and then refrigerate for up to three days. When ready to serve, top with pistachios, chile, flaky salt and olive oil, if desired.

Recipe: Green Feta Dip

An overhead shot of a baking dish full of sweet potato casserole, topped with browned marshmallows and layered with pecans. There is a serving spoon in the dish. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Eric Kim went on a quest to make the perfect sweet potato casserole, and, yes, it does have marshmallows on top. It’s savory and subtly sweet, thanks to bay-leaf-infused cream that goes in the potatoes.

DO AHEAD: Assemble the casserole up to two days ahead. To serve, bake for 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven and then broil for one to two minutes until the marshmallows are browned (but not a moment longer).

Recipe: Marshmallow-Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole

An overhead shot of a copper bowl of mashed potatoes, flecked with black pepper. — Credit…Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

These mashed potatoes from Genevieve Ko actually get silkier as they chill, with the help of a few smart techniques. The key is to break up the potatoes gently — by hand or with a mixer’s paddle attachment — so that not too much starch is released.

DO AHEAD: Make the potatoes and then store them in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, place in a large bowl over steaming water. Add a thin layer of milk on top of the potatoes and stir every 10 minutes until creamy and heated through. Stir in more milk or butter, and season to taste again before serving.

Recipe: Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

A plate of cheesecake bars stacked on top of one another. They have flaky dough layers as well as a creamy cheesecake layer in the center. — Credit…Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.

These Southwestern-inspired bars from Maria Kitsopoulos, a cellist with the New York Philharmonic, need only store-bought crescent roll dough, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, butter and cinnamon to come together. Their delicate crunch cuts through the typical soft and squishy puddings, cakes and pies on the table.

DO AHEAD: Bake and then refrigerate for up to three days until you’re ready to serve.

Recipe: Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

An overhead shot of a bowl of chunky cranberry sauce. — Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Christina Lane.

Consider this the platonic ideal of a cranberry sauce. Melissa Clark’s recipe is sophisticated but not too complicated and yields a wonderfully tart result, if you don’t like your cranberries too sweet.

DO AHEAD: Make the sauce on the stovetop and then chill for three to five days before serving.

Recipe: Red Wine Cranberry Sauce With Honey

An oval baking dish full of corn pudding with corn kernels. There is a serving spoon in the dish. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Custardy, buttery and satisfying, this corn bake recipe from Christina Tosi calls for a box of corn muffin mix and canned ingredients that you can buy well in advance of the holiday. Just mix everything together in one big bowl and bake.

DO AHEAD: Bake and then cover and refrigerate for up to a week in advance. When you’re ready to serve, reheat it in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes.

Recipe: Christina Tosi’s Corn Bake

An overhead shot of unbaked pie crust covering a pie dish. — Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Laurie Ellen Pellicano.

Rushing to make from-scratch pie dough is every home cook’s nightmare. Claire Saffitz’s recipe reduces some of the stress. It comes together in 10 minutes and then chills for two hours. As one reader writes, “Coming from the perfect pie crust recipe after a frenzied morning-before-Thanksgiving blind-baking disaster, this recipe is a godsend.”

DO AHEAD: Put together the dough and then refrigerate for up to three days before baking. You can also freeze this up to two months in advance and thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Recipe: Flaky Pie Crust

An overhead image of salad in a blue bowl, with sliced celery and celery leaves, sliced apples, chopped pecans and pieces of blue cheese. There is a fork in the bowl — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

This five-star recipe brings fresh, assertive flavor to the Thanksgiving table and has enough texture to hold up overnight in the fridge.

DO AHEAD: Assemble the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar so you can simply shake before serving. Toss your sliced celery, apples and celery root with just enough vinaigrette to form a light coating, which will prevent them from oxidizing. Refrigerate both elements overnight and then assemble just before the big meal.

Recipe: Celery Salad With Apples and Blue Cheese

A bowl of bright yellow-orange soup topped with yogurt and chives sits on a light gray background. To the right is a spoon. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Inspired by a stew common in much of West Africa, Yewande Komolafe’s pumpkin soup has earthiness from peanut butter, brightness from ginger and heat from fresh chiles, all united by creamy coconut milk.

DO AHEAD: Make it a few days in advance to enjoy as a simple Thanksgiving lunch while the main meal comes together, or serve small portions as a warming appetizer.

Recipe: Spicy Peanut and Pumpkin Soup

A wooden serving bowl holds lemon-garlic kale salad with slivered almonds and Parmesan. A silver spoon and fork are in the bowl. Additional almonds are in a small measuring cup nearby, as is a striped napkin. — Credit…Craig Lee for The New York Times

Kale can easily weather a night in the fridge without wilting into oblivion, and this salad helps offset a (tasty!) sea of starches on the table. Use any leftovers to perk up turkey sandwiches, turkey soup or grilled cheese.

DO AHEAD: Prep the greens and dressing a day or two in advance, refrigerating them separately overnight. Assemble just before serving.

Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad

A side shot of a slice of pumpkin tiramisu on a plate. There is a fork in the background. — Credit…Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.

Tiramisù is an ideal make-ahead candidate because it gets better the longer it sits. This fall-flavored option from Carolina Gelen is made of chai-soaked ladyfingers and a whipped pumpkin-date mascarpone cream.

DO AHEAD: Assemble the tiramisù and chill in the fridge for up to four days.

Recipe: Pumpkin Date Tiramisù

An overhead shot of a dish full of 12 round bread rolls topped with everything seasoning. — Credit…Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle.

When it comes to carbs, some households swear by store-bought family favorites for simplicity, while those with avid bakers have freshly baked bread. These rolls from Erin Jeanne McDowell bridge that divide: The everything bagel topping makes them unique enough to justify the effort. (Just think of all the sandwich combinations you can craft with leftovers.)

DO AHEAD: Bake them up to a day or two in advance. To reheat, simply wrap the rolls in a damp paper towel and microwave in 15-second bursts until steamy.

Recipe: Everything Parker House Rolls

An overhead shot of a baking dish of mashed potato casserole, topped with bread crumbs. There is a spoon in the dish. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

There are many strong opinions out there on whether mashed potatoes can be made in advance — and conflicting methods on how to store them — but nearly 2,000 readers have given this recipe five stars. Melissa Clark mashes her potatoes with a generous amount of sour cream and butter, folds them into a baking dish and refrigerates them until mealtime. Her trick to keep them moist when reheating? Top — and protect — the creamy spuds with a crisp crust of cheesy bread crumbs before baking.

DO AHEAD: Cook the potatoes, assemble the casserole, wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator a day or two before Thanksgiving.

Recipe: Mashed Potato Casserole

Two apple cider whoopie pies with a layer of cream cheese filling, on a plate. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Spiced like apple pie and pressed around a cream cheese filling, these tiny autumn cakes from Samantha Seneviratne are an absolute delight.

DO AHEAD: You can prepare them a day in advance and set them aside at room temperature before serving, but beware: They are highly snackable, and the cream cheese might help justify eating them for breakfast.

Recipe: Apple Cider Whoopie Pies

An overhead shot of a baking dish of bread pudding, studded with mushrooms and topped with melted cheese and sage leaves. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

This visual masterpiece from Susan Spungen is as practical as it is stunning. Serve any leftovers for brunch, or match them with a zingy green salad for supper.

DO AHEAD: You can assemble it a day in advance, refrigerate overnight and then bake just before serving.

Recipe: Mushroom Bread Pudding

An overhead image of sliced roasted carrots topped with almonds. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

The roasted carrots in this bright dish from Sue Li lend themselves especially well to advance cooking because they are equally good hot or at room temperature.

DO AHEAD: Roast the carrots a day or two ahead. To reheat, quickly tuck them into a hot oven, warm them in a microwave or simply remove them from the fridge and bring to room temp. Top them with chives, toasted nuts, ginger and vinegar just before serving.

Recipe: Five-Spice Roasted Carrots With Toasted Almonds

An overhead shot of a pan of gravy, with a wooden spoon in the pan. On the side are a small bowl of nutritional yeast and a pepper grinder. — Credit…Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

This easy gravy from Eric Kim doesn’t require turkey drippings, which means you can get a head start by preparing it in advance. It relies on a base of caramelized red onion, with an optional teaspoon of nutritional yeast for a savory boost.

DO AHEAD: Eric recommends making this the day before Thanksgiving and then reheating it in the microwave or on the stovetop when you’re ready to serve.

Recipe: Umami Gravy

A side shot of an apple pie bar, with another bar in the background. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Flavored with cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, these hand-held pie bars from Genevieve Ko are topped with a buttery walnut crumble. They are delicious, and a back-pocket dessert for ambitious cooks with big day-of plans.

DO AHEAD: Though these bars are best fresh out of the oven the day they are baked, they can be sliced and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to a month ahead.

Recipe: Apple Pie Bars

An overhead shot of a baking dish full of green bean casserole, topped with bread crumbs and fried onions. — Credit…Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Millie Peartree’s green bean casserole takes inspiration from the classic three-ingredient dish, but bumps up the flavor by adding roasted mushrooms and a Parmesan-based cream along with Cajun spices and nutmeg. This is not a dish of crisp-tender greens; they will be soft and creamy, and the topping will provide all the crunch you crave.

DO AHEAD: Shorten the bean roasting time by a few minutes, prepare your sauce and stash both separately in the refrigerator up to a day ahead. Reheat them gently together in a saucepan, slip the mixture into your baking dish, top with the cheesy bread crumbs and fried onions and broil until bubbly.

Recipe: Roasted Mushroom and Green Bean Casserole

An overhead shot of assorted turnips and winter squash on a black plate, topped with pine nuts. — Credit…Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

These roasted root vegetables from Sean Sherman’s collection of 10 essential Native American recipes are seasoned with sage and sweetened with agave.

DO AHEAD: The vegetables can be cooked through Step 2 and then cooled and chilled one or two days in advance. To reheat, set them on a baking sheet, cover them tightly with aluminum foil and roast gently at 400 degrees until warmed, about 15 minutes. Then proceed with Step 3, brushing with agave and cooking until glossy.

Recipe: Roasted Turnips and Winter Squash With Agave Glaze

An overhead image of a sheet-pan of golden brown, scalloped gratin. The gratin has been cut into eight pieces, and one has been removed. — Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

By baking these potatoes on a sheet pan, not only does Melissa Clark maximize the surface area of the gratin to boost browning and caramelization, she thoughtfully saves you time on the front end and the back end: It’ll cook — and reheat — faster than denser dishes.

DO AHEAD: You can assemble the gratin up to four hours before baking. Store it, loosely covered, in the fridge. The gratin can also be baked four hours ahead, kept uncovered at room temperature and then reheated in a 450-degree oven until the top is shiny.

Recipe: Scalloped Potato Gratin

A shiny, red Bundt jelly sits on a white plate. There is a dish of whipped cream in the top right corner. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

What would Dolly do? Make this ruby-red jelly mold, that’s what. Her recipe includes some retro touches, like crushed pineapple, chopped celery and chopped pecans, and is bound to delight at the table.

DO AHEAD: Once the gelatin mixture is in the mold or Bundt pan, refrigerate for up to 24 hours before unmolding.

Recipe: Dolly Parton’s Cranberry Mold

An overhead shot of a baking dish full of panade, topped with soft bread and melted cheese. There is a spoon in the dish — Credit…Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson.

Samin Nosrat describes panade as “the French country cook’s answer to stuffing.” Though many stuffings can lose their structure when prepared in advance, her recipe relies on sturdy stale bread, caramelized onions and layers of melted Gruyère.

DO AHEAD: Unlike your typical stuffing, this can be refrigerated for up to three days and reheated for indisputably delicious results.

Recipe: French Onion Panade

An overhead shot of a bowl of chunky cranberry-orange relish. There is a spoon in the bowl. — Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

This cranberry relish from Martha Rose Shulman doesn’t require any cooking. Pulse the cranberries, orange segments and nuts in a food processor with some honey until they break into itty-bitty pieces, and your sauce is set.

DO AHEAD: Refrigerating it for a few days helps the flavors meld. (Most cranberry sauces will hold up well refrigerated for a few days.) You can punch up the flavor with fresh ginger and orange zest — or tame it with warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon or five spice — just before serving.

Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Relish

A sweet potato casserole pie with a cookie crust, on a cake stand. It’s topped with lightly browned marshmallows. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Inspired by — you guessed it! — sweet potato casserole, Jerrelle Guy presents a convincing case that this classic dish is best enjoyed in pie form.

DO AHEAD: Prepare your foundation of crunchy ground pecans and custardy roasted sweet potatoes and refrigerate up to two days in advance. Come dessert time, top it with marshmallows and broil for a few minutes until it’s golden in spots.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole Pie

A tall, layered pumpkin cake covered with caramel sits next to two slices on white plates. Arranged around them are clear glasses filled with a light liquid. — Credit…Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Yossy Arefi’s recipe requires some time, but the payoff is as spectacular as it looks.

DO AHEAD: The cake can be prepared, assembled and refrigerated a couple of days in advance. Bring it to room temperature before serving, or slice and wrap chilled pieces to share, as the stiff buttercream will make them sturdy enough to deliver to friends, family and neighbors.

Recipe: Pumpkin Layer Cake With Caramel Buttercream

An overhead shot of a wheel of scones sitting on parchment paper. To the left, one of the scones sits on a plate. — Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Plenty of Gruyère and toasted walnuts make these scones from Yossy Arefi worthy of the Thanksgiving table. As the cheese melts, some of it escapes onto the pan and crisps into irresistible fricolike edges.

DO AHEAD: Bake and then store in an airtight container for up to two days. If you’re working farther in advance, freeze them (cool completely first) and warm when you’re ready to serve.

Recipe: Gruyère and Black Pepper Scones