Ina Garten's Top 10 Thanksgiving Recipes of All Time (2024)

  • Recipes

Lauren Masur

Lauren Masur

Lauren was the Groceries Editor for Kitchn.

Follow

updated Nov 22, 2023

facebook

pinterest

email

comments

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

For those of you looking for a one-stop shop for all the recipes to include on your Thanksgiving table, look no further than this roundup of Ina Garten’s 10 most popular Turkey Day recipes. Our food team even gave a few of them a test drive, and SPOILER ALERT: Not a single one disappoints. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Ina, but a reminder every now and then can’t hurt.

So without further ado, here’s a list of the best Ina Thanksgiving recipes — and why you should make them.

If Ina’s roast turkey is anything like her roast chicken, it’s the stuff of legends. Her Thanksgiving bird is seasoned liberally (of course) with salt and pepper; stuffed with thyme, halved lemons, quartered onions, and garlic; and then brushed with a dreamy, zesty, herby butter mixture. We tested out the recipe ourselves, and it delivered on all its promises.

Read more: I Tried Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Turkey (and Brine)

This Thanksgiving essential is next-level, thanks to an entire stick of butter, yummy sourdough bread cubes, diced Granny Smith apples, and Italian sausage. Make your life a little easier and make it ahead.

We are officially riding the Ina Garten gravy train. Her secret ingredients? Cognac and white wine — and of course onions, butter, flour, turkey drippings, and chicken stock. I can’t wait to pour this into my mashed potato volcano.

Speaking of mashed potato volcanoes, there’s no one that makes ’em better than Ina. They’re luscious, rich, and have a hint of tang, thanks to the addition of sour cream. Our Associate Food Editor Kelli Foster tested out the recipe and rated it a 10 out of 10. She said “If I could eat just one mashed potato recipe for the rest of my life, it would be Ina’s.”

Read more: I Tried Ina Garten’s Classic Mashed Potatoes

It’s pretty much impossible to cook an entire Thanksgiving spread in just one day, so consider lightening your load and preparing a few things in advance. (Ina’s an expert on this.) Cranberry sauce is a great make-ahead option, since you can pop it in the fridge when it’s done. Ina’s sauce is perfect for those who prefer tart over sweet, since it’s made with both lemon and orange juice and zest.

Don’t swap out regular mashed potatoes for Ina’s smashed sweet potatoes just yet — because you’re going to want BOTH. Ina’s sweet potatoes are baked to perfection, mixed in with orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, then baked again until heated through.

Ina’s pumpkin pie is topped with rum whipped cream. I repeat, RUM WHIPPED CREAM, made with “good dark rum, such as Mount Gay.” Is it time for dessert yet?

Out of all of the green bean recipes that our food team tested these past few weeks, Ina’s won out by a mile. According to Assistant Food Editor, Sheela Prakash, this recipe might sound fancy, but it’s actually super straightforward and only takes 20 minutes to prepare. “They also looked the most impressive and tasted the best — the garlicky gremolata made them downright irresistible.

Read more: I Tried Ina Garten’s Green Beans Gremolata

You heard it here first: Ina Garten’s Perfect Pie Crust delivers on all of its promises. If you’re intimidated by homemade pie crust, don’t be — Ina breaks it down so that even a beginner baker will feel confident in the process. Associate Editor Meghan Splawn tested the crust out herself and agrees that this crust reigns supreme.

Read more: Who Wins the Title of “Best Pie Crust Ever”?

Your guests are likely split down the middle in terms of pumpkin versus apple pie preferences, so it’s wise to have both in the mix. Fans of Ina’s deep-dish apple pie call it “the best apple pie recipe ever.” In Ina we trust.

Filed in:

Ina Garten

Recipe Roundup

thanksgiving

Ina Garten's Top 10 Thanksgiving Recipes of All Time (2024)

FAQs

What is the most important meal on Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey. Some would say a turkey is the most important food item at the table. A turkey is the center of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, 88 percent of Americans eat Turkey on Thanksgiving, with 46 million Turkeys eaten on the holiday.

What is the least favorite dish for Thanksgiving? ›

According to the poll by Tastes Better from Scratch, green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole were the least-liked Thanksgiving side dishes.

What is the number 1 rated side dish for Thanksgiving? ›

Mashed potatoes are a traditional Thanksgiving side dish for a reason, and we definitely look forward to serving up this delicious dish every November.

What are 5 traditional Thanksgiving foods? ›

If you're lucky, there might even be leftovers to enjoy the next day!
  • 01 of 51. Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy. ...
  • 02 of 51. Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever. ...
  • 03 of 51. Buttermilk-Brined Turkey. ...
  • 04 of 51. Classic Candied Yams. ...
  • 05 of 51. Cornbread Dressing. ...
  • 06 of 51. Turkey Gravy. ...
  • 07 of 51. Classic Cranberry Salad. ...
  • 08 of 51. Yeast Rolls.
Jul 6, 2022

What was the original traditional Thanksgiving dinner? ›

There are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a bounty of cod and bass, and flint, a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.

What is the main meal for most Americans on Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, to the point that Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called "Turkey Day." Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that "no citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day", and Benjamin Franklin had high regard for the wild turkey as an ...

What is the best order to cook Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Thanksgiving Day:
  1. Defrost premade bread. ...
  2. Chill wine and beer.
  3. Prepare the stuffing stuffing. ...
  4. Roast the turkey. ...
  5. Prepare other side dishes while the turkey roasts. ...
  6. Remove the fully cooked turkey from the oven and rest it for 1 hour. ...
  7. Make the gravy.
  8. Re-heat anything that needs to be warmed.
Oct 20, 2021

What is the famous meal of Thanksgiving? ›

Classic Thanksgiving Recipes

Stuffing, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie: there are so many delicious dishes that deserve a place on the table each year—including the turkey, of course! This butter-basted bird is stuffed with onion, celery, carrots and apple for a lightly-seasoned main that's tender and juicy.

What is the most important food on a Thanksgiving table? ›

When it comes to the big Thanksgiving feast, we consider the roast turkey and the sweet potato casserole as sides to the STUFFING. A good stuffing makes or breaks Thanksgiving dinner, and this one will absolutely make your holiday meal all the better. Get the Classic Stuffing recipe.

What are the 3 traditional foods Americans eat during Thanksgiving? ›

Millions of people across the United States will sit down to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes, squash, corn, and cranberries. These foods have become synonymous with Thanksgiving, but how did they end up on tables from Maine to California?

What is the most popular Thanksgiving meat? ›

Turkey is a classic main course for Thanksgiving dinner, but that certainly doesn't mean you have to serve it every year.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Arielle Torp

Last Updated:

Views: 5953

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arielle Torp

Birthday: 1997-09-20

Address: 87313 Erdman Vista, North Dustinborough, WA 37563

Phone: +97216742823598

Job: Central Technology Officer

Hobby: Taekwondo, Macrame, Foreign language learning, Kite flying, Cooking, Skiing, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.