10 Southern Thanksgiving Recipes Everyone Will Enjoy

There is more to Southern cooking than just more butter. In fact, there are some truly unique Southern Thanksgiving recipes that everyone can enjoy. Your traditional Thanksgiving dinner can become a whole lot more diverse with these recipes.

You don’t have to be from the South to enjoy Southern Thanksgiving recipes that will send your guests back for seconds. The Thanksgiving feast is pretty straightforward across the board. We all have turkey, veggies, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Southern Thanksgiving tables have a lot of the same dishes. There isn’t a table in the country that doesn’t have a green bean casserole waiting for you. However, the simple ingredients of a common Thanksgiving dinner are changed in the South.

This holiday meal may have every classic dish, but a typical Southern Thanksgiving dinner menu is put together differently. A great example would be the sweet potatoes. The sweet potato casserole is often the same, but the Southern style means adding more brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

The topping is then made with pecans or a crumble instead of just marshmallows. That’s just one example of how Southern Thanksgiving recipes are slightly different from the recipes you are familiar with making during the holiday season.

Then, there are a few dishes that are very different. Some of us have never experienced soul food before, but soul food comes from the South as well. Collard greens, pineapple casserole, spoonbread, when was the last time you enjoyed spoonbread?

Chances are never if you aren’t from the South. There are plenty of recipes to try, whether you try a new take on a family favorite or something entirely new. Southern food is an excellent addition with delicious flavors that are perfect for special occasions during the holiday season.

Southern Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving menus aren’t completely different in most cases. It is usually just adding more seasonings. However, things do start at the top of the menu and can work their way down to dessert.

One way to kick things off with a Southern dish on Thanksgiving is with Southern deviled eggs. Deviled eggs are pretty straightforward, but the Southern twist bumps them closer to being the ultimate comfort food. They aren’t quite there, but they could be for some.

There is a Southern recipe for rolls, too. In fact, you can choose between a classic Southern cuisine staple, yeast rolls, instead of regular rolls. Of course, we want to get a little more Southern with our bread, so why not go for a classic spoon bread recipe?

The big day will be filled with delicious flavors, but spoon bread is almost a must. Spoon bread is believed to be a Native American recipe traditionally called Awendaw. It was turned into a Southern dish when Sarah Rutledge put it in a cookbook in 1847.

Some people may be wondering where the cornbread is; we can’t talk about Southern-style bread for a Thanksgiving spread without talking about cornbread.

Thanksgiving Southern Sides

​Finding Southern Thanksgiving recipes is easy, just like finding Southern cornbread recipes. However, cornbread is too boring for most in the South. Instead, we need even more flavor, even more from our side dishes at Thanksgiving.

That’s why the cornbread can be found in the best Southern cornbread dressing recipe. This recipe takes cornbread and takes it to an entirely different level. The perfect side dish is whichever one ends up being completely finished by the end of the night on Thanksgiving.

Some people may even ditch the dessert table just to eat more sides. How about an easy recipe for another Southern classic? The Thanksgiving collard greens recipe is a soul food recipe. Soul food is an African American cuisine that originated in the South.

Collard greens or greens are a dish that is not only nutritious but delicious; it might even be the most popular side dish with a family recipe that has been passed down through generations.

We can also go with something a little more common that is in need of an overhaul: green beans. Green beans are a Thanksgiving staple, but this Southern-style green bean casserole takes that cream of mushroom soup to a new level.

Thanksgiving Sweet Tooth Recipes

The best part of Southern Thanksgiving recipes is not the bread or the veggies. The best part is not even the giblet gravy recipe, which should be on everyone’s table this Thanksgiving.

Instead, it is the sweet tooth side dishes that bring many of us to the table. Why enjoy something as boring as cranberry sauce when you can take those cranberries and use them in a fantastic cranberry fluff salad recipe?

In fact, sweet potatoes will get revamped here as well. Yes, we can still make a classic sweet potato casserole, but we can also make a delicious sweet potato fluff recipe for something entirely different.

Thanksgiving menus don’t always have to be the same exact things every year. Don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new. How about an exciting blueberry grits recipe? The one tip for making new recipes for Thanksgiving is to test them out ahead of time.

You can bring the food to holiday gatherings once you’ve nailed the recipe down.

More Holiday Recipes

Best Crockpot Thanksgiving Sides Everyone will Enjoy | There is nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, Southern style or not.

Easy Leftover Turkey and Noodles Recipe | Thanksgiving often comes with a lot of leftovers. Time to put them to good use.

Easy and Delicious Crockpot Thanksgiving Recipes | Employing the crockpot to lend a helping hand on the big day is a great idea.

The Best Hot Cocoa Crockpot Recipes | We can even use the crockpot to help us make drinks to enjoy with dinner.

Lil Smokies Recipe with Grape Jelly and BBQ Sauce | Some holiday appetizers bring the sweet and the savory together.