5-Ingredient Thanksgiving Recipes To Make The Holiday Just A Bit Easier

Thanksgiving cooking can be a bit stressful. There’s a lot of dishes to juggle, and each one often has a few components, and a laundry list of ingredients to prep. It’s no wonder home cooks are always looking for time-savers, shortcuts, and kitchen hacks for making the big holiday dinner a little easier. Of course, you don’t want to sacrifice any of the time-honored classics for the sake of ease, but sometimes its nice to incorporate a few unfussy recipes alongside the family favorites. That’s where these 5-ingredient recipes come in. If you don’t count a few staples, like salt, pepper, oil, or water, all of these recipes require only a handful of ingredients, which makes cooking easier and the grocery shopping a little less expensive, too.

Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

These mashed potatoes may not use very many ingredients, but the key ingredient the recipe does include is cream cheese, which gives these spuds a creamy texture and tangy taste.

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Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

It doesn’t get any easier than a 2-ingredient biscuit. Now you have no excuse to buy the canned kind.

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Photographer: Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Props Stylist: Christina Brockman

A quick trip to the oven turns this simple combo of noodles, butter, milk, cheese, and flour into a gooey Thanksgiving side everyone will love.

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Greg Dupree

This silky smooth gravy starts with turkey drippings, and then uses good-quality stock and flour to turn it into an easy topping for mashed potatoes, turkey, dressing, and more.

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Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living

If you’re looking for a new way to serve green beans this Thanksgiving, try this easy recipe made with super savory Parmesan cheese and bacon.

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Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

Sometimes simple is best, and these baked sweet potatoes prove just that. Although delicious just served with butter, you can top them with any of your favorite toppings including other dishes on the Thanksgiving table, like a dollop of cranberry sauce.

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Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

If oven space is tight, turn to this slow-cooker recipe that will have even the picky eaters excited to eat green beans this year.

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Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Rainbow carrots, if you can find them at your local grocery store, really take this simple side dish to the next level.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Mashed potatoes might be the Thanksgiving default, but these just as easy and super crispy spuds are great way to mix things up this year.

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Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Deviled eggs are a year-round food in the South. Have a plate of this classic appetizer ready for when guest arrive, so they have something to nibble on while you put the final touches on Thanksgiving dinner.

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Courtney West/Southern Living

Some people prefer canned cranberry sauce, but if you’re on team homemade, this is the recipe for you. Ready in under an hour, and only requiring 5 ingredients (not counting salt), you can easily wow guests with it’s fresh flavor that you just won’t get with the store-bought stuff.

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Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood

There are countless ways to prepare a turkey. You can smoke it, fry it, grill it, and more, but sometimes a Simple Roasted Turkey without all the bells and whistles is all you really need.

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photographs by ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; RECIPE: ANNA THEOKTISTO; FOOD STYLING: RUTH BLACKBURN; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINA DALEY

Brussels sprouts get a bad rap, but this recipe will help rectify that. Crispy, cheesy, and not at all mushy, these will convert even the staunchest Brussel sprouts haters.

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Emily Laurae/Southern Living

Yukon gold and russet potatoes aren’t the only spuds good for mashing. Add a little color to the Thanksgiving table with this orange mash that is just as delicious loaded with gravy as regular mashed potatoes.

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photographs by ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; RECIPE: ANNA THEOKTISTO; FOOD STYLING: RUTH BLACKBURN; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINA DALEY

Sweet, salty, and crisp, this vegetable side has it all. The best part? The recipe is ready in 20 minutes and doesn’t take up any oven space. And if you don’t count the salt and pepper, it only requires 5 ingredients.

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Greg DuPree

Making bread from scratch can be a lot of work, but not with this recipe. Not only does it not require many ingredients, but it doesn’t even require any kneading.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

A classic holiday appetizer, cheese straws require a little patience while piping, but otherwise mostly uses pantry staples and can be made in the days before Thanksgivng.

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Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

Whether you want cornbread on the Thanksgiving table, or you just want to bake a fresh batch for dressing, this 5-ingredient rendition is an easy way to make the classic from scratch and not turn to a mix.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Maple is a fall flavor we just can’t get enough of. It even makes vegetables like Brussel sprouts infinitely better.

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Rob Culpepper; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Assistant Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Sometimes store-bought is best, and this easy version of the classic Thanksgiving casserole proves it. This green bean casserole uses canned soup and premade crispy onions, and we don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

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Related: Our Favorite Traditional Recipes To Serve on Thanksgiving

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