You’d better believe we’re going all out for the food-centric holiday.

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The Serious Eats Team

At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.

Published November 10, 2025

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

I can’t count the number of times I’ve been editing a new Serious Eats recipe or perusing our archives and thought, “Oooh, I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving!” The hard part is narrowing down which recipes I will actually make this year. All of my coworkers have the same problem, but I still forced them to pick just one must-make Thanksgiving dish for this list I’ve gathered below.

Whether you haven’t started on your menu or you’re looking to slot in just one more dish to round out the holiday meal, we hope this peek at our own Thanksgiving favorites will offer some inspiration. Take a look through our picks, and then head on over to ourThanksgiving page for all of your other Turkey Day needs.

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Serious Eats / Eric Kleinberg

“These are a must-make in our household. I honestly can’t remember a year when we didn’t cook them. The shatteringly crisp skin is a nice foil for all the rich, creamy, and soft food on the table. I’ll be honest: I don’t even miss mashed potatoes.” —Rochelle Bilow, editor

Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

“The ONLY consistent thing in my family’s approach to a holiday meal is there will be deviled eggs. We’ve never ventured outside the tried and true traditional form, but this year I’m going bold. And by bold I mean making Craig Ruff’s deviled egg dip. It’s risky, I know, but we all need to be willing to try new things, and this dip looks delicious.” —Amanda Suarez, associate director, visuals

“I’m doing a Friendsgiving dinner this year and our theme is ‘bangers only,’ meaning we’re only making recipes that are guaranteed to be incredible (no sad veggie trays or blah canned green bean casserole allowed). To assuage the turkey haters in the group, I’ll be swapping birds and making this luxuriously rich confit using my immersion circulator. It only takes about five minutes to put together, so I’ll have more time to devote to the rest of our (bangin’) spread.”* —Ashlee Redger, writer*

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

“I know, I know—so boring. But my Thanksgiving spread isn’t complete without a big bowl of fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes! The turkey and stuffing is great, but it’s the endless mashed potatoes that I really look forward to eating.” —Genevieve Yam, senior editor

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Serious Eats / Debbie Wee

“My family loves cheesecake—there’s always at least one on the table at any big gathering—but the flavor is never the same twice. In past Thanksgivings, I’ve baked everything from a Basque-style cheesecake to the now-classic pumpkin version. This year, I’m eyeing Tim Chin’s epic burnt orange sweet potato cheesecake. I’ve had the pleasure of editing and baking Tim’s recipes for years, and I know that if he developed it, it’s guaranteed to be great. Its fiery hue alone is reason enough to make it, but I’m especially excited for how the sweet, earthy flavor of the sweet potatoes will play against the tangy cream cheese base.” —Leah Colins, senior culinary editor

Serious Eats / Niedle Creative

“I’ve got my eyes on Nermine Mansour’s recipe for Egyptian kar’ assali, a baked dish of spiced pumpkin puree topped with a sweet, custardy bechamel and nuts, coconut flakes, and raisins. It sounds like a welcome change for the standard sweet potato casserole, a little less sweet since there are no marshmallows on top, but still fragrant with spice and luxurious in texture.” —Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

Serious Eats / Qi Ai

“I always need something green, fresh, and vegetable-forward on the Thanksgiving table, and this just-published make-ahead-friendly recipe fits the bill perfectly. I’m going to a friend’s for dinner, so I also like that I can serve the cheese on the side in case there are any vegans among the guests. It’s also naturally gluten-free. And, most importantly, it sounds damn delicious.” —Megan Steintrager, associate editorial director

[Image: Vicky Wasik].

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

“Every Thanksgiving, I’m on potato duty—by choice and by necessity. I try not to be a food snob most of the time, but mashed potatoes bring it out of me. I have very specific rules: no ‘healthy’ swaps that skimp on butter or milk/cream, the potatoes must be dried before mashing, and no lumps allowed. On Thanksgiving, I usually make pommes purée instead of basic mashed potatoes—they’re smoother, richer, and feel worthy of the holiday. Since I don’t trust my loved ones to follow the potato rules, I’ll be on mashed potato duty every Thanksgiving till the end of time.” —Laila Ibrahim, associate culinary editor