25 Easy Thanksgiving & Holiday Side Dishes With 5 Ingredients or Less
Looking for quick & easy side dishes for Thanksgiving or Christmas? These 25 easy holiday sides are made with 5 ingredients or less – perfect for a stress-free holiday feast!
Fun fact – growing up, my family never ate dinner together at the table. We usually ate it standing around the kitchen island or sitting on the couch watching TV. Even when I visit my parents’ house today, dinner is usually served on the couch 😅
Except for Thanksgiving and Christmas – the only two times of the year we sit down to eat dinner on the table! It’s an extra special occasion and we go all out getting everything ready for the big feast.
But we try to focus on making simple dishes that are fairly quick & easy to make so we can spend less time cooking and more time relaxing. The holidays are busy enough – cooking shouldn’t add to the stress!
🫕 Looking for more holiday recipes? Here are 25 easy holiday appetizers made with 5 ingredients or less!
In this post, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite 5-ingredient holiday side dishes. They’re perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Friendsgiving, New Years, holiday gatherings, dinner parties, and potlucks!
I’ve included a variety of side dishes on this list – potato recipes, casseroles, veggies, pastas, and rolls. There’s something here for everyone, including kids and picky eaters!
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🦃 More 5-Ingredient Thanksgiving Recipes
- Cottage Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Holiday Prep & Cleaning Checklists
- Thanksgiving Appetizers
- Thanksgiving Desserts
- Thanksgiving Side Dishes
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Best Tools & Kitchen Gadgets for Holiday Cooking
I’m a total sucker for holiday-themed servingware. Not only do these make great holiday gifts, but they’re also going to make your life so much easier while making & serving these Christmas appetizers!
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Easy Thanksgiving Potato Side Dishes
1. Cottage Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are my absolute favorite Thanksgiving side dish! These high protein cottage cheese mashed potatoes are a healthier spin on the classic, but still creamy, buttery, and delicious!
2. Crack Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Potatoes, chicken, and cheese make a delicious comfort food casserole. I love making this for game days, but it’s also a super easy last-minute casserole you can whip up for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Even picky eaters are going to love this one.
3. Sweet Potato Casserole
I dream about eating sweet potato casserole all year long. The mini marshmallows on top are just yummm! You can whip up this easy sweet potato casserole with just a few ingredients and in less than 1 hour.
Recipe source + credit: The Kitchn
4. Cheesy Potato Casserole
This is an easy 5-ingredient comfort food recipe that you can eat all year round! It’s also a perfect Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish that picky eaters and kids will love.
Recipe source + credit: Eating on a Dime
5. Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
Here’s another easy 5-ingredient mashed potato recipe! This is a crockpot version you can set and forget while you’re cooking up the rest of your feast. For more easy crockpot recipes, check out this post featuring 25 High Protein Crockpot Dinners With 5 Ingredients or Less!
Recipe source + credit: Yellow Bliss Road
6. Crispy Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
Add these yummy 5-ingredient air fryer garlic parmesan potatoes to your holiday menu! They’re incredibly easy to make and taste cheesy, garlicky, and delicious.
Recipe source + credit: No Plate Like Home
Easy Thanksgiving Casseroles
7. Corn Casserole
This is one of the easiest corn casserole recipes I’ve seen on the internet. Just use Jiffy corn muffin mix and frozen corn to create this delicious dish that’s ready in a pinch.
Recipe source + credit: Cucina by Elena
8. Green Bean Casserole
Another classic Thanksgiving casserole that’s pretty simple to make! This recipe is made with just 5 ingredients and perfect even for beginners.
Recipe source + credit: Plain Chicken
9. Easy Stuffing
You can’t have a Thanksgiving dinner without stuffing! There’s a bajillion stuffing recipes out there, but this one from The Kitchn is made with just 5 ingredients. I’m terrible at making stuffing from scratch, so this is usually my go-to shortcut recipe!
Recipe source + credit: The Kitchn
10. Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
This simple 3-ingredient cheesy broccoli casserole is cheesy and delicious – no Velveeta required!
Recipe source + credit: Urban Farmie
11. Chicken & Stuffing Casserole
If you’re looking for a dump and bake casserole, look no further. This is a simple, no-fuss cozy casserole that’s perfect for beginners.
Recipe source + credit: Andi Anne Recipes
Easy Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dishes
12. Air Fryer Zucchini Sticks
These super easy zucchini sticks can be made using an air fryer or you can bake them in the oven. They’re quick, easy, crispy, and delicious!
13. Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Make these bright, nutrient-packed roasted Brussels sprouts that are flavored with a super easy 5-ingredient marinade. It’s sweet, salty, crispy, and delish!
Recipe source + credit: Keeping the Peas
14. Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots
Just 3 ingredients are all you’re going to need for these mega easy garlic butter roasted carrots. They’re a yummy, buttery side dish that’s going to brighten up any holiday table.
Recipe source + credit: Love In My Oven
15. Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
How cute are these little bacon-wrapped bundles?! They’re so easy to make, even for beginners, and look so elegant!
Recipe source + credit: Life Full and Frugal
16. Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower
These parmesan-crusted cauliflower florets are crunchy, crispy, and cheesy! Pop them in the oven for an easy side dish that everyone’s sure to love.
Recipe source + credit: Eat With Carmen
17. Caramelized Brown Butter Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is one of my favorite veggies to cook in the fall. This delicious butternut squash is so simple to make, even for beginner cooks. Plus, it tastes buttery and delicious! Here are 15 more 5-ingredient butternut squash recipes that are great for Thanksgiving!
Recipe source + credit: One Lovely Life
Easy Thanksgiving Pasta Side Dishes
18. Butternut Squash Ravioli with Cream Sauce
I’ve been making this creamy butternut squash ravioli on repeat this fall! It’s so easy to whip up even on a busy fall weeknight, plus there’s no heavy cream involved. This would make a great dish for Thanksgiving as well – especially for the kids table!
19. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Fall and winter are my favorite seasons to make a cozy pot of mac and cheese. This is a healthier, high protein version that has cottage cheese added in, which makes this mac extra creamy.
20. Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
This super easy creamy 5-ingredient pumpkin alfredo pasta is made without any heavy cream! It’s a lightened up pasta side dish that’s sure to be a hit with both kids and adults!
21. Cheesy Tortellini Bake
Simple pasta bakes like this one are a quick, fuss-free dishes you can make even last minute!
Recipe source + credit: The Savvy Spoon
Easy Thanksgiving Breads & Rolls
22. Dinner Rolls
This super easy 3-ingredient dinner roll recipe is ready is just 20 minutes and doesn’t require any yeast or proofing! Don’t let the mayonnaise scare you – it actually makes these dinner rolls soft and yummy.
Recipe source + credit: Little Home in the Making
23. Garlic Knots
Ditch the frozen rolls this holiday season and make these super easy garlic knots that just need 4 ingredients! You don’t have to be an expert baker to make these easy peasy garlic knots.
Recipe source + credit: Kathleen’s Cravings
24. Easy 3-Ingredient Biscuits
These fluffy biscuits take 20 minutes and just 3 simple ingredients! They’re so yummy and a great last minute addition to the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.
Recipe source + credit: The Feathered Nester
25. Cheesy Garlic Herb Pull Apart Rolls
Elevate a package of frozen dinner rolls with this easy recipe. You’ll want to make extras because this one is sure to be a crowd favorite!
Recipe source + credit: Blue Bowl Recipes
🍂🍁 More 5-Ingredient Fall Recipes
