15 Recipes for a Small Thanksgiving Dinner with All the Classics (2024)

Gluten-Free Greek Turkey Breast

If you don't want the friends at your small Thanksgiving dinner to miss out on the turkey experience, try serving a turkey breast instead of an entire bird. This Greek-inspired recipe will suit your classic Thanksgiving menu, but it only serves six, so you won't be overwhelmed with leftovers like you might with an entire bird. T

Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins with Cherries and Pancetta

This is the ultimate small Thanksgiving entree recipe, no bones about it. Literally! With smaller and boneless turkey tenderloins, you can have your six-serving centerpiece on the table in a fraction of the time (just about an hour). The cherry-sage couscous stuffing and pancetta topping elevate this main dish to gourmet territory.

Vegan Charcuterie Board

Hosting guests with different dietary needs doesn't have to be stressful. Assemble this vegan charcuterie board using fresh fruit, pickles, vegan cheeses, and plant-based meats. Everyone can pick what they want! Add crackers or crusty bread to round out this easy Thanksgiving appetizer.

Test Kitchen Tip: Use small ramekins to separate things like olives, pickles, and jams.

Cheesy Wild Rice Casserole

So creamy, tasty, and easy to make! This delicious side dish can be assembled and refrigerated up to two hours before baking, then add a few extra minutes to the cooking time. The vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe will make meat lovers and vegetarians happy when it makes its debut at dinner. And leftovers the next day will be just as good!

Sticky Roasted Carrots with Citrus

Every Thanksgiving dinner needs vegetable side dishes, and this serves-four carrot recipe will make a great addition to your table. (Not to mention it calls for just 15 minutes of prep time!) With a sweet-spicy punch from honey and chiles de arbol, plus the refreshing citrus kick, everyone will be asking for seconds.

Buttered Stuffing with Mushrooms

If you're lucky enough to have leftovers of this buttery, herb-scented small Thanksgiving recipe, reheat the next day and put an egg on it for brunch. It's the perfect addition to your small Thanksgiving dinner gathering.

Test Kitchen Tip: Don't have—or don't want to use—white wine for this stuffing recipe? Trade in an equal amount of broth.

The Anything Green Chopped Salad

Here's a great idea for holiday potlucks: Prep cut-up vegetables separately in resealable bags, then unpack them on a platter just before serving. We're always looking for ways to make our holiday meal prep easier, so this salad is a surefire winner. It's also a tasty and pretty dish to bring if you're attending a Thanksgiving potluck this year!

Pressure Cooker Mac and Four Cheeses

Save precious oven real estate and time, and still savor a side of cheesy mac. This reasonably-portioned side dish is your solution! It calls for four kinds of cheese (cheddar, gouda, Parmesan, and Swiss) and zero oven room since it practically preps itself in the pressure cooker.

Mushroom Salad with Soy Vinaigrette

If you're looking for a pretty salad to round out your small Thanksgiving dinner menu, try this spinach combo with its Asian-inspired sesame-soy dressing. It'll also bring some unexpected umami to your classic Thanksgiving menu, thanks to a full pound of sliced mushrooms (a quarter pound per person) in the mix of veggies. Toss this salad before your turkey comes out of the oven, so it hits your table at the peak of freshness.

Pumpkin Soup with Lentils

You don't have to wait until dessert for pumpkin recipes to make an appearance at Thanksgiving. Savory golden-orange soup is a festive first course, especially when you warm things up with a complex mix of seasonings, including curry powder, cumin, fresh ginger, and freshly-grated nutmeg. Chicken broth and olive oil add body to the soup's flavor, while canned pumpkin keeps it smooth and creamy.

Bulgur-Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

This hearty vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe serves four and calls for just two acorn squashes. Fill the roasted halves with a seasonal blend of bulgur wheat, tart, dried cherries, and toasted hazelnuts. Finish the dish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a drizzle of orange juice.

Cinnamon Roll Sweet Potato Pie

Put extra sweet potatoes to brilliant use in this eye-catching Thanksgiving pie recipe that feeds eight. (Or likely, a few less, if it's at our house.) The cinnamon roll topping looks intricate and impressive but is actually a cinch to recreate. Brush one refrigerated pie crust with melted butter, dust with cinnamon-sugar, and roll into a spiral. Slice rounds and you have stunning "shingles" to top your small Thanksgiving dessert.

Apple-Cranberry Pie

Don't choose just one fruit to be the star of your Thanksgiving pie—pick two! Apples and cranberries nestled in a flaky piecrust are an unbeatable pairing and a great finish to any small Thanksgiving dinner. Opt for a sturdy, tart apple variety such as Granny Smith to play nicely with the sweet-tart cranberries.

Caramelized Pear Skillet Cake

If you want to take a break from Thanksgiving pie, this skillet cake is the tastiest substitute you'll find. While it serves 10, we think the cast-iron recipe is the ideal dessert for a small Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving celebration. Everyone will be anxious to enjoy round two of the caramel-bourbon sauce-topped treat for brunch the next day!

Bourbon Stout co*cktail

Round out your small family Thanksgiving menu with a creamy bourbon-based co*cktail. Finish the fall co*cktail with sweet chocolate stout, vanilla, and milk. As one reviewer shared, the drink makes "a great dessert beverage".