Potlucks can be a lot of fun, particularly during the holiday season. Make one dish, enjoy many dishes. These Thanksgiving Potluck Recipes include easy main dinner entrees, side dishes, and desserts. Use these Thanksgiving Potluck ideas for a friendsgiving or family gathering.
Potlucks can be a lot of fun, particularly during the holiday season. You’re only responsible for making one dish, but you get to enjoy many dishes! And this puts less stress on the hostess—after all, putting a Thanksgiving dinner together for a large group can be intimidating!
What should I bring to a Thanksgiving Potluck?
The best thing about a fall potluck is you immediately have a theme – Thanksgiving. That makes what to bring to a Thanksgiving potluck rather limited. Thanksgiving pot luck ideas typically include the main dishes, vegetable side dishes and a savory dessert. It’s important when planning a Thanksgiving Potluck to come up with a Thanksgiving menu. This can be done where food is already listed and people sign up or you can list the food you plan to make and bring to the party. This will ensure no one brings the same recipe – It would be a bit scary to end up with 22 roast turkey breasts (those poor birds.)
Sign Up Genuis is an excellent tool for planning a Friendsgiving Potluck with family, coworkers and/and friends. You can invite guests, have some Thanksgiving games to bring, and allow them to sign up for something from a list of Thanksgiving Potluck recipe ideas. This can include a list of Thanksgiving dishes or a list of ingredients like whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, apples and more. In this case, everyone would gather and prepare the the Friendsgiving meal ideas together.
Tip: If you’re hosting or helping with a Friendsgiving dinner, check out our Friendsgiving Thanksgiving Ideas with tips and tricks to throw a memorable holiday meal with your friends.
Thanksgiving Potluck List
To help you create the best Thanksgiving Friendsgiving , we have put together some amazing Thanksgiving Potluck Ideas. You’ll find plenty of Thanksgiving recipes for interesting, delicious, can’t-miss tastes to take to your Turkey Day festivities. The hard part will be choosing which dish to try first!
Take a look at this Thanksgiving Potluck List of ideas including main Thanksgiving dishes, classic sides and Thanksgiving dessert recipes.
Main Dish Ideas
Raise your hand if you’ve never roasted da turkey. If turkey + oven sounds a bit scary then these Turkey Cranberry Sliders will be a big hit for any Thanksgiving get-together! You can even use leftover turkey to make them, which is a great way to work your way through all that turkey in November. If you have turkey already prepped, these sliders only take about 25 minutes to put together and prep. Turkey, swiss or cheddar cheese, cranberry sauce, garlic powder and sweet rolls covered in butter and poppy seeds—what could be better? | Blackberry Babe
If turkey isn’t your thing (unbelievably, there are people out there who hate turkey), then these Ham and Cheese Sliders may be right up your alley. They’re hot, melty perfection that’s made even better with a garlic butter sauce slathered all over the bread. Yum! | Sweet Tea and Thyme
Looking for an easy recipe for a turkey breast? Try this Instant Pot Turkey Breast. Making it in the Instant Pot leaves your oven available for making other delicious foods. The turkey breast comes out juicy and perfectly cooked in about an hour and a half. | Easy Budget Recipes
If you’re forgoing turkey in its traditional form on Thanksgiving, these Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs are a terrific alternative, especially for an appetizers-only sort of gathering. Ground turkey, bell pepper, and fresh herbs are mixed up and fried to perfection in the Air Fryer. They’re a terrific choice for people who are following keto, low-carb, paleo, or gluten-free diets. | Recipes from a Pantry (See our Air Fryer Cheat Sheet)
Side Dish Ideas
Don’t miss our post on 25 Mouthwatering Thanksgiving Side Dishes while you check out the recipes below. You’ll find some real winners that you’ll come back to year after year.
Want to get kids to eat their veggies? They won’t be able to resist when you make it this fun! This Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Tray will be the hit of your get-together. If you’d like an alternative to ranch dressing, try hummus instead! | Eating Richly
Take a classic Thanksgiving side dish to a new level using fresh ingredients. This French Green Bean Casserole is creamy, cheesy, and packed full of flavor thanks to the fresh sauteed mushrooms, shallot rings, bacon, and Gruyere cheese. | Boulder Locavore
Deviled eggs are a crowd favorite, and while you can find many interesting takes on this dish, nothing beats Classic Deviled Eggs for a holiday get-together. Make double the amount you think you’ll need; they always go quickly! | Delicious Meets Healthy
Make a large batch of dinner rolls for your Thanksgiving potluck in just one hour. Really! These 1 Hour Dinner Rolls are not only easy to make, but the entire recipe only costs about $3.32 to make, so it’s one of the most affordable dishes you can make to help out with the Thanksgiving feast. | Easy Budget Recipes
Baked Mac and Cheese is a winner with adults and kids alike. The sauce is creamy, cheesy, and so good; even the pickiest eaters will find it irresistible. Homemade mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, isn’t it? | Food, Folks, & Fun
Potatoes that need no draining or peeling? Sign me up! These Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are a creamy, fluffy, one-pot dish that’s sure to make the crowd happy. Just cook the potatoes, release the pressure, add the remaining ingredients, and mash it all together. It doesn’t get much easier than that. | Skinny Comfort (see our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet)
Combine hearty chickpeas and sweet butternut squash in this healthy-ish dish. Baked Chickpeas and Butternut Squash is going to become your new favorite side dish for the holiday. | Babaganosh
Speaking of butternut squash, if you love it as much as we do, you’ll want to add these Butternut Squash Rolls to your Thanksgiving baking list. They’re soft, warm, fluffy, and savory with a hint of sweetness. | Rhubarbarians
Turkey Day isn’t complete without dressing and stuffing. You’re going to love Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dressing. It’s a classic recipe that’s easy to make—you can even make it the day before to save time. The kids can help pull apart the bread! | Sweetpea Lifestyle
The slow cooker does all the work to make these Easy Potatoes Romanoff. It’s classic comfort food with lots of cheesy, potato-y goodness. If you’d like to lighten it up a little, low-fat cheese, sour cream, and mushroom soup can be substituted for the full-fat versions. | Food Meanderings
Honey Glazed Carrots are quick, easy, and so tasty! The carrots are slightly caramelized and cooked to perfection. You’ll find instructions for making them in the air fryer or the oven. | Sweet and Savory by Shinee
Do you need a vegetarian Thanksgiving dish? Perfect as a potluck dish for the holidays or year-round, you won’t be able to get enough of this Roasted Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Pecans. Made from apple cider vinegar, honey and mayo, this tangy-sweet dressing really helps all the flavors come together. As a vegetable alternative, this also would be great with Brussel sprouts. | Healthy Christian Home
This Sweet Corn Spoon Bread is somewhere between cornbread and a dessert. It’s made with Jiffy muffin mix, so it’s super easy to make. Add diced jalapeno and cheese to liven up an already delicious dish. | Blackberry Babe
When you’re craving something creamy, garlicky, and cheesy, make these Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes. They pair perfectly with just about any meal and are ready in about 30 minutes. | Little Sunny Kitchen
It just isn’t Thanksgiving until you’ve had a heaping helping of Sweet Potato Casserole. The crunchy pecan topping is the perfect way to finish off this sweet and savory dish. | Deliciously Sprinkled
If you’re looking for a great make-ahead dish, this Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole is it. It makes 12 servings, but double it up if you have a large group because guests will definitely want seconds. | Sweet and Savory by Shinee
We’re not sure whether to include this Millionaire Cranberry Salad in the side dishes or dessert section. It is sweet, like a dessert, but it’s typically served alongside the turkey. Tart cranberry sauce is combined with pineapple, marshmallows, coconut, and pecans. If you’ve never tried it before, give it a whirl this year! | Spend with Pennies
Dessert Ideas
How good does Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread sound? Soft, moist pumpkin spice bread with a ribbon of cream cheese filling in the center makes the ultimate fall snack or dessert. | Healthy Christian Home
This Cranberry Orange Bread is a delicious dessert that’s perfect for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. You could also serve it for breakfast. The tart cranberry bread is topped with a sweet orange glaze for perfectly-balanced flavors. | Cooking Journey
If you have to traditional dessert recipes it’s pumpkin and pecan pie. If you traditionally make an old-fashioned pumpkin pie, you may want to give Libby’s New Fashioned Pumpkin Pie a try. What’s the difference? The cooking time is shortened by 10 minutes, and the recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk over granulated sugar. You may like the new version even better! | The View from Great Island
For a literal twist of a classic recipe, you’ll be the Thanksgiving VIP when you show up with a Pumpkin Roll. Make it with walnuts or without, but either way, this pumpkin cake rolled with cream cheese frosting is irresistible! Serve with vanilla ice cream and apple cider. | Amanda’s Cookin’
Pin this list of Thanksgiving Potluck Recipes to come back to each year as you’re prepping for the holidays!
Having people over? Get the table ready with these Easy Thanksgiving Decorations for the Table. Pin to Pinterest.
Hosting? Take a look at these Party and Hosting Tips & Ideas to perfect your Thanksgiving dinner table and welcome. Pin to Pinterest.
Every gathering needs a few Thanksgiving activities for adults’ and kids. Take a look at these Thanksgiving Game Ideas. Low-cost entertainment for friends and family of all ages. Pin to Pinterest.
WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.