This spin on the traditional holiday first gained popularity in the early 2010s among millennials, and we’re so glad it’s a thing now! Friendsgiving is a chance for you and your friends to celebrate and give thanks in your own unique way. It’s also an excuse to enjoy even more good food! For the best dishes and desserts to serve at your Friendsgiving feast, keep on reading!
1. Crockpot Turkey Breast
Let’s face it, a whole turkey looks good on the table, but it’s also a lot of work! If you want something a bit more low maintenance, this crockpot turkey breast is much easier, and it’s delicious! Crockpot turkey breast will be the star of Friendsgiving, so you want it to be perfect. Luckily, this recipe is easy-peasy and is almost impossible to mess up! It makes the most tender and moist turkey, generously drizzled with a buttery, peppery gravy. For the juiciest, most flavorful crockpot turkey breast, use bone-in turkey and keep the skin on!
2. Chicken Pot Pie
Want to save the turkey for Thanksgiving with family? Try chicken pot pie for Friendsgiving! It’s a festive and cozy dish worthy of being the centerpiece of your Friendsgiving table. What I love most about this recipe is the crust is perfectly buttery and flaky. I know crust can be intimidating and can easily end up dry… but not this one! It turned out super delicious and complimented the rich and creamy chicken filling perfectly. When I made this for my last Friendsgiving, nobody was even thinking about turkey anymore. This chicken pot pie is that good!
3. Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Yes, you read that right. Pumpkin mac and cheese! Now, before you skip on this one, hear me out. A lot of us tend to overeat during Thanksgiving. It’s understandable! But if you want a low-calorie and low-fat alternative to your favorite mac and cheese, at least for Friendsgiving, pumpkin mac and cheese will be your new go-to side dish! Regular mac and cheese uses a lot of heavy cream. For this recipe, you’ll use pumpkin puree instead. It adds a wonderful nutty undertone to your cheese sauce, and you won’t even have to feel as guilty. Would you believe this healthy mac and cheese substitute only uses six ingredients?!
4. Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole is sure to get everyone into the Friendsgiving spirit. It’s commonly thought of as a side dish, but to me and my friends, it’s sweet enough to be a dessert. It’s a delicious dessert to boot! This sweet potato dessert is wonderfully creamy with just the right amount of sweetness. I even like to add in some nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts for added texture and flavor. For an even creamier sweet potato casserole, use evaporated milk in place of regular milk. If you want to really get into the fall vibes, try sprinkling a little bit of cinnamon on top!
5. Classic Stuffing Recipe
While it’s fun to have little twists on traditional Thanksgiving dishes, you’ll want the classics for Friendsgiving, too. What’s more classic than stuffing? Not much! This stuffing recipe is a must for Friendsgiving. It has just the right combination of crisp and soft with bread, onion, celery, butter, and fresh herbs. You can use French bread, sourdough, or sandwich bread. Make sure to dry your bread cubes out on your kitchen counter for 1-2 days or toast them in the oven. This is a dish that will be gone, FAST. You simply can’t go wrong with classic stuffing!
6. Mashed Potatoes
Ah, potatoes. The king of all sides! When it comes to mashed potatoes, you’ll want yours to be silky smooth with lots of butter for Friendsgiving. Here’s a little tip if you want your potatoes to be fluffy and not gummy: never overboil! Boiling time is going to vary depending on the kind of potatoes you use and their size, so it’s good to just keep an eye on them. Once they’re tender enough for you to poke with a fork, those potatoes are ready! When it’s time to mash the potatoes, you’ll need some help. Luckily, it’s Friendsgiving, and you’ll have the whole gang to help you out!
7. Turkey Gravy
If you celebrate Friendsgiving after Thanksgiving, turkey gravy is a great addition to your meal, especially if you pair it with crockpot turkey breast. Remember to save your pan drippings from the turkey. From there, you’ll need 15 minutes and 5 more ingredients; unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, thyme, parsley, and a little bit of salt and pepper. You’ll want your gravy to be smooth, so don’t forget to strain your pan drippings! You don’t even have to add this to a turkey dish. This also goes great with roast chicken or fried chicken!
8. Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is another Thanksgiving classic you can incorporate into Friendsgiving. Seriously, this recipe is so good, you’ll be happy to have it two weeks in a row! I like to think of turkey and cranberry sauce as the older, cooler cousin of chicken and lemon. They’re a match made in heaven! This recipe makes my favorite cranberry sauce EVER. Plus, it’s so easy, you’re going to look like a pro whipping this up in just 15 minutes. It’s always best to use fresh cranberries when you can, but frozen works too! This recipe is also quite versatile, and you can add in other ingredients to suit your taste. Try orange zest, raisins, or blueberries!
9. Deviled Eggs
Want a simple dish that’s not only tasty but pretty enough to impress, too? Make these deviled eggs for Friendsgiving! Keep things simple with the classic paprika and chives topping or go crazy with avocados, bacon bits, cheese, or even a light sauce! Make your own deviled eggs in three simple steps. Slice hard-boiled eggs and take out the yolk, mix in the yolk with yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper, and place your mixture back into the egg whites with a cookie scoop or piping bag. Don’t forget to take some photos for the ‘gram!
10. Homemade Rolls
Friendsgiving isn’t complete without tasty carbs! I have the perfect recipe for you! These homemade dinner rolls are so soft and deliciously buttery, and they’re a must for your Friendsgiving dinner. Don’t worry if you aren’t an expert baker, this recipe is beginner-friendly and uses only 7 ingredients. They’ll be soft as pillows when you take them out of the oven, you’ll think someone’s mom was helping in the kitchen! Keep in mind that you’ll need to give the dough 3 hours to rise so make sure to get it ready in advance. Trust me, the wait is so worth it.
11. Corn Pudding
Corn pudding is one of those dishes that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, especially when it’s creamy and moist with lots of corn bits! Serve this corn pudding at Friendsgiving and your friends will want to snag the recipe! To make this, you’ll need lots of eggs and some cornstarch. These two ingredients give corn pudding that smooth, custard-like texture you won’t be able to get enough of! Serve your creamy corn pudding warm or chilled.
12. Honey Glazed Carrots
These glazed baby carrots are the perfect Friendsgiving side dish. They’re easy to whip up, and you won’t feel too guilty about all the dessert you’ll be having later! These honey glazed carrots are foolproof, even for someone who doesn’t cook often! Once the baby carrots are boiled and ready, all you’ll need to do is add them to a pan with butter, honey, and lemon juice and cook for 5 quick minutes. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley, and they’re ready!
13. Pumpkin Soup
Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving, you’ll want something pumpkin on the table! This pumpkin soup is warm and hearty; the perfect way to start your meal. This is one of my favorite soup recipes. Not only does it have a rich and nutty roasted pumpkin flavor, it’s also dairy-free! The original recipe uses coconut milk, which adds an extra layer of flavor. You can also make it vegan-friendly by using maple syrup instead of honey. Don’t forget to top off your rich and creamy pumpkin soup with roasted pumpkin seeds!
14. Snickerdoodles
Here’s another fall staple: snickerdoodles… with cinnamon! This is my go-to sugar cookie recipe, and it never fails. Take these out of the oven when it’s time for dessert, and your snickerdoodles will be gone FAST. When it comes to cookies, I want them warm, chewy, and moist. That’s exactly what you’ll get with this recipe, in less than 30 minutes! The secret to these scrumptious snickerdoodles is in the cream of tartar. It gives a bit of tanginess and makes your cookies extra chewy. These snickerdoodles are also super easy to make, so you can get the kids to help out!
15. Pumpkin Roll
On Friendsgiving, I like to go all out with the desserts. A sweet way to close out the meal is with this decadent pumpkin roll. Anything with pumpkin spice tastes amazing to me, and this cake is no exception. The recipe uses both pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice, so you know it won’t be lacking in the fall flavors department. The cake is also perfectly moist but firm enough to comfortably roll with the cream cheese frosting. The recipe calls for a generous sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar on top, but you can also add in a bit of ground cinnamon. It’ll taste amazing!
16. Pumpkin Pie
No matter how much turkey I have, I’ll always have room left for some good old pumpkin pie! For Friendsgiving, serve a classic creamy pumpkin pie that’s homemade with love. This recipe will remind you of the traditional pumpkin pie you had when you were a kid! It has the perfect blend of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors with the smoothest, creamiest texture that goes perfectly with a buttery and flaky crust. One bite, and you and your friends will be thinking about this pumpkin pie ’til the Christmas season!
17. Apple Pie
If you had a little too much pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, serve some apple pie for Friendsgiving! Soft and sweet apples in a warm and golden crust just like grandma used to make, this is a recipe you’ll make again and again. When slicing apples for apple pie, here’s a little tip I like to follow: instead of cutting them up into wedges or chunks, try slicing them extra thin, about 1/8 of an inch. This gets them nice and soft and gives your apple pie a more decadent bite. And since it’s Friendsgiving, why not go all-in by topping off your slice of apple pie with some vanilla ice cream? A fantastic way to end your meal!
18. Peach Cobbler
Peaches are a summer fruit, but when they’re this good, why not enjoy them in the fall for Friendsgiving? This peach cobbler recipe from singer and celeb chef Patti LaBelle will be the star of the dessert table. If you can’t find fresh peaches in your area, you can also use canned sliced peaches. Not much of a baker? Make your peach cobbler with ready-made pie crust. The secret to this delectable dessert is in the peach filling that’s made with cinnamon and nutmeg! Fall vibes? Check! If you’re in a hurry, you can also make a delicious peach cobbler with cake mix. Just 4 ingredients! Click on a star to rate it!
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