America’s Favorite Thanksgiving Sides, Ranked by Popularity

Which Thanksgiving side dish is the best? The results are in.

America’s Favorite Thanksgiving Sides to Eat

Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and food is a huge, tasty part of that. Although turkey is the main course, Thanksgiving sides are just as important. What would Thanksgiving dinner be without mashed potatoes and gravy?

These are the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes, ranked by how many U.S. states prefer them, according to Google Trends data.

Honorable Mention: Cranberry Sauce

Bowl of cranberry jam, surrounded by cranberries

Country of origin: United States

Year created: 1912

States where cranberry sauce is a favorite: Shockingly, none.

Why Cranberry Sauce Is Underrated

It irks us that cranberry sauce didn't make the cut. It wasn't the most frequently searched side in any state, yet it's an indispensable element of every Thanksgiving dinner.

When your plate is already covered with savory options like turkey and mashed potatoes, plus sweeter sides like cornbread and honey or sweet potato casserole, the tartness of cranberry sauce rounds out the experience.

Try this cranberry sauce recipe.

17. Fruit Salad

Country of origin: United States

Year created: Early 1900s

States where fruit salad is a favorite: North Dakota

Why Everyone Loves Fruit Salad

North Dakota, we have questions. The state was the only one to name fruit salad as a Thanksgiving favorite.

We tend to think of it as more of a summery side, but there are simple ways of making a seasonal fruit salad with warm, wintery spices and dried cranberries.

Try this fruit salad recipe.

16. Glazed Carrots

Country of origin: The Netherlands

Year created: 1500s

States where glazed carrots are a favorite: Rhode Island

Why Everyone Loves Glazed Carrots

Kids tend to balk at veggies, but it's impossible to dislike sweet and tender glazed carrots.

They're cooked until they're almost the texture of a sweet potato, but with the earthier flavor of fresh carrots and a touch of honey.

Try this glazed carrots recipe.

15. Hash Brown Casserole

Country of origin: United States

Year created: 1890

States where hash brown casserole is a favorite: Kentucky, Tennessee

Why Everyone Loves Hash Brown Casserole

As we move down the list, you'll notice there's a pattern: People like carbs. A lot. They also like cheese, and hash brown casserole has both.

This crowd-pleaser is so easy to make. Just toss shredded hash browns with melted butter, cream of cheddar soup, sour cream, cheese, chopped onion and pepper into a casserole dish. Bake at 350. And watch it turn into a hot, bubbly work of crispy cheese art.

Try this hash brown casserole recipe.

14. Gravy

Country of origin: France

Year created: 1300s

States where gravy is a favorite: Arkansas and Montana

Why Everyone Loves Gravy

Gravy has been around for a long, long time, and we get why. Gravy is made with the juices left over from cooking turkey.

The flavorful, creamy dressing is the element turkey and mashed potatoes need to go from "this is good" to "wow."

Try this recipe for traditional gravy, or this one for white gravy.

13. Stuffed Mushrooms

Country of origin: Italy

Year created: Late 1800's

States where stuffed mushrooms are a favorite: Alaska, New Jersey

Why Everyone Loves Stuffed Mushrooms

We didn't expect to see stuffed mushrooms here, but both Alaska and New Jersey adore them.

Mushrooms can be stuffed with just about everything, but a blend of cream cheese, parmesan, Italian bread crumbs and garlic are a winning combo.

Try this stuffed mushrooms recipe.

12. Charcuterie Trays

Country of origin: France

Year created: 1400s

States where charcuterie trays are a favorite: Minnesota, Missouri

Why Everyone Loves Charcuterie Trays

Charcuterie trays are more like appetizers than sides, but we'll let it slide. Charcuterie trays are perfect for Thanksgiving because they offer a smorgasbord of different flavors, blending sliced fruit, Greek olives, cheese, crackers and deli meats into a single dish.

We recommend adding a variety of different cheeses, from palatable cheddars to more adventurous soft cheeses and spicy pepper jack.

Try this charcuterie trays recipe.

11. Creamed Corn

Country of origin: Native American tribes

Year created: 1800s

States where creamed corn is a favorite: Kansas, Texas

Why Everyone Loves Creamed Corn

A traditional Southern dish, creamed corn is like a scrumptious cross between a pudding and a soup.

With a base of sweet, tender corn kernels and velvety cream sauce, creamed corn can be spiced up with crispy bacon or diced jalapeno.

Try this cramed corn recipe.

10. Cornbread

Country of origin: Mexico

Year created: Around 7,000 years ago

States where cornbread is a favorite: Louisiana, Mississippi

Why Everyone Loves Cornbread

Come on, it's cornbread. How can anyone not like cornbread? It's not even remotely a new invention, originating in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico where it was made from corn meal thousands of years ago.

It's already lightly sweet, but every slice of soft, light cornbread is made better with garlic butter and a drizzle of sweet honey.

Try this cornbread recipe.

9. Macaroni and Cheese

Country of origin: Northern Europe

Year created: 1700s

States where macaroni and cheese is a favorite: Virginia, Vermont

Why Everyone Loves Macaroni and Cheese

We've already established that carbs and cheese are irresistible. That's literally all mac and cheese is composed of: perfectly cooked macaroni noodles in a thick sauce of sinfully delicious melted cheeses.

Even those who don't consider mac and cheese to be a Thanksgiving side will probably be caught adding a scoop to their plate on Turkey Day.

Try this macaroni and cheese recipe.

8. Side Salads

Country of origin: Ancient Greece and Rome

Year created: Over 2000 years ago

States where side salads are a favorite: Idaho, New Mexico

Why Everyone Loves Side Salads

As much as we love sweet, carby goodness, too much cheese and starch is overkill. Side salads offer a respite from heavy, rich foods, with light, fresh greens and the bright flavors of pomegranate seeds, diced cucumber and feta cheese.

Of course, you can make any kind of side salad you want, which just adds to the fun.

Try this side salad recipe.

7. Stuffing

Homemade Thanksgiving stuffing in a white bowl

Country of origin: Ancient Greece

Year created: Around 2,000 years ago

States where stuffing is a favorite: Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania

Why Everyone Loves Stuffing

Stuffing has been around since around the first century A.D. when a chef named Apicius listed it in a cookbook. His recipes included several different meats stuffed with vegetables, herbs, nuts, chopped liver and even brain.

For the faint of heart, stuffing does not have to include brain, eyeballs or any other ultra-adventurous ingredients. Tasty stuffing can be made with all kinds of ingredients to spruce up turkey, like mashed potatoes, breadcrumbs and cornbread.

In some areas, stuffing is instead referred to as "dressing."

Try this stuffing recipe.

6. Sweet Potato Dishes

Country of origin: United States

Year created: 1917

States where sweet potatoes are a favorite: Alabama, New York, South Dakota

Why Everyone Loves Sweet Potato Dishes

Roast sweet potato stuffed with feta cheese and kale

The texture of an extra creamy baked potato but the flavor of a sweet dessert? What's not to like? While different states selected different dishes, including sweet potato and marshmallow casserole and baked sweet potatoes, every sweet potato dish is all but guaranteed to be gobbled up on Thanksgiving Day.

Candied sweet potatoes were allegedly first topped with marshmallows in a 1917 Angelus Marshmallow recipe booklet, and it was a stroke of genius.

Pro tip: Sprinkle chopped caramelized pecans on top for a pleasant crunch.

Try this sweet potato recipe.

5. Baked Potatoes

Country of origin: Peru

Year created: Between 6,000 - 8,000 years ago

States where baked potatoes are a favorite: Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Why Everyone Loves Baked Potatoes

While potatoes are often associated with Ireland, the first potatoes were cultivated by the Incas in Peru around 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. After the Spanish conquistadors conquered Peru, the starchy staple was introduced to European cuisine.

Potatoes are amazing in so many different forms, but it's tough to go wrong with an old-fashioned baked potato topped with butter, sour cream, melted cheese and chopped green onions.

Try this baked potato recipe.

4. Collard Greens

Country of origin: Europe

Year created: Around 2,000 years ago

States where collard greens are a favorite: Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina

Why Everyone Loves Collard Greens

Collard greens aren't the most beautiful of all Thanksgiving side dishes, but they're a Thanksgiving dinner staple in many Southern states. Traditionally, spicy collard greens are served alongside cornbread and other Southern delicacies.

They're also packed with nutrients to balance out the veritable pile of pie that will come after dinner.

Try this collard greens recipe.

3. Green Beans

Homemade Thanksgiving green bean casserole

Country of origin: United States

Year created: 1955

States where green beans are a favorite: Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Washington

Why Everyone Loves Green Beans

Fresh green beans sautéed with olive oil and garlic

Green bean casserole was invented by an employee working at Campbell Soup in their New Jersey headquarters. Her invention led to the creation of the Campbell Test Kitchen, so in a way, green bean casserole was the mother of tons of delicious soups.

While green bean casserole is the most popular way to serve the long, green legumes, cooking them until tender in olive oil and garlic is just as delicious.

Try this green bean recipe.

2. Rolls

Country of origin: Ancient Rome, most likely

Year created: The Middle Ages

States where rolls are a favorite: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, Utah, West Virginia

Why Everyone Loves Rolls

Biscuits and rolls have been around for centuries. At first, they were prized for how well they held up on long journeys by ship. Now, we appreciate them for their virtues of buttery, flaky perfection.

Six different states chose rolls as their favorite side, easily placing them toward the top of the list. Some states prefer crescent rolls. Others prefer soft, sweet dinner rolls.

We can all agree that every Thanksgiving table is incomplete without some variety of addictive bread.

Try this dinner roll recipe.

1. Mashed Potatoes

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Year created: 1600s

States where mashed potatoes are a favorite: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon

Why Everyone Loves Mashed Potatoes

Next to turkey, mashed potatoes are the most essential Thanksgiving food we can think of. Nine different states backed up our suspicions that mashed potatoes are a winning side, and we'd wager that they come in a close second in many other states as well.

Why they're universally adored needs no explanation. When made correctly, ordinary potatoes morph into light, fluffy, buttery mouthfuls of pure joy. Some people like to toss garlic into the mix, but we prefer to let mashed potatoes shine all on their own.

Try this mashed potatoes recipe.