Imagine prepping your entire Thanksgiving feast while your oven stays free for pies. My favorite trick for busy hosts is to turn to a crockpot or Instant Pot to keep holiday cooking stress low and flavors high.
Simply toss in the ingredients, set the timer, and get back to visiting with loved ones. From tender, juicy turkey and melt-in-your-mouth green beans to creamy corn and candied carrots, these slow-cooked dishes deliver big flavor with minimal effort.
Slow Cooker Creamed Corn is So Rich, You’ll Swear it Came from a BBQ Joint
This is the corn dish I make when I want people to think I spent way more time on dinner than I did. The cream cheese and butter melt right into the kernels while the crockpot does the work, so it tastes like it came from a barbecue joint instead of my kitchen.
This Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Will Steal the Show at Thanksgiving
Leave the oven closed and let the slow cooker do the work. This boneless turkey breast comes out tender and juicy every time, and the drippings turn into a gravy good enough to serve alongside the main bird.
Skip the Whole Bird: These Turkey Tenderloins with Honey Mustard Gravy Are a Game Changer
If a whole turkey feels like too much, tenderloins are the easy way out. They cook right on top of a bed of onions, and those drippings turn into a honey mustard gravy that tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did.
You Won’t Believe How These Southern Green Beans Get So Tender Without Any Work
These green beans just sit in the crockpot with bacon, ham, and broth for hours until they’re falling-apart tender. Nobody has to know you didn’t stand over the stove to get that all-day Southern flavor.
The Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole That Guests Beg For
This casserole has a nickname in my house: Emily’s Wedding Potatoes. Shredded potatoes cook low and slow with sour cream and plenty of cheese, and the edges get just crispy enough that people always go back for more.
The Sweetest Glazed Carrots Cook Themselves (Just Dump and Forget)
Baby carrots go in with brown sugar, butter, honey, and a little cinnamon, and they come out tasting almost like candy. This is the side dish I make when I need one less thing to think about on Thanksgiving Day.
This Crockpot Turkey Breast with Gravy Will Make You Ditch the Oven Bird
This is a good option if you want a second turkey going, or just want easy leftovers. It cooks low and slow all day, and the leftovers make far better sandwich meat than anything from the deli counter.
These Candied Sweet Potatoes Are So Buttery and Sweet They’re Practically Dessert
Sweet potato slices cook down in butter, brown sugar, and honey until they’re soft enough to fall apart on the fork. It’s a lot closer to sweet potato pie than the canned candied yams most of us grew up with.
Have an Instant Pot? Instant Pot Recipes are great for Thanksgiving, too! –>
Instant Pot Creamed Corn You’ll Want to Eat by the Spoonful (Ready in Minutes)
For a faster take on creamed corn, load your Instant Pot with corn, butter, and cream. It’s ready in a fraction of the time the slow cooker version takes, with just as much flavor.
Instant Pot Southern Green Beans Taste Like They Simmered All Day (Ready in Under an Hour)
Bacon and ham give these beans that cooked-all-day flavor, but the pressure cooker gets them tender in under an hour. Good news if the crockpot is already busy with the turkey.
These Instant Pot Glazed Carrots Taste Like Candy and Cook in No Time
Butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon turn plain carrots into something that tastes like dessert, and the Instant Pot has them ready in minutes. Good for the years when every burner and every crockpot is already spoken for.
Southern Collard Greens in the Instant Pot Taste Like They’ve Been Slow Cooked for Hours
Collard greens usually mean hours on the stove, but the Instant Pot gets them tender in under an hour without losing any of that bacon and ham flavor. A splash of vinegar at the end keeps them from tasting one-note.
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes Are the Ultimate Comfort Food (Ready in Half the Time)
Cooking the potatoes right in milk and butter under pressure cuts the usual mashed potato time in half and leaves them plenty garlicky. Mash them smooth or leave them a little rustic, whatever you’re in the mood for.
Looking for more? –>
27 Thanksgiving Side Dishes to Complete Your Holiday Menu
Whether you’re hosting for the first time or you’re a seasoned pro, finding the perfect sides can be a delightful yet daunting task. Here’s a list of 27 Thanksgiving Side Dishes that will not only complement your holiday menu but might just steal the show.
Get the Recipe: 27 Thanksgiving Side Dishes
