20 Best Thanksgiving Sides You Can Serve at Room Temperature
Not everything has to be hot and ready at the same time.
When you're planning a Thanksgiving menu, it's hard to make sure everything gets to the table hot at the same time. Even if you follow your cooking timeline perfectly, there is bound to be something that might cool down faster than the others. But instead of worrying about every single dish, here's a novel idea: make a few Thanksgiving sides that can be served at room temperature.
There's definitely one classic Thanksgiving side dish you don't have to worry about and that's the cranberry sauce! You can even make it a few days in advance and have it on the table before other items even come out of the oven. You also might consider a Thanksgiving salad. Not only will it be a welcomed lighter and brighter dish to balance out the meal, but you don't have to worry about it being hot at all. Plenty of them are salads without lettuce that just feel like Thanksgiving vegetable side that just happens to have "salad" in the name.
But if you really don't feel like a salad at all, there are actually quite a few vegetable sides that taste just as good at room temperature as they do warm like carrots and delicata squash. Oh, and don't forget the Thanksgiving bread options! Not everything has to be hot out of the oven. In fact, several are better once they've cooled completely. So now that you have at least 20 ideas for Thanksgiving sides served at room temperature, you can be thankful for an easier holiday ahead. Enjoy!
Baby Kale Salad with Acorn Squash
This seasonal salad features baby kale mixed with roasted acorn squash, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and creamy goat cheese. It's packed with autumnal flavor and only need 15 minutes of hands-on prep.
Get Ree's Baby Kale Salad with Acorn Squash recipe.
Roasted Carrots with Vinaigrette
Roast carrots until they are perfectly caramelized around the edges and tender in the middle. Then toss them in a bright, garlicky dressing that takes them to a whole new level. They're good both hot and at room temp.
Get Ree's Roasted Carrots with Vinaigrette recipe.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Did you know it only takes 20 minutes in total to make cranberry sauce from scratch? And it actually tastes better after it's chilled anyway, so you can make it several days in advance.
Get Ree's Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe.
Thanksgiving Salad
With crisp apples, bitter radicchio, crunchy fennel, and smoked almonds, each bite of this harvest medley is packed with contrasting flavors and crunch. It’ll brighten up your menu with just one bite!
Get the Thanksgiving Salad recipe.
Broccoli Caesar Salad
One of the best things about this fun twist is that broccoli holds up much better than a traditional romaine lettuce version. That means you can make it up to a day in advance and just toss in the cheesy croutons at the end.
Get the Broccoli Caesar Salad recipe.
Roasted Delicata Squash
This sweet and savory side dish tastes just as good warm as it does hot. The fresh sage and parmesan coating is easy to make and really brings out the flavor of the winter squash.
Get the Roasted Delicata Squash recipe.
Potato Rolls
These rolls are fluffy and light, and they taste just as good at room temperature as they do straight from the oven. Serve them with butter, and save a few to turn them into buns for your leftover turkey.
Get the Potato Rolls recipe.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
You don't even have to cook a thing for this salad. Brussels sprouts stay crunchy when shaved raw and balance nicely with tangy dried cranberries, sharp white cheddar cheese, and toasted almonds.
Get the Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe.
Pan de Elote
Some cornbread dries out when it's not hot, but not this sweeter Mexican-style version. It's very moist thanks to sweetened condensed milk so it tastes just as good at room temperature.
Get the Pan de Elote recipe.
Green Bean Salad
Give your green beans a glow up by serving them room temperature in a salad. Mixed with tomatoes, olives, goat cheese, and almonds in a French-style vinaigrette, they'll absolutely shine.
Get the Green Bean Salad recipe.
Roasted Beets with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
You really can't beet that natural jewel-toned color! Roasting beets bring out their natural sweetness with just a hint of earthiness. And no one can turn down roasted garlic added to the mix.
Get the Roasted Beets with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette recipe.
Cabbage Salad
True story: This salad can stay crunchy for days! Plus, mixing shredded cabbage with green apple and pecans feels so perfectly fall and fresh at the same time.
Get the Cabbage Salad recipe.
Pumpkin-Shaped Challah
This delightful, fluffy bread is almost too cute to eat. It'll be a centerpiece and a side at the same time, and it's actually better if you let it cool completely before consuming.
Get the Pumpkin-Shaped Challah recipe.
Roasted Asparagus
The thing about roasted asparagus is that it tastes good hot, at room temperature, and even cold right out of the fridge. And all you need is a little olive oil, salt, and pepper to roast it to perfection.
Get Ree's Roasted Asparagus recipe.
Broccoli Salad
Fresh broccoli doesn't need to be cooked! Toss small florets in a simple mayonnaise-based dressing with dried cranberries, sharp cheddar cheese, and crunchy smoked almonds for a surprising side dish.
Get the Broccoli Salad recipe.
Herb Focaccia
You'll definitely want to try and save some of this bread for Thanksgiving sandwiches the next day! It's slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, even when it's at room temp.
Get the Herb Focaccia recipe.
Holiday Wild Rice Salad
Look how pretty a composed salad can be! And it can be adjusted to your taste, just make sure you mix flavors and textures. Bacon, apple slices, wild rice, blue cheese, toasted pecans, grapes, and pomegranate seeds are a good place to start.
Get the Holiday Wild Rice Salad recipe.
Carrot Salad
This salad is packed with color, bold flavor, and texture. Carrots, raisins, apple, and pecans are tossed together in a tangy homemade dressing. You can even swap the raisins for dried cranberries for a more seasonal twist.
Get the Carrot Salad recipe.
Apple Cranberry Sauce
Why settle on one fruit sauce when you can have two fall classics combined with a hint of orange added in? It comes together in less than 30 minutes and can be served chilled or at room temperature.
Get the Apple Cranberry Sauce recipe.
Ultimate Winter Salad
Load up shredded kale and veggies with goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, roasted squash, diced apple, and candied pecans. It's a feast for the eyes and the stomach at the same time!
Get the Ultimate Winter Salad recipe.
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