America’s Top 5 Favorite Thanksgiving Day Dishes

As we all prepare for the Thanksgiving Day dinner, we found a recent survey which determined the most liked, and the least favorite dishes, on the Thanksgiving dinner table. At this time, let's focus on America's favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

Crestline.com surveyed 2,100 participants from all over the United States. All in all, they are attempting to figure out our nation's most popular holiday foods and current trends. Before we get to the top 5 favorite Thanksgiving Day dishes, let's check in on some of the other findings in this survey.

Surprisingly, Nevada's most popular holiday dish is cranberry sauce! What? Really? I like cranberry sauce, but seriously, that's our state's favorite? OK, "berry" good then.

Furthermore, the survey shows that most Americans enjoy an average of three alcoholic beverages on Thanksgiving. I wonder if this fact leads to those awkward family conversations which turn into arguments? Regardless, the states which down the most booze on this holiday are Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Ohio.

Without a doubt, I'm sure your family has traditions you follow every year on this holiday weekend. For example, your Aunt may make candied yams every Thanksgiving, even though no one really likes them. Or, maybe Dad not only has to carve the turkey, he also gets the turkey leg on his dinner plate. However, this survey shows that some Thanksgiving holiday traditions may be trending  towards other options. In fact, nearly 25%, or one in four respondents, were willing to try a vegan alternative to turkey, or whatever protein you like to serve, on Thanksgiving. The states with the most interviewees willing to try a vegan alternative were Washington, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, and Missouri.

And certainly, with inflation and high prices at the grocery store, it appears more Americans are searching for more budget-friendly meal options for the holidays. As a matter of fact, 69%, nearly 7 out of ten respondents, are finding ways to save money on Thanksgiving dinner.

With all that in mind, let's talk turkey and get down to business. Here are America's top 5 favorite Thanksgiving dishes. Bon appetit!

Updated November 20, 2023

This was a surprise for me. Out of all the different dishes on the Thanksgiving table, bread makes the top 5? I admit, dinner rolls are delicious, but we all know that filling up on bread before the good stuff gets served is a Thanksgiving Day mistake.

This was another surprise for me. Don't get me wrong, I love macaroni and cheese as much as you do, but to be honest, I have never seen it served on a Thanksgiving table. If anyone serves it up this year, I won't argue for one second. Love that stuff!

Now this is a Thanksgiving Day dinner table item that is an absolute must. I pour that turkey gravy on the turkey, mashed potatoes, and if it runs into other items on my plate, so be it. No surprise that gravy made the top 5 in this survey.

Well, we knew the superstar of the Thanksgiving feast would make the top 5, but I honestly thought it would top the list. I guess they may have interviewed some vegetarians or vegans for this survey. So, if you do enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving, do you prefer the white meat or the dark meat? I'll take a heapin' helpin' of both!

According to the survey, the king of the Thanksgiving dinner table are those creamy, fluffy, buttery, mashed potatoes. Hard to argue with that one. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them. Do you like them whipped and buttery, or chunky with lots of additions like sour cream, bacon bits, chives, etc? It all sounds good to me!