18 Friendsgiving Food Ideas For 2024

Appetizers are a must at any Friendsgiving gathering. Instead of opening up a premade hummus container and calling it a day, spice it up with some fresh produce and herbs by following this recipe for butternut squash hummus. Pair it with some homemade pita chips and watch the compliments come pouring in!

Stuffed mushrooms are a perfect one-bite app that's portable and satisfying. They can be prepped ahead and are easy to reheat — two features that make this recipe for cheesy sausage-stuffed mushrooms a perfect starter to your meal.

This savory fall appetizer looks fancy but is actually super easy to make. These pumpkin goat cheese crostini include some classic Thanksgiving ingredients like pumpkin seeds and cranberries and introduce some unexpected additions like creamy goat cheese. The flavor combo is unreal.

Skip the plain white wine this year and bring your host or hostess a festive and yummy sangria! The combo of fruit, wine, pumpkin butter, spices, and brandy in this pumpkin Thanksgiving sangria will be sure to please any party guest.

There's a wealth of Thanksgiving charcuterie board inspiration out there, and for good reason: you can't go wrong with serving one as an app. Follow the instructions for this adorable turkey cheese board, and it'll be a showstopping snack at Friendsgiving.

A plain green salad just won't do for a Friendsgiving dinner. This roasted sweet potato and chickpea kale apple salad is both hearty and cozy, thanks to fall favorites like sweet potato and apple. The bacon on top ensures that even salad-haters will love this Friendsgiving food idea.

Bringing this gorgeous veggie side to your Friendsgiving will check so many boxes. Pretty? Check! Paleo? Check! Whole 30-approved? Check! Healthy? Check! Thanksgiving-y (is that a word?)? Check! This recipe for cranberry Brussels sprout-stuffed acorn squash can also be prepared for the vegan crowd by omitting the pancetta from the dish.

For the traditional crowd, a classic sausage stuffing is a must. Loaded with yummy herbs and flavors, this side is an easy addition to bring to any home over the holidays, including your Friendsgiving feast.

This recipe for glazed sweet potatoes with honey whisky pecans marries sweet, savory, and spicy perfectly for an incredibly unique twist on a traditional side. Mixing tart apples with sweet potatoes is a yummy combo, but the crown jewel of this recipe is the honey whisky pecan topping.

If you're looking for a healthy, colorful, and simple side dish, this honey balsamic roasted carrots recipe is for you. Roasting carrots brings out their natural sweetness, and adding honey, garlic, and vinegar will take the flavor to the next level. It's a simple Friendsgiving food idea, but sure to wow.

Celebrating Friendsgiving means breaking some traditional rules. Instead of bringing mashed potatoes or stuffing, why not enhance your dinner with a cozy rice dish? This Thanksgiving rice pilaf with cranberries and pears is chock-full of fall flavors like pear, cranberry, thyme, and rosemary. Mushrooms add substance and umami flavor to this dish, while the added walnuts add a surprising crunch!

Brussels sprouts have gotten a glow-up in recent years, and this honey sriracha Brussels sprouts recipe shows them off at their peak. Spicy, sweet, crispy, and chewy, this Friendsgiving side dish is sure to go fast.

There's nothing wrong with serving plain green beans at Friendsgiving, but they won't exactly be memorable. Why not (literally) spice it up? Offer up these spicy braised green beans with feta, and your friends will be asking for seconds. Braising the green beans allows them to cook slowly and not end up as a chewy or stringy mess. The end result is a deliciously tender veggie with some amazing flavor.

No Friendsgiving meal is complete without some sort of potatoes, and finding a recipe that allows you to use your slow cooker to do the work for you is icing on the cake. Just toss in some potatoes, garlic, and butter, and you'll have these slow-cooker mashed potatoes with garlic butter in no time.

The beauty of using your Instant Pot to make a cheesecake? You don't have to check for issues like cracks or breakage! Assemble the pie, wrap in foil, and cook it up. This Instant Pot pumpkin cheesecake is the perfect dessert to bring to Friendsgiving if you don't want to bake or spend all day cooking.

These pumpkin butter chocolate chip cookies are delicious and a great switch-up from the classic pies. Homemade pumpkin butter is the secret to the autumnal flavor, and it's combined with crowd-pleasing, classic chocolate chips.

Sometimes you shouldn't mess with a classic. This old-fashioned sweet potato pie is just as you would imagine it would be: silky, sweet, perfectly spiced, and topped with homemade marshmallow whipped cream. Friendsgiving, won.

Nostalgia is in full force this year, and Friendsgiving is the perfect time to lean in. These apple hand pies make for a fun throwback Friendsgiving dessert since they look just like toaster pastries and have all the classic flavors of apple pie.

Lauren Manaker (she/her) is an award-winning registered dietitian and freelance writer who is passionate about providing evidence-based nutrition information in a fun and interesting way. Lauren is a PS Council member.