recipes

41 Thanksgiving Potato Recipes We Can’t Live Without

Yukon Gold or sweet? Roasted or mashed? Take your pick—one of these recipes for Thanksgiving potatoes is just right for your holiday table.
A bowl of swirly mashed potatoes with a halfstick of butter melting into a pool on top.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski

Thanksgiving potatoes have the power to save the day if all else fails. (Which it won’t, of course!) But in the off chance your turkey is dry or your picky aunt can’t help but critique the casserole or all the other Thanksgiving side dish recipes you executed go up in flames, we guarantee these drool-worthy Thanksgiving potato recipes will make up for it. No one will remember your holiday hiccups when they’re stuffing their face with perfectly roasted potatoes or a potato-chip-topped sour cream and onion potato salad. And, of course, it really wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a big ol’ pile of mashed potatoes on your plate, and we’ve got mashed potato recipes for days. Extra-buttery mashed potatoes. Creamy ones topped with crispety cruncheties. Make-ahead spuds that are guaranteed to make your life easier. No matter what you’re looking for, one of these glorious recipes for Thanksgiving potatoes is bound to earn a permanent spot on your holiday menu.

If these spuds don't suit you, head this way for even more of our best potato recipes →

  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant Vegetable and Nut
    Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    1/41

    Crispy Potatoes With Bay and Scallions

    This recipe is based on a traditional dish of the Ohlone tribe indigenous to California’s East Bay.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    2/41

    Ultra-Creamy Mashed Potatoes

    This easy, perfect mashed potatoes recipe produces the creamiest and fluffiest version of this comfort food classic around.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    3/41

    Tater Tot Egg Bake With Bitter Greens Salad

    Hetty McKinnon’s showstopping tater tot casserole is directly inspired by, and strikingly reminiscent of, tortilla española.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig
    4/41

    Mashed Baked Potatoes With Chives

    Baking the potatoes for this recipe is a completely hands-off cooking process that also reduces some of the water content in the spuds, resulting in the easiest and most flavorful mash of all time.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    5/41

    Sweet Potatoes With Maple Tahini

    Crispy roasted sweet potato wedges get tossed in a sweet and nutty tahini dressing in this quick vegetarian weeknight dinner.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    6/41

    Jerk Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

    “Like Jamaica itself, this is a mash-up of cultures and flavors and ideas—all together in one delicious savory pie,” says chef Tiffany-Anne Parkes.

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  • Photo by Christopher Baker
    9/41

    Perfect Baked Potato

    Olive oil, salt, and pepper: This baked potato recipe is as blank-slate as it gets. Feel free to add other spices to the salt-and-pepper mix, such as cumin or smoked paprika, and finish with whatever cheese you like.

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  • Photo by Emma Fishman
    10/41

    Picarones With Fig Chancaca Syrup

    Try eating just one of these picarones, doughnut-like Peruvian confections that are drenched in a fig-flavored syrup.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    11/41

    Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

    These creamy, glossy mashed potatoes can be made up to two days before the big night without losing their velvety texture.

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  • Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    12/41

    Simplest Rosti

    No flipping required for this deliciously satisfying dish of one large-format crispy potato pancake topped with dressed greens and eggs.

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  • Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman
    13/41

    Spicy Kimchi–Sweet Potato Fritters

    A great appetizer or an indulgent snack, these crispy little fritters are best eaten right away.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    14/41

    Black Lentil and Harissa-Roasted Veggie Bowl

    This filling, endlessly riffable bowl is perfect with roasted sweet potatoes, but any hardy vegetable you have on hand would be just as delicious.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    15/41

    Sour Cream and Onion Potato Salad

    This recipe was an excuse to combine our favorite potato chip flavor with the creamy, salty "salad" of our dreams. To hammer that home, the whole dish is topped with crumbled sour cream and onion potato chips.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, prop styling by Kendra Smoot
    16/41

    Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

    A simple frittata packed with sweet red peppers, potatoes, and onions.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    21/41

    Burnished Potato Nuggets

    Behold, your new standard for roasted potatoes: puck-size oven fries with creamy insides and unimaginably crunchy exteriors.

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  • Bobbi Lin
    22/41

    Duchess Baked Potatoes

    If you’ve ever asked if mashed potatoes can be cooked ahead, the answer is this recipe. The texture is like that of a twice-baked potato.

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  • Ben Dewey
    23/41

    Perfect Oven-Roasted Potatoes

    Crispy. Creamy. Salty. And all the other things roasted potatoes were born to be.

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  • Alex Lau
    24/41

    Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

    Brown butter and rosemary are the ultimate, timeless pairing for sweet potatoes. Making your own breadcrumbs from sourdough bread shoots this recipe into all-star status, but using store-bought in a pinch is perfectly fine too.

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  • Photograph by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, Food Styling by Alison Roman, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    25/41

    Baked Potatoes Deluxe

    These are impossibly fluffy on the inside and shatteringly crispy on the outside.

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  • Peden + Munk
    26/41

    Golden Potato Cake

    It’s not about the potatoes—it’s what you do to the potatoes. In this recipe, precook them until they’re tender, then dispatch clarified butter (which is less likely to burn), heat, and time to help them become their best selves.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    27/41

    Classic Potato Gratin

    When simmering the cream, make sure it’s over gentle heat (if it over-reduces, it will break).

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    28/41

    One-Pan Mashed Potatoes

    The game-changer in this mashed potatoes recipe is the schmaltz, which lends chicken-infused richness to the world’s greatest side dish. If you can’t find it, substitute duck fat, rendered bacon fat, or just good ol' butter.

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  • Christopher Testani
    31/41

    Lemon and Parsley Skillet-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

    Use the largest skillet you have (a straight-sided 12" is ideal) and a fish spatula—the thin angled edge is just right for helping potatoes release from the skillet.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    32/41

    Shingled Sweet Potatoes With Harissa

    The classic savory-sweet side gets a makeover with the addition of harissa for an extra hint of spicy-earthiness. We promise you won’t miss the marshmallows.

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  • Photo by Chelsie Craig
    33/41

    Pesto Potato Salad

    To test boiled potatoes for doneness, use a skewer or the tines of a fork rather than the tip of a knife so you know they’re truly tender (a knife slides through the flesh way too easily). To test boiled eggs for doneness—wait, you can’t! Just make sure the eggs are room temperature when you drop them in the water (otherwise they’re prone to cracking), set a timer right away, and have an ice bath at the ready.

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  • 34/41

    Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Miso-Tahini Sauce

    That three-ingredient sauce can go on anything. Double batch = necessary.

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  • Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    39/41

    Charred Sweet Potatoes With Hot Honey Butter and Lime

    When you mix hot sauce with butter, it turns into a spicy, creamy spread that’s perfect for melting atop burnished sweet potato halves, bringing them to life.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    40/41

    Loaded Sweet Potatoes

    We like to roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time then rewarm them by flattening and crisping them in a skillet until lightly charred.

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Mehreen Karim was formerly the Recipe Production Assistant at Bon Appétit, where she built recipes and stories for bonappetit.com. She also developed recipes and wrote stories to help readers discover unlikely food combinations (caramelized dates and asparagus) and cooking hacks (how to grill chicken without a grill) to inspire home... Read more
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