These 32 alternative Thanksgiving dinner ideas are family favorite mains that skip the turkey, from skillet lasagna and chicken pot pie to glazed ham, ginger miso beef and sticky ribs. Some feed a crowd, some are made for a table of four, and plenty come together in one pan or one pot. Every recipe was developed and tested in my own kitchen.
Turkey is tradition. It is also a lot of work for a bird half the table does not love. An alternative Thanksgiving dinner keeps everything great about the holiday, the family, the sides, the pie, and swaps the main for something everyone actually gets excited about.
Keep your favorite sides, pick one main from this list, and call it a new tradition.
What Can You Make for Thanksgiving Instead of Turkey?
Pick your main based on who is coming to dinner:
- Feeding a crowd? Go with a glazed ham, a braised roast or a big pan of paella.
- Small table? Steak, lamb chops or salmon feel special and cook in 30 minutes or less.
- Picky kids? Skillet lasagna, chicken pot pie or crispy chicken tenders.
- Want to cook ahead? Braises like short ribs, chuck roast and ragu taste great reheated the next day.
- Keep the sides. Mashed potatoes, roasted veggies and garlic bread go with every main on this list.
Cozy Bakes, Pasta and One Pan Dinners
Lasagna, pot pie and big pans of rice. Comfort food the whole family already loves.
Skillet Lasagna
All the lasagna, none of the two hour commitment. Ground beef, a veggie packed meat sauce, pasta and melty cheese in one skillet in under an hour.
Key ingredients:
ground beef
carrots and celery
onion
garlic
Italian seasoning
Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
Flaky, golden pastry over a creamy filling that tastes like it simmered all day. The coziest centerpiece for a family that does not need a bird.
Key ingredients:
boneless skinless chicken
puff pastry
carrots
celery
onion
Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks
One skillet, a white wine cream sauce with sweet leeks, and golden puff pastry on top. Under an hour and made for a cold November night.
Key ingredients:
chicken breasts
leeks
puff pastry
carrots
peas
Beef and Pork Ragu
Ground beef and pork simmered low and slow with passata, white wine, rosemary and a parmesan rind. Pasta night, holiday edition.
Key ingredients:
ground beef
ground pork
passata
white wine
parmesan rind
Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice
Juicy chicken thighs and mushrooms cooked right in with jasmine rice until creamy and cozy. One pan, 40 minutes, very little cleanup.
Key ingredients:
chicken thighs
mixed mushrooms
jasmine rice
garlic
smoked paprika
One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
Chicken thighs, chorizo, peppers and tomatoes baked with rice in one pan. Big smoky flavor in 45 minutes.
Key ingredients:
chicken thighs
chorizo
long-grain white rice
chicken broth
red bell pepper
Braises and Roasts
Low and slow centerpieces that feed a crowd and make the house smell incredible.
Asian Braised Chuck Roast
The roast I make when I want to feed a crowd. Chuck roast braised with ginger, garlic and soy until it falls apart.
Key ingredients:
chuck roast
fresh ginger
garlic
soy sauce
onion
Slow Cooker Salsa Pot Roast
Beef pot roast slow cooked with your favorite salsa, onion and garlic. Set it up in the morning and it shreds with a fork by dinner.
Key ingredients:
beef pot roast
salsa
onion
garlic
Coca Cola Braised Short Ribs
Fall apart tender short ribs with a bottle of Coke doing the heavy lifting. A cozy main for anyone skipping turkey this year.
Key ingredients:
boneless beef short ribs
Coca Cola
onion
Asian Boneless Short Ribs (Instant Pot)
Short ribs pressure cooked with sake, mirin, soy, ginger and garlic until spoon tender. All the braise flavor in about an hour.
Key ingredients:
boneless short ribs
sake
mirin
soy sauce
ginger
Ginger Miso Beef
Five pounds of chuck roast, one hour in the pressure cooker, and a glossy ginger miso sauce you will want on everything. A big, shreddable centerpiece for a hungry family.
Key ingredients:
beef chuck roast
miso paste
fresh ginger
garlic
mirin
Braised Oxtail
Oxtail slow cooked in the oven with onion and white wine until it melts off the bone. A low and slow centerpiece worth the wait.
Key ingredients:
oxtail
white onion
white wine
all-purpose flour
Momofuku Bo Ssam (Korean Pork Roast)
A whole bone-in pork shoulder rubbed with sugar and salt and roasted until it falls apart, served with kimchi. The ultimate share-from-the-middle feast.
Key ingredients:
bone-in pork shoulder
white sugar
brown sugar
salt
kimchi
Glazed Hams and Ribs
Sticky, sweet and built for carving or pulling apart at the table.
Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham
A spiral ham lacquered in maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, lemon and ginger. Sweet, sticky, and a total showstopper of a centerpiece.
Key ingredients:
spiral ham
maple syrup
brown sugar
bourbon
ginger
Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
Bone-in ham glazed with pineapple, honey, citrus and warm spices like cinnamon and star anise. Big enough to feed the whole crew.
Key ingredients:
bone-in ham
pineapple chunks
honey
oranges and lemons
cinnamon and star anise
Oven Baked Ribs
St. Louis ribs with a smoky brown sugar rub, baked low until they taste like they came off a backyard smoker. No smoker required.
Key ingredients:
St. Louis ribs
brown sugar
smoked paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
Sticky Asian Ribs
Baby back ribs baked low and slow at 300°F for 3 hours, then broiled with a glossy honey soy glaze. Fall off the bone and gone in minutes.
Key ingredients:
baby back ribs
brown sugar
soy sauce
honey
hoisin
Chicken Dinners
Familiar, kid approved and way less stress than roasting a whole bird.
Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Juicy chicken thighs and potatoes roasted on one pan with peppers, onion and tomato paste. A smaller crowd main that skips the whole bird drama.
Key ingredients:
chicken thighs
white potatoes
red bell pepper
onion
tomato paste
Cast Iron Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs seasoned with garlic, onion and smoked paprika and seared in one skillet. Juicy, golden and done in 40 minutes.
Key ingredients:
chicken thighs
garlic powder
onion powder
smoked paprika
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders
Cornflake crusted chicken tenders tossed in garlic parmesan butter. The kids table will thank you. 35 minutes.
Key ingredients:
chicken breasts
cornflakes
eggs
garlic powder
Parmesan
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs (Air Fryer)
Cornflake crusted thighs, crispy in the air fryer and drizzled in hot honey. Sweet, spicy, very hard to share.
Key ingredients:
chicken thighs
cornflakes
eggs
paprika
hot honey
Air Fryer Korean Chicken Tenders
Crunchy cornflake tenders tossed in a sticky Korean glaze. Kids eat them. Adults steal them.
Key ingredients:
chicken tenders
cornflakes
eggs
paprika
garlic powder
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
A whole chicken flattened and rubbed in tomato paste, thyme and paprika, then roasted on cabbage and onions. Crispy skin, juicy meat, way faster than a turkey.
Key ingredients:
whole chicken
tomato paste
fresh thyme
paprika
cabbage and onion
Steak, Lamb and Salmon for a Small Table
Cooking for four? These feel special and most are done in 30 minutes or less.
Air Fryer Ribeye
Thick cut ribeye cooked in the air fryer and basted with butter. Perfect for a small Thanksgiving when a whole turkey is way too much. 18 minutes.
Key ingredients:
ribeye steaks
salted butter
neutral oil
salt and pepper
Air Fryer Strip Steak
Juicy strip steaks with just oil, salt and pepper, done in the air fryer in 15 minutes. Steak night with almost zero effort.
Key ingredients:
strip steaks
avocado oil
salt
black pepper
garlic
Air Fryer Lamb Chops
Lamb marinated in garlic, rosemary, thyme, balsamic, Dijon and honey, then air fried. Fancy enough for the holiday, ready in 30 minutes.
Key ingredients:
lamb
garlic
rosemary and thyme
balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard
Maple Glazed Salmon
Salmon glazed with maple syrup, soy, Dijon and a little chili crisp. Elegant enough for the holiday table and done in 30 minutes.
Key ingredients:
salmon fillet
maple syrup
soy sauce
Dijon mustard
chili crisp
Sides and Starters
Put these out first. Nobody will even notice the turkey is missing.
Teriyaki Salmon Sushi Cups
Crispy nori cups packed with sticky seasoned rice and teriyaki salmon, baked right in a muffin tin. 30 minutes. Gone in 60 seconds.
Key ingredients:
sushi rice
fresh salmon
teriyaki sauce
nori sheets
sriracha mayo
Honey Garlic Chicken Meatballs
Sticky, garlicky meatballs in a honey, oyster sauce and lemon glaze. 20 minutes. Stick a toothpick in each one and watch the plate empty.
Key ingredients:
ground chicken
panko breadcrumbs
garlic
honey
oyster sauce
Crab Rangoon Dip
All the creamy, crabby goodness of crab rangoon with zero folding. Bake it, grab the wonton chips, guard your spot.
Key ingredients:
crab
cream cheese
sour cream
parmesan
garlic
Crispy Miso Butter Mushrooms
Shiitakes seared crispy in miso garlic butter. 20 minutes, one pan, and suddenly everyone loves mushrooms.
Key ingredients:
shiitake mushrooms
unsalted butter
white miso
garlic
fresh parsley
Gochujang Mac and Cheese
Creamy double cheddar mac and cheese with gochujang stirred into the sauce for a gentle kick. I genuinely think it is the best mac and cheese I have ever made.
Key ingredients:
macaroni
cheddar
white cheddar
milk
gochujang
Sweet Potato Brulee
Dessert hiding inside a sweet potato. Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes blended into a silky vanilla custard, baked back in their skins and torched for a crackly sugar top. Serves 8. Make it the side everyone talks about.
Key ingredients:
Japanese sweet potatoes
heavy cream
egg yolks
vanilla bean paste
granulated sugar
Trying something new this Thanksgiving? Leave a star rating on the recipe and tell me which main made your table.
Frequently Asked Questions About Alternative Thanksgiving Dinners
Glazed ham, braised beef, pot pie, lasagna and roast chicken all make great Thanksgiving mains. A maple bourbon glazed ham or ginger miso beef feeds a crowd, while skillet lasagna and chicken pot pie are cozy family favorites.
Steak, lamb, salmon or roasted chicken is perfect for a small table. An air fryer ribeye or air fryer lamb chops feels special without the leftovers of a 20 pound bird.
Skillet lasagna, chicken tenders and shake and bake chicken are the safest bets for picky kids. Serve them family style next to a couple of classic sides and everyone fills their own plate.
Yes, braises are the best make ahead mains. Chuck roast, short ribs, oxtail and ragu reheat beautifully, so cook them the day before and spend Thanksgiving afternoon on the sides.
The classic Thanksgiving sides still work with any of these mains. Roasted carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese and garlic bread pair with everything from ham to lasagna. Grab ideas from my Thanksgiving side dishes.
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