The Most Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish In Every State
We analyzed Allrecipes' Thanksgiving data to determine the most popular side dishes around the country, and only ONE state liked Grandma's Corn Casserole.
Photo: Caitlin Bensel/Food: Erin Merhar/Props: Lindsey Lower/Illustrator: Mel Cerri
Everyone has their favorite Thanksgiving recipe—the one thing that the table isn't complete without. And most of the time (sorry Turkey), it's all about the side dishes. But did you know that your favorite recipe might say something about where you live? We dug into Allrecipes data around Thanksgiving, and figured out the #1 side dish recipe in every state—according to you, our community members.
Allrecipes/Mel Cerri
The 6 Most Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
Let's get a little geeky for a moment: I'm sure you've seen other maps that show the top Thanksgiving recipes around the country, but a lot of the time they're looking at what's uniquely searched, meaning a recipe is more popular in that state than any other state. For Allrecipes, we're specifically looking at total site traffic for a side dish in any given state. So, when we say that the Best Green Bean Casserole is the most popular Thanksgiving side dish recipe in Minnesota according to our analytics, we mean the most popular—period.
So what did we discover? As you can see in the map above, six recipes reign supreme around the country for Thanksgiving: Best Green Bean Casserole, Yummy Sweet Potato Casserole, Grandma's Cornbread Dressing, Candied Yams, and Grandma's Corn Pudding. Below, we'll dive into each recipe and the states where it came out on top.
Allrecipes/Mel Cerri
Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe
States: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Nineteen states declared the Best Green Bean Casserole recipe from Allrecipes community member Jan as their #1 side dish recipe for Thanksgiving. The recipe itself has over 700 reviews with a 4.7 average rating. It's easy to see why this recipe is so popular. First, it only has four ingredients: green beans, condensed cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, and French-fried onions. And secondly, it takes roughly 25 minutes to make. When so many Thanksgiving recipes—from turkey to pie—take longer to make, it's nice to have something you can depend on that's easy.
Plus? It's delicious and dependable. Allrecipes community member MEMPHISBELLE says that this recipe is "ALWAYS the first to disappear at potlucks when there are other versions of green bean casseroles."
Allrecipes/Mel Cerri
Yummy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
States: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
It's no surprise that our #1 Thanksgiving recipe of all time is the #1 Thanksgiving side dish in 16 states. This cozy casserole from Allrecipes community member TINA B has a brown sugar and pecan topping that adds the perfect amount of sweetness. This recipe is also easily customizable—according to the very active comment section, cooks have added in cinnamon or nutmeg to the sweet potatoes, and even added cornflakes to the pecan topping.
Allrecipes/Mel Cerri
Grandma's Cornbread Dressing
States: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
There are so many different kinds of dressing (of stuffing) you could make for Thanksgiving, but the only recipe that can claim to be "most popular" in eight states is Grandma's Cornbread Dressing. This is a no-frills recipe from Allrecipes community member, Amy. Simply combine crumbled cornbread—homemade or from a box is fine—a bunch of vegetables, sage, egg, butter, and chicken stock. It takes less than an hour to make.
"We love this recipe," writes Brittany Rundle in the comments of the recipe. "I’ve used [this recipe] for a few years now. It is now a staple for Thanksgiving, Christmas and my go-to dish for a potluck/friends dinner."
Allrecipes/Mel Cerri
Candied Yams
States: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington
From Alaska to Hawaii, this recipe for Candied Yams is the most popular Thanksgiving side dish in six states. It's a humble dish, made with only four ingredients: mini marshmallows, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and butter. The dish is also easy to upgrade with simple spices like nutmeg and cinnamon; or even extra marshmallows or pecans.
A quick scroll through the comments shows just how much this dish is beloved. "It was my 1st time making this ever and OMG IT WAS SO SO GOOD!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipeIt was so easy and quick to make," says one Allrecipes community member.
Allrecipes/Mel Cerri
Grandma's Corn Pudding
State: Maryland
No, your eyes did not deceive you when looking at the map at the top of this story—there is only one state, Maryland specifically, that stands alone in its admiration of Grandma's Corn Pudding. While corn pudding isn't as popular as green bean casserole or stuffing recipe during Thanksgiving, it's not a dish to be ignored.
This recipe for Grandma's Corn Pudding from Lisa Cohen has over 800 reviews with 4.7-star rating. It's exactly how you imagine a corn pudding to taste, made with both creamed corn and regular corn kernels. "No leftovers! This is now a requested staple at holiday and birthday meals!" Writes Allrecipes community member, Marie.
