18 Soul Food Recipes to Serve this Thanksgiving - 2026

Let one (or more) of these Soul Food Thanksgiving recipe ideas grace your holiday dinner table this year, and prepare to rake in an abundance of compliments from everyone who eats. Updated for Thanksgiving 2026!

The 2026 holiday season is around the corner, and I don't know about you, but I like to plan ahead. Part of getting ready for the holidays is picking the right recipes to fill out your menu. For me, classic Soul Food dishes with a twist always make the cut. If you're trying to get right for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other gathering this time of year, start scrolling for my top 18 soul food holiday side dishes, entrees, and desserts.

1. Buttermilk-Brined Turkey

My buttermilk-brined turkey recipe produces the best bird ever! Every piece of meat is succulent and infused with flavor, and every inch of skin is crispy.

Remix extras into a leftover turkey pot pie, and make sure you keep those turkey bones to make homemade turkey bone broth. For everything else, refer to Plies' rules for leftovers.

2. Cajun Turkey Wings

I'll keep it a buck with you: if I don't feel like cooking a whole bird, we'll just order a cooked Cajun turkey and focus on the sides and desserts in my family. So I'll absolutely co-sign saving yourself the stress with juicy roasted turkey wings with rich pan gravy!

Want another shortcut? Try my Thanksgiving turkey breast dripping with Cajun herb butter. 😋

3. Giblet Gravy

It's just not a proper Black American Thanksgiving without the gravy. This turkey neck and giblet gravy is silky smooth and lip-smackingly delicious, so it goes with everything from the turkey to the dressing!

4. Southern Glazed Ham

This ain't your everyday smoked ham! It's rubbed down with a lil' Creole mustard, brown sugar, and spices, and glazed with a sweet bourbon peach sauce.

Your family members who eat pork will devour this peach bourbon-glazed ham down to the bone! And it makes bomb leftover sandwiches.

5. Baked Mac & Cheese

Baked mac & cheese is a must in any Black folks Thanksgiving spread, and being the person to make it is an honor of the highest order. Did you know it was invented by James Hemings?

My classic Soul Food mac and cheese recipe is perfect for the holidays. And my baked mac & cheese cups are perfectly ooey-gooey and single-serve, so they're great for smaller gatherings, kids, and easily packing to-go plates.

One more soulful mac & cheese recipe because I'm extra: bacon macaroni & cheese. This is also a baked mac & cheese with a bechamel-style sauce containing three creamy, flavorful cheeses and crumbled bacon.

6. Candied Sweet Potatoes

Candied sweet potatoes, also known as candied yams, are simple to make and a must at this time of year. Slow cooker candied sweet potatoes take the pressure off, save precious stovetop space while preparing holiday meals, and taste just as good.

Consider adding my spiced bourbon sweet potato casserole or pecan praline sweet potatoes to your Thanksgiving 2026 spread for good measure.

7. Cornbread

Sweet potatoes are central to Black American cuisine and get all the love around the holidays, from side dishes to desserts. So sidle on up to my sweet potato cornbread glazed with honey butter OR smoked cornbread with hot honey butter!

If you're a purist, peep my honey buttermilk cornbread cooked in a hot cast iron skillet, too.

8. Sweet Dinner Rolls

If your family usually does Hawaiian rolls for Thanksgiving, they will LOVE my sweet dinner rolls from scratch or honey butter sweet potato rolls. They're both impossibly fluffy, buttery, and perfect for sopping up gravy or making mini Thanksgiving sandwiches!

9. Cornbread Dressing

Cornbread dressing comes from the ingenuity of our enslaved ancestors in the American South. It has become one of those go-to Black recipes for the holidays and special occasions.

This seafood cornbread dressing builds on my Grandma Carolyn's classic cornbread dressing recipe plus crab, shrimp, and lobster for a Third Coast twist, paying homage to Texas and Louisiana Soul Food!

10. Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey

Tender braised collard greens and pot likker must be present on the holiday table. And you already know they pair perfectly with turkey!

And mustard greens with ham hocks are another solid Southern option, especially if you're serving ham.

11. Green Beans and Potatoes

This ain't canned green bean casserole. It's slow-cooked, super tender Soul Food green beans and red potatoes like Black matriarchs have made for generations.

It's a whole meal all by itself and a Turkey Day dinner star around these parts.

12. Mashed Potatoes

Now, mashed potatoes aren't technically Soul Food, but as my Grandma would say, it is the way I make it! My mashed red potatoes are restaurant-style decadence, made with plenty of love, garlic, and butter.

13. Cranberry Sauce

Now, cranberry sauce can be a source of contention in Black households between team canned and team homemade, but my bourbon cranberry sauce delivers the best of both worlds.

It's THICK and super flavorful and only takes a few minutes to make. No matter which teams are present and accounted for, everybody will be satisfied.

14. Peach Cobbler

While not originally a Black or even American recipe, cobbler, peach cobbler specifically, has become an official part of Soul Food canon.

My Great Great Aunt Georgia's peach cobbler is a family heirloom passed down through storytelling and worth a spot on your celebratory menu. Or try skillet bourbon peach cobbler!

15. Pound Cake

A well-made pound cake is probably at the top of my favorite soul food desserts list. Probably because my late maternal grandmother, Carolyn, specialized in them. Dense, buttery, sweet, and simple.

I recommend you try her classic sour cream pound cake. Or add extra razzle dazzle with a sweet tea pound cake, strawberry swirl pound cake, peach cobbler pound cake, or pecan praline pound cake for the holidays.

They all present beautifully and are crowd pleasers that hit every time. And I have plenty more pound cake options!

16. Red Velvet Cake

You'll find this staple dessert at many Black family gatherings from Juneteenth cookouts to Christmas dinner and my red velvet layer cake with scratch-made cream cheese frosting will be a wonderful addition to the end of your holiday meal.

17. Sweet Potato Pie

When in doubt, trust the classics. My bourbon sweet potato pie recipe is inspired by my late maternal Grandma Carolyn and Ms. Patti LaBelle, and it is soul food dessert perfection.

See also: sweet potato pie cheesecake, sweet potato pie ice cream, and sweet potato pie cookies!

Why stop at just pecan pie or sweet potato pie when you can combine two classics in one and wow your guests with my layered sweet potato pecan pie recipe?

18. Bread Pudding

Lastly, Black people can be particular about bread pudding, and I'm no exception. This sweet potato bread pudding with praline sauce hits the mark for me every single time. And I'm not the only one. People have stolen over this dish, you hear me? It's that good.

Learn about the Black history of sweet potatoes.

More Favorite Soul Food Recipes

Looking for more like this? Try these:

I hope this Black family Thanksgiving menu gets you set for the 2026 holiday season and beyond. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this list of soul food Thanksgiving recipes over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!