9 No-Oven Thanksgiving Sides That Make Dinner Prep Easy

Overhead view of air fryer potatoes — Serious Eats / Jen Causey

As a working chef, I was incredibly spoiled—I always had more than enough industrial stove and oven space to pull off Thanksgiving dinner. But for the past six years, I’ve cooked in a “normal” kitchen with four burners and a single standard oven. That shift has made menu planning a lot more thoughtful—and strategic. Do we really need another baked or roasted side dish? The answer is a resounding no, and these nine Thanksgiving side dishes that don’t require the oven prove it.

In addition to classics like our ultra-fluffy mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and French-style green beans with butter-toasted almonds, there’s an inspired Korean spin on traditional stuffing flavors, and super-fast and easy air fryer versions of oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans, and potatoes. So, don’t worry, you’ve got options.

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Broccoli Salad With Radicchio, Basil, and Pistachios

Vicky Wasik

We take a two-pronged approach to get the most out of a head of broccoli in this vibrant salad. First, we quickly blanch the florets to soften their raw, crumbly texture—which would otherwise disintegrate into a thousand dry little buds in your mouth. The tender-crisp florets are then tossed with crunchy matchsticks of raw, peeled broccoli stems and sliced radicchio in a boldly flavored basil–pistachio vinaigrette that stands up to the vegetables’ heartiness.

Broccoli Salad With Radicchio, Basil, and Pistachios
Sweet Potato and Sausage Jeon With Yangnyeom Dipping Sauce

Vicky Wasik

At Thanksgiving, we usually see sweet potatoes candied, mashed with butter, tucked under toasted marshmallows, or baked into pie. These Korean savory pancakes, or jeon, take the autumn staple in an entirely different—and delightfully delicious—direction. Classic stuffing ingredients like sausage and sage meet Korean pantry staples like gochujang, toasted sesame, fish sauce, and soy sauce in a mashup we didn’t know we needed, but now love.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Jeon With Yangnyeom Dipping Sauce
Creamed Spinach

J. Kenji López-Alt

Creamed spinach is a classic steakhouse side, often paired with prime cuts of meat—which makes it all the more fitting for the Thanksgiving table. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we stick to tradition: cook the spinach low and slow with garlic and shallots in a Dutch oven to reduce its juices and concentrate flavor, then stir in a creamy béchamel and a touch of crème fraîche for added richness and a subtle tang.

Creamed Spinach
Haricot Verts Amandine

Serious Eats / Diana Chistruga

These bright French-style green beans with butter-toasted almonds are perfect for anyone skipping the green bean casserole—or simply looking to keep one more dish out of the oven. They call for just six ingredients (not counting salt and pepper) and about 20 minutes on the stovetop: a quick blanch in well-salted water tenderizes the beans and sets their color, while gently toasting slivered almonds in butter deepens their nuttiness and browns the butter into a glossy sauce to coat the green beans.

Haricot Verts Amandine

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Ultra-Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

Choosing the right potato is the first step to achieving ultra-fluffy mashed potatoes—and that means russets. Their dry, mealy texture breaks down easily and releases less starch, which helps prevent gluey results. Rinsing off the potato starch both before and after cooking further ensures a supremely light, fluffy mash.

Ultra-Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
Air-Fryer Green Beans

Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

If you’re looking for an even faster way to cook fresh green beans, toss them with plenty of olive oil, salt, and pepper, then blister them in the air fryer—just be sure not to overcrowd the basket. Once lightly charred, zhush them up with lemon zest and Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gruyère crisps and fried shallots, or any seasoned topping you like.

Air-Fryer Green Beans
Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Preserved Lemon Caesar Dressing

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik.

Brussels sprouts, deeply browned and crisped in the air fryer, become a festival of flavor and texture when tossed with shaved raw sprouts and a punchy Caesar dressing made with preserved lemon, anchovies, and Worcestershire. A flurry of toasted panko and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano finishes the dish.

Air-Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Preserved Lemon Caesar Dressing
Air-Fryer Baked Potato

Serious Eats / Jen Causey

The air fryer is hands-down the easiest, fastest way to make baked potatoes with perfectly tender, fluffy interiors and gloriously crisp skins. Unlike conventional oven baking, there’s no need to preheat—just puncture the potatoes, oil and season them, then cook at high heat. After a brief rest, crack them open and butter and season them all the way through.

Air-Fryer Baked Potato

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Air-Fryer Roast Potatoes

Serious Eats / Jen Causey

There’s no reason not to serve multiple kinds of potatoes at Thanksgiving—especially when the air fryer makes it so quick and easy. These roast potatoes boast a crispy exterior reminiscent of our best roast potatoes ever recipe, but with less time in the kitchen. We start by parboiling them in an alkaline solution, which breaks down their outer layer and creates a starchy slurry that helps form a crunchy, craggy crust when tossed in oil. Infusing that oil with garlic and herbs adds even more flavor.

Air-Fryer Roast Potatoes