9 Thanksgiving Dishes You Can Make Ahead

Here’s a list of the dishes you can make ahead of time, including tips for doing so and recipes that walk you through the process step by step.

With multiple side dishes commanding your last-minute attention just as guests are arriving, you don't want to worry about the gravy. And there’s no need to. You can make great gravy ahead of time and without turkey drippings (though you might want to stir those drippings in as you reheat the gravy on the actual day).

• Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy (makes 2 quarts, uses turkey thighs or wings, and can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen)
• Our Favorite Turkey Gravy (makes 1 quart; uses reserved turkey neck, giblets, and reserved turkey trimmings; and can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen)
• Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy for a Crowd (makes about 2 quarts, uses turkey giblets and neck, and can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen)
• All-Purpose Gravy (makes 2 cups, doesn't use any turkey parts, and can be frozen for up to 2 months)

How to Defrost and Reheat Gravy: Defrosting and reheating gravy is a tricky task—the sauce tends to weep and separate when rewarmed. But this unattractive trait is fixable. Simply bring your defrosted gravy to a full boil and then whisk it vigorously to return it to its normal thick, emulsified consistency.

Making cranberry sauce isn’t much more work than opening a can, and almost every recipe can be made ahead.

• Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Lemon and Rosemary (refrigerate for up to 4 days)
• Simple Cranberry Sauce (refrigerate for up to 7 days)
• Apple-Raisin Cranberry Sauce (refrigerate for up to 7 days)

We promise your pie will be just as much of a showstopper if you make it in advance. But whether you refrigerate, freeze, or leave it at room temp depends on the type of pie. Here are some tips:

• Pumpkin and other custard pies should be refrigerated.
• Pecan and apple pies can be kept at room temperature if it’s close enough to the day. Otherwise, they can be frozen.
• Freeze fruit pies unbaked and don’t freeze pumpkin pie. (Learn more about how to freeze pie.)
• Most pie dough recipes can be made ahead—so start filling your freezer now!

Not every dinner roll can be made in advance. The best make-ahead dinner roll recipes are engineered to prevent the rolls from drying out before the big day, which means incorporating extra moisture and fat.

• Fluffy Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls (freeze for up to 1 month)
• Fluffy Dinner Rolls (make up to 1 day ahead)
• Rustic Dinner Rolls (freeze for several months or keep at room temp for up to 2 days)

Most soups actually taste better in advance because it gives the ingredients time to meld—many chemical reactions that produce flavor enhancers continue to take place during the cooling process. Just remember: Don’t put hot soup straight into the fridge.

• Butternut Squash Soup (make up to 3 days ahead)
• Carrot-Ginger Soup (make up to 4 days ahead)
• Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (make up to 3 days ahead)

Oven-baked stuffing can be assembled ahead of time, put in a casserole dish, and refrigerated until it's ready to be baked. If you aren’t able to assemble it in advance, and if you’re making your own with bread, put the bread out to stale a couple days ahead of Thanksgiving. It will do fine in a zipper-lock bag.

• Back-to-Basics Bread Stuffing (assemble up to 1 day ahead)
• Classic Bread Stuffing for a Crowd (assemble up to 1 day ahead)
• Simple Holiday Stuffing (assemble up to 1 day ahead)

You can cook any casseroles using sweet potatoes or squash a couple days before the holiday, then refrigerate them until Thanksgiving. (Follow the recipe if it has specific instructions for reheating.) Here are some other recipes you can make ahead of time.

• Extra-Crunchy Green Bean Casserole (make up to 1 day ahead)
• Mushroom and Leek Gratin (make up to 1 day ahead)
• Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole (make without topping up to 3 days ahead)

We know—mashed potatoes that have been made ahead are often gluey and dense. Our Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe can be prepared up to 2 days ahead thanks to a few tricks: 

1. Microwaving then baking the potatoes prevents them from developing a grainy texture.
2. Beating the potatoes in a stand mixer got them nice and smooth.
3. Adding cream before butter to the already smooth, beaten potatoes is key for a silky—rather than gluey—texture.
4. To prevent the potatoes from drying out overnight, it’s necessary to add enough cream to make them quite soupy before refrigerating them. (They’ll tighten up during the stay in the fridge and be the perfect texture the day they’re served.)

If you’re still reluctant to make mashed potatoes ahead of time, you can go ahead and peel the potatoes the day before. To prevent them from turning brown, place the peeled whole potatoes into a bowl of cold water and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours.

Want to check something off your list? Make the dressing for the salad (but don't dress it until right before serving). Our Make-Ahead Vinaigrette recipe stays emulsified for up to a week, thanks to a well-thought-out ingredient list:

• We include a combination of emulsifiers (mustard and mayonnaise) and a stabilizer (molasses).
• We use a 2:1 ratio of extra-virgin olive oil to vegetable oil, which prevents the oil molecules from bonding together and solidifying in the refrigerator.

Photo: bhofack2, Getty Images