30 BEST Cold Thanksgiving Side Dishes (Make-Ahead Options!)

Are you planning for the big day? If so, look no further than these cold Thanksgiving side dishes! They're festive, easy to make, and delicious, and they *mostly* can be made ahead of time for a stress-free holiday dinner!

A collage of four photos of thanksgiving cold side dishes.

After I've rounded up some of my best cold vegan side dishes, I decided it's time for a holiday edition, featuring everyone's favorite - Thanksgiving.

There are many warm components at a Thanksgiving table - roast turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc., and it can be intimidating trying to serve them warm all at once.

That's where these cold Thanksgiving side dishes come into play. And best believe, there are some real winners in this list!

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Why Serve Cold Side Dishes?
Cold Thanksgiving Side Dishes List

Why Serve Cold Side Dishes?

They're light, refreshing, and balance out heavier meals. Often when I'm eating something hearty like spaghetti bolognese or meatloaf, I need a fresh and tangy side as a "palate cleanser. This helps to "restart" the pallet so you can enjoy the main dish better. Naturally, most of these cold sides are on the healthy side and are veggie-centered.
Cold side dishes travel well. You don't have to worry about reheating them or packing them in layers of aluminum foil. This makes traveling less stressful, especially if you're taking the food with you on a potluck or another outside gathering.
They're a great way to feed a crowd or a large group. If you're hosting many guests, keeping cold Thanksgiving sides in the fridge can be a good way to cut on time and effort.
Most of these recipes are perfect for make-ahead. This way you can focus on what's really important during the holiday season - your guests!
No need to stress over reheating! These cold Thanksgiving side dishes can go directly from the fridge to the table. This creates less stress since you don't have to worry about everything being hot at the same time.

Cold Thanksgiving Side Dishes List

Readers Favorites

Before we dive into this list by sections, check out what our readers are obsessed with right now!

The savory tart is my favorite. Which one is yours?

Sweet Potato Beet Salad with Feta

This Sweet Potato Beet Salad is full of color, flavor, and texture! It features feta cheese, walnuts, and caramelized onions, all coated in a honey balsamic dressing. And if you're out of sweet potatoes, you can make it with butternut squash instead!

Sweet potato beet salad served on a platter, with two wooden spoons next to it.

Cornbread without Buttermilk (Dairy-free)

This Homemade Cornbread is moist, buttery, and has a crispy golden brown crust. It's a delicious Thanksgiving side dish that is a classic and IMO, should be present at every table!

Cornbread without buttermilk in a cast-iron skillet with a slice take out, and topped with vegan butter.

Savory Leek and Kale Tart

The best healthy savory tart stuffed with veggies and creamy tofu filling. It is so easy to make, requiring simple and easy-to-find ingredients that you probably have at home!

Thanksgiving Devilled Eggs

These fun turkey deviled eggs are incredibly cute and will be a huge hit at your table. The best part - you can make the individual components up to 2 days ahead of time. Then all you have to do is fill and decorate the eggs, and they're ready to serve.

Deviled eggs for Thanksgiving on an orange plate

Turkey Cheese Ball

This Turkey Cheese Ball is a fun and unique recipe to make that will impress everyone. Not only that but it can also be made a few days ahead of time and can be served both as an appetizer and a side dish.

Thanksgiving salads

I promise these are not your regular boring salads. They're tangy, refreshing, and well-seasoned, and act as palette cleansers.

Serve them with any main dish like meatballs, lasagna, wellington, etc.

I know with salads it can be tricky to prepare them ahead of time.

What I like to do is prepare each component - dressing, rinsed greens, chopped veggies, etc. a day or two before and combine everything just before serving.

Arugula Spinach Salad

This Arugula Spinach Salad with sumac dressing is a light and crisp side dish perfect for any meal! It features creamy avocado, crunchy toasted sunflower seeds and shaved parmesan cheese. Vegan and gluten-free!

Spinach arugula salad served in a white platter and topped with avocado, parmesan and sunflower seeds.

Mediterranean Risoni Salad with Spinach and Feta

This Mediterranean Risoni Salad is easy to make and comes together in less than 20 minutes. It's so versatile and is the perfect side to any family dinner!

Overhead shot of a blue bowl filled with orzo salad. A bronze spoon has been placed on the right side of the bowl. A quarter of lemon has been placed on the left side.

Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes

Kale and Sweet Potato Salad is a simple to prepare dish that is so delicious. It has great texture and fantastic fresh flavour. A salad base of kale, sweet potato and almonds are tossed with a light, creamy dressing seasoned with fresh lemon juice and mustard.

Kale salad served in a white bowl and topped with sweet potatoes, red onion, and chopped almonds.

Cornbread Salad

This cornbread salad comes together quickly and has a delicious combination of flavors. It's best when made with cornbread that is a few days old so it can all of the yummy juices. Great to feed a crowd!

Green Thanksgiving Salad

This is the perfect Thanksgiving salad recipe, loaded with Brussels sprouts, kale, apples, pears, cranberries, pecans & tangy maple syrup dressing.

Thanksgiving salad in a bowl with wooden spoons.

Crunchy Kale Slaw

This Crunchy Kale Slaw is a delicious cold side dish for the holidays. You will love the mixture of kale, radicchio, brussels sprouts and cabbage in this slaw that is tossed with a light lemony dressing, sliced almonds, dried cranberries and Parmesan cheese.

Kale Coleslaw Salad served in a bowl and topped with dried cranberries.

Thanksgiving Fruit Salad

Thanksgiving Fruit Salad features apples, pears, grapes, oranges, and pecans tossed in a tangy honey orange dressing. This sweet and refreshing fruit salad is a fantastic side dish for the traditionally heavy Thanksgiving dinner.

Spinach, Pear and Feta Salad Recipe

Enjoy a quick and delightful blend of flavors with this Spinach, Pear, and Feta Salad, dotted with juicy pomegranate seeds and crunchy walnuts, all drizzled with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette. It’s the perfect balance of sweetness, tang, and texture that comes together in a matter of minutes!

A salad bowl filled with spinach, sliced pears, feta cheese, walnuts, pomegranate arils, and green onion.

Apple Fennel Salad

Crisp arugula, thinly shaved apples, and fennel are tossed in a tangy olive oil dressing for the best Thanksgiving cold side dish. This recipe is super refreshing with it's tangy and light flavors, making it great to pair with any main dish.

Vegetable Side Dishes

If you want to serve a veggie-centered cold side dish that is not a salad, here are some of the best options.

Easy Salad Kabobs Recipe

Make these Easy Salad Kabobs for your next dinner party or an upcoming holiday! They are quick and simple to make, and so fun to eat! Your kids and family will love them!

Salad kabobs served in a white plate and drizzled with balsamic glaze.

Honey Glazed Baby Carrots

These 15-Minute Honey Glazed Carrots are a delicious way for the family to love their veggies! Perfect as a holiday side dish, as well as any busy weeknight.

Honey glazed carrots served in a ceramic bowl and topped with chopped parsley.

Marinated Green Beans

Enjoy this cold green bean salad at your Thanksgiving table! It's made with fresh green beans that are marinated for 4 hours to create a tangy and savory side dish. This recipe can be made 1-2 days in advance to ease all the holiday planning.

Green bean salad served in a white bowl and topped with halved cherry tomatoes and sliced red onion.

Turkey Veggie Tray Appetizer

This cute turkey veggie tray is the perfectly adorable way to make sure your holiday guests eat their vegetables this Thanksgiving. Here is how to make it!

German Marinated Beets

This easy beet salad is a perfect go-to cold side dish to any meal. It looks festive and taste delicious.

Beet salad made with cooked red sliced beets, finenly diced onion and garnished with a green parsley leaf in a glass bowl.

Make-Ahead Cold Side Dishes

These recipes can be made a few days ahead of time and can be stored in the fridge until the very last minute.

Creamy Potato Salad without Eggs

This Creamy Potato Salad without Eggs will be your new favorite summer side! All the classic flavors you love, but with a healthy twist! No sour cream needed.

A white bowl filled with potato salad without eggs topped with chopped fresh dill.

Vegan Zucchini Boats with Lentils

Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats are an easy summer dinner that the whole family will enjoy! Stuffed with lentils, tomatoes, and fresh herbs, and topped off with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan!

Zucchini boats arranged in a plate, topped with chopped parsley

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

This easy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a great cold side dish for Thanksgiving. It's perfect to go with those leftover turkey sandwiches too!

Marinated Mozzarella Balls

These Marinated Mozzarella Balls can be made up to 3 days in advance and do not need reheating, meaning you can serve them directly from the fridge to the dinner table. They're marinated in olive oil, fresh herbs, and spices, and are chewy are so fun to eat!

A plate full of marinated mozzarella bowls in olive oil with fresh herbs and crispy crostini on the side.

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Try this healthier version of a classic side dish - mayo deviled eggs, but made with avocado instead. These little egg bites are light, savory, and packed with protein, healthy fats, and fiber.

For the deviled eggs, make sure to keep each component in separate containers and combine them before serving.

Marinated Brussels Sprouts

Blanched Brussels sprouts are marinated in a shallot, rosemary, and honey vinaigrette until they're infused with flavor. This is a super easy side dish that anyone can make, but it goes well with everything on the Thanksgiving menu!

Dips and Sauces

And finally, no table is complete without a creamy sauce or dip. They can be served both cold and at room temperature, your choice.

Easy Hummus without Garlic

This Hummus without Garlic is bright, zesty, and easy to make! It comes together in just 5 minutes, and is naturally vegan and gluten-free!

Lemon dill hummus in a white bowl served with fresh vegetable and pita chips on the side.

White Bean Dip Recipe

This recipe for white bean dip comes together in just 10 minutes, requiring 10 ingredients and 1 bowl to prepare. This recipe is great for meal prep because it's so easy to make and will last for quite some time. It's vegan and gluten-free as well.

Cranberry Sauce from Dried Cranberries (Craisins)

Making a Cranberry Sauce from Dried Cranberries is an easy way to enjoy this classic holiday dish if you don't have access to fresh cranberries. This recipe has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy and comes together with only 5 ingredients. Naturally vegan and gluten-free!