The Most Popular Thanksgiving Sides in Every State

The turkey may be the centerpiece of a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but for many sitting around the table, the side dishes are the best part. The meal is a once-a-year invitation to two kinds of potatoes on your plate – mashed and sweet – plus a dinner roll and stuffing without concern for carbs.

A Zippia study found the favorite Thanksgiving sides by state based on what state residents Googled the most heading into the holiday. While the study unearthed a few surprises (Stuffed mushrooms? Side salad?), the one result that’s not such a surprise is that carbs ruled the majority of the favorite side dish results. And the one carb to rule them all? The mighty potato. In 13 states, potatoes are the most popular Thanksgiving sides – in various forms, of course.

One of the newer Thanksgiving sides that has popped up as a favorite, probably in the last decade or so, is the charcuterie tray. The tray full of cured meats and cheeses is likely served as an appetizer, or maybe part of the other recent trend of Friendsgiving, a gathering for a Thanksgiving feast on or close to the actual day with friends that are as important as family.

Curious about which other favorite dishes made the list? Let’s dive into the most popular Thanksgiving sides in the country, then take a look at the state-by-state results.

The Top Five Most Popular Thanksgiving Sides in the United States

1. Biscuits & Rolls

A side of rolls or biscuits topped the favorite Thanksgiving sides in six states, but just one state was specific with their choice. Nebraska prefers crescent rolls, and since they were searching for crescent roll recipes, it’s safe to assume they don’t prefer their crescent rolls out of a tube.

Biscuits are simple enough to make from scratch, and if you’re having Thanksgiving dinner in North Carolina, there’s a good chance they’ll be on the table. As for rolls, the possibilities are many. No one is ever disappointed with a good dinner roll, and of course, whether serving biscuits, crescent rolls, or dinner rolls, there’s sure to be a lot of butter on the table to spread on them.

2. Stuffing & Cornbread Dressing

Stuffing and dressing are closely related and important side dishes to go with turkey. There are many, many recipes for both, but they’re cooked differently. Stuffing goes into the cavity of the turkey and cooks inside of it, benefitting from the flavor of the turkey’s juices as it cooks.

Dressing is cooked outside of the turkey. Some people prefer dressing over stuffing because their recipe of choice – such as cornbread stuffing – doesn’t need the added flavor of the turkey’s juices or because they’re being cautious. (There is a chance that stuffing that sits in the bird may be contaminated with salmonella or other bacteria if it’s not cooked to the correct temperature of 165°F.)

If you do choose to stuff, the USDA recommends leaving the stuffing out of the turkey until right before it goes into the oven and using a thermometer to check the stuffing’s temperature after cooking to ensure it has reached 165°F.

3. Sweet Potatoes

South Dakota makes having sweet potatoes as a side dish super simple, serving their sweet potatoes baked. Two other states that choose sweet potatoes as their most popular Thanksgiving side dishes go the sweet potato casserole route.

Alabamans prefer their sweet potato casserole without marshmallows, while New Yorkers enjoy the marshmallow topping. But decided that marshmallows belonged on a root vegetable side dish, anyway? According to Smithsonian Magazine, the creator of Cracker Jacks did. The story goes that the company that created Cracker Jacks, Angelus Marshmallows, introduced Americans to mass-made marshmallows in 1907. But the sticky treats didn’t take off right away. In 1917, the company released a cookbook with recipes featuring marshmallows to help boost sales, and the first documented appearance of mashed sweet potatoes baked with a marshmallow topping appeared in that cookbook.

See more: 34 Sweet Potato Recipes for Your Fall Table

4. Potatoes

According to Aghires, about 250 million pounds of potatoes are purchased each year for Thanksgiving. Most of those potatoes are turned into mashed potatoes, but not all of them.

Ten states are crazy about having a big bowl of mashed potatoes at their feasts, although Delaware interestingly prefers cauliflower mashed potatoes, which may or may not contain some actual potatoes. Two states like their potatoes in hashbrown casserole form. And one takes the simplest cooking route with baked potatoes.

5. Vegetables

Yes, technically potatoes and sweet potatoes are vegetables, but some states make green veggies the most popular Thanksgiving sides. Three Southern states choose collard greens as their most popular Thanksgiving side dish. Green beans and glazed carrots are popular, too.

Sam Sifton, assistant managing editor of The New York Times and founder of New York Times Cooking said in his 2012 book “Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well,” that salads do not improve the Thanksgiving meal. “You can have your salad tomorrow,” he wrote. But Idaho and New Mexico do not agree with him. Side salad, a noble effort to get many fresh veggies on the Thanksgiving table, is their favorite Thanksgiving side.

See more: How to Save Money on Thanksgiving Dinner: 15 Tips for Thanksgiving on a Budget

The Favorite Thanksgiving Sides by State

So what’s the most popular side dish in your state? Here’s the full list of the most popular Thanksgiving sides in the US.

Alaska: Stuffed mushrooms

Alabama: Sweet potato casserole

Arkansas: White gravy

Arizona: Mashed potatoes

California: Mashed potatoes

Colorado: Mashed potatoes

Connecticut: Mashed potatoes

Delaware: Cauliflower mashed potatoes

Florida: Rolls

Georgia: Collard greens

Hawaii: Mashed potatoes

Iowa: Green beans

Idaho: Side salad

Illinois: Mashed potatoes

Indiana: Green beans

Kansas: Creamed corn

Kentucky: Hashbrown casserole

Louisiana: Cornbread dressing

Maine: Stuffing

Massachusetts: Mashed potatoes

Maryland: Collard greens

Michigan: Rolls

Minnesota: Charcuterie tray

Mississippi: Cornbread

Missouri: Charcuterie tray

Montana: Turkey gravy

Nebraska: Crescent roll

New Hampshire: Stuffing

North Carolina: Biscuit

North Dakota: Fruit salad

Nevada: Mashed potatoes

New Jersey: Stuffed mushrooms

New Mexico: Side salad

New York: Sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Ohio: Green Beans

Oklahoma: Baked potato

Oregon: Mashed potatoes

Pennsylvania: Stuffing

Rhode Island: Glazed carrots

South Carolina: Collard greens

South Dakota: Baked sweet potato

Tennessee: Hashbrown casserole

Texas: Creamed corn

Utah: Rolls

Virginia: Macaroni and Cheese

Vermont: Macaroni and Cheese

Washington: Roasted vegetables

West Virginia: Rolls

Wisconsin: Baked potato

Wyoming: Baked potato