A Definitive Ranking of Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is all about friends, family and (most importantly) food.

From mashed potatoes and stuffing to cranberry sauce and green bean casserole, we ranked 12 classic Thanksgiving side dishes, from worst to best.

Keep scrolling to see which dish tops our list!

12. Cranberry Sauce

Nope. This is disgusting and serves no purpose other than inducing our gag reflexes. In what world is that appetizing?

Canned cranberry sauce on a white plate

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11. Roasted Veggies

Thanksgiving is a time to chow down on a variety of unhealthy dishes that are sure to clog your arteries. So why are roasted veggies always a side dish? No one wants them, especially because they're only there to remind you of the horrible food choices you're making by not eating them. Even if they're doused in gravy, they're not worth biting into on Turkey Day.

Roasted veggies on a white plate for Thanksgiving dinner

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10. Olives

For some strange reason, olives always wind up at the dinner table on Thanksgiving. And it's never just one variety of olives. You have your classic black olives, but there's also some cheese-stuffed, garlic-stuffed and pepper-stuffed green olives, too. They're not bad, per se, but they seem a little out of place among the rest of the side dishes.

Bowl of different types of olives

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9. Glazed Carrots

The combination of carrots soaked in butter and brown sugar is delicious, but it becomes sickly sweet way faster than it should. You can only eat a couple of these before you're over it, especially because the texture of mushy carrots gets grosser and grosser as you take more bites.

Honey glazed carrots

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8. Candied Yams

Similar to glazed carrots, these guys can overpower your tastebuds with their sweet goodness. They rank above glazed carrots mainly because they're still good the next day.

Candied yams in a blue bowl

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7. Gravy

Gravy is the one thing that brings all of the other dishes together. Pouring it over any food instantly makes it that much better. But is it really a "dish"? We love the savory brown sauce, but we're not sure we could eat it all on its own.

Gravy in a white gravy boat next to a turkey at Thanksgiving dinner

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6. Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a truly fantastic dish that can be enjoyed year round. It's always nice to see it at the Thanksgiving dinner table, alongside mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and stuffing, but it's not on the top of our list because it's not specific to the holiday.

Macaroni and cheese in a red dish

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5. Sweet Potato Casserole

The combination of toasted marshmallows atop ooey-gooey sweet potatoes is magical. Unlike glazed carrots and candied yams, it's surprisingly not too sweet, even though it's essentially a ton of sugar. We're all about it though. Bring on the sugar coma!

Sweet potato casserole in a green dish on a Thanksgiving dinner table

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4. Green Bean Casserole

Any other time of the year we would never touch green beans. But green bean casserole is one dish we always look forward to on Thanksgiving. Just thinking about the combo of green beans, cream of mushroom soup and french fried onions has our mouths watering. The texture is perfect and it's not so dense that you're stuffed one bite in.

Green bean casserole

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3. Rolls

No matter whose Thanksgiving dinner you attend, there will always be some sort of dinner roll on the table. Not only do they taste great with everything, but they're the best thing to use to sop up every morsel of food or gravy that was left behind on your plate. Or you could make a nice little turkey sandwich with them. The possibilities are endless.

Dinner rolls in a basket

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2. Mashed Potatoes

Food perfection takes form in mashed potatoes. This creamy dish is utterly dreamy. All you need is some boiled potatoes, butter, salt, pepper and you're all set. If you want them a little smoother, you can add any dairy you'd like. Add some bacon bits, broccoli or even cheese to zest up the dish a bit. There is no wrong way to serve it up to your dinner guests.

Mashed potatoes and gravy on a plate with green bean casserole and turkey for Thanksgiving dinner

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1. Stuffing

Stuffing is the all-time greatest Thanksgiving dinner side dish. Don't @ us, or do; we know we're right. Eating heaps of this carb-filled dish always puts us in a cheerful mood. Plus, there are an abundance of stuffing recipes, so you'll never get tired of this dish. You could try a new recipe each and every year, and still never run out of fresh ideas to one-up your stuffing. Simply put, it's the best.

Stuffing on a Thanksgiving dinner table

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Ever wonder which Thanksgiving dish you're most like? Find out which holiday food best represents you, based on your zodiac sign HERE.

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