What to Bring to Friendsgiving: 30 Dish Ideas by Category

If you are on the guest list, the question is what to bring. If you are the host, the question is how to keep the table from becoming nine desserts and a bag of chips. Both have the same answer: sort the food into categories and let everyone choose from a list. This guide gives 30 ideas in six categories, then a few practical rules for getting the dish there and keeping people with dietary needs fed.

The Friendsgiving potluck planner works out how many dishes to assign for your guest count and writes a sign-up list you can paste into the group chat. The rest of the topic is on the Friendsgiving planning hub.

First, Ask the Host

Before you pick, ask what is missing. If the host is roasting the turkey, which is the usual arrangement because it needs a thaw schedule and a full oven, then you are choosing between sides, desserts and drinks. If the host has a list, take a slot. If not, ask “what do you not have yet?” and bring that.

Tell the host what you picked, even if it seems obvious. Two people bringing the same casserole is a classic potluck mix-up, and it takes one message to avoid.

30 Dish Ideas by Category

Starches (5)

1. Mashed potatoes, made ahead and reheated with a splash of milk
2. Sweet potato casserole, with the topping on the side if you need to
3. Stuffing or dressing, baked in a casserole dish
4. Macaroni and cheese
5. Roasted potatoes or a potato gratin

Vegetables (6)

1. Green bean casserole
2. Roasted Brussels sprouts
3. Roasted carrots with honey or maple
4. Creamed spinach or creamed corn
5. Roasted squash with herbs
6. A big green salad with the dressing on the side

Bread (4)

1. Dinner rolls and soft butter
2. Cornbread
3. Biscuits
4. A good bakery loaf with olive oil for dipping

Desserts (6)

1. Pumpkin pie
2. Pecan pie
3. Apple pie or apple crisp
4. Brownies or pumpkin bars
5. Cookies
6. A fruit dessert, such as baked pears

Drinks (5)

1. A bottle of wine, red or white
2. Sparkling cider or a non-alcoholic sparkling drink
3. Apple cider, hot or cold
4. Cranberry spritzers, with a mocktail version
5. A pitcher of iced tea or water with citrus

Everything else (4)

1. A bag of ice or two
2. A cheese and cracker board for before dinner
3. Cranberry sauce, homemade or from a can
4. Paper goods, serving spoons or a coffee urn if the host is short

That makes 30. Bring one thing, and bring it well. If you want to do more, it is a better gift to the host to bring a second, boring item, like ice or serving spoons, than a second elaborate dish.

Dishes That Travel Well

The oven is usually taken by the turkey, and the host’s kitchen is crowded. The easiest dishes to bring are ones that are ready to serve, that taste good at room temperature, or that reheat in a microwave. Roasted vegetables, cornbread, rolls, pies, cookies, salads with the dressing packed separately and cranberry sauce all fit.

Dishes that are harder to bring are anything that needs a stovetop, anything that must be fried or crisped at the last minute, and anything that needs the oven at the same time as the turkey. If your dish needs reheating, tell the host before the day, and bring it in an oven-safe or microwave-safe container.

Pack it so it survives the trip. A box with a towel, a lid that locks or a tight foil wrap, and a flat spot in the car all help. Label the container with your name, so the dish finds its way home.

Hot and Cold Safety

USDA guidance is that perishable food should not sit out for more than 2 hours, and for 1 hour if it is above 90°F. Keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold until they are served, and put leftovers away within 2 hours of cooking, about an hour after you sit down. Leftover turkey and stuffing are good for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. That means a dish you bring should come out when dinner is served, not an hour before, and a dish that is still full at the end of the night should go home with someone who has room in the fridge.

Tagging Dishes for Dietary Needs

Ask the guests about diets on the invitation. Then tag dishes, since a small label saves a lot of questions. Four tags cover most of it: V for vegetarian, VG for vegan, GF for gluten-free and N for contains nuts. A card next to each dish with its name, the cook’s name and the tags is enough.

A few practical points:

• A tag is only as good as the person who writes it. A guest with a serious allergy should ask the cook directly.
• Keep dishes with nuts away from the ones without, and give each dish its own spoon.
• Some classic sides are vegetarian already and some are gluten-free, such as roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes, depending on how they are made. Check the recipe, because gravy, broth, butter, flour and stuffing change that.
• Reserve a few slots on purpose: one vegan main or hearty side, one gluten-free side and one nut-free dessert, if any of those guests are coming. The planner reserves these when you tick the diets.

The sign-up list is where this works best, since a dish with a tag can be claimed before anyone starts cooking.

If You Cannot Cook

You are still welcome. Pick one of these: ice, drinks, rolls and butter, a store-bought pie, a cheese and cracker board or a paper-goods run. A bag of ice can be more useful to the host than a third pumpkin pie. If money is tight, ask whether you can bring the ice, the napkins or your own serving spoon, or offer to arrive early and set up or stay late and wash up.

If You Are the Host

Make the list, share it before anyone starts shopping, and make the first slot yours: the turkey. A list with categories saves you from the long chat thread. The planner above writes the list, and the how to host Friendsgiving guide covers the rest of the plan. If you would like the sign-up sheet printed, a potluck sign that fills itself and folded food labels that show who brought each dish are in the printable suites below.

Printable Help

If you want the list, the dish labels and the diet tags to look finished, the printable suites below include a Who’s Bringing What potluck sign and folded food labels with who brought each dish and diet tags. They are optional, since a sheet of paper works.