Build Your Color-Themed Thanksgiving Menu
A Simple Guide to Beautiful, Balanced Holiday Meals
Planning Thanksgiving dinner can feel like a lot of moving pieces, but when you think in color, everything starts to fall into place.
A color-themed menu helps you create a meal that looks beautiful, feels balanced, and tastes amazing together. Each color brings its own personality to the table. Greens for freshness, golds for warmth, oranges for brightness, and reds for a festive pop. Mix and match from each, and you’ll have a menu that looks like Thanksgiving and feels like home.
How It Works
Think of your Thanksgiving menu as a color palette. Each color adds something special to your table — and together, they create a meal that feels balanced and complete.
Start with this simple structure for your side dishes:
- 1–2 Green Sides for freshness and color (like green bean casserole or Brussels sprouts)
- 1–2 Orange Sides for warmth and brightness (like glazed carrots or sweet potatoes)
- 2–3 Golden Sides for richness and comfort (like mashed potatoes, dressing, or mac & cheese)
- 1 Red Side for a festive finishing touch (like cranberry sauce or a bright berry dish)
If you’re feeding a larger crowd, you can either increase the quantities of your favorites or add an extra option or two within each color. For example, we always make enough mashed potatoes for everyone, but when we host a big group, I might also make both a green bean dish and Brussels sprouts, knowing guests will usually choose one or the other.
This way, your table looks beautiful, the meal feels balanced, and no one goes home hungry.
As you plan, make sure to include the dishes your guests look forward to most. Every family has their own favorites. In my family, mashed potatoes and polenta are non-negotiable, while I know other families who can’t imagine Thanksgiving without cranberry fluff or green bean casserole. Choose a balance that fits your table and feels true to your traditions.
Foundations
Every Thanksgiving menu starts with a solid foundation, the centerpiece of the meal that brings everything together. For most families, that’s the turkey. I have a detailed post with everything you need to know about sizing, ordering, preparing, and serving your turkey in my Turkey Guide.
And the exact recipe I use is this Butter-Rubbed Thanksgiving Turkey with Aromatics, a simple, classic recipe that delivers tender, flavorful results every time. And don’t forget the Classic Turkey Gravy from Drippings, rich and golden and made right from the roasting pan.
If turkey isn’t on your menu this year, a spiral-cut ham, roasted chicken, or a vegetarian centerpiece like stuffed squash or mushroom Wellington can all make a beautiful main dish.
Finishing Touches
Once you’ve chosen your colorful sides and main dish, round things out with a few cozy extras. These don’t need to fit within the color theme. They simply bring comfort and completeness to your table.
- Bread: warm rolls, biscuits, or cornbread
- Dessert: pumpkin roll, pecan pie, or apple crisp
- Drinks: sparkling cider, wine, or a holiday punch
Bringing It All Together
Building your Thanksgiving menu by color takes the stress out of planning and makes it easy to create a meal that looks beautiful and tastes amazing. Mix and match from each color category, add your main dish, and finish with a few cozy extras. However you combine them, you’ll have a table that feels warm, welcoming, and perfectly festive.
You can find more inspiration for these along with other great tips for making your Thanksgiving joyful in the Thanksgiving Planning Hub.
