The turkey gets the spotlight, but let’s be honest: the side dishes are what everyone actually fills their plate with. If your family’s favorite holiday flavors come from restaurants like Boston Market, Ruth’s Chris, Texas Roadhouse, Costco, and KFC, these copycat Thanksgiving side dishes let you bring those exact flavors home to your own table.
Every recipe below is a tested copycat from Fork To Spoon, and many of them use the air fryer, Instant Pot, crockpot, or Ninja Speedi. That matters on Thanksgiving Day, when your oven is busy with the bird. Spreading your sides across different appliances is the easiest way to get everything hot and on the table at the same time.
Here are 12 restaurant-style sides that cover every category on a classic Thanksgiving menu: stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, vegetables, and bread.
Stuffing
1. Copycat Boston Market Vegetable Stuffing
No Thanksgiving table is complete without stuffing, and this Boston Market copycat is a strong place to start. Seasoned bread cubes are tossed with celery, onion, sage, thyme, and dried cranberries, then moistened with chicken broth for that soft, savory, holiday-classic texture. Italian sausage is optional, so you can keep it vegetarian-friendly with vegetable broth or make it heartier for the meat lovers.
It cooks in the Ninja Speedi, which keeps your oven free for the turkey.
👉 Get the recipe: Easy Copycat Boston Market Vegetable Stuffing
Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
2. Copycat Ruth’s Chris Potatoes au Gratin
This is the steakhouse side that makes guests ask for the recipe. Thinly sliced russet potatoes and onions are layered in a rich, creamy cheese sauce and cooked low and slow until tender. Because this version is made in the crockpot, it’s one of the best hands-off Thanksgiving potato dishes you can make. Set it in the morning and forget about it until dinner.
👉 Get the recipe: Easy Copycat Ruth’s Chris Potatoes au Gratin
3. Copycat Boston Market Sweet Potato Casserole
Boston Market’s sweet potato casserole is a holiday legend, and this copycat nails it. Creamy mashed sweet potatoes get warm cinnamon and brown sugar, then a buttery brown sugar and pecan streusel goes on top. The recipe bakes in the air fryer, and you can portion it into ramekins for cute individual servings that look great on a holiday buffet.
👉 Get the recipe: Boston Market Sweet Potato Casserole (Copycat)
4. Copycat Texas Roadhouse Loaded Sweet Potato
If your family prefers baked sweet potatoes over casserole, this is the one. It’s the Texas Roadhouse loaded sweet potato at home, topped with cinnamon butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. It’s sweet enough to feel festive, simple enough to prep ahead, and a fun alternative if you want something a little different from the classic casserole.
👉 Get the recipe: Texas Roadhouse Loaded Sweet Potato Copycat Recipe
Mac and Cheese
5. Copycat Costco Mac and Cheese
In many families, mac and cheese is non-negotiable at Thanksgiving. This copycat of the famous Costco deli tub uses cavatappi pasta with a three-cheese blend of sharp cheddar, Pecorino Romano, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, baked until gooey and golden. The corkscrew pasta holds onto every bit of the creamy sauce.
👉 Get the recipe: Copycat Costco Mac and Cheese
6. Copycat KFC Macaroni and Cheese
Need a quicker, kid-friendly mac to go alongside the fancy one? This KFC copycat comes together in about 25 minutes on the stovetop. Elbow macaroni gets coated in an ultra-smooth sauce made with Velveeta and sharp cheddar, so it tastes just like the fast-food favorite. It’s a lifesaver if you’re feeding a big crowd with lots of little ones.
👉 Get the recipe: Copycat KFC Macaroni and Cheese
Vegetables
7. Copycat Texas Roadhouse Green Beans
Move over, green bean casserole. These Texas Roadhouse-style green beans are cooked with crispy bacon, onion, garlic, broth, and a touch of brown sugar for a smoky, savory, slightly sweet side that people go back to for seconds. They’re made with everyday pantry staples, so you won’t need an extra grocery run.
👉 Get the recipe: Texas Roadhouse Green Bean Recipe
8. Copycat Ruth’s Chris Brussels Sprouts
Even Brussels sprout skeptics come around to these. This Ruth’s Chris copycat air fries the sprouts until they’re crispy and caramelized outside and tender inside, then finishes them with a buttery glaze. Prep them earlier in the day and air fry right before serving so they hit the table hot and crisp.
👉 Get the recipe: Copycat Ruth’s Chris Brussels Sprouts
9. Copycat Ruth’s Chris Creamed Spinach
Creamed spinach is an underrated Thanksgiving side, and this steakhouse-style copycat is rich, velvety, and a perfect partner for turkey and gravy. It adds some green to the plate without feeling like a sacrifice, and it pairs beautifully with the au gratin potatoes above for a full Ruth’s Chris-inspired spread.
👉 Get the recipe: Easy Ruth’s Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach
Breads and Rolls
10. Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Those soft, buttery Texas Roadhouse rolls are famous for a reason. This copycat bakes them right in the air fryer for fluffy, tender rolls, and serving them warm with whipped cinnamon honey butter gives you the full restaurant experience. They’re also perfect for leftover turkey sandwiches the next day.
👉 Get the recipe: Air Fryer Texas Roadhouse Rolls
11. Copycat Boston Market Cornbread
Moist, buttery, and slightly sweet, this Boston Market cornbread copycat is a great alternative to rolls, or serve both. A mix of cornmeal and flour gives it that classic tender-yet-crumbly texture. Bake an extra batch: day-old cornbread is great for cornbread dressing.
👉 Get the recipe: Boston Market Cornbread Recipe
12. Copycat KFC Biscuits
If your family is Team Biscuit, these KFC copycat biscuits are light, fluffy, and golden. They’re made from scratch with simple pantry ingredients and cook in the air fryer in under 10 minutes, so you can bake them right before dinner while the turkey rests.
👉 Get the recipe: Air Fryer Copycat KFC Biscuits
How to Plan Your Copycat Thanksgiving Side Dish Menu
Most hosts plan four to six sides for 8 to 10 guests. A balanced copycat menu might look like this: one stuffing (Boston Market Vegetable Stuffing), one potato dish (Ruth’s Chris Potatoes au Gratin), one sweet potato dish (Boston Market Sweet Potato Casserole), one or two vegetables (Texas Roadhouse Green Beans and Ruth’s Chris Brussels Sprouts), and a bread (Texas Roadhouse Rolls).
To keep Thanksgiving Day stress-free, divide your sides by appliance. Put the au gratin potatoes in the crockpot in the morning, make the stuffing in the Ninja Speedi, cook the green beans on the stovetop, and save the air fryer for last-minute items like Brussels sprouts, biscuits, and rolls. That way your oven stays free for the turkey.
Make-Ahead Tips for Thanksgiving Sides
You can bake the cornbread a day or two ahead and store it covered at room temperature. Make the sweet potato casserole filling the day before, refrigerate it, and add the streusel right before baking. Cut and trim Brussels sprouts and green beans the night before. Roll dough can be prepped ahead, and the cinnamon butter can be whipped up days in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most popular copycat Thanksgiving side dishes? Boston Market’s sweet potato casserole and stuffing, Ruth’s Chris potatoes au gratin, Texas Roadhouse rolls, and Costco mac and cheese are some of the most-loved restaurant sides people recreate for the holidays.
How many side dishes should I make for Thanksgiving? For 8 to 10 guests, four to six sides is plenty. Aim for a stuffing, a potato, a sweet potato, one or two vegetables, and a bread.
Can I make Thanksgiving sides without using the oven? Yes. Many of the recipes above use the air fryer, crockpot, Instant Pot, or Ninja Speedi, which frees up your oven for the turkey.
What’s the best copycat side to make ahead? The Boston Market cornbread and the Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter are the easiest to make ahead. The sweet potato casserole base can also be prepped a day early.
Bring the Restaurant Home This Thanksgiving
These 12 copycat Thanksgiving side dishes give you all the flavor of your favorite restaurants without the takeout lines or holiday pre-order deadlines. Pick a few favorites, mix and match by appliance, and build a holiday spread your family will be talking about until next November.
Which restaurant side is a must on your Thanksgiving table? Let us know in the comments!
