Today's Talker: Least favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, according to Americans (2024)

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Today's Talker: Least favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, according to Americans? ›

And the least favorite side dish for Americans on Thanksgiving is -- green bean casserole. 31.4 percent of people surveyed do not like it.

"For the third year in a row, cranberry sauce takes first place as the most disliked traditional Thanksgiving food. Over 31% of respondents, 82 million American adults, do not want cranberry sauce for their Thanksgiving dinner.

The Most Interesting Discoveries:

Most people over 60 chose Green Bean Casserole as their most hated side dish.

Nationally, however, stuffing / dressing ranks the second-most popular side dish. Mashed potatoes, meanwhile, is the most popular side dish in the U.S. and the top-ranking side in Ohio-bordering states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and Kentucky.

When going in for seconds, two-thirds of Americans are getting sides (66 percent) rather than the turkey, including an overwhelming majority of Gen Z (76 percent), and women (73 percent).

Mashed Potatoes

They are creamy, comforting, and the perfect complement to a hearty meal.

What Wasn't Served at the First Thanksgiving. It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America.

What do most people serve for Thanksgiving dinner? ›

At Thanksgiving dinner, turkey is served with a variety of side dishes which can vary from traditional, such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, to ones that reflect regional or cultural heritage.

Main Course: Turkey . . . for Days

The Thanksgiving turkey, perhaps most famously depicted as the centerpiece of Norman Rockwell's 1943 Freedom from Want, is an iconic image for Americans. Today, it remains a popular choice for most Americans.

Other top disliked foods include green bean casserole (disliked by 28 percent), turkey (27.7 percent), stuffing or dressing (26.8 percent), ham (25.6 percent), coleslaw (25.6 percent) and pumpkin pie (24.3 percent).

Why Is Thanksgiving Dinner So Early? There are many reasons, but primarily: Historically, dinner became before supper; it makes for a more relaxed day; it's simply tradition; it's more convenient for traveling guests; and, of course, to watch football.

Americans eat about 46 million turkeys for Thanksgiving compared to 24.75 million pounds of ham. The average turkey purchased is 15lbs so that is 690 pounds of turkey! Soooo……in terms of sheer volume consumed, turkey is the clear winner.

It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America. There was no gravy either, since the colonists didn't yet have mills to produce flour.