38 Delicious Friendsgiving Recipes to Bring to the Table
These friendsgiving recipes are my favorite because not one of them asks you to be perfect. That’s the whole point of Friendsgiving, honestly. It’s about the company, the unpretentious food, and finally getting everyone in one room after a year that went by too fast.
I love that so many of these are big, generous dishes. The arroz con gandules is the perfect example, since it goes with almost everything on the table, it’s one pot, and you can carry it in the Dutch oven you cooked it in and warm it right back up when you get there.
Friendsgiving recipes shouldn’t give you a headache. These work just as well for a holiday office potluck, and you can bring an app, a side, a protein or a dessert. Whatever fits your week.
What Makes a Good Friendsgiving Menu
I have to confess, I’m not crazy about turkey. Give me pernil, a roasted chicken, or lechon asado any day, and I think a good Friendsgiving menu is really just a little bit of everything your friends actually love.
The easiest way I’ve found is for whoever’s hosting to take the protein and let everyone else worry about the apps, the sides and the rest. Or do two proteins if the group is big enough. Nobody has ever complained about that.
And honestly, the best part is that none of it has to be traditional. This is about giving thanks and enjoying all that love around the table.
What to Bring to Friendsgiving Without Turning On the Stove, the No Cooking Required Friendsgiving Recipes
Half the table at any Friendsgiving is something somebody carried in, and these are the ones I bring when the day gets away from me. No cooking involved, just put all together, and enjoy!
Round Latin-Inspired Small Charcuterie Board
A small board with guava paste and manchego and good olives. It looks like you fussed. It takes about ten minutes.
Hummus Charcuterie Board With A Latin Twist
Creamy hummus in the middle with plantain chips and sliced cucumbers around it. Everyone hovers over this one.
Creamy, Simple Homemade Hummus Without Garlic
Smooth hummus with no garlic. That matters more than people think when everyone shares one board.
Friendsgiving Recipes to Start the Night
Something warm and cheesy is what people crowd around before dinner. All of these travel in the dish you baked them in.
The Best 30-Minute Cheesy Taco Dip with Seasoned Ground Beef
Warm, cheesy taco dip with seasoned ground beef. This is the most requested thing I bring anywhere.
Irresistible Baked Crack Corn Dip
Baked corn dip with cream cheese and a little heat. It never makes it back to the fridge.
Pumpkin Whipped Feta Dip
Whipped feta with pumpkin. The most fall thing I make. Serve it with warm pita.
Mexican White Cheese Dip (Queso)
Not your traditional friendsgiving recipes, but we aren’t going for traditional. Smooth white queso that stays creamy even as it cools, which most queso simply does not.
Sweet and Crunchy Candied Pecans
Candied pecans you can make days ahead and carry in a jar, which also makes them a very good hostess gift.
Cheesy Crispy Colombian Bunuelos
Buñuelos, crisp outside and cheesy in the middle. A Colombian holiday thing. They disappear faster than anything else I bring.
Friendsgiving Main Course Ideas
Nobody I know roasts a whole turkey for Friendsgiving. A chicken or a pork shoulder feeds the same table with a fraction of the stress.
Lemon Herb Butter Roast Chicken
A whole roast chicken with herb butter tucked under the skin. Easier than a turkey. Honestly better.
Herb Butter Apple Cider Roast Chicken
Roast chicken basted with apple cider and herb butter. The cider does something to the skin that plain butter cannot.
Citrusy Garlicky Cuban Roasted Chicken (Pollo Asado Cubano)
Pollo asado cubano, marinated in sour orange and garlic. Roasted until the skin crackles. My Sunday chicken, and it doubles beautifully for a crowd.
Citrusy and Garlicky Roasted Cuban Mojo Pork (Lechon Asado)
Pork shoulder marinated overnight in citrus and garlic. Then roasted slowly until it falls apart under a fork. This is what I make when people are coming over.
No-Marinate Tender and Juicy Costillas (Baked Baby Back Ribs)
Baby back ribs with no marinating required. They go in the oven and you get on with everything else, which is the whole reason I make them for a crowd.
Greek-Style Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Tzatziki
Turkey meatballs with cool, garlicky tzatziki. If somebody insists on turkey, this is the painless way.
Friendsgiving Recipes for the Side Table
This is where the table actually gets built, and it’s also the easiest thing to volunteer for. Most of these can be made the day before.
Baked Corn Pudding Casserole
Corn pudding baked until the top goes golden and the middle stays custardy. This is the side people go back for.
Corn Pudding Recipe That Makes the Perfect Side
A simpler corn pudding with a handful of pantry ingredients. Make it in the dish you plan to carry.
Creamed Corn From Scratch in Just 20 Minutes
Creamed corn made properly in twenty minutes, and nothing like the canned version.
30-Minute Oven-Roasted Parmesan-Garlic Carrots
Roasted carrots with parmesan and garlic. Sweet at the edges, and they cost almost nothing.
Honey Garlic Herb Butter Roasted Carrots
Carrots roasted in honey garlic herb butter until they caramelize. The glaze is the whole point of them.
Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan
Cauliflower roasted with parmesan until the edges go brown and crisp. Four ingredients.
Crispy Zaatar Roasted Cauliflower with Hummus
Zaatar roasted cauliflower served over hummus. This is the side that makes the table look planned.
Honey Butter Biscuits (Small Batch)
Honey butter biscuits, small batch, so you’re not left with two dozen. Warm them right before serving. That part matters.
Easy Fried Sweet Plantains (Maduros)
Maduros, sweet plantains fried until the edges caramelize. Nobody’s ever left one on the plate in my house.
Vegan Arroz con Gandules
Rice with pigeon peas and plenty of sofrito. Meatless, one pot, and it feeds a lot of people.
Puerto Rican Style Stewed Black Beans (Habichuelas Negras)
Habichuelas negras simmered slowly with sofrito. Beans and rice belong on this table too.
The Zesty Greek Potato Salad Everyone Asks For
A lemony Greek potato salad with no mayo. It travels well and sits out happily.
Southern-Style Macaroni Salad
Creamy, tangy macaroni salad that feeds a crowd. Better after an hour in the fridge.
Quick Homemade Coleslaw You’ll Love
Crunchy coleslaw with a tangy dressing that cuts right through everything rich on the table.
Friendsgiving Desserts
Bring dessert and you’re the favorite guest. Every one of these can be made the night before.
Delicious Homemade Lemon Tres Leches Cake
Lemon tres leches soaked overnight until it’s impossibly soft. Make it the day before. It’s genuinely better for the wait.
Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
Apple crisp with a buttery oat topping. The most fall dessert there is, and one dish feeds everyone.
Chewy Caramel Apple Cookies
Chewy cookies with caramel and apple. All the flavor of apple pie, none of the crust.
Traditional Colombian Natilla
Natilla, the Colombian custard we eat every December. Sweet, firm, and served cold.
6-Ingredient Arroz con Leche (Colombian)
Arroz con leche with six ingredients and a lot of cinnamon. What I make when I want something warm and simple.
3 Ingredient Cuban Guava Pastries
Guava pastelitos with three ingredients and a sheet of puff pastry. Nobody believes how little goes into them.
Buttery Raspberry Crumble Cookies
Buttery raspberry crumble cookies, inspired by the Costco ones. Big, soft, dangerous to leave on a counter.
Levain-Inspired Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Thick chocolate chip walnut cookies with a soft middle.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Buttery, nutty cookies rolled in powdered sugar. They keep for days. That alone makes them the best thing to bring.
If You Like This You’ll Love These
Here are a few others I’ve made and loved:
Thanksgiving Dinner Plan with Rice, Beans, and Latin Recipes to Share for the bigger, more formal version of this table.
17 Fall Soups and Stews You Must Try to Stay Cozy for what I cook the rest of the season.
32 Cheap Family Dinners Your Family Will Love since feeding a crowd should not cost a fortune.
Easy Dips and Salsas for Chips, Tacos, and More for more to put on the board.
If you make any of these Friendsgiving recipes, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.
