15 Thanksgiving dishes that don’t require an oven

Mac and cheese is a classic.
Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM/Getty Images
If your oven is full on Thanksgiving or simply out of commission, oven-free recipes can help.
Salads, slow-cooker recipes, and pasta are all beloved dishes that don’t require an oven.
We’ve found 15 Thanksgiving dishes that are completely oven-free.
Whether your oven is crammed full of turkey or it’s woefully small, sometimes baking and roasting isn’t an option on
Thanksgiving.
This week, people all over the country will be making
multiple dishes
for
Thanksgiving dinner
, using every available cooking surface they can, and spending an average of 9.6 hours in preparation for their guests, per 2025 WalletHub
data
.
Thankfully, there are plenty of Thanksgiving staples or updated versions of the classics that don’t require any oven space at all. Even the precious turkey can stay out of that fateful appliance on November 27.
Here are the easiest foods you can whip up this Thanksgiving — no oven required.
If you want to use your oven for other dishes, you could use a deep fryer for your turkey.
Eric Thayer/Reuters
Deep-frying a turkey is still serious business — one that can end in a fiery disaster.
Here’s the best way to fry your turkey
.
If your oven is full, you can leave soup simmering on the stove or in a slow cooker.
HandmadePictures/Shutterstock
As part of Business Insider’s ongoing taste-test series, we’ve tried the
best canned chicken noodle soups
. Any of these would be perfect to whip up on Thanksgiving.
If you’re not into chicken soup, you can also check out these
soups that will keep you warm
during the cold weather, and these don’t even require a stove, just a slow cooker.
Mashed potatoes can be made from a mix or in the slow cooker.
AP Photo/Larry Crowe
Instant mashed potatoes are polarizing but extremely simple. Here are the
best instant mashed potatoes
you can buy at the store.
If you’re looking to make your mashed potatoes from scratch, these
mashed potatoes hacks
will take this classic dish to the next level.
Alternatively, you can make delicious, creamy
mashed potatoes in a slow cooker
. Business Insider’s Erin McDowell called it “basically a set-it-and-forget-it dish.”
Spinach casserole is another dish you can make in your slow cooker.
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Casseroles are a favorite, especially on Thanksgiving. This 
slow-cooker spinach casserole
 is sure to be a big hit.
You could also use a slow cooker for your bird, freeing up oven space.
Yes, a turkey can be cooked in a slow cooker.
Amanda Hoychuk/Shutterstock
It’s a
great tool to utilize
on Turkey Day.
Here are
recipes
for slow-cooking your turkey.
Cranberry sauce is a classic Thanksgiving side dish, and all you need to do is open a can.
Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
Find out which
grocery-store cranberry sauce
was named our favorite.
And don’t forget, you should always
open your cranberry sauce upside down
.
Stuffing is a Thanksgiving essential that doesn’t need to spend time in the oven.
Stuffing.
Sarah Schmalbruch/Insider
There’s not one specific recipe for stuffing, and thus no one way to cook it. Here’s
an “everything” stuffing recipe
that goes in the slow cooker, or a
stove-top Thanksgiving stuffing
.
Business Insider also tried
an air-fryer stuffing recipe
that was tasty, if not a bit time-consuming.
Sweet potatoes are extremely versatile, and all you need to do is stick them in the microwave.
Robynmac/Getty Images
Sweet potatoes are a source of beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A once consumed.
All you need to do to
successfully cook a sweet potato
is to prick its skin with a fork and throw it in the microwave for 6 to 8 minutes.
You can make candied yams in an air fryer.
Candied yams.
sasaken/Shutterstock
A Business Insider reporter tried out
an air-fryer recipe
recipe for candied yams and called it “ridiculously easy.”
There are plenty of ways to make cheesecake festive without turning on the oven.
Shutterstock
There are many different no-bake recipes out there, but here are some of our favorites:
apple-pie cheesecake cups
,
caramel apple cheesecake
, and
pumpkin cheesecake
.
Technically, we recommended
Martha Stewart’s no-bake cheesecake
for summer, but it’s a year-round dessert in our eyes.
Cauliflower, or any vegetable really, tastes great pan-fried.
Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock
Here’s a
recipe
for pan-fried cauliflower.
Creamed corn turns corn on the cob into an autumnal side dish.
Creamed corn.
Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post/Getty Images
Creamed corn is corn that’s scraped off the cob and combined with milk, cream, or even cream cheese, depending on the recipe.
We’ve included a
classic creamed-corn recipe
, which involves simmering the corn over a stove top, and
a slow-cooker variation
.
Salad is a tried and true side that involves no cooking at all.
bitt24/Shutterstock
Even though Thanksgiving is all about
eating until your stomach gives out
, that doesn’t mean it has to all be unhealthy.
Salads are a solid way to consume something green this Thanksgiving. We’ve ranked the
healthiest lettuces and leafy greens
, and listed everything you need to make your
salad as healthy as possible
.
Green-bean casserole is another staple at the Thanksgiving table.
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Green-bean casserole is even more popular than most casseroles on Turkey Day. Even though casseroles are generally baked in the oven, there are ways around that particular rule. Just check out this
skillet green-bean casserole
 or this
microwave version.
However, if you have oven space for
a green-bean casserole
, Business Insider ranked recipes from chefs Alton Brown, Ree Drummond, and Alex Guarnaschelli.
Everyone’s favorite pasta dish, mac and cheese, only requires a pot and a stove.
Igor Dutina/Shutterstock
Whether you’re making
boxed mac and cheese
 or
working from scratch
, this
pasta side is always a hit
with adults, kids, foodies, and picky eaters alike.
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