Campbell's Says 80% of Cooks Prefer Making Sides to Turkey

Eighty percent of Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving enjoy cooking the side dishes more than the turkey, Campbell's annual State of the Sides Report found. [America's Top 5 Thanksgiving Sides — Reader's Digest] [Mac and cheese or stuffing? 5 favorite Thanksgiving sides — Lee Enterprises]

The survey of 5,017 U.S. adults, run by Reputation Leaders in August and September, found 86% plan to serve at least four sides, a median of five per table. Campbell's estimates about 749 million side dishes nationwide. [America's Top 5 Thanksgiving Sides — Reader's Digest] [Mac and cheese or stuffing? 5 favorite Thanksgiving sides — Lee Enterprises]

The favorite five haven't changed in three years. Stuffing and dressing lead, and stuffing is the top side in 41 states, followed by mashed potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes, mac and cheese and green bean casserole. The 80% who prefer cooking sides is up 11 points from 2023, and 39% of respondents said they'd be fine with no turkey on the table at all. [America's Top 5 Thanksgiving Sides — Reader's Digest] [Mac and cheese or stuffing? 5 favorite Thanksgiving sides — Lee Enterprises]

Two dishes carry the tradition. Sixty-seven percent said green bean casserole reminds them of Thanksgivings past, and only 19% would change its recipe, the lowest share among the five. Mac and cheese is Gen Z's No. 1 side for the second straight year; 57% called it the dish everyone can agree on, and 65% of Gen Z respondents said they'd be satisfied with a meal made entirely of sides. [Mac and cheese or stuffing? 5 favorite Thanksgiving sides — Lee Enterprises]

The survey covered 100 respondents in each state plus additional national respondents, and its national results carry a margin of error of about 1.4 percentage points. [Mac and cheese or stuffing? 5 favorite Thanksgiving sides — Lee Enterprises]