We took a poll from over 4,000 people across the United States to ask, “What is your least favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish?” Check out the results!
Avoid the Thanksgiving Side Dish Disaster
We all look forward to that incredible, delicious meal we spend gathering with family and friends. It’s common for each guest to bring a Thanksgiving side dish or pie to take some pressure off the hosts.
There will always be people that don’t like a dish, but you don’t want to end up bringing the dish that most people don’t like!
That would be embarrassing.
We polled over 4,000 people to answer the question:
What’s the Least Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish?
We asked participants their age and gender, then they selected one side dish (from a list of seven traditional Thanksgiving side dishes) as their least favorite.
Don’t worry, we have truly delicious recipes for these sides that everyone will enjoy:
- Green Bean Casserole (recipe from Eating on a Dime)
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Roasted Vegetables (Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc.)
- Cranberry Sauce
- Stuffing
- Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
The Most Interesting Discoveries:
- Surprisingly, only 2.6% of people hated Mashed Potatoes and Gravy– we expected this to be much higher because the gravy quality varies significantly from table to table.
In fact, according to the New York Times, gravy is second only to the turkey for the most stressful meal element. “For less experienced cooks, the recipe for gravy often includes anxiety.” I have a tried and true Turkey Gravy recipe that is simple enough for any home cook, but will make your meal shine!
*You can take the survey here!
Does Life Experience/Age Influence Taste Buds?
It seems that it does!
Green Bean Casserole won as the least liked Thanksgiving Side Dish in the poll, and since a large portion of the surveyed audience was over 60 years old, we concluded that there was no love lost between the two.
Photo Credit: Eating on a Dime
However, survey responders quickly reminded us that we can trace this traditional Thanksgiving side dish back to simpler times.
In fact, they never intended for these Green Bean Casserole and Sweet Potato Casserole to stick around.
“In the 40s and ’50s and ’60s, we didn’t have fresh green beans after the first freeze. All broccoli was frozen into little Birds Eye boxes. Transportation and storage has improved significantly since then.”
“The reason the green bean casserole recipe uses ingredients like canned green beans and mushroom soup is not just because of tradition, but because in the olden days- way back when- fresh vegetables were seasonal and not available.”
Survey participants reminded us that the only way you could get cranberries “way back when” was in a can, and that’s the way they still like it. They feel a sense of nostalgia and are happy to still have Green Bean Casserole and other unpopular sides grace the Thanksgiving table.
“I guess for me they bring back fond childhood memories. They are the ultimate comfort food for me.”
Let’s give them a break
Maybe we can give these traditional casserole recipes a break since they were likely passed down from people who lived through more difficult times and didn’t have access to fresh food like we do today.
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for our blessings, and one thing we can be thankful for is that we can buy fresh green beans and cranberries at the grocery store!
Is Your Most Hated Side Dish On Our List?
One survey responder had strong feelings about our survey not including their least favorite side:
“Mine is oyster stuffing… seafood does NOT belong in a Thanksgiving Turkey!!”
We have to agree on that one.
Did we miss another least popular Thanksgiving food or do you have a love for Green Bean Casserole?
Let’s discuss it in the comments! (Feel free to add your favorite recipe for our least popular Thanksgiving sides – maybe you’ll change someone’s mind!)
The Big Take Away
The big takeaway from this survey? Forget the mushroom soup and marshmallows this year, and maybe just offer to bring a pie.
Check out the Most Popular Thanksgiving Leftovers by Region. And don’t miss all of my Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes to make your holiday a breeze!
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Laura, I hope life is going well for you and your family in Spain. I’m sure it was a big adjustment.
I love all of your recipes. You make cooking seem simple and your recipes are easy to follow and don’t use crazy ingredients.
I’m using your sausage stuffing, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and roasted vegetables recipes as part of my Thanksgiving meal.
Happy Thanksgiving to your and your family ( I know they don’t celebrate it in Spain but I have a feeling you will anyway).
Margaret
I love green bean casserole! That said, I would never make it with canned green beans. Frozen French Cut green beans (major brands, not store or off brands) are the way to go. Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup and French’s Crispy fried Onions. I don’t use any canned vegetables at all in any recipe (too much like High School cafeteria food with too much salt) All fresh frozen. Just my $.02
P.S. Love your Web site!
The things I have tried from your site are awsome!
It’s too bad about Green Bean Casserole. It’s one of my favorites but I was the only one eating it!! So I had to switch to a different recipe…