Late autumn is such a beautiful time to cook. The bright abundance of summer has given way to hearty vegetables, orchard fruits, earthy herbs, nuts, and warming spices. This year, our Thanksgiving Menu will highlight a botanical autumn feast, showcasing the season’s best ingredients.
I find so much inspiration in those ingredients.
This year, I’m building our Thanksgiving menu around them, using familiar holiday favorites as a starting point and adding the flavors that make cooking feel exciting to me.
We’re keeping things elegant but unfussy. A few beautiful dishes prepared with care, candles on the table, something fragrant simmering on the stove, and plenty of time to enjoy it all. Here’s everything we’re making for Thanksgiving 2026.
Our menu is inspired by the final offerings of the autumn garden, the orchard, and everything I love about cooking this time of year. Wild mushrooms, roasted squash, crisp apples, garden sage, rosemary, thyme, and fragrant spices all have a place at our table. It’s a little botanical, a little indulgent,
Welcome drink:
Orchard Wassail | Stovetop Herbal Cider
Aka stovetop herbal cider. Warm spiced apple cider, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, hawthorn & rosehips.
I can’t imagine an autumn gathering without something warm and fragrant to welcome everyone into the house.
Our herbal apple cider simmers gently with whole spices, hawthorn, and rosehips, filling the kitchen with the most wonderful aroma. It’s comforting, familiar, and one of those little seasonal rituals I look forward to every year.
The Gilded Fig
Botanical gin, iced chamomile tea, spiced fig & wildflower honey syrup.
For something cold, I’m making a fig and chamomile gin cocktail.
I wanted an autumn aperitif that felt distinctly different from the usual cranberry and pomegranate holiday cocktails. Something a little earthier and more delicate.
Strongly brewed chamomile tea, botanical gin, and homemade spiced fig-honey syrup make a beautifully fragrant cocktail. It’s floral, gently spiced, and not overly sweet.
A lovely way to begin the evening.
Starters:
Maple Bacon & Chèvre Feuilletés
Puff pastry, maple candied bacon, caramelized shallots, whipped goat cheese & sage.
These are going to be one of my favorite things on the table.
Golden, flaky puff pastry topped with creamy goat cheese, slowly caramelized shallots, and little pieces of maple-candied bacon.
I’m making the bacon for breakfast that morning and saving some for these pastries later in the day. I love finding small ways to make holiday cooking feel more thoughtful and manageable.
They’re rich, savory, slightly sweet, and perfect for enjoying with a cocktail before dinner.
Autumn Orchard Salad
Roasted butternut squash, crisp orchard apples, baby kale, aged white cheddar, lavender maple pecans & cider Dijon vinaigrette.
Warm roasted squash, crisp apples, tender greens, and sharp aged cheddar create a beautiful balance of flavors and textures.
The lavender maple pecans bring a subtle botanical touch, while a bright apple cider Dijon vinaigrette cuts through the richness.
With so many buttery, comforting dishes on the Thanksgiving table, something fresh and vibrant feels especially welcome.
Dinner
Herb Roasted Turkey & Gravy
Herb roasted turkey with sage, rosemary, thyme, roasted garlic, lemon & turkey pan gravy. Generously seasoned with garden herbs, roasted garlic, and lemon, then slowly roasted until the skin is golden and the meat is tender. And, of course, there will be homemade gravy made from the pan drippings. Nothing especially complicated here.
Woodland Stuffing
Toasted artisan sourdough, wild mushrooms, leeks, roasted chestnuts, sage, thyme, rosemary & brown butter. This might be the dish I’m most excited about.
Cranberry Hibiscus Sauce
Cranberries, hibiscus tea, orange zest, candied ginger & wildflower honey. I love cranberry sauce, but this year I’m giving it a botanical twist. Tart cranberries and floral hibiscus make a beautiful ruby red preserve, brightened with orange zest and a little candied ginger. Wildflower honey adds just enough sweetness to balance the tartness without hiding those lovely fruit flavors.
Gratin du Jardin
Yukon Gold potatoes, roasted garlic cream, sage, thyme, rosemary & aged Gruyère.
I’m choosing potato gratin plus mashed potatoes this year, simply because I love it.
Thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes layered with roasted garlic cream, fragrant garden herbs, and aged Gruyère, baked until beautifully tender beneath a golden crust.
Pumpkin Brown Butter Biscuits
Brown butter pumpkin biscuits, whipped wildflower honey butter & spiced pear ginger preserve.
Instead of traditional dinner rolls, I’m making tender pumpkin biscuits with brown butter. We’ll serve them warm with whipped wildflower honey butter and a homemade spiced pear ginger preserve. I love the idea of bringing a little of the autumn orchard to the bread basket.
Dessert
Orange Blossom Pecan Shortbread Bars
Toasted pecans, orange blossom, dark rum & buttery shortbread crust.
I love pecan pie, but this year I’m making something botanical and indulgent.
All the richness of toasted pecans soaked in with fragrant orange blossom and dark rum baked into beautiful little shortbread bars. They’re easier to slice, lovely for sharing, and just the sort of thing I enjoy serving alongside coffee after dinner.
Silky Saffron Pumpkin Pie
Silky pumpkin custard, warming spices & saffron infused milk. Just a little, gently infused into the milk, to bring its delicate warmth to a classic spiced pumpkin custard
Here’s to good food, a beautiful season, and the pleasure of gathering around the table.
While the essence of Thanksgiving cuisine remains steadfast, culinary trends have gently nudged these time-honored dishes towards new heights of sophistication. As you can see from the menu I have selected below, there are variations of these dishes and you are free to make your feast truly your own.
Free editable menu:
Not only am I sharing the exact menu we are serving up, I am also sharing a gorgeous editable menu template so you can print it and use it for your own event. It has two sides: one with a fun Thanksgiving word search! They serve as a drool-worthy teaser for your guests and a perfect place setting for your Thanksgiving, and are functional as they give guests and kids a chance to search for words. You can even print them as a poster.
How to edit
How to print:
- Print them right at home if you have a printer!
- For professional printing, I recommend Prints of Love. They offer high quality prints and fantastic customer service! When you use my special link below, you’ll receive FREE shipping Use code FROLICANDFARE at Prints of Love for 10% off your order of $49 or more!”
- Print in any size, from 5×7″ card to 16×20″ poster!
More Thanksgiving resources:
- Check out my post on hosting an elegant Thanksgiving for a crowd, filled with tips and activities for kids so you can be the hostess with the mostess!