Career website Zippia recently published a state-by-state guide of the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes, and not all of the results were what we expected to see. The company compiled Google Trends data from November 2019 to determine what recipes were searched on Google in each state in the days leading up to the big holiday last year. If people in Nebraska searched, “how to make green bean casserole,” more than any other Thanksgiving-related recipe, Zippia concluded this was their most popular dish.
They excluded main dishes and drinks—because wine and roast turkey are a given at many Thanksgiving dinners—but they did include gravy as a side dish since it was such a popular search.
They found that mashed potatoes were the country’s most popular side dish, beating out all other recipes in 10 states. The next most popular dish was mac and cheese. Not as surprising was their finding that the Midwest states love a good green bean casserole (one of my personal favorites). They also noted that regional differences in dialect played a part in the winning dishes, even though they use similar recipes: In Southern states, searches for “dressing” were common, while the rest of the country searched “stuffing,” expecting the same result.
To see whether your state’s favorite is represented on your Thanksgiving dinner menu, check out the results below.
Alabama: Dressing
Alaska: Hashbrown Casserole
Arizona: Green Bean Casserole
California: Mashed Potatoes
Arkansas: White Gravy
Colorado: Mashed Potatoes
Connecticut: Mashed Potatoes
Delaware: Mac and Cheese
District of Columbia: Mac and Cheese
Florida: Sweet Potato Casserole
Georgia: Mac and Cheese
Hawaii: Turkey Gravy
Idaho: Green Bean Casserole
Illinois: Mashed Potatoes
Indiana: Deviled Eggs
Iowa: Corn
Kansas: Creamed Corn
Kentucky: Broccoli Casserole
Louisiana: Cornbread Dressing
Maine: Side Salad
Maryland: Mac and Cheese
Massachusetts: Stuffing
Michigan: Green Bean Casserole
Minnesota: Mashed Potatoes
Missouri: Rolls
Mississippi: Baked Sweet Potatoes
Montana: Mashed Potatoes
Nebraska: Green Bean Casserole
Nevada: Mashed Potatoes
New Hampshire: Cranberry Sauce
New Jersey: Stuffing
New Mexico: Green Bean Casserole
New York: Stuffing
North Carolina: Mac and Cheese
North Dakota: Mashed Potatoes
Ohio: Green Bean Casserole
Oklahoma: Rolls
Oregon: Biscuits
Pennsylvania: Stuffing
Rhode Island: Stuffing
South Carolina: Mac and Cheese
South Dakota: Crescent Rolls
Tennessee: Sweet Potato Casserole
Texas: Green Bean Casserole
Utah: Rolls
Vermont: Stuffing
Virginia: Mac and Cheese
Washington: Mashed Potatoes
West Virginia: Rolls
Wisconsin: Mashed Potatoes
Wyoming: Brown Gravy
