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17 International Recipes for a Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

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5.0 from 1 vote
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Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.

I've curated this list of 17 Global Thanksgiving Dish in conjunction with my podcast series, Thanksgiving Episodes from my podcast guests who share their autumnal traditions with us.

moody flatlay of thanksgiving dishes such as turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pumpkin pie, squash, and rolls

This recipe round-up is going to be a bit fun and different. Thanksgiving recipes have always held a nostalgic, special place in my heart, but sometimes I want a different twist on my Thanksgiving meal, thus, the inspiration for this post was born!

To be clear, almost every culture around the world has at some point in time celebrated harvest, but instead of focusing on traditional global harvest dishes I have chosen to focus on traditional ingredients that are synonymous with a Thanksgiving day feast in the United States and found dishes that use those ingredients to make global recipes.

So before you go to the grocery store and pick up ingredients for your tried and true recipes, hopefully, these will give you a little inspiration to try some new dishes with your most beloved Thanksgiving ingredients!

P.S. Looking for more Thanksgiving recipes? Make sure to check out my other Thanksgiving recipe round-up post, Harvest Festivals Around The World!

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How To Use This List

  • In some recipe round-ups, I try to find only "traditional" recipes and not "inspired by" recipes, however, with this particular post, I wanted to flip that mentality and find global dishes that used "traditional" Thanksgiving ingredients (the American holiday that is) in global recipes so you can try something new for your Thanksgiving spread. 
  • The recipes are loosely grouped into side dish categories as well (main, vegetables, desserts, etc.).
  • This list is organized into categories based on their ingredients in the following way: Turkey, Stuffing, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Corn, Green Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Maple Syrup, Root Vegetables, Onions, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Pecan, Pies, Rolls, and Cinnamon.

Turkey, Korea

A traditional turkey is always the key main course item on any Thanksgiving table, but instead of having a plain roast turkey like you do every year, try this recipe for Korean Sweet and Spicy Braised Turkey which is bursting with flavors. This turkey breast is stuffed with glutinous rice, soy sauce, honey, chestnuts, dates, and butternut squash and is marinated in a glaze made with soy sauce, mirin, fresh ginger, and garlic.

  • Sweet & Spicy Korean Braised Turkey

    You’ve had roast turkey and deep-fried turkey… but what about turkey with real international flavor? This Thanksgiving let’s honor our melting pot culture with a recipe worth talking about. This Korean stuffed turkey breast is perfect for a smaller gathering of curious epicureans, happily feeding 4-6.

    1 vote 5.0

Stuffing, Greece

Stuffing is a holiday staple in the US though most only have it on the table out of tradition instead of actually liking it. Hopefully, this Greek Stuffing with change your mind because it is bursting full of flavors and it is chock full of ground sausage, chestnuts, dates, and pine nuts.

  • Greek Turkey Stuffing

    Traditional Greek turkey stuffing with ground sausage, chestnuts, dates & pine nuts.

    10 votes 5.0 Cuisine: Greek

Potatoes, Sweden

Mashed potatoes are always a good item to include in your feast, but these Hasselback Potatoes are both fun because of the thin slices in each potato, and taste amazing using only simple ingredients. Topped with sour cream and no one will be able to resist these potatoes.

  • Hasselback potatoes

    Recipe video above. Soft on the inside and crispy on the edges, brushed with garlic rosemary olive oil! Hasselback successrelies on thin slices so they fan out as they bake, allowing oil and salt to drip in between with crispy edges. Otherwise, they end up like regular roast spuds! Making sure you cut through enough and using oval shaped spuds also help to ensure they fan out properly.Worried about your knife skills? Don't! So what if your slices are irregular or a little too thick? Wonky hasselbacks still trump regular roast spuds every day of the week. 🙂

    6 votes 5.0 Cuisine: swedish, Western

Sweet Potatoes, Jamaica

This is a traditional recipe in Jamaican cuisine that is like pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie. It is made without a pie crust so no need to worry about any extra baking!

  • Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding

    Traditional Jamaican Sweet Potato Pudding is better than any sweet potato pie you'll ever taste! This baked vegan recipe features the signature custard top and flan-like middle.

    3 votes 5.0 Cuisine: Caribbean

Squash, Mediterranean

Another fun take on stuffing is these Stuffed Mediterranean Zucchini Boats that would be the star of the show on any Thanksgiving spread. They are filled with classic Greek staples such as kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and basil mixed with turkey sausage and bread crumbs and topped with parmesan cheese, what's not to love?

  • Mediterranean Zucchini Boats

    Cooks in 65 minutes

    Zucchini boats make the perfect vegetable vessel for ground turkey sausage, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, basil, and Parmesan cheese for a Mediterranean take on everyone's favorite stuffed zucchini recipe.

    3 votes 5.0 Cuisine: Mediterranean

Corn, Trinidad

If your corn side last year was passed over for other sides, this is a great way to level up your corn side dish to be both a crowd and personal favorite. It has corn and cheese in it and is a one-pot dish, need I say more?

Green Beans, Japan

Instead of a green bean casserole this year, try these Japanese Blistered Green Beans. Made in a miso sauce and cooked to perfection, these will be gone before you know it.

Brussels Sprouts, Thailand

Looking to make your vegetable sides more appealing? This Thai Brussels Sprout recipe comes with a flavor-packed Thai sauce that you or your guests won't want to miss.

  • Crispy Thai Brussels Sprouts

    Cooks in 15 minutes

    Crispy Brussels sprouts tossed in an authentic Thai chili fish sauce for a side dish you won't forget!

    26 votes 3.5 Cuisine: Thai

Maple Syrup, Canada

Roasted carrots are an integral part of any holiday meal. Our neighbors to the North are onto something because these Maple Roasted Carrots look delicious and elegant.

  • Maple Roasted Carrots

    Cooks in 50 minutes

    These maple roasted carrots make a perfect side dish for entertaining. Made with maple syrup and fresh thyme, it's a simple side dish that is sure to impress.

    1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: American

Root Vegetables, Russia

Root vegetables are quintessential on your Thanksgiving menu, so instead of simply having a casserole dish of cut-up vegetables (not that there is anything wrong with that), this vegan shuba recipe, given to me by my podcast guest, Murielle actually layers cooked root vegetables in a small, beautiful, rainbow tower that will make everyone want to eat their veggies.

  • Vegan Shuba: Layered Nori, Beet, Potato, Carrot Salad

    Cooks in 210 minutes

    Vegan Shuba recipe is a gorgeous, elegant, delicate layered winter salad featuring flavors of seafood and cooked, shredded vegetables.

    1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: Eastern European, Russian, Ukrainian

Onions, Philippines

Thanksgiving dinner always has side dishes with onions but what if you made onions an entire side dish? In this recipe for Bistek Roasted Onions, the onions are marinated in a soy sauce) and calamasi marinade and then roasted to perfection.

  • Bistek Sibuyas Recipe Bahay Kubo Cooking Series

    Bistek Sibuyas or Bistek Roasted Onions are made by roasting sibuyas in the bistek marinade. The toyo (soy sauce) and calamasi infuse the onions with the most intense flavor and you dont really miss the steak that you normally have with it.

    1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: Filipino

Cranberries, India

This spicy, tart cranberry sauce is the perfect addition to your meal. You can top your turkey with it, put it on your bread or crackers, or mix it in with your vegetables, whatever way you choose will be delicious.

  • Cranberry Pachadi

    Cooks in 40 minutes

    Spicy, tangy and delicious chutney made with fresh cranberries. This South Indian pachadi is great to serve with rice or roti.

    Cuisine: andhra, south indian

Pumpkin, Mexico

Pumpkin pie is a classic dish that is always there for nostalgia reasons, but if you want to showcase pumpkin in a different (and maybe more delicious way) these Mexican Pumpkin Empanadas are a pumpkin pie spiced filling wrapped in a sweet bread dough.

  • Pumpkin Empanadas

    Cooks in 165 minutes

    Pumpkin empanadas stuffed with a pumpkin filling and wrapped in a sweet and fluffy bread dough, just like from the Mexican panaderia!

    7 votes 4.6 Cuisine: Mexican

Pecans, Egypt

This holiday season put a fun spin on your typical pecan pie recipe and try these pecan pie shortcrust bars, provided by my podcast guest, Nermine, that are a bit healthier due to the addition of dates and substitution of corn syrup but just as tasty!

  • Pecan Date Bars

    Cooks in 60 minutesDifficulty: Easy

    A tastier, healthier alternative to Pecan Pie, this Pecan Date bar recipe pulls from Middle Eastern, Parisian, and American influences.

    1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: Egyptian, Middle Eastern

Pies, The Netherlands

A Thanksgiving celebration will probably have three traditional pies, Pumpkin, Pecan, and Apple. This year, try the original version (a recipe for Dutch Appeltaart was around 100 years before it ever showed up in North America) of the apple pie; you won't be disappointed.

  • Appeltaart: Dutch Apple Pie

    Cooks in 120 minutes

    Of all Dutch desserts, the classic appeltaart may be the most famous. Appeltaart is a tall Dutch apple pie made from a brown sugar shortcrust pastry filled to the brim with cinnamon apples.

    173 votes 4.0 Cuisine: Dutch

Rolls, France

Let's be honest, the rolls are some of the best Thanksgiving foods. You can't go wrong with these French rolls, which are light and fluffy and will be the perfect addition to your meal.

Cinnamon, Ecuador

In addition to white wine or a bottle of dry red wine, consider rounding out your Thanksgiving feast with this deviously spiced Cinnamon Rum Drink from Ecuador. This cozy, warm drink is the perfect nightcap and a great way to close the door on autumn and usher in the Christmas season. 

More Lists for Inspiration

A Global Thanksgiving: Best International Recipes

A Global Thanksgiving: Best International Recipes

Recipe by Friends and Guests of The Storied Recipe Podcast

Begin with the most popular ingredients in American supermarkets, then add an international twist for this non-traditional Thanksgiving menu!!

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