The Least Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish

We polled over 4,000 people across the nation, to answer the question “What is your least favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish?”

You don’t want to bring the DUD to Thanksgiving

It’s a Thanksgiving tradition in the US to gather family and friends together to eat a feast.  Guests usually contribute a side dish so it’s not so overwhelming (and costly) for the hosts. 

While it’s impossible to please everyone, you never want to be the one to bring the least popular Thanksgiving side dish on this special occasion. You’ll end up bringing home your own leftovers.

So 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 you covered on truly delicious recipes for these classic sides:

• Green Bean Casserole (recipe from Eating on a Dime)
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Roasted Vegetables (Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc.)
• Cranberry Sauce
• Stuffing
• Homemade Rolls
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

The Most Interesting Discoveries:

• Most people over 60 chose Green Bean Casserole as their most hated side dish.
• Those under 40 also disliked Green Bean Casserole, but they had equal distaste for Sweet Potato Casserole. These two “retro” or “vintage” recipes were the most disliked on the list. 
• Surprisingly, only 3.3% 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 vintage 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.

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