(NEXSTAR/KTLA) – The Thanksgiving turkey won’t be the star of the show in some households this holiday season, according to a recent study.
Campbell’s Company recently released its third annual State of the Sides report, which examines Thanksgiving side dishes and recipe trends.
The study also ranked the country’s favorite Thanksgiving side dishes by state.
Stuffing, or dressing, depending on where you live, dominates the map with only a few states crowning the sole competitor, mashed potatoes, as the top Thanksgiving side. Those include California, Utah, Wyoming, Iowa, and West Virginia. Last year, mashed potatoes ranked first in the nation overall.
When it comes to the top five sides, however, there is a little more variation in 2024. Corn casserole in Iowa; root vegetable dishes in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire; and green vegetables in South Carolina were some of the outliers.
In the following states, mac and cheese took second place, unseating either stuffing/dressing or mashed potatoes: Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana.
Finally, cranberry sauce, a divisive Thanksgiving staple, failed to crack the top five in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Campbell's surveyed 5,000 U.S. adults who celebrate Thanksgiving, with 100 Americans in each of the 50 states (Washington D.C. was not included) for its State of the Sides report.
The study also examined Thanksgiving habits by generation and found that 45% of Gen Z couldn’t get enough mac and cheese, while 59% of Baby Boomers preferred stuffing/dressing. About 32% of Baby Boomers also preferred mashed potatoes.
Overall, according to the report, nearly 40% of Americans would prefer to have a plate full of Thanksgiving sides without turkey.
The complete report can be viewed here.
