How To Calculate The Right Amount Of Thanksgiving Sides Per Person

If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, then you may have already started planning the festive dinner. And if, during the planning process, you got stuck trying to figure out how many sides you should offer based on your guest count, then don't worry — Daily Meal spoke to an expert to find out the 411. That expert is Chef Ian Coogan, the Culinary Director at Motel Morris in New York City.

Let's say that your dinner table will have eight people, how many sides should you prepare? Coogan says, "For Thanksgiving, where part of the celebration is the bounty, I like to have at least four sides — such as stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and sautéed greens." It's also worth noting that Coogan doesn't count things like gravy and cranberry sauce as sides but rather as sauces, so you may want to do the same when figuring out your four sides.

With this in mind, if you're hosting a bigger crowd — say 12 to 16 people — then you may want to increase the amount of sides to six or eight options. Additionally, even if you have a smaller guest count, you can still include more than four sides if there are multiple dishes that you want to showcase — just keep in mind that you will likely have plenty of leftovers.

Coogan advises, "When shopping for these items, I typically calculate about half a large potato per person and a generous handful of each raw vegetable per person. It's always a good idea to throw in a little extra for good measure!"

For other side dishes, pay attention to the serving sizes in the recipe that you're following. For example, Daily Meal's classic herb stuffing serves 18. But, since we all love to indulge on Thanksgiving, you may want to treat it as if it serves a bit less — perhaps closer to 14 or 16 servings. Additionally, keep in mind which sides your guests love the most (if you know this information). If you know that your friends and family love dinner rolls — especially if it's one of the best store-bought brands — then you may want to buy a bit more than your first estimate, just in case.