We Tried Ina, Alton, Ree, and Martha’s Best Thanksgiving Recipes, and There Were Clear Winners
What’s on your Thanksgiving menu this year? If you’re anything like us it probably includes at least one recipe from one or more favorite celebrity chefs — people we trust to help our holiday menus shine — like Ina Garten, Alton Brown, Martha Stewart, and Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. But how do these chefs’ best recipes compare to each other’s? We battled off their most famous and popular Thanksgiving recipes, from turkey to mashed potatoes to green beans, side by side, and there were clear winners! Whose turkey is best: Ina or Alton’s? Who wins the mashed potato showdown? This is the ultimate Thanksgiving recipe battle: See the results here!
The Best Thanksgiving Recipes from Ina Garten, Alton Brown, Ree Drummond, and Martha Stewart
The Best Turkey: Ina Garten
Ina won out in this winner-take-all showdown, thanks to a well-rounded recipe that yields tender meat, crisp skin, and good gravy drippings. However, Alton gets high marks for crispy skin and Martha for an innovative way to keep the turkey moist.
See the full results: Who Wins the Title of “Best Turkey Ever”?
The Best Mashed Potatoes: Ina Garten
It’s Ina once again with the coveted mashed potato trophy! Alton’s recipe is surprisingly streamlined and easy, and Ree’s is extra-indulgent, but Ina’s mashed potato recipe was the most well-rounded.
See the full results: Who Wins the Title of “Best Mashed Potatoes Ever”?
The Best Scalloped Potatoes: Martha Stewart
If you’re less about the mashed, and more about the scalloped, this showdown is for you. The field was surprisingly underwhelming, and Martha’s classic scalloped potatoes recipe really stood out.
See the full results: We Tested 4 Famous Scalloped Potato Recipes and Found a Clear Winner
The Best Green Beans: Ina Garten
Back to Ina for the win on green beans! Alton’s green bean casserole was high-effort and surprisingly disappointing. Ree’s green beans got mushy. But Ina’s gremolata-style green bean recipe we deemed most worthy of the Thanksgiving showcase.
See the full results: Who Wins the Title of “Best Green Beans Ever”?
The Best Mac & Cheese: Alton Brown
Alton finally takes home a trophy with his baked mac and cheese recipe, a staple of so many Thanksgiving tables. His recipe is high-effort but worth it, our testers decided — so “creamy and flavorful and bubbly and cheesy that it edged out Ina.” Wow!
See the full results: Who Wins the Title of Best Mac & Cheese Ever?
The Best Parker House Rolls: Martha Stewart
We only battled off two roll recipes, but it was worth it to find these absolute classic gems from Martha.
See the full results: I Tried Two Famous Recipes for Parker House Rolls
The Best Pie Crust: Ina Garten
And it’s back to Ina’s pie crust recipe for the pie crust win, with a buttery, flaky little number that’s worthy of the Thanksgiving table.
Read more: Who Wins the Title of “Best Pie Crust Ever”?
More Thanksgiving Showdowns
Here are two other Thanksgiving showdowns that branched out beyond our top four chefs, and are certainly worth reading.
The Best Apple Pie: King Arthur Flour
A sleeper hit recipe from the cult-favorite baking company.
See the full results: Which of These 4 Beloved Apple Pie Recipes Are Worth Making?
The Best Pumpkin Pie: Julia Child
A big win for a classic Julia Child recipe!
See the full results: We Tested 4 Famous Pumpkin Pie Recipes and Found a Clear Winner
Take Our Celebrity Chef Soulmate Quiz!
Who of all these favorite chefs will be our making an appearance on your Thanksgiving table this year? If you’re unsure about who to pick, may we suggest taking our celebrity chef soulmate quiz?
