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Every year when Thanksgiving rolls around, I’m equal parts excited and overwhelmed. I love hosting and bringing everyone together, but let’s be honest, if you’re the cook in the family (that’s me!), it can feel like you spend the entire day in the kitchen. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to make it easier. So I put together my Thanksgiving Dinner Menu with all my favorite recipes and some simple tips for planning ahead. You can prep a lot of dishes before the big day, so you’re not scrambling at the last minute just reheating, serving, and enjoying the feast with everyone else.

Get ready for Thanksgiving with my brand new 2025 menu, plus access to my menus from 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021! Each year’s menu features a delicious main, a variety of sides including a potato, salad, and veggie, as well as a beverage and dessert. The best part? You can mix and match dishes from each year to create a personalized meal that fits your family’s tastes perfectly.

To make things easier, this post is all about preparing Thanksgiving dinner in advance. I’ve broken it down into a three-week timeline to help you prepare and plan. That way, you can make recipes ahead of time and avoid cooking and prepping everything on Thanksgiving Day. Let’s get organized and make this Thanksgiving your easiest one yet! But first, check out the latest Thanksgiving dinner menu for 2025!

Thanksgiving Cooking Timeline & Tips

Below are a few tips that will help you organize your Thanksgiving dinner with a menu to choose from and an action plan, whether you plan a large or small celebration with the Thanksgiving recipes you’ll need…desserts included! You can also check out this roundup for over 65 make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes to help you enjoy a stress-free holiday.

Three Weeks Ahead

I know you just put away the Halloween decorations, but now is the time to get a jump on planning the next holiday menu. Time to get a jump on Thanksgiving.

• Count your people: This year might be slightly larger than last year’s more intimate gathering. Whether it’s just your immediate family or a larger bubble, the first step is nailing down your number.
• Plan a menu: Peruse your recipe collection and draw up a menu. Think about balancing your Thanksgiving dinner’s flavors, colors, and textures to provide pops of color like orange squash and green veggies among the beige turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes.
• Delegate: If guests are expecting, figure out what you want them to bring. Ask the less culinarily inclined to bring nuts, olives, a cheese platter, a bakery treat, or bottled drinks.
• Start shopping: Stock up on non-perishables like drinks, canned pumpkin puree, baking supplies, canned stock, or anything you can freeze ahead of time. Choose your seasonal produce to add to the list, too.
• Order up: If you order your turkey and or pies or rolls from a specific source, now is the time to make sure you are first on the list.
• Cook or bake ahead: Lots of things, like homemade cranberry sauce or chicken stock (for gravy) and pie crust or even whole pies, can be made ahead and frozen. Refer to your particular recipes for guidance.
• Check your non-food items: Did you shatter your gravy boat during last year’s Thanksgiving dinner? Do you have enough chairs, plates, glasses, and flatware? A reliable meat thermometer and a roasting pan? Want an excuse to order new placemats? Now is the time to buy or borrow whatever you might need.

One Week Before Thanksgiving Dinner 

• Buy the food: At this point, you can purchase all but the most perishable fresh foods.
• Schedule your defrosting: Did you buy a frozen turkey or freeze something substantial like a casserole or pie? Determine how long it needs to defrost and make room in the fridge. This chart gives tons of great turkey info, including defrosting times for turkeys based on weight.
• Make gravy, pie dough, or cranberry sauce: If you haven’t made any of these very keepable items, get busy. Even gravy, if you aren’t wedded to making it the day of from pan drippings, can be made three to four days out with separately roasted turkey or chicken parts.
• Get the kids involved: Literally, nothing is cuter than those turkeys that kids make by tracing their tiny hands. Use the drawings for place cards for the Thanksgiving dinner. Get out the googly eyes and pinecones, too. Can they help you with any baking projects? Check out my guide on tips for cooking with children.
• Plan your pickups: Especially this year, with some restrictions happening around crowds, picking up pre-ordered items may be more time-consuming than usual. Plan ahead.

Two Days Ahead 

• Re-assess: Figure out what needs to be done and try and delegate anything you can, such as picking up extra drinks, ice, or ordering an extra pie.
• Go through your recipes: Add any missing ingredients to your last-minute Thanksgiving dinner shopping list.
• Pick up your fresh turkey: And other perishables you have waited on.
• Brine away: If you subscribe to these methods, wet or dry, brine your bird.
• Assemble serving ware: If you have room, haul out everything you need.
• Set the table: If you have a separate dining room that is not in heavy use, consider starting to set the table or enlist your kids to do it.

One Day Ahead 

• Breathe: You are probably in good shape!
• Bake: If you haven’t baked ahead, the night before is a great time to do it.
• Wash, chop, and prep: Which recipes are you making tomorrow, that you can prep ingredients tonight? Wash herbs, chop onions, dice squash, etc., to save time. Some dishes like dressing might be able to be fully assembled and refrigerated, ready to dress the salad the next day.
• Create a schedule: It’s your stove’s busiest day of the year! Do a rough estimate of what needs to cook and when. Remember, slow cookers and Instant Pots can be deployed as extra burners to keep side dishes or soups warm!
• Order pizza: Or another takeout, because it is hard to prep and cook a regular dinner, too.

Thanksgiving Dinner Day 🦃

• Put final touches on recipes: This is the time to assemble everything that was washed, chopped, and prepped the day before.
• Follow your schedule: You took the time to create a schedule, so follow it to keep it cool. This is especially important for the oven.
• Enjoy and be grateful! 🙂

Must-Have Gadgets for Thanksgiving Dinner

From baking and cooking wares and items to make serving easy and painless to common and super helpful gadgets for prepping, here are some of my go-to Thanksgiving day kitchen and serving items!

Cookware & Bakeware

Stainless Steel Roaster / Roasting Pan with Rack

Ceramic Baking Dish Set

Cooling Rack Wire Baking Rack

Glass Pie Plate

Meat Thermometor (Thermapen ONE)

Stainless Steel Pot / Stockpot

Tableware

Carving Set

Chafing Buffet Set

Gravy Boat

ANNA NY Talianna Lily Pad Salad Plate Set

Chip and Dip Platter

Wood Tiered Serving Stand

Gadgets & Tools for Prep

Garlic Press

Large Vegetable Y Prep Peeler

Salad Spinner

5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer

Mandoline Slicer

How to Keep Food Warm

• Oven: Once you’ve baked everything, set it to 200°F and store dishes in there to keep them warm.
• Aluminum Foil: If your oven is not free, you can simply use aluminum foil, which has reflective properties that protect the food from light and oxygen. The foil reflects the thermal energy back to the food, which maintains moisture, flavor, and texture.
• Slow Cookers and Instant Pots: Think of recipes that can be made in your slow cooker or instant pot that will keep warm during the party. You can even use them to keep food warm even if you don’t cook in them.
• Insulated coolers: You can use a cooler to keep food hot as well as cold. The insulation technology that keeps out the heat to maintain cold foods also works to trap heat in and keep food hot for hours at a time. You can even line the cooler with aluminum foil for even better results.
• Chafing buffet set: You can use disposable chafing dishes to keep everything warm. Set up a table to display all the hot dishes for easy access and maintain temperature throughout your meal.

How to Store Thanksgiving Leftovers

If you’re like me, you always end up with leftovers after any big gathering. And while I’m not complaining (leftovers are the best!), it can be tricky to know how to store all of them. Here are a few tips:

• Cool it down. Make sure everything is cooled completely before storing.
• Label everything with the name and date. This will help you keep track of what’s what and also ensure that nothing gets lost in the back of the fridge.
• Use plastic containers or freezer bags. This will help keep your food fresh and prevent it from drying out.
• Save or trash? If you have any perishable items (like meat or dairy), make sure to store them in the fridge. If they have sat out longer than 4 hours, it’s probably best to throw it out.
• Repurpose leftovers. Give Thanksgiving leftovers new life by repurposing them in new dishes. Check out irresistible recipes with mashed potatoes and delicious leftover Thanksgiving turkey recipes.

2024 Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

If you’re looking to make your holiday meal both nourishing and stress-free, 2024 Thanksiving dinner menu is full of delicious options. Start with air fryer turkey breast for juicy, perfectly cooked meat, add healthy mashed potatoes and top it off with a cauliflower au gratin. These dishes make a festive, flavorful spread your family and friends will love.

• Air Fryer Turkey Breast Recipe
• Healthy Mashed Potatoes
• Fall Harvest Salad Recipe
• Smashed Brussel Sprouts
• Homemade Mac and Cheese
• Cranberry Salsa
• Mushroom Stuffing Recipe
• Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin Recipe
• Classic Cheesecake
• Pomegranate Mocktail

2023 Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

This year’s menu is a little different because I’m skipping the turkey and replacing it with a roasted prime rib instead. You can even feature both if you have a big gathering! I host my friends every year for a Friendsgiving meal that features the menu and I will be adding the Lentil Shepard’s Pie for one of my vegan friends.

• Garlic and Herb Crusted Prime Rib Roast
• Easy Au Jus Recipe
• Massaged Kale Salad Recipe
• Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe
• Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
• Greek Yogurt Mashed Potato Recipe
• Green Beans with Almonds
• French Bread Rolls
• Vegan Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
• Cranberry Mocktail

Other Thanksgiving Recipes to Try

Even though Thanksgiving has its share of classic, traditional dishes, there’s always room for flexibility and variety. If you’re looking to mix things up or try something new, check out these collections of Holiday Appetizers, Delicious Fall Pumpkin Recipes, Best Apple Recipes, or Brussel Sprouts Recipes and come up with a delicious spread that’s unique to you!