It’s November, time to start thinking about Thanksgiving! If you’re in charge of hosting the big meal this year, here is your ultimate Thanksgiving meal prep timeline. You’re welcome!
Even though Thanksgiving is still more than 3 weeks away, the time to start figuring out your Thanksgiving meal prep timeline is now. Being the primary cook for Thanksgiving is an event. And way more of a marathon than a sprint. You can’t pull off the Thanksgiving meal only on Thursday. You must have a plan.
After years of watching my mom prepare and cook the Thanksgiving meal and now years of hosting the Thanksgiving meal myself, I’ve figured out a Thanksgiving meal prep timeline that really works. This timeline gets a kid-friendly Thanksgiving meal on the table while dealing with whatever life throws your way (work, kids, activities, etc.). You need this timeline in your life this month if you’re hosting Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Meal Prep Timeline
Now
Think it’s too early to take concrete steps to prepare for the Thanksgiving meal? I implore you to think again! Now is a great time to start buying your nonperishable ingredients. I like to add a few Thanksgiving ingredients to my grocery lists from now until the big day so I can avoid that crazy cart piled to the ceiling the weekend before Thanksgiving. This strategy allows me to spread the extra cost of Thanksgiving over several weeks and save my shoulders when I bring the groceries home.
What to buy
What exactly am I buying this far in advance?
Food
Chicken stock, stuffing cubes, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), and canned vegetables and any other shelf-stable items that might be specific to your family recipes. You can also buy your turkey now if you’re going the frozen route and you have space in your freezer. Don’t forget to buy your frozen turkey far enough in advance so that you have sufficient time to thaw it!
Paper products
I’m also buying paper products now. I rarely use paper plates and disposable cutlery at my house, but I make an exception for Thanksgiving. I like to have big plates for the main meal and smaller plates for dessert. I also make sure I have enough forks that each person can have two – most people will toss their dinner fork with their dinner plate, so you’ll want to have plenty to replenish those forks for dessert!
Alcohol
If you’re planning on serving a signature cocktail (or offering a bar to your guests), now is also a great time to buy any alcohol you might need. If you’re planning to offer beer to your guests, you can also purchase that now – just make sure you buy it off the shelf rather than out of the fridge.
Week before Thanksgiving
You only need to worry about adding a step in your Thanksgiving meal prep timeline one week before Thanksgiving under one circumstance. Read on to find out what that is!
Turkey
If you’re like my family (and most families I know, to be honest), you’re going to get your turkey from the freezer section at your local grocery store. Although this is a cost-effective and convenient way to source your Thanksgiving bird, it also adds an item to your Thanksgiving meal prep timeline that you wouldn’t have if you were working with a fresh bird. You can’t cook a frozen turkey, so you need to thaw your turkey.
Now, thawing a turkey is not like thawing a pound of ground beef or a few chicken breasts that you’ve had stored in your freezer. You can’t wait until the night before to thaw this thing. No, no, no. Depending on the size of the bird you’re cooking, it can take up to a week to thaw in your fridge. Make sure you thaw your turkey in a vessel (a giant plastic bowl or a disposable roasting pan are great options) in your fridge. You do not want to clean up thawing turkey from your refrigerator. Ewwwww.
Weekend before Thanksgiving
The real work in your Thanksgiving meal prep timeline starts the weekend before Thanksgiving. Make sure you reserve some time this weekend for the prep you need to do!
Groceries
If you’ve been buying a little here and there for the last few weeks like I suggested, your Thanksgiving grocery list shouldn’t be overwhelming at this point. Now is the time to make sure you have everything except the last-minute items that you really need to buy the day before Thanksgiving to ensure freshness.
Chop & prep
I like to find time the weekend before Thanksgiving to chop and prep as many ingredients as I can to make cooking later in the week go more smoothly. Now is the time I brown my sausage for the stuffing, chop onions, and trim green beans. These seemingly minor tasks will save so much time when the real cooking begins on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cranberry sauce
I love homemade cranberry sauce, but I can’t stand the canned variety (jelly or whole berry). Luckily, cranberry sauce couldn’t be easier to make and it does just fine in the fridge for a few days before you need it. I like to knock out my cranberry sauce over the weekend, shove it in the fridge, and forget about it until it’s time to eat on Thursday.
To make it from scratch, simply throw whole cranberries into a sauce pan with some sugar and the zest and juice of an orange. Cook over medium low heat until the cranberries burst and the liquid starts to thicken into a sauce consistency. It’s delicious! Leftover cranberry sauce also makes fantastic muffins, so make sure you have enough!
Jell-O salad
My family is probably weird, but we always had a Jell-O salad on the table for Thanksgiving. I think this tradition was started by my mom’s mom who wanted something on the table for the picky kids to eat, and my mom (who is still the picky kid many decades later) continued it on. I dropped it from my menu for many years, but now that I have picky kids to feed on Thanksgiving, it’s back!
Intrigued by the idea of a Jell-O salad? It’s actually really good and super easy to make. Simply peel and chop and apple and stir it into Raspberry Jell-O, made according to the package directions. Then pop in the fridge to set and bring it out on Thursday. My mom always added walnuts, but I have a nephew with a maybe, sorta kinda tree nut allergy, so we will be nixing those this year
Tuesday
The Tuesday before Thanksgiving can only mean one thing in my house – it’s pie day! Pies deserve their own day on the Thanksgiving meal prep timeline. For many, they are the highlight of the whole meal. What kinds of pies you make is completely up to you. I keep it simple and traditional every year, but feel free to branch out!
Apple pie
My husband would go to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving dinner if apple pie wasn’t for dessert at our house. I make an absolutely killer apple pie, so I usually refuse to farm this item out to family and friends who might offer to bring something. A little Cool Whip or Reddi-Wip guilds the lily.
Pumpkin pie
I also make a killer pumpkin pie, but I can’t take the credit for it. I use Sally’s Baking Addiction’s recipe exactly as written and it’s perfect. Do not skip the black pepper! It’s what gives this recipe it’s magic.
Pecan pie
My Pap always wanted pecan pie on Thanksgiving, so when I serve pecan pie on Thanksgiving it’s like he’s joining us at our table several decades after he left us. Outside of the nostalgia that it brings, it’s also really darn good. It’s worth the mess of the corn syrup.
Wednesday
The day before Thanksgiving is my work horse day. I try to load as much onto Wednesday in my Thanksgiving meal prep timeline as humanly possible. That means it’s usually a rough day, but it makes Thursday so much less stressful!
Groceries
I’m sorry to say, but you probably need to go to the grocery store to get a few last-minute items. Things like herbs and fresh bread just don’t last longer than a day or two. My tip is to go to the store right when it opens and have a list so you know exactly what you need. If you sleep in or go unprepared, you’re in for a world of hurt at the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving.
Potatoes
Mashed potatoes (both regular and sweet) reheat really well, so I always make both varieties on Wednesday. Don’t forget to use heavy cream in your mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving – it’s worth it!
Corn pudding
I don’t cook my corn pudding until Thursday, but I mix it up and get it ready to go on Wednesday. This is just a dump and stir recipe (my mom literally makes it in the casserole dish), but you’ll be glad to have it all ready to go in the oven on Thursday if you prep the day before. If you want the easiest, best corn dish on your Thanksgiving table, here is the recipe:
You’ll need
- 2 cans of whole kernel corn (drained)
- 1 can creamed corn
- 2 eggs
- Splash of milk
- Salt and pepper
How to make it
Beat the eggs together with milk. Add all the corn, then season with salt and pepper. Pour into a small, greased casserole dish. Bake at 350°F until it has set in the middle of the dish. A little wobble is ok!
Turkey
No, I don’t cook the turkey on Wednesday (although I’ve thought about it), but I do prep it on Wednesday. For me, prep means making sure it’s fully thawed, removing any pieces parts from the cavity, drying the bird, rubbing it all over with more butter than you think you should use, and strategically placing thyme and rosemary between skin and meat. Then I pop it in the fridge to rest overnight.
Thursday
Your Thanksgiving meal prep timeline culminates on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day! Let’s get this meal across the finish line!
Turkey
Your Thanksgiving meal prep timeline on Thursday must revolve around your turkey. Double check your bird’s weight and get it in the oven to allow for ample cooking and resting time before your guests arrive to eat.
Once the turkey has rested, it’s time to carve it! I delegate this task to my husband, who relishes the opportunity to use his electric knife. It’s a kitchen power tool, so he’s always on board.
Green beans
I make my green beans in the slow cooker. I pop my trimmed green beans, salt pork, garlic, onion, and water into the slow cooker as early as possible on Thursday morning, set it to cook on low, and let it go until it’s time to dine.
Stuffing
I have all of my stuffing ingredients prepped and ready to go on Thursday, so all I need to do is stir everything together and cook it once the turkey comes out of the oven.
Corn
I mixed up the corn pudding on Wednesday, but Thursday is the time to cook it! This goes in the oven at the same time as the stuffing.
Appetizers
I often put out an appetizer or two for my guests to snack on while I’m putting the finishing touches on the main meal. Because the Thanksgiving meal is so heavy, I like to keep the appetizers light. Think veggies and dip, parmesan crackers, or apple dip. I like to make these right before my guests are due to arrive so they’re not sitting out for long.
Set the table
Do you set a fancy table for Thanksgiving? I don’t, but I still need to make sure that the plates, napkins, cutlery, and cups are out and ready to go. This task takes me approximately two minutes. It’s also a good one to delegate to your kids! I also include the rolls in my setting the table task – I just buy premade rolls from the grocery store, so it’s just a matter of removing them from the package and popping them in the bread basket.
Potatoes
After the corn and stuffing come out of the oven, it’s time to warm the potatoes that I prepared on Wednesday. Make sure you cover them when you pop them in the oven to warm – you don’t want to char the tops!
Gravy
The absolute last thing I do before I call everyone to dinner on Thanksgiving is make the gravy. For me, making my own gravy is non-negotiable. Get the jarred stuff out of here!
Eat
Now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Other blog posts
Are you in the throes of prepping for Thanksgiving? These posts might be helpful:
I hope my Thanksgiving meal prep timeline helps you get prepared to host Thanksgiving this year. What do you do differently? Share in the comments below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!