Photo: themodernproper.comThanksgiving 2026 · Thursday, Nov 26
What Thanksgiving dinner costs at your store
Pick your guests and menu. We price it from this week's grocery ads and tell you what size turkey to buy and when to start thawing it.
Plan my dinnerTurkey prices this week
Your menu turn dishes on or off
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$2.23/guest primaverakitchen Roast turkey
Typical priceOn -
$0.97/guest natashaskitchen Mashed potatoes
Typical priceOn -
$0.94/guest cafedelites Stuffing
Typical priceOn -
$0.62/guest natashaskitchen Green beans
Typical priceOn -
$0.74/guest natashaskitchen Sweet potatoes
Typical priceOn -
$0.52/guest recipetineats Gravy and cranberry sauce
Typical priceOn -
$1.05/guest the-girl-who-ate-everything Dinner rolls
Typical priceOn -
$1.03/guest kitchenswagger Pumpkin pie
Typical priceOn -
$0.87/guest primaverakitchen Brussels sprouts
Typical priceOff
Turkey size
8 guests × 1.5 lb = 12 lb
Buy one 12 lb turkey
When to start
- Thawabout 3 days in the fridge.
- Roast2.75 to 3 hours at 325 F, unstuffed. Done at 165 F in the thickest part.
- Rest20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Size rule: 1 lb a guest, 1.5 lb with leftovers (Butterball and USDA guidance); a bone-in breast is 3/4 of that. Thaw and roast times are USDA FSIS charts for a whole bird.
Shopping list 16 items, $83.27 at the register
Meat & Poultry
- Whole turkey12 lb$17.88Typical
Produce
- Potatoes5 lb$4.95Typical
- Celery1 bunch$2.29Typical
- Onions3 lb$3.87Typical
- Green beans4 x 1/2 lb$4.98Typical
- Sweet potatoes4 x 1 lb$5.16Typical
Dairy & Eggs
- Butter16 oz$6.40Typical
- Milk64 oz$2.56Typical
- Eggs12 eggs$3.60Typical
Canned & Dry
- Stuffing mix2 x 6 oz$3.60Typical
- Gravy2 x 12 oz$3.36Typical
- Cranberry sauce2 x 14 oz$3.36Typical
- Canned pumpkin2 x 15 oz$4.20Typical
- Evaporated milk12 oz$1.68Typical
Bakery
- Dinner rolls2 x 6 rolls$8.40Typical
- Pie crust2 crusts$6.98Typical
Check your pantry, not priced: sugar.
Shopping-list prices are for whole packs, because that is what the register charges. The dinner cost counts only what the meal uses.
The same dinner at other stores in your city
Total for your guests and menu, with each store's ad prices where its ad has the item.
Loading store prices for your city.
Thanksgiving items in your city ads
Turkey and sides in this week's grocery ads, with the product photo from the ad. Add any of them to My list.
Loading this week's ads.
What to buy when
Counting back from Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026. The thaw date changes with your turkey size.
- Now to Nov 11Shelf items
Buy cans, boxes and baking items
Cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing mix, canned pumpkin, evaporated milk and pie crust keep for months, so buy them whenever they are on sale. The last two weeks are for the turkey and fresh food.
- Now to Nov 18Turkey
Buy the turkey when the price is right
A frozen turkey keeps for months, so you can buy it as soon as you see a price you like. Stores put their lowest turkey prices in the ads in the weeks before Thanksgiving, so look at each new weekly ad.
- Mon Nov 23Thaw
Move the turkey to the fridge
A 12 lb turkey needs about 3 days in the fridge.
- Tue Nov 24Fresh food
Buy potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, celery, onions, eggs, butter, milk and rolls
Fresh items taste best bought two days out. Check the ad that starts that week for sales.
- Wed Nov 25Prep
Bake the pie and prep the sides
Pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce hold in the fridge overnight. Peel potatoes and cut the celery and onion.
- Thu Nov 26Thanksgiving
Roast the turkey
Oven at 325 F. A 12 lb turkey takes 2.75 to 3 hours unstuffed. Rest it 20 to 30 minutes, then carve.
How we worked this out
Amounts per guest: turkey 1.5 lb (with leftovers), potatoes 1/2 lb, sweet potatoes 0.4 lb, green beans 1/4 lb, stuffing mix 1.5 oz, cranberry sauce 2 oz, gravy 2 oz, 1.5 rolls, pumpkin pie 1/8 of a pie. Butter, milk, onion, celery, eggs and sugar are added where the dish uses them.
Prices: if the store ad you pick has the ingredient, the ad price is used. Everything else uses Salefork's typical price. An ad product has to be the ingredient itself: a flyer line that sells two products at once, or a different product with the same word in it, is not used. "Dinner cost" counts what the meal uses. The shopping list rounds up to whole packs.
Read from store ads on October 28, 2026. Stores post new ads weekly and this page is rebuilt twice a day. Thaw and roast times: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service charts for a whole turkey in the fridge and roasted unstuffed at 325 F. Photos are from the linked recipes; each photo shows its source.
Common questions
How much does Thanksgiving dinner cost in 2026?
At typical store prices our menu (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie) costs about $64.91 for 8 guests, or $8.11 a guest. For 4 guests it is about $43.46 and for 12 about $97.36. Store ads can lower it. Use the planner above for your city and store.
How big a turkey do I need?
Plan 1 pound of whole turkey per guest, or 1.5 pounds if you want leftovers. For 8 guests with leftovers that is a 12 pound turkey. A bone-in turkey breast needs about 3/4 of that weight. Whole turkeys run about 8 to 24 pounds; for more than 24 pounds buy two smaller birds.
When should I buy the turkey?
A frozen turkey keeps for months in the freezer, so buy it when the price per pound is low. A 12 pound turkey needs 3 days to thaw in the fridge, so start by Monday, November 23 for Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Where is turkey cheapest this week?
The lowest whole-turkey ad price we found on October 28, 2026 is $13.14 for any 10 to 16 lb turkey at Walmart, in 101 cities. Prices differ by store and city, so pick yours in the planner.