The hardest part of Thanksgiving usually isn’t any single recipe. It’s getting a turkey, gravy, stuffing, three casseroles, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls and two pies hot and on the table at the same time, with one oven.
This Thanksgiving shopping list and dinner timeline take care of that for you. It’s built for 8 guests and dinner at 4:00 PM. Most of the work happens before Thursday: by Wednesday night your rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and both pies are done, and your turkey has had its two-day dry brine. Thursday is mostly about the oven, and the timeline below tells you what goes in and when.
You’ve got this.
Free Thanksgiving printables
- 11 picked for you recipes + timeline + Shopping list:Â Download the whole Thanksgiving Plan (PDF)
- Shopping list: everything for all eleven recipes, sorted by store section. Download the shopping list (PDF)
- Make-ahead checklist: what to do Friday through Wednesday. Download the make-ahead checklist (PDF)
- Thanksgiving Day timeline: an hour-by-hour plan for Thursday, with oven temperatures. Download the Thanksgiving Day timeline (PDF)
Want more ideas? My Thanksgiving Menu has dozens more recipes, from appetizers to leftovers.
The Thanksgiving menu
Eleven recipes, one from each category. Recipes that serve 4 or 6 are doubled so there's enough for 8, and everything else is made once as written.
- Turkey: Dry Brine Turkey, a 16 lb turkey rubbed with salt and dried herbs two days ahead, then roasted with butter, apples and onions.
- Gravy: Turkey Gravy, made from the turkey's own pan drippings while it rests.
- Stuffing: Sausage Stuffing, with pork sausage, herbed French bread and fresh sage, thyme and rosemary.
- Potatoes: Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, doubled and made on Wednesday, so your slow cooker is free on Thursday.
- Sweet potatoes: Sweet Potato Casserole with a brown sugar pecan topping, doubled and baked on Wednesday.
- Green vegetable: Green Bean Casserole made with fresh green beans, bacon and a homemade mushroom sauce, doubled.
- Corn: Corn Casserole, doubled in a 9x13.
- Cranberry: Cranberry Orange Sauce, doubled, made ahead and frozen.
- Rolls: Parker House Rolls. One batch makes 24, baked ahead and frozen.
- Pies: Pumpkin Pie (Classic) and Chocolate Pie, both made on Wednesday.
Your Thanksgiving shopping list
This Thanksgiving dinner shopping list covers all eleven recipes for 8 guests. Shop twice: the turkey, pantry items and what you need for Sunday's baking by Friday, November 20, then everything else on Monday, November 23. Download the printable shopping list (PDF)
Meat: a 16 lb whole turkey (not kosher and not pre-brined), 1 lb pork sausage, 1 lb bacon.
Produce: 10 lb russet potatoes; sweet potatoes for 8 cups baked (6 to 8 large); 2 lb fresh green beans; 2 bags fresh cranberries (12 oz each); 4 large oranges; 2 small apples; 2 small yellow onions and 1 medium yellow onion; 1 shallot; 1 head garlic; 5 stalks celery; white button mushrooms (1 cup diced) plus 16 oz mushrooms; 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley; fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and chives.
Dairy and eggs: 19 large eggs; unsalted butter (6 sticks) and salted butter (about 7 1/2 sticks); 1 1/4 cups whole milk; 1 cup milk or evaporated milk; 2 1/2 cups half-and-half; 3 cups sour cream; 1/2 cup cream cheese; 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; whipped cream.
Bakery: a 1 lb loaf of herbed French bread, a 9-inch unbaked pie crust and an 8-inch pastry shell. Want to make your own crust? Try my Homemade Pie Crust.
Pantry: 6 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, 1 1/2 cups apple juice or white wine, 2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix, 2 cans cream-style corn, 2 cans corn kernels, a 15 oz can of pumpkin, a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk, 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, 1 1/3 cups chopped pecans, 2 cups French fried onions, 1 packet instant yeast, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, dried thyme, sage and rosemary, kosher salt, table salt, black pepper and cooking spray.
The printable has the exact amount of every item, so you can check things off right in the store.
Your make-ahead Thanksgiving plan
The secret to a calm Thanksgiving is doing most of it before Thursday. Here's what to do and when. Download the printable make-ahead checklist (PDF)
Friday, November 20
- Do your first shopping trip.
- Move a frozen turkey to the fridge. A 16 lb turkey needs 3 to 4 days to thaw in the refrigerator. My How to Thaw a Turkey guide has the full countdown by weight.
Sunday, November 22
- Bake the Parker House Rolls, let them cool completely, wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze them.
- Make a double batch of Cranberry Orange Sauce. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, then move it to freezer bags and freeze.
Monday, November 23
- Do your second shopping trip.
Tuesday, November 24
- Dry brine the turkey: remove the neck and giblets, rinse and pat it dry, then rub the salt and herb mix all over, inside the cavities and under the skin. Wrap it and refrigerate overnight.
Wednesday, November 25
- Turn the turkey over and refrigerate it one more night.
- Move the cranberry sauce from the freezer to the fridge to thaw.
- Make two batches of Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, leaving out the final butter. Refrigerate them in an airtight container. Start early, since each batch takes 5 to 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.
- Bake the Sweet Potato Casserole in two 9x13 dishes, then cool and refrigerate.
- Bake the Pumpkin Pie and make the Chocolate Pie. Both go in the fridge.
Your Thanksgiving timeline for Thursday
Dinner is at 4:00 PM. The turkey goes in at 11:30 AM and comes out around 2:00 PM. After that the oven runs at 375°F for the corn casserole, then 400°F for the stuffing, sweet potatoes and green beans, and the rolls warm up last. Download the printable Thanksgiving Day timeline (PDF)
| Time | What to do | Oven |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Unwrap the turkey, pat it dry and set it in the roasting pan on the counter | Off |
| 9:30 AM | Assemble the Sausage Stuffing in a sprayed 2-quart dish, cover and refrigerate | Off |
| 11:00 AM | Preheat the oven. Butter, parsley and pepper under the skin, more butter on the outside, parsley, onions and apples in the cavities, then truss the legs | 450°F |
| 11:30 AM | Turkey in for 30 minutes | 450°F |
| 12:00 PM | Lower the oven. Cover the breast and wing tips with foil and pour 1 1/2 cups apple juice or white wine into the pan. Roast about 2 more hours | 350°F |
| 1:30 PM | Take the foil off for the last half hour | 350°F |
| 1:45 PM | Mix the doubled Corn Casserole in a 9x13 | 350°F |
| 2:00 PM | Check the thigh temperature: the turkey is done at 165°F. Turkey out, cavity juices into the pan, cover with foil. Save the drippings for gravy | 375°F |
| 2:00 PM | Corn Casserole in, 45 to 55 minutes for a double batch, until the center is set and not jiggly | 375°F |
| 2:15 PM | Start the Green Bean Casserole on the stovetop in two batches, then combine in one large baking dish and top with French fried onions | 375°F |
| 2:55 PM | Corn out. Raise the oven | 400°F |
| 3:00 PM | Stuffing in, covered with foil. Both sweet potato dishes in, covered, until hot | 400°F |
| 3:00 PM | Reheat the mashed potatoes in the microwave and stir in the last of the butter | 400°F |
| 3:10 PM | Make the Turkey Gravy with the drippings, about 18 minutes | 400°F |
| 3:30 PM | Uncover the stuffing. Green beans in until bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Carve the turkey | 400°F |
| 3:45 PM | Stuffing, sweet potatoes and green beans out. Lower the oven and warm the rolls | 350°F |
| 3:50 PM | Cranberry sauce and everything else to the table | Off |
| 4:00 PM | Dinner! Pies come out of the fridge for dessert | Off |
Turkey not done at 2:00 PM? No problem. Keep roasting until it's done and move every later step back by the same amount.
Tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving
- Oven too full? Corn Casserole also cooks in a slow cooker: high for 2 1/2 hours or low for 4 hours. Just check the edges so they don't overcook.
- Mashed potatoes ahead. Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes keep up to two days ahead. Leave out the final butter, then reheat and stir it in.
- Rolls ahead. Baked Parker House Rolls freeze for up to one month. Warm them in a 350°F oven until heated through.
- Pie filling ahead. You can mix the pumpkin pie filling a day ahead and refrigerate it.
- Stuffing ahead. Sausage Stuffing can be assembled up to 8 hours before baking.
Thanksgiving timeline FAQ
How long does it take to thaw a turkey? In the refrigerator, plan on about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 16 lb turkey needs 3 to 4 days. My How to Thaw a Turkey guide has a countdown by weight, plus what to do if it's still frozen.
I forgot to thaw the turkey. Now what? You can still roast it. How to Cook a Frozen Turkey walks you through it at 325°F, with at least 50% more time.
When should I dry brine the turkey? Two days before Thanksgiving. It brines in the fridge overnight, gets turned over, then brines one more night. The full method is in Dry Brine Turkey.
Can I make the sides ahead? Yes. In this plan the mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce and rolls are all made before Thursday, and the stuffing is assembled that morning.
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