Thanksgiving Menu and Step-by-Step Prep Schedule

Every year, I prepare a full Thanksgiving spread for my family and friends. Think juicy roast turkey, creamy Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and an irresistible maple pumpkin pie. Honestly, I get as excited as a Labrador puppy about this holiday, and my inner Martha Stewart comes out in full force (whisk in one hand, homemade pie dough in the other).

If you’re ready to host an epic, stress-free Thanksgiving dinner, keep reading for my complete Thanksgiving prep timeline and menu guide.

The Best Thanksgiving Menu

Here’s the basic framework I follow for a Thanksgiving dinner. I switch up the specific dishes each year, but the categories remain the same. I put an asterisk (*) next to the dishes we’re making this year!

Turkey (or other main dish):

• The Best Brined Turkey*
• Maple Brined Turkey
• Simple Roast Turkey Breast
• Perfect Roast Chicken

Stuffing:

• Cornbread Cranberry Stuffing*
• Super Simple Stuffing
• Apple Sausage Stuffing Bites
• Kid’s Apple Sausage Stuffing

Salad:

• Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Poppy Seeds*
• Apple, Pear and Goat Cheese Fall Salad*
• Fall Farmers Market Salad
• Easy Breezy Roast Veggie Salad

Potato Side:

• Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups*
• Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes*
• Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
• Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup & Lime

Vegetable:

• Maple Roast Vegetables*
• Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Garlic
• Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
• Green Bean and Bacon Saute

Additional Hearty Side:

• Classic Macaroni and Cheese*
• Green Bean Casserole
• Golden Potato Gratin

Desserts

• Maple Pumpkin Pie*
• Classic Apple Pie* or (Gluten-Free Apple Pie)
• Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
• Apple Pie Cups

Miscellaneous

• Turkey Gravy*
• Cranberry Orange Sauce*

This framework makes planning and prep easier because you know the categories to cover, and then you can swap recipes each year depending on your menu, guest preferences, or how ambitious you’re feeling!

One-Two Weeks in Advance

Plan your menu:

• Decide on your main dishes, sides, salads, and desserts.
• Stick to the categories above (turkey or roast chicken, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, a hearty side, and desserts) and swap recipes as you like.

Order or Source the Turkey:

• If ordering from a local butcher, do it now.
• If getting from the grocery store, you can still purchase and keep it frozen, if needed. Plan for about 1.25 pounds of turkey per person.

Check serving dishes and decor:

• Take stock of what dishes and decor you have and what you’ll need for serving.
• Buy or borrow what you may be missing. Here’s a list of dishes and decor I use every Thanksgiving.

Coordinate with Guests (if doing a potluck):

• Assign dishes to everyone so they know what they’re bringing.
• This helps keep your prep organized and avoids duplicate dishes.

The Week Before Thanksgiving

Clean and Organize:

• Clean out your refrigerator/pantry. Toss expired foods and make room for new food coming in!
• Starting with a fresh, clean kitchen will help make everything else run smoothly. 

Grocery Shop for Non-Perishables:

• Do the bulk of your grocery shopping, especially items that are shelf stable or won’t go bad quickly. There’s nothing worse than going grocery shopping the week of Thanksgiving and not being able to get all the ingredients you need!

Thanksgiving Week Prep Plan

This is a step by step guide on what I’ll be doing the week of Thanksgiving based on our menu this year. Follow along or take ideas if you want! 

Monday:

• Pick up your turkey from your local butcher or grocery store, and finish grocery shopping for other ingredients you need.
• If you purchased a frozen turkey, store it in the refrigerator to start thawing.

Tuesday:

• Brine the turkey using your favorite Thanksgiving turkey recipe (Best Brined Turkey, Herb Brined Turkey or Maple Brined Turkey).
• If your turkey is thawing, you can still go ahead and start brining it. It’ll thaw as it brines.

Wednesday:

I try to do the bulk of my cooking/prepping on Wednesday so I can take my time a bit on Thursday. With extra time on Thursday too, it’s a good opportunity to make Thanksgiving Turkey Pretzels together with the kids!

Set the table:

• Go ahead and get your tablescape out of the way. Flowers, candles, festive napkin rings and anything else you love.

Make Cranberry Orange Sauce:

• Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Prep Maple Roast Vegetables:

• Chop vegetables. Coat them in olive oil and spices and store in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator until Thursday.

Prep Sweet Potatoes:

• Make the filling for Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups. Finish them up on Thanksgiving Day.
• You can also prep them entirely and bake them tomorrow if you have the room to store them in your refrigerator on a baking sheet.

Prep the Stuffing:

• Bake the basic cornbread and prep the stuffing (through step 3 of this Cornbread Cranberry Stuffing recipe), refrigerating the vegetables overnight.
• If you’re making Apple Sausage Stuffing Bites, you can prep the mixture and refrigerate then scoop and bake on Thanksgiving day.

Bake desserts:

• Maple Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie (my favorite time to bake is at night when everything is quiet).
• If you don’t have time to make the pies entirely, I go ahead and make the pie dough and store it in the refrigerator to be ready to roll out Thursday morning and finish the pies.

Thursday – Thanksgiving Day: 

We eat dinner at 5pm every year, so here’s a step-by-step guide to our day. It might look slightly different for you, but generally this is the order of operations for us!

• 8:00am: Make Maple Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie. If you already made them last night, woohoo!
• 9:30am: Remove the Turkey from the brine, dry thoroughly and roast according to the turkey recipe you chose!
• 10:00am: Get everything chopped and ready for the Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Lemon and Poppy Seeds or Apple, Pear Goat Cheese Fall Salad. 
• 10:45am: Finish assembling Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups if necessary. Finish the cornbread stuffing so you can pop it in the oven as soon as the turkey is done. Make the Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes and get Classic Mac and Cheese ready to be baked after the turkey is done.
• 12:30pm: Remove turkey from the oven and let it rest. Roast the Maple Roast Vegetables, allow to cool, and cover. 
• 1:30pm: Put the Cornbread Cranberry Stuffing into the oven. You can bake the sweet potatoes in orange cups and the mac and cheese at the same time as the stuffing. Just set a timer for each one. While the stuffing, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and any other baked sides you’re making are in the oven, make the Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes and turkey gravy.
• 3:30pm – 4:00pm: Finishing touches on table setting, carve the turkey and set out all the food.
• 5:00pm: Dinner time! Enjoy!
• 7:00pm: Become a superhero host and offer compostable to-go containers for leftovers.