First published November 7, 2011 · Updated November 2026
As a child, Thanksgiving was spent at my grandparents’ home along with my aunt, uncles and cousins. By the time we arrived, preparations were in full swing, the house smelled wonderful and we didn’t have to lift a finger (except when we got older, and us girls helped with the dishes).
It was a big feat feeding the 15+ of us, but Grandma Marie made it look effortless. She had a smile on her face and was thrilled just to have her three girls and their families back together for a delicious Thanksgiving meal. I’m sure things were a bit hectic behind the scenes, but she never showed it.
Behind the scenes in our house can get a bit hectic, too. But as the years go by and we log more Thanksgiving dinners behind us, we’ve come to embrace the importance of planning for the big day of cooking. Whether I’m feeding just our family of six or welcoming family from out of town, things go so much more smoothly when I take the time, several weeks ahead, to plan the meal.
The short version: To plan a Thanksgiving dinner, plan the menu, the shopping, the table, the week and the day itself, then leave yourself a moment to actually enjoy it. Here’s how we do each one.
Plan the Thanksgiving Menu
Start at the beginning of the month (earlier if you can) perusing cookbooks, cooking magazines and online for new recipes you’d like to try. Then revisit the menu you made last year and decide which elements to keep and which to change. Grandma used to prepare the turkey the same way year in and year out, and she did it perfectly, but we like to mix it up a bit.
The biggest rule of thumb when planning your Thanksgiving menu is to match the turkey flavors with the stuffing and the other side dishes. Don’t opt for a Mexican-style rub on the turkey without complementing it with the right stuffing. That doesn’t mean tossing the old family favorites, though. No matter what we decide on, there will always be Grandma Marie’s potato dumplings on our Thanksgiving table.
We also take a careful look at each recipe to make sure it doesn’t require too much last-minute preparation. Otherwise I’m overwhelmed by the time dinner rolls around.
Once I’ve decided on the recipes, I make copies and put them in a notebook or binder for easy reference. Nothing is worse than having five cookbooks and three magazines open in the kitchen while I’m cooking dinner.
Plan Your Thanksgiving Shopping List (and Tools)
Grab those recipes and make a list of EVERYTHING you need for the feast. Check your pantry. Which spices do you have, and which do you need? Do you have enough flour, sugar and maple syrup? What about butter, eggs and heavy cream?
Then there’s the star of the feast: the turkey. If you’re ordering a heritage, organic or pasture-raised turkey, you’ll often need to order early. Check with your local market or order online, and confirm delivery of the turkey you want. And if yours arrives frozen, give it plenty of time to thaw in the refrigerator (the package will tell you how long).
Beyond the ingredients, plan to have the right tools on hand, too. Roasters, basting tools and carving knives are the obvious ones, but don’t forget a digital meat thermometer, a fat separator for making gravy, a potato masher and pie plates.
If you have two ovens, cooking and keeping things warm at the same time is a bit easier than in a one-oven household like ours. We find our slow cooker is a big help in getting everything cooked and on the table. Induction hotplates are handy, too, both for cooking and for keeping food warm on the table or buffet. We even put our grill into action, especially when we make our Grill-Roasted Vegetables with Pine Nut Pesto.
Plan the Thanksgiving Table
Presentation makes the Thanksgiving meal even more special, so take the time to plan a table that feels inviting. Are you using formal dinnerware or everyday dishes? If it’s the formal set, get it out and dusted off a few days ahead. As the day nears, bring out the serving plates and utensils and have them handy (if space allows). Pull out the tablecloth and napkins, and iron if needed.
For fabulous ideas on personalizing your table, and for decorating it with something from nature, be sure to read Rosanna’s companion post (linked at the bottom of this page).
Plan the Week: Your Thanksgiving Make-Ahead Prep Schedule
Before the week gets started, sit down with your recipes and read them all the way through. Which ones can be made ahead? Some need pre-preparation or marinating, which means a few extra hours on Thanksgiving day if you don’t plan for them. And which ones are best made at the last minute?
Pick one day to do all your shopping at once. When you unpack the groceries, keep the refrigerator in order so everything is easy to find when you’re in the midst of making the meal.
Here’s how we spread out the work:
- A few days ahead: If you’re making bread or rolls, bake them now, then wrap and freeze them.
- The day before: Chop your vegetables so the prep goes much more quickly on Thanksgiving, and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them.
- Also the day before: Bake the pies. The day before Thanksgiving is our pie day, since it’s almost futile to squeeze pie-baking into the day of.
Plan Thanksgiving Day: Build a Cooking Timeline
Timing is everything, and it’s essential when you’re creating a feast. You want everything from the turkey to the bread rolls ready to go at the same time. The trick is to work backward:
- Decide what time you want to eat.
- Back out the time it will take to prepare everything.
- Note what time the turkey needs to go in the oven, when the potatoes should be boiled and mashed for the dumplings, and when the green beans need to be steamed for your favorite green bean casserole.
- Write it all down as a simple timeline of when each dish goes in the oven, on the stove or into the slow cooker.
If you thrive on being organized, a written timeline taped inside a cabinet door is a happy thing on Thanksgiving morning.
Plan the Moment
If you’ve planned properly, you’ll have a moment to sit down with family and friends at the table. The most important part of the day is enjoying the fruits of your labor. When you plan ahead, you actually get to get off your feet and give thanks for your blessings.
Planning is the first of our Four Pillars here at Family Eats, and Thanksgiving is where it pays off most.
Enjoy the meal… just don’t forget one of the side dishes in the oven (we’ve done that before!).
Thanksgiving Recipes to Help You Get Started
To help you plan the perfect Thanksgiving moment, here are a few of our favorite recipes:
- Grill-Roasted Vegetables with Pine Nut Pesto
- Cranberry Compote with Ginger and Molasses
- Port-Glazed Onions and Shallots
Thanksgiving Planning FAQ
When should I start planning Thanksgiving dinner? Several weeks ahead. I start at the beginning of the month by looking at new recipes and last year’s menu.
What can I make ahead for Thanksgiving? Rolls and bread can be baked a few days early and frozen. Chop vegetables the day before, and make the pies then, too.
How do I get everything on the table at the same time? Pick your eat time, then work backward. Write down when the turkey goes in, when the potatoes get boiled and when the green beans get steamed.
This was the second post in our 2011 Holiday Entertaining Series, a collaboration between Family Eats and Rosanna Inc.. Read Rosanna’s companion post, Thanksgiving Entertaining: Making A Healthy & Cherished Tradition.
