Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday — mainly because there are no gifts involved! It’s also not nearly as consumer-driving as Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas.
Plus, I LOVE making all sorts of delicious fall foods, desserts, and other Thanksgiving favorites this time of year.
The only thing I don’t love about our large holiday gathering is the last-minute rush to prepare the food at the exact right time while everyone is waiting and watching!
As a result, I’ve nearly perfected the art of making ALL my favorite Thanksgiving recipes in advance.
Yup, even the turkey!
I’m to the point where I almost don’t do any cooking on the actual holiday — just reheating the food.
And I promise, it still tastes amazing!
A Few Benefits of Make-Ahead Recipes:
- Less stress — the bulk of the food is ready before the big day.
- Less mess — your kitchen is cleaned up before guests arrive.
- There’s time to run back to the store if you forget something.
- You don’t need to wake up at 4 am on Thanksgiving to get the turkey started.
- You can actually go to church on Thanksgiving morning.
- You can use the bones from the turkey to make extra broth ahead of time — which you can then use for gravy, stuffing, and to reheat the turkey meat.
The only downside (from my perspective) is that you won’t get that nice Norman Rockwell moment with your family eagerly waiting while you place the giant turkey on your table.
Just buy the puzzle to do after your meal, and call it good! 😂
Have I convinced you yet?
Ok then, let’s dive into some of my favorite make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes, and how you can simplify your holiday entertaining this year!
How to Make Your Turkey Ahead
Yes, it’s fully possible to make your turkey several days in advance and still serve tender, juicy meat at your holiday meal.
I’ve been doing it this way for YEARS and no one has complained yet.
I’ve also heard from hundreds of you over the years — that you now also make your turkeys in advance. So this method works! 🥰
Simply follow the step-by-step instructions below to make your turkey anywhere from 1 to 7 days before your meal. I also wrote an entire post about this method a few years ago.
STEP 1 = Season your turkey as desired (I use garlic, salt, pepper, onion, thyme) and place BREAST DOWN in an oven-safe “turkey bag”.
STEP 2 = Roast turkey according to directions on oven bags (based on the weight of the turkey). Allow the turkey to rest in the juices until it’s cool enough to handle.
STEP 3 = Remove meat from the bones and refrigerate in a large food storage container (save the bones for Step 4).
I usually try to cut large chunks of meat, and I separate white and dark meat into different containers (this isn’t necessary though). You may leave some bones in or remove them all.
STEP 4 = Make bone broth with remaining bones. Put the bones in your largest slow cooker, fill it with water, and cook on low for 24 hours.
This makes the most delicious broth to use for gravy, stuffing, and when you reheat the turkey on Thanksgiving Day. (more on that below)
STEP 5 = Reheat turkey meat in slow cookers or large roasting pan, covered in broth.
About 4-6 hours before you’re ready to eat, put the refrigerated turkey meat into a slow cooker (or maybe 2 slow cookers if you’re separating white and dark meat).
Cover your meat with bone broth (store-bought stock or even water will work too) and turn the slow cooker on low for about 4 hours.
If you want to do it in the oven, you’ll probably only need 1 hour at 250ºF — but make sure you pour the broth into the pan and cover it with a lid or tinfoil so the broth doesn’t evaporate.
Your finished turkey won’t look as pretty as a nicely dressed bird, but it will taste amazingly juicy and you’ll save yourself so much stress and mess!
Make-Ahead Hot Side Dishes
Every recipe below can be made 1 to 4 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated until your Thanksgiving Meal.
Simply preheat your oven to 350ºF and throw everything into the oven at the same time (about 45 -60 minutes). Or cook in a slow cooker on low for 4 hours.
Make sure your food is covered with foil if you’re reheating it in the oven.
- Sausage Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole
- Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Carrots
- Easy Vegetable Bake
- How to Make and Reheat Roasted Vegetables
- Gravy — just make your gravy (with the broth from Step 4 above) in advance and reheat it in a slow cooker or on the stovetop.
Make-Ahead Cold Side Dishes
The salad recipes below all taste even better after sitting in the fridge for a day — so do yourself a favor and make them in advance.
- Easy Layered Lettuce Salad
- Broccoli Bacon Salad
- Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
- Loaded Kale Salad
- Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce :: You can freeze this weeks in advance.
- Finger Jello :: always a winner with kids!
Make-Ahead Breads and Rolls
I’ve had good luck warming up homemade bread and rolls that I made the night before.
However, if you’re using pre-packaged refrigerated dough (like the pull-apart biscuits below), you’ll probably want to do that right before your meal.
- Semi-Homemade Cornbread
- From Scratch Cornbread
- 100% Whole Grain Dinner Rolls
- Semi-Homemade Bread / Rolls
- Pull-Apart Herb Biscuits — these are best to make just before the meal
Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Desserts
Almost any “cold” pie or dessert can easily be made the day before and refrigerated until after your meal — in fact, they often taste BETTER when allowed to sit overnight.
NOTE: If you prefer warm fruit pies, just place your already-baked pies on cookie sheets and pop them into a 250º oven for roughly 20 minutes.
These are some of our favorite cold pies and desserts.
- Pumpkin Pie Delight Dessert :: It’s just as delicious as your favorite pumpkin pie, but feeds twice as many people!
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie :: A cross between cheesecake and pumpkin pie.
- Double-High Pumpkin Pie :: Another amazing twist on a classic pumpkin pie.
- No-Bake Fruit Pies :: Tweak this recipe for raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, or peach.
- No-Bake Pudding Pie :: This is always a hit with the kids!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie :: Another great make-ahead option.
- Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie :: A long-time favorite for me.
- Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars :: These are amazing!
- Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Bread :: Try it with applesauce instead of oil.
- Pecan Lemon Bars :: These freeze great too.
- 4-Layer Caramel Peanut Butter Fudge :: I only make this for the holidays!
- Simple Spiced Molasses Cookies :: So much flavor in this holiday treat.
A Sample Make-Ahead Timeline:
Here’s an idea of what I do on each day leading up to Thanksgiving Day.
SATURDAY
- Start defrosting the turkey
- Make applesauce (refrigerate until Thursday)
- Make a variety of bars and cookies (freeze until Thursday morning)
- Clean out my fridge
- Gather/print all my recipes
- Shop my pantry/freezer and make a list of everything else I need to buy for the meal
MONDAY
- Buy all groceries (including drinks and paper products, if necessary)
- Refrigerate drinks
- Brine your turkey (I don’t do this, but I’m told it adds flavor).
TUESDAY
- Cook the turkey in an oven bag according to directions and let cool
- Pull all the meat off the bones and refrigerate it until Thursday morning
- Start the bone broth in slow cooker
- Make sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes (refrigerate until Thursday morning)
- Make stuffing and carrots (refrigerate until Thursday morning)
WEDNESDAY
- Make lettuce or brussels sprout salad (refrigerate)
- Make pumpkin pie and pudding pie (refrigerate)
- Make dough for rolls (refrigerate)
THURSDAY
- Remove bread dough from the fridge and form it into rolls, let rise
- Remove cookies and bars from the freezer to defrost on the counter
- Put turkey in large slow cookers with broth and start warming on low (4 hours)
- Bake rolls (15 minutes)
- Reheat potatoes, sweet potatoes and veggies (45 -60 minutes)
- Set up buffet with cold food and add hot food as guests arrive
- Enjoy your meal + dessert without all the stress and extra mess!
FRIDAY
- Choose some of these ideas to use up all your leftovers!
MORE Tips for Simple Holiday Gatherings
Along with making all my food in advance, here are a few additional tips and tricks I use to simplify my holiday gatherings.
- Start cleaning out your fridge now so you’ll have room for all the extra food.
- Stick to traditional holiday foods — don’t try to make something “new” or different.
- Stock up on paper products and aluminum pans to make cleanup much easier.
- Have extra disposable containers on hand to send food home with guests.
- Double or triple-line your trash cans so you don’t need to mess with putting a new bag in.
- Set up your food in a buffet style to lessen the number of serving dishes you need and to speed up the serving process.
- Clean the bathrooms before people arrive… clean the rest of the house after they leave!
A Few Thanksgiving Fun Facts:
The first Thanksgiving was in the Fall of 1621, and included roughly 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians. It was said to have lasted 3 full days. Apparently, only 5 women were present as many of them were unable to survive the difficult first year.
There was no turkey on the first Thanksgiving — it was most likely venison, ducks, oysters, lobsters, eel, and fish. They most likely DID eat pumpkins — but not as pie.
Thanksgiving became a national US holiday in 1863, thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale (writer of the classic song, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) who apparently convinced President Lincoln, after 17 years of faithfully writing letters campaigning for this to happen.
Thanksgiving is said to be the reason for the introduction of TV dinners in the 1950s. Apparently, Swanson had more than 260 tons of extra turkey in 1953, and a salesman suggested that they should package it into aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes.
The whole “watch football on Thanksgiving Day” tradition began in the 1920s when the NFL started their Thanksgiving Classic games. Since then, the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have hosted games on Thanksgiving Day.
NOTE: These “fun facts” are from our local Library — I don’t have an exact source. 😉
Happy Thanksgiving!
Molly says
I’m printing this and making these recipes and my Thanksgiving has been planned….THANK YOU! I am so grateful for all your resources! Happy Thanksgiving!
Andrea says
yay — so glad to help you simplify and destress your Thanksgiving week a bit!
Hope you love the recipes and enjoy your family and friends, Molly!
Suzanne says
I have a granddaughter who was born that exact day and doesn’t live too far from you. Wouldn’t it be something if those two babies were nursery mates in the hospital that Thanksgiving?? Thanks for the good Thanksgiving ideas, and good ideas the entire rest of the year, too, Andrea. I’m thankful for you!
Andrea says
that is a fun coincidence! Happy birthday to your granddaughter!
Diane says
I think this is the single most useful blog post I have seen anywhere for this time of year! Thank you! And happy Thanksgiving!
Andrea says
Thanks so much, Diane! I’m thrilled this make-ahead Thanksgiving post was helpful for you. The same concept can easily be applied to other big meals too — there’s no need to be stressed out with a messy kitchen on the day of your big meal!
Kristina R says
I just sent an email with questions that are answered in this email. Sorry! I have made the turkey ahead of time, per your suggestion, and I’m going to try it again this year. Also, just this morning I sat down to make my “game plan” & thought to myself “I wish that a printable existed that told me EXACTLY what to do which day to prepare ahead of time.” Lo and behold, here comes Andrea for the win! Thank you SO very much! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Andrea says
great — so happy to help 🙂
I hope your Thanksgiving celebrations are enjoyable, delicious, memorable, and stress-free!
Lori says
Hi Andrea! Always love your posts! Do you still buy “want, need, wear, read” gifts for your kids Xmas, or has that changed? And will you share what you have purchased for kids Xmas this year?
Andrea says
hi Lori — we haven’t always stuck to the “want need wear read” gift ideas (although I LOVE that system). We are actually going to surprise our kids with a spring break trip this year — so the physical gifts will be very minimal — maybe just a couple of small things each. I also purchased them new swimsuits at the end of the summer (on clearance) and will give those to them as part of the Spring Break trip (we’ll be going south to warm weather and pools!)
Chris says
I hope you and Dave and all the kiddos have a GREAT Thanksgiving break! God bless you!
Debbie says
I forgot to add that the fun facts about Thanksgiving is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. Since I was born in the Philippines we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving until we moved to the US. Christmas is the biggest holiday we celebrate there, but is sure has become consumer driven for sure. The fun facts about Thanksgiving is good to know.
Andrea says
Thanks Debbie — I also enjoyed the Fun Facts 🙂
Christine says
I’ve made your pumpkin dessert many times ….we love it! Can’t wait to try your version of kale salad.
Wondering….as I begin planning for 2023, are you able to give a Personal Planner discount code again? I’d really like to order my planner to get it before the new year, and a discount code would be great for this frugal mom!
Andrea says
Hi Christine — sorry for the super late response (your message got caught in my spam) but I did not have a discount code for the planners this year. In fact, I used a totally different system myself (you can read about it here).
Glad you enjoyed the pumpkin dessert!
Debbie says
I like how you like Thanksgiving holiday most based on the reason you gave. I do like Christmas most but not as much as I get older because of the consumerism. I really have to try that caramel apple pie cheesecake bars. It looks super yummy. I was thinking of buying cheesecake from Costco for Christmas and making candied pecans to put on top and drizzle it with caramel sauce. The cheesecake bars will be fun to make. Make ahead recipes are the way to go.
Donna Marie says
You seem to have it all together!!! Glad you and yours can enjoy such a wonderful holiday!!! Blessings to you and yours.
Andrea says
haha — well when it comes to planning food in advance, I try to “have it all together”. Other parts of my life might not fall so neatly into place, but I like to have my act together when it comes to food 🙂
Sylvia Nelson says
I would like to try roasting my turkey the day before Thanksgiving. You mention to put it with the juices into the crockpot. I like to use the juices for the gravy. So, what should I put in the crockpot with my turkey? Thanks!
Andrea says
HI Sylvia! I also use the juices to make gravy, but then I make bone broth from the bone after I take the meat off the bone and use that for the slow cooker. You could also just add water or store-bought broth.
Summer says
Thanks for ideas! I love how simple your recipes are and how common the ingredients, that I literally just go to my pantry.
Annnnnd you need to update your “Meet the Dekker’s” to a photo with the newest baby! As I am scrolling back and forth in your posts and there is a new baby missing! lol
Blessings to your and yours this wonderful season! Enjoy!
Andrea says
I know — I was just thinking about the fact that I never updated that page after Clara was born — maybe I’ll get to it over the holiday weekend (maybe!)
Luba @ Healthy with Luba says
Andrea, just reading this article made me hungry. I won’t be out shopping Friday either. 🙂
Gabriela says
Those pretzel turkeys are so cute… 🙂
Courtney Barnes says
I already made your Pumpkin Pie Delight Dessert this year! I’ve made it a few times and it always comes out awesome! My husband isn’t a big fan of pumpkin pie, but he certainly loved this! I highly recommend this!
I’ve also made your Bumbleberry Pie which is fantastic!
Come to think of it, I haven’t made any of your recipes that I didn’t love! Thanks for all the great recipes!
Mara Beard says
Oh my gosh the pretzel turkeys are ADORABLE!! Thanks so sharing, have a great day!
Andrea says
Thanks — they were trickier to make than I thought, but everyone thought they were SO CUTE (and they taste amazing!) They are the perfect combo of salty and sweet!
Kate says
I’m wondering if anyone reading this has a recipe for a sweet potato side where you don’t have to peel the sweet potatoes first? I absolutely hate that task! I’ve made sweet potatoes in my crockpot with the skin on (they are really good that way, just add a little butter and brown sugar) but I need something fancier for Thanksgiving!
Andrea says
Hi kate,
I’ve honestly never made sweet potatoes without peeling them first — I might have to try your slow cooker method though!
That said, I posted your question to my Facebook page to see if anyone has an answer 🙂 You can follow along with any answers here.
Oh, and if your kids are old enough, you could make them peel!!
Kate says
Thanks for posting to Facebook! I am following the comments! And yes, the crockpot method is so easy. You just scrub the sweet potatoes and leave them a little wet (they need the moisture to cook). Cook on high for 4 hours. That’s it!
Andrea says
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Joy says
These are wonderful tips! I have enjoyed your blog and recipes for years. The idea of roasting the turkey the day before is very helpful. How long do you need to warm it up the next day.
Andrea says
Thanks Joy!
As for warming the turkey up — you’ll want to save the juices from the roasting pan (and maybe add a little more broth/water, depending on how much turkey and juice you have). I cut all the turkey off the bones and put it in the slowcooker with the juices and then put it in the fridge.
Since everything is very cold, it usually takes at least an hour on high, and then a few hours on low — but again, this just depends on the size of your slow cooker and how much turkey you have to reheat. You’ll need a large slow cooker or a few smaller ones!
Myka says
Yummy! Pumpkin pie dessert! This article was just what I needed, thanks Andrea!
Myka
http://www.supersimpleways.com
Henriette says
I tried your approach to fixing the turkey this year, and it was great! The reheating in crock pot with broth just made it so moist. Love the sausage apple stuffing. When I got up on Thursday, all I had to do was reheat the already prepared dishes and shape/bake my rolls. Sooooo much more relaxing for the cook! Thank you for the inspiration.
Andrea says
yay — thanks so much for sharing, Henriette!
I’m thrilled your Thanksgiving Day was more relaxing and less stressful. Your food sounds delicious (and I love the sausage/apple stuffing too)