Thanksgiving Dinner Timeline: Step-by-Step Guide for a Stress-Free Feast

In the Week Before

• Finish shopping for your Thanksgiving ingredients
• Start thawing your turkey, if using a frozen one

3 Days Before (Monday)

• Check if your turkey is thawed. If it is not fully defrosted, accelerate the defrosting using one of the methods in our Turkey Prep guide.

1-2 Days Before (Tuesday or Wednesday)

• Bake your desserts: we like traditional pies or this pumpkin cheesecake
• Toast bread cubes for stuffing, and toast nuts if using
• Make Cranberry Sauce so it has time to set

Day before (Wednesday) 

• Brine, salt, or prep the turkey. 
• Bake rolls or other bread products
• Prep any produce you can early: chop onions and celery for stuffing, roast garlic, 
• Optional: pre-make the mashed potatoes (they heat up nicely!)
• Prep the stuffing, whether in-bird or out of the bird, so it's ready to go tomorrow.

Thanksgiving: The Big Day!

Morning (Before Guests Arrive):

• Roast your turkey. See our 3-part series on prepping, cooking, and serving your bird here.
• Set the table including centerpieces and decorations
• If serving charcuterie or other nibbles, get those ready now before guests show up.
• Put out self-serve drinks for guests to help themselves
• Pull butter out to soften so it's spreadable for dinnertime

About 30 minutes before turkey is done:

• Add any roasted vegetable sides to oven: brussels sprouts, squash, etc.
• If you didn't pre-make the potatoes, start boiling them now. If you did pre-make them, add them to the oven to warm.

Turkey's Done! While it Rests (30 min-1 hour):

• Reheat mashed potatoes
• Warm dinner rolls
• Mash potatoes (if not pre-made)
• Make gravy
• Check roasted vegetables: stir or remove from oven.

Serve Dinner:

• Turn oven down to 250 so you can heat up the pies later (if serving)
• Carve the turkey and serve on a platter
• Place sides on table

Dessert:

• While a helper clears the table, put pies or baked desserts in the oven to warm
• Whip cream (if needed)
• Serve dessert

Give yourself a pat on the back, you're done!