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A budget-friendly Thanksgiving with ALDI is easier than you might think: dinner for ten doesn’t have to wreck the grocery budget. For Thanksgiving 2025, ALDI advertised a full feast for ten people for about $40, or roughly $4 a person, and we built this menu around that list.
The price and the exact items change from year to year, so check ALDI’s current Thanksgiving offer before you shop. The menu, recipes and timeline below work with the same basic list from any store.
Below is a complete menu built from that list, from appetizers to pie, with the full recipe linked for each dish, plus a timeline, turkey basics and what to do with the leftovers.
What’s on the ALDI “Feast for 10” list
Here’s what the list included:
- A whole turkey (about 14 lb)
- Rolls (Hawaiian sweet rolls)
- Mac & Cheese (shells & cheese x2)
- Stuffing (chicken or cornbread stuffing mixes x2)
- Mashed potatoes (Russet potatoes, onions, broth, etc)
- Gravy mix (brown gravy mix x3)
- Green bean casserole (cut green beans x2, cream of mushroom soup, French-fried onions)
- Sweet potato casserole (sweet potatoes 3 lbs)
- Cranberries (fresh cranberries)
- Pumpkin pie (canned pumpkin + pie crust)
Add pantry basics like butter, milk, sugar and eggs, and that list covers the whole menu below.
Appetizers & Starters
Start your meal with something light, tasty, and budget-friendly.
1. Sweet Roll Turkey Sliders
What you’ll use: Hawaiian sweet rolls (from the list)
Time: 25 minutes · Makes: 12 sliders
2. Baby Carrot & Celery Crudité with Ranch Dip
What you’ll use: Baby peeled carrots + celery (on ALDI list)
Time: 10 minutes · Serves: 10
The Main Dish
3. Roasted Whole Turkey with Herbs
What you’ll use: Whole turkey + poultry seasoning & herbs (on ALDI list)
Time: 4 hours 40 minutes (includes 20 minutes of resting) · Serves: 10
Sides
Here are five classic sides adapted to your budget list.
4. Creamy Mashed Potatoes
What you’ll use: Russet potatoes (10 lb bag), yellow onions (3 lb) from the list
Time: 35 minutes · Serves: 10
5. Green Bean Casserole
What you’ll use: Cut green beans x2, condensed cream of mushroom soup, French fried onions (all on list)
Time: 40 minutes · Serves: 6
6. Sweet Potato Casserole
What you’ll use: Sweet potatoes (3 lb), mini marshmallows (on list)
Time: 50 minutes · Serves: 10
7. Classic Stuffing
What you’ll use: Stuffing mix x2, chicken broth, yellow onions, celery (from list)
Time: 50 minutes · Serves: 10
8. Cranberry Sauce
What you’ll use: Fresh cranberries (on list)
Time: 15 minutes · Serves: 10
Dessert
9. Pumpkin Pie with Whipped Topping
What you’ll use: Canned pumpkin (15 oz), pie crust (2-count) from list, whipped dairy topping
Time: 3 hours 10 minutes (includes 2 hours of cooling) · Serves: 8
Timeline & Tips for a Smooth Thanksgiving
- 4 days ahead: shop, and move a frozen turkey to the refrigerator. A 14-pound turkey needs about 3 to 4 days to thaw.
- 2 days ahead: make the cranberry sauce and bake the pumpkin pie. Both keep well in the fridge.
- The day before: assemble the stuffing, the green bean casserole and the sweet potato casserole without baking them. Peel and cut the potatoes and keep them covered in cold water in the fridge.
- Thanksgiving morning: get the turkey into the oven about 5 hours before you plan to eat. The recipe has the exact timing.
- When the turkey comes out: let it rest under foil for 30 minutes. Bake the casseroles and the stuffing, boil and mash the potatoes, and make the gravy.
- Just before serving: warm the rolls and carve the turkey.
Thawing and Roasting the Turkey
- Thaw it in the fridge. Allow about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, and keep the turkey in its wrapper on a rimmed tray.
- Cook it to 165°F. Check the thickest part of the breast and the inner thigh with an instant-read thermometer. Color and juices are not reliable signs.
- Let it rest. Thirty minutes under foil keeps the meat juicy and frees up the oven for the sides.
The full method is in our Roasted Whole Turkey with Herbs recipe.
What to Do With the Leftovers
Carve the meat off the bones and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Leftover turkey and rolls become sweet roll turkey sliders the next day, and turkey and veggie wraps make an easy lunch.
Free Printable: Holiday Dinner Planner and Timeline
Making this menu your own? Write in your dishes, work out the oven schedule and fill in the make-ahead timeline on this free planner.
Holiday Dinner Planner and Timeline
Two pages: your menu, an oven schedule and a make-ahead timeline from a week out to the last hour. Free, with no sign-up needed.
See all of our free printables.
ALDI Thanksgiving Questions
Does ALDI offer a Thanksgiving deal every year?
ALDI has promoted a Thanksgiving basket in recent years, but the price and the items change. Check the current ad or the ALDI website before you plan around it.
Can I make this menu with groceries from another store?
Yes. Everything here is a basic ingredient, and store brands at any supermarket will work the same way.
How far ahead can I shop?
Canned goods, stuffing mix, gravy mix and a frozen turkey can be bought weeks ahead. Buy the potatoes, celery, carrots and fresh cranberries the week of Thanksgiving.
