I attempted to make Aldi's under-$39 Thanksgiving dinner that serves 10 people
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Savannah Born
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- I tried following Aldi's under-$39 Thanksgiving dinner for 10 shopping list and plan.
- I was disappointed that mashed potatoes were missing and many essential items weren't on the list.
- However, the final meal turned out pretty good and felt like a great value, especially for 10.
My family always hosted Thanksgiving, which meant cooking our entire meal from scratch, from stuffing to gravy to pie crust. One year, we even made our own rolls.
But everyone is busier these days, and buying specialty ingredients adds up. So when I heard about Aldi's Thanksgiving grocery plan that, according to the retailer, includes everything you need for a complete, no-fuss, home-cooked feast for 10 for under $39, I knew I had to try it.
A few weeks before the holiday, I visited Aldi, bought the ingredients, and attempted to make its Turkey Day spread.
Here's how the shopping, cooking, and tasting experiences stacked up — and whether the budget-friendly menu felt worth it.
The 12-item list was available on the Aldi app and website.Savannah Born
To make things easy, I took a screenshot of the list before shopping. It was also available on Aldi's website and app.
The list featured mostly ingredients, a few ready-to-prepare items, and one ready-to-serve food, all inspired by the American Farm Bureau Federation's Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey.
Aldi's under-$39 Thanksgiving shopping list:
- 16-pound turkey
- 3 pounds of sweet potatoes
- 12-ounce bag of Season's Choice steamable frozen peas (x2)
- Chef's Cupboard stuffing mix (x3)
- L'oven Fresh Hawaiian sweet rolls
- Baby peeled carrots
- Celery
- 12 ounces of cranberries
- Bake House Creations premade pie crusts
- Friendly Farms whole milk
- Friendly Farms heavy whipping cream
- Baker's Corner pumpkin-pie mix
Savannah Born
I'd never eaten a Thanksgiving meal without mashed potatoes, so I was surprised potatoes weren't on this year's list.
For reference, last year's list had 21 different products, including russet potatoes, green beans, gravy mix, marshmallows, and boxed mac and cheese for a $40 price tag.
Comparatively, the 2026 lineup, with 12 products, felt a little meager — even if it was $1 less.
I'd have to get creative to spruce up my sweet potatoes without marshmallows, find another way to make gravy, and skip both mashed potatoes and green beans.
I headed to Aldi on November 4, the day it began selling its turkeys.Savannah Born
By November 4, everything except the pumpkin-pie mix had hit Aldi shelves. (It was set to be released a week after I shopped, so I decided to grab a can of pumpkin purée instead.)
I imagined there'd be a dedicated Thanksgiving section inside the store. Instead, items remained in their usual aisles.
Even as a frequent Aldi shopper, I still took a while to find everything.Savannah Born
Luckily, I visit my local Aldi often enough to know the general layout.
However, since the items were pretty scattered, I ended up scanning almost every single aisle to find everything on my list.
A cute turkey icon was supposed to mark Aldi Thanksgiving items; however, only about half the price signs in my store actually seemed. to have it.
Early on, I realized I'd need an extra ingredient to make the stuffing.Savannah Born
Stuffing is basically buttery bread cubes, so I was surprised that butter wasn't on my Aldi shopping list.
Luckily, I checked the instructions on the back of the stuffing mix before I left the store. Lo and behold, I'd need half a stick of butter per box of stuffing — and I was buying three boxes.
So, I grabbed the cheapest butter I could find, a pack of four sticks for $2.89 per pound. I added it to my cart and started an "extra expenses" section in my notes.
The pumpkin pie also required extra ingredients.Savannah Born
According to the pumpkin-purée label, I'd need basic pantry staples, eggs, and evaporated milk to make pumpkin pie.
However, pumpkin purée was a stand-in for pumpkin-pie mix. To keep things fair, I checked the Aldi website to see what that mix would require (if it had been available). The label read "just add eggs and evaporated milk." Easy enough.
I grabbed eggs and evaporated milk and added them to my "extra expenses" section, too.
I enjoyed picking out my turkey.Savannah Born
Aldi's $39 figure assumed a 16-pound turkey, so I scoured the well-stocked freezer to find the closest match.
At $0.99 per pound, a 16-pound bird would have cost $15.84, but a 15.52-pound turkey called my name. It came to $15.36.
The 12 ingredients did cost me less than $39.Savannah Born
For all 12 items on Aldi's Thanksgiving grocery list, my order totaled $35.96.
Had I bought the soon-to-be-released pumpkin-pie mix for $1.99 instead of the pumpkin puree for $0.99, my order would have cost $36.96 — still under $39, though.
However, essential extra ingredients tipped the scale.Savannah Born
For the butter, eggs, and condensed milk required to prepare the ingredients on my list, I paid an extra $5.50.
So, I left Aldi with a $41.46 charge on my credit card.
I didn't count pantry staples — which, to me, meant oil, spices, sugar, and flour — toward my total, since most people have these on hand.
A few items had recipes on their packaging that I could follow.Savannah Born
As mentioned, the stuffing mix and pumpkin purée had recipes on their labels, as did the cranberries and heavy whipping cream.
I followed all except for the whipped-cream recipe. The carton suggested using powdered sugar and vanilla extract, but I used regular sugar instead since I had it in my pantry. I omitted vanilla because I didn't have any on hand.
For items without recipes, I leaned on my own knowledge and online tips.
I used one box of stuffing mix for the turkey and served the other two as a side.Savannah Born
Making homemade stuffing is a time-consuming venture, so I appreciated the stovetop shortcut. It took only 10 minutes from start to finish.
I cooked one box to stuff the turkey, then waited a few hours to make the other two boxes.
I desperately wanted to add onions and herbs to the stuffing. I even considered using the carrots and celery, but per Aldi's Q&A for this Thanksgiving offer, they were meant for a veggie tray.
Plus, I wanted to taste the stuffing as-is, prepared as instructed on the package. So, I left it alone.
The turkey had basic cooking instructions.Savannah Born
The turkey's packaging provided cooking times and tips. To my delight, the turkey was also already brined, so it wouldn't need much more salt.
I rubbed the skin with olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, and dried thyme, added the stuffing inside, and popped it into the oven for about four hours.
The label on the bag of sweet potatoes felt like a tease.Savannah Born
The label listed 22 mouthwatering sweet and savory ways to top the sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, only cranberries were feasible based on my simple Thanksgiving shopping list.
I don't mind plain mashed sweet potatoes with a little cranberry sauce, but I know many people prefer honey, pecans, marshmallows, or all of the above as toppings.
I baked and then mashed the sweet potatoes with some of the gallon of milk from my list to keep them loose and moist.
I used less than a cup, though, so buying a smaller carton would've made more sense. I'm not sure what the rest of the milk was meant for.
I was able to make gravy using pantry staples and recipes I found online.Savannah Born
Aldi's list this year didn't include gravy mix, so I turned to the internet to see if I could pull one together using pantry staples and items I had on hand.
I was able to use the turkey drippings, some butter I'd bought for stuffing, and the flour in my pantry to make a quick gravy.
Overall, the turkey and pumpkin pie were highlights — especially the whipped cream.Savannah Born
Turkey is what you make of it, and with yummy seasonings and crispy skin, I'd say I did pretty well.
The beautifully spiced pumpkin pie was nostalgic; however, the real showstopper was the dollop of whipped cream on top.
Homemade whipped cream made all the difference and was silky smooth. The only thing that could have made it better? Vanilla extract.
I'd dress up the stuffing and the sweet potatoes next time.Savannah Born
The stuffing surprised me with its pleasantly herbaceous flavor, but in my opinion, you can't overdo herbs. I would have loved to add fresh sage and rosemary, plus chopped onion and celery.
I enjoyed the basic mashed sweet potatoes. However, if I were serving them to a group, I think they'd need a little something extra — even just butter. Any of the suggested toppings on the sweet-potato bag's label would have added a nice touch.
The same held for green peas. I didn't mind them plain, but a dab of butter turned them into more of a crowd-pleaser.
The cranberry sauce, which I made by simmering the berries in sugar and water, then letting it set, turned out decent. The Hawaiian sweet rolls, which were ready-to-eat, were also solid — though again, they'd pair well with some butter.
The veggie tray was a miss.Savannah Born
Honestly, a veggie tray felt like a left-field Thanksgiving pick. It seemed even more random without anything to dip the veggies in.
This might've made sense if a ranch mix or dressing was also on the Thanksgiving list. Ultimately, I served them plain.
Instead of spending $1.84 on carrots and celery, I would've preferred to buy an onion and herbs to spruce up the stuffing instead.
The final meal didn't feel like it was lacking much … except mashed potatoes.Savannah Born
Some might miss mac and cheese or green-bean casserole, which were both not included in this year's list. Personally, I just missed mashed potatoes.
Every Thanksgiving table needs creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. That's the only dish I'm still craving. If I had to swap them for one item, it would be the sweet potatoes — which pains me, because I do love them.
The value was here — but I wish the necessary ingredients were all on the list.Savannah Born
Ultimately, though, this felt like a great value for 10, even after I purchased additional ingredients. As Aldi promised, the cost per person came to about $4 for a whole Thanksgiving feast.
The meal had the perfect amount of turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries, and rolls; plenty of stuffing; and just enough sweet potatoes and peas for a 10-person party.
Even the veggie tray, strange as it seemed, felt sufficient for a big group.
Overall, I wish Aldi's Thanksgiving under $39 list was a little more transparent about the extra items needed, or at least clearer about what customers should have on hand.
Spending a few extra bucks wasn't a huge deal, but had I not checked the recipes in-store, I would've needed to make another trip to Aldi.
Business Insider reached out to Aldi for comment.
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