Thanksgiving dinner planner: how much food for 8, 12 or 20
Thanksgiving is the one big meal many people cook for a crowd only once a year. This planner puts the numbers in one place — turkey, sides, rolls and pie for your guest count — and a countdown that starts with the frozen turkey, which needs days, not hours.
The shopping list by guest count
| Guests | Whole turkey (1 lb each) | Potatoes for mashing | Stuffing (4 oz each, cooked) | Rolls | 9 in pies (8 slices) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 8–10 lb | 2.9 lb | 2 lb | 8 | 1 |
| 10 | 10–12 lb | 3.6 lb | 2.5 lb | 10 | 2 |
| 12 | 12–14 lb | 4.3 lb | 3 lb | 12 | 2 |
| 16 | 16–18 lb | 5.8 lb | 4 lb | 16 | 2 |
| 20 | 20–22 lb | 7.2 lb | 5 lb | 20 | 3 |
Add more for leftovers, which at Thanksgiving are half the point: half as much turkey again gives about three days of sandwiches for a family. The turkey rows link to worked examples: how big a turkey for 8 people with leftovers, how big a turkey for 10 people, how big of a turkey for 12 people and how big a turkey for 20 people.
The side dishes
A traditional table has more sides than any other meal — mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls. With six or seven sides, each portion shrinks: plan about 4 oz (½ cup) of each and set the appetite to light in the side dish calculator, or the totals get silly. Gravy: about 3 to 4 tablespoons per guest, the Clay County table’s serving — roughly a quart for 16 guests.
- Mashed potatoes: about a third of a pound of raw potatoes per guest; for a church or community dinner, see how much mashed potatoes for 100 people.
- Stuffing: USDA advises cooking it in a casserole dish rather than inside the bird. If you do stuff the turkey, the center of the stuffing must reach 165 °F (74 °C).
- Cranberry sauce: a spoonful or two each — a condiment portion, like the relishes in quantity tables (about 1 oz each).
- Vegetables: one green vegetable and one orange one keep the plate balanced.
The holiday sides each have a worked page: how much gravy for 50 people (3 to 4 tablespoons a guest), how much green bean casserole for 20 people, and stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and rolls in the side dish calculator. Slices per pie are in how many slices in a pie.
The countdown
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 1–2 weeks before | Count guests. Buy a frozen turkey (or order a fresh one for pickup 1 to 2 days before). Check the roasting pan fits the oven. |
| 5–6 days before (20–24 lb bird) | Move a big frozen turkey to the fridge: about 24 hours per 4–5 lb. A bird of exactly 20 lb: start on the Saturday, 5 days ahead. |
| 4–5 days before (16–20 lb) | Move a large turkey to the fridge — by Saturday or Sunday for a Thursday dinner. |
| 3–4 days before (12–16 lb) | Move a mid-size turkey to the fridge. |
| 1–3 days before (4–12 lb) | Move a small turkey or a bone-in breast to the fridge. |
| 1–2 days before | Make cranberry sauce, pie crust or pies, and cold sides. Pick up a fresh turkey. |
| Thanksgiving morning | Remove neck and giblets; oven to 325 °F (163 °C); turkey in by the time the roasting chart says. |
| While it roasts | Potatoes, stuffing in a dish, vegetables. |
| Turkey out | Thigh, wing and breast at 165 °F (74 °C); rest 20 minutes; make gravy; warm the rolls. |
| After dinner | Leftovers into shallow containers and the fridge within 2 hours. |
The thawing step is where Thanksgiving goes wrong most often. A 20 lb turkey needs 4 to 5 days in the fridge — how long to thaw a 20 lb turkey has the calendar — and a 15 lb bird 3 to 4 days. If it is still frozen on Wednesday, switch to cold water at 30 minutes per pound — during the day, changing the water every 30 minutes, never overnight — and cook it as soon as it thaws.
Roasting and timing the meal
At 325 °F (163 °C), USDA’s chart puts an unstuffed 12–14 lb turkey at 3 to 3¾ hours and an 18–20 lb bird at 4¼ to 4½ hours. Count back from dinner using the longer time plus 20 minutes of resting, which is also when the gravy gets made and the rolls go in. The worked schedules are how long to cook a 20 lb turkey and how long to cook a 15 lb turkey.
Big Thanksgivings: 20 and up
- Two birds cook faster and fit standard pans; or a whole turkey plus a bone-in breast.
- A ham alongside turkey stretches the meat; see how big of a ham for 10 people and scale it.
- Tables and chairs: a 6 ft folding table seats six to eight; the table calculator counts them.
- Pies: at eight slices per 9 in pie, 20 guests need about three pies — and six if there are three kinds and people take a sliver of two; see how many pies for 20 people and the pie calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much food per person for Thanksgiving?
About 1 lb of whole turkey (USDA FSIS), plus roughly ½ cup of each side dish, a roll, a little gravy and a slice of pie per guest. With six or seven sides, keep each portion small.
How much food for 20 people for Thanksgiving?
About 20 lb of whole turkey (or two 10–12 lb birds), 7 lb of potatoes for mashing, 5 lb of stuffing, 20 rolls and three 9 in pies — plus whatever you want for leftovers.
When should I take the turkey out of the freezer?
About one day for every 4 to 5 lb before you cook it, in the refrigerator (USDA FSIS): Saturday for a 20 lb bird and a Thursday dinner.
Sources
- USDA FSIS — Let’s Talk Turkey: A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey (copy hosted by UW–Madison Extension) (opens in a new tab) — 1 lb of turkey per person (1¼ lb pre-stuffed); refrigerator thawing about 24 hours per 4–5 lb; cold water 30 minutes per lb; roasting timetable at 325 °F (163 °C); 165 °F (74 °C); 20-minute rest; 2-hour rule.
- Clay County, Minnesota — Amounts of food to serve fifty (cooking for large groups) (opens in a new tab) — Quantity table for 50 servings, built on a 3 oz cooked meat serving; sides, rolls, desserts, punch and lemonade.
- USDA FNS — Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs, Section 1 (Meats/Meat Alternates) yield table (opens in a new tab) — Cooked lean meat per lb as purchased: Boston butt bone-in 0.52, boneless 0.60; brisket ¼ in trim 0.46, practically free of fat 0.69; ground beef ≤20% fat 0.74; spareribs 0.39; chicken thighs 0.52, drumsticks 0.49, breast halves 0.66, whole chicken 0.44; turkey breast 0.64; boneless fully cooked ham 0.90; chuck roast boneless 0.63; frankfurters 8 or 10 per lb.