Meijer Thanksgiving Meal Plan 2025

Is Meijer the best place to get your items for Thanksgiving? We break it down with this Meijer Thanksgiving Meal Plan 2025.

We’re also comparing the ALDI $40 Thanksgiving Menu to what Meijer offers.

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In 2018, we posted this Thanksgiving Menu. In 2018, this same menu cost about $31. 

I was curious to see how much it has changed from 2018 to 2025, so we’re sharing an updated Thanksgiving Menu based on shopping only at Meijer. 

I swapped out some of the items for Meijer-branded items only. This is a basic Thanksgiving Menu. You may already have your menu planned for Thanksgiving, but if you’re looking for some budget-friendly options, such as the $40 ALDI menu, here is what you can do at Meijer. 

This menu was put together by one of my previous VAs. You can see more older Thanksgiving meal planning guides here.  This older Thanksgiving menu guide also have other items/recipes such as a salad, mashed potatoes, etc. 

Note: This menu is for a simple Thanksgiving dinner. 

If you would like to see some of the recipes we personally make for Thanksgiving, I’m linking below:

40 basic Thanksgiving recipes

Baked Stuffed Turkey Wings

Easy Mashed Potato recipe

Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

Cranberry + Apple Puff Pastry Galette

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Cornish Hens

If you don’t have an Ibotta account, you can sign up here- http://ibotta.com/r/J38U2w affiliate

Note: If you use other rebate apps, such as Fetch, you can stack multiple offers to save even more. 

Roasted Turkey

• Ingredients: 16 lb Meijer frozen turkey
• 1 stick of butter (pantry)
• Salt and pepper (pantry)
• 2 T rubbed sage (pantry)
• *You may want additional seasoning based on your palette 

Estimated cost: $6.24
Feeds 8–10 people (roughly $0.62 per serving)

Note- if you do need better, Meijer brand butter will be on sale for $2.49 starting 11/19

Read: How to cook a Turkey without thawing it!

See all the turkey deals going on! 

Stuffing 

• 2 boxes of Meijer stuffing mix – Meijer brand stuffing mix $0.99 each= $1.98
• 5 stalks celery, diced – $1.79
• 3 medium onions, diced – $1.29
• 3 C turkey broth, warmed or use Meijer chicken broth 32 oz — $1.59
• 1 t salt (pantry)
• 1 t pepper (pantry)

Total cost= $6.65 (about $0.66-$0.83 per serving for 8-10 servings)

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• Meijer Elbow noodles 16 oz — $1.19 Note- if you took advantage of the pasta deals I shared earlier this month and last month, you may already have boxes of elbow noodles. We were paying about $0.74 per box. Barilla Pasta will be on sale for $1.33 starting 11/19
• Meijer Extra Sharp Cheddar Block 8 oz — $1.99
• Meijer Triple Cheddar Block 8 oz — $1.99
• ½ C milk or half and half (pantry)
• ½ t ground mustard (pantry)
• Salt and pepper (pantry)

Estimated cost: $5.17 (or $4.17 if you have noodles)
Feeds 8 people (about $0.65 per serving)

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (~2 lb) — $2.98
• 1 cup of Pecans (you’ll use ~½ of the 10 oz bag) — $3.60 (Note- the bag is $7.19, but you are splitting between two recipes)
• 1 ½ Cup brown sugar (pantry)
• 2 eggs, beaten (pantry)
• 1 t vanilla (pantry)
• ½ Cip milk (pantry)
• 1 ½ sticks butter, melted (pantry)
• ⅓ Cup flour (pantry)

Estimated cost: $6.58
Feeds 6–8 people (about $0.82–$1.10 per serving)

Braised Collard Greens with Ham

Ingredients:

• 2 bags collard greens on sale for 2 for $5.00 |  Note: Turnip, Mustard or Collard Greens, $1.19, bunch, starting 11/19
• Meijer chicken broth 32 oz — $1.59
• Meijer diced ham 8 oz — $4.19
• 1 bay leaf (pantry)
• ½ t red pepper flakes (pantry)
• 3 T red wine vinegar (pantry)

Estimated cost: $10.78

Feeds 6–8 people (roughly $1.35–$1.80 per serving)

Sweet Cornbread

Ingredients:

•  Jiffy Mix is currently $0.79, and there is an active Ibotta rebate offer to get this item for free. 
• Ingredients per box for preparation (pantry- milk, egg)

Estimated cost: possibly free if you opt for Jiffy Mix and submit for the rebate offer. 
Makes 8–10 pieces (about $0.20 per serving)

Note- we love the Krusteaz Honeycorn bread (it tastes better and better ingredients)- It’s $2.49 at Meijer. Plus, there is a $.50/1 Ibotta offer, making it $1.99 after the rebate offer. 

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• Meijer deep-dish pie crust (½ of 2-pack) — $2.99 for Pillsbury brand. Note- there is a $1/2 mPerk digital coupon offer, you will pay $2.24 each
• Meijer light corn syrup — $2.89
• 3 eggs (pantry)
• 1 C sugar (pantry)
• 2 T butter, melted (pantry)
• 1 t vanilla (pantry)
• 1 ½ C pecan halves

Remaining pecans (~½ bag) — $3.60

Estimated cost: $9.48
Feeds 8 slices (about $0.93 per slice)

Note- Meijer also sells a ready-to-go pecan pie (as well as other varieties) for $9.99. 

Grand Total (all dishes combined):  $44.90 before tax | Feeds 8–10 people | Average cost per person: $4.49–$5.61

*******NOTE- if you have the FREE Turkey Ibotta offer, then your turkey will be FREE, taking off $6.24, making your final OOP as low as $38.66

• Tip- you can add a 2 cans of Meijer brand cranberry sauce on sale for $1.09 each- or make your own cranberry sauce. 
• Just a reminder- you may have to adjust the price based on whether you have some of the pantry staples. 
• However, if you need seasonings and spices, the Meijer brand is on sale for Buy 2, Get 1 FREE 
• McCormick brand is also on sale for Buy 2, Get 1 FREE, and we have several Ibotta rebate offers. 

Directions for cooking Thanksgiving Dinner

Turkey (4 hours 10 minutes oven cook time):

Place the turkey in a roasting pan.  Season the cavities with salt and pepper.  In a bowl, place the melted butter, sage, and season with salt and pepper.  Brush the turkey with oil, wrap it in foil, and bake in a 325°F oven for 4 hours, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.  Remove the foil, baste the turkey, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let it rest on the counter while you bake other dishes.

Stuffing:

Directions:  Place the stuffing in a large bowl.  Add the celery, onions, salt, and pepper.  Slowly add the broth, mixing until all the stuffing is moistened.  Stuff in the cavities of the turkey, securing with twine or pins.

Macaroni and Cheese (45 minutes oven cook time):

(This can be prepared a day ahead and baked or heated for dinner.)  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until almost done, but not quite done; then drain.  In a bowl, mix the cheese and ground mustard; layer the pasta and cheese mixture in a casserole dish. Drizzle in the milk.  Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 45 minutes.

 

Sweet Potato Casserole (40-minute oven cook time):

(This can be prepared a day ahead and baked or heated for dinner.)  Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender.  Drain and mash; allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, 1 C of brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and ½ C of melted butter.  Pour into a greased casserole dish. In another bowl, mix the remaining brown sugar, butter, flour, and pecans. Sprinkle over the potato mixture. Bake uncovered in a 350°F oven for 40 minutes, until bubbly and browned.

 

Braised Collard Greens (stovetop cooking):

Place the ham in a large pot and heat it over medium heat until it begins to brown.  Add the collard greens, stock, bay leaf, and pepper flakes. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the greens are tender.  Add in the vinegar and serve.

 

Sweet Cornbread (30 minutes oven cook time):

(This can be prepared a day ahead and heated up for dinner.)  Prepare the cornbread as directed on the package. Bake in a 375°F oven for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.

 

Pecan Pie (1 hour 10 minutes bake time):

(This should be made a day ahead to allow for cooling time.)  In a bowl, mix the syrup, eggs, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the pecans.  Pour into frozen pie crust and bake in a 350°F oven for 1 hour or until the center of the pie springs back when touched lightly.  Cool. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

 

How does this Meijer Thanksgiving Menu compare to what ALDI is offering?

 As many of you may know, ALDI is back with their Thanksgiving Menu for $40.00 that will feed 10 people.

Here is what you can get for $40.00 at ALDI for a simple Thanksgiving Meal.