Looking to create the perfect all-Aldi Thanksgiving feast for your family and keep it under budget? We will walk you through what to pick up this week to get ready for the holiday. We will base our meal plan on feeding 10 people and keep a running budget as we go.
This year (2022) Aldi has decided to rewind prices back to 2019 levels on many Thanksgiving holiday favorites which helps keep the overall price from going up too much.
Main: Turkey or Ham
Turkey is the classic American Thanksgiving main dish but ham is a common alternative and can be served along with turkey if you are serving a large crowd or want variety (and leftovers).
Turkey: 1.5 lbs per person
Butterball Turkeys at my local Aldi are currently on sale for $0.72* per pound and we want to get about a 15 pound turkey to feed 10 people which comes out to $10.80.
Because buying a whole turkey includes the weight of bones and a lot of water weight that will be lost while we need to plan for 1.5 pounds per person rw weight. We aren’t planning on you and your guests actually eating 1.5 pounds of turkey this thanksgiving.
If you prefer an antibiotic free option you can go with the NeverAny turkey for $1.69 per pound.
Here is a Citrus and Herb Stuffed Turkey Recipe directly from the ALDI Test Kitchen.
*This was the price quoted locally on Instacart in early November 2022, your local prices may vary.
Ham: 1/2 lb per person
Ham at Aldi is $1.79 per pound right now for Appleton Farms Smoked Ham butt portions and you can plan on a half pound of ham per guest (if you are going ham only-no turkey).
Another bonus is ham is generally fully cooked and just needs to be warmed through before serving.
We will need about 5 pounds of ham for our ten guests which puts us at $7.45 if you can find a ham that is exactly 5 lbs, but this weight would usually be sold as a half-ham and may be more per pound.
Aldi’s portions for this type of ham are probably going to be around 8 pounds which would be $14.32 and you can expect some leftovers.
Stuffing
A classic side dish that can be actually stuffed and cooked inside your turkey but is usually made separately now to avoid food-borne illness.
You can make this from scratch but boxed is a great option and it is quick and easy.
For 10 people you probably want two of the 6oz boxes (Chef’s Cupboard) for $0.75 each. So your stuffing is only going to cost $1.50. If you want to be fancy and go name brand you can get Stovetop Stuffing for a bit more. Again you are going to want two boxes so that will come to about four bucks.
To prepare the stuffing they recommend margarine but I am guessing you can use butter or oil as well. Most of us have butter, oil, or margarine at home already so I won’t include it in the price but I will be adding in some butter in the total down below so you can pull some of that into the stuffing if needed.
If you want to make your stuffing from scratch you can try out this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe that could be made with all Aldi ingredients. Or go with your own recipe!
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are another classic Thanksgiving side dish that won’t break the bank. You can pick your own recipe but for this meal plan, I am basing the ingredients on this Basic Mashed Potatoes recipe.
For our 10 person party we will need 5 lbs of potatoes, 2.5 cups milk, and 1/4 cup +1 Tbsp butter. If you already have the milk and butter this will only cost $3.29 for the potatoes.
But I’ll add in the butter cost ($4.39 for a pound) since you may need it for the stuffing and to spread on the bread. I’ll also include milk ($1.75 for .5 gal) because not everyone keeps this around. Our total for mashed potatoes is $5.04 (+$4.39 for butter) and you will have some leftover butter and milk to use for something else.
Gravy
I think gravy is a must have at thanksgiving especially if you have turkey which can end up a bit dry, plus mashed potatoes are basically a delivery vehicle for gravy.
You can make gravy from scratch or use a shortcut like a gravy mix. We will price things using the gravy mix since it is the easiest option and still cheap.
Turkey gravy packets are $0.55 per packet which make a cup of gravy. It is a good plan to have 1/2 cup of gravy per person so you will need 5 packets for a total of $2.75.
Don’t forget to add the drippings from your turkey to up the flavor and give it a more homemade feel.
If you are going homemade it could be a bit cheaper, you typically use the drippings and flour along with stock to make the gravy so you may need to buy stock (either chicken or turkey) and flour. Check out a recipe before you head to the store and make sure you have all you need.
Vegetables
Any of your favorite vegetable sides could go with a thanksgiving meal so I’ll just give you a couple simple ideas. I’d pick two, or better yet have your guests bring some sides.
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts (trim, coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven) $2.29 per pound. Go with 1-2 pounds depending on your crowd’s tastes.
- Peas (get good quality frozen peas- I like Season’s Choice) 2 bags at $0.89 each for $1.78.
- Corn (again get frozen- Season’s Choice is good again) 2 bags at $ 0.89 each for $1.78.
- Sweet Potatoes/Yams (bake, roast, or mash) I’d go with about 3 lbs at $0.59 per pound for $1.77. You can add more if you aren’t doing mashed potatoes.
Bread
Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a little bread to wipe up that gravy. I’ve been impressed with Aldi’s bread quality and they have some good options for your Thanksgiving meal.
You can go with whichever bread you like but I recommend some type of roll. Aldi has two great options: Hawaiian Sweet rolls for $2.75 or Bakehouse Crescent Rolls for $1.85. I would probably get two packages for the crescent rolls for 10 people (8 rolls per pack).
Total cost for Aldi Thanksgiving for 10 people: $35.35
- Turkey: $10.08
- Ham: $8.95 (5lbs)
- Stuffing: $1.50
- Mashed Potatoes: $5.04
- Gravy: $3.25
- Vegetables: $4.00 (estimate based on picking two vegetable sides)
- Bread: $2.75
- Butter: $4.39
Downsized Meal
Needing to make a smaller Thanksgiving meal? It can be hard to make a Thanksgiving meal for a small group without having tons of leftovers but there are a few options at Aldi.
You can stay traditional with turkey or ham by going with a turkey breast or a smaller ham, sometime pre-sliced hams will come in smaller sizes (just don’t serve deli ham!).
If you want to stay in the poultry family but get away from turkey you can go with roasted chicken or duck (my preference).
Pricing Details
The prices I am quoting in this article came from Aldi’s Online shopping (Instacart) and the prices are specific to one location. Your local prices may vary.
