EXTRA REST. No need to set a 4 a.m. alarm to start cooking! Sleep in knowing you still have plenty of time to still get dinner on the table.

LESS STRESS. Stop juggling several recipes at once! Make ahead Thanksgiving preps most dishes in advance, freeing up your already hectic holiday schedule.

MORE FAMILY TIME. Catch up with your cousins or play cards with grandpa instead of getting stuck in the kitchen. Time with family is what Thanksgiving is all about!

ALL THE BIG PLAYS. Don’t miss a second of game day! With make ahead Thanksgiving, you can cheer on your team while dinner finishes in the oven.

FEWER DISHES. Less prep = less clean-up. A moment you’ll truly be grateful for!

A BIG BOOST OF CONFIDENCE. It feels good to build momentum day by day, knowing by Thanksgiving you’ll have plenty of delicious dishes prepped & ready to dig into. You’ve got this! 🙌🏼

Plan your menu. The fun part! The perfect make ahead Thanksgiving menu is one that includes everything you love about Thanksgiving – so feel free to make it your own! Pick your favorites from the recipes below, or scroll through all of our PWWB Thanksgiving Recipes for even more inspiration. Tip! ⇢ If some of the dishes you’d like to have on your Thanksgiving menu aren’t make-ahead friendly, ask your friends & family to pitch in or delegate tasks to guests the day of so you can handle prep together!

• How to Spatchcock a Turkey + Easy Herb Butter Roast Spatchcock Turkey OR Maple Glazed Spatchcock Turkey
• Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
• Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
• Make Ahead Stuffing with Fresh Herbs
• Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole
• Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole

Confirm your equipment. Do you have a roasting pan? A cast iron skillet? Potato masher? Enough baking dishes? Read the recipes for necessary equipment & cross-check with what you have in the kitchen. Need some suggestions? ⇢ The PWWB equipment guide is loaded with our go-to’s!

Check your fridge & pantry & shop for any ingredients you’re missing. Most Thanksgiving dishes use a good amount of pantry staples, but you’ll need to grab some seasonal staples too.

Prep your turkey seasoning. Making a killer herb butter or oil is an easy way to infuse your holiday bird with tons of flavor. Plus, the longer it sits, the more its flavors meld – a make ahead Thanksgiving win! If you’re making an Herb Butter Roast Spatchcock Turkey or Maple Glazed Spatchcock Turkey, prepare the herb butter up to 1 week in advance, storing it in the refrigerator until Thanksgiving Day. If you’ve opted for a Thanksgiving Chicken, mix the savory herb oil & keep it at room temp. (10-20 minutes active prep)

Optional: Cook grains. Need grains for stuffing or a hearty Thanksgiving Salad? They store incredibly well in the fridge. Cook according to package directions & store in an airtight container until needed for assembly. (5-10 minutes active prep)

Optional: Prep fridge-friendly appetizers. Many Thanksgiving appetizers & snacks are super fridge-friendly, keeping for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Prep a festive cheese ball or an easy Thanksgiving dip like Creamy Pumpkin Hummus or Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus. (30 minutes active prep)

Prepare Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy. It’s as simple as building a roux & whisking in some turkey broth or turkey stock! (30 minutes active prep)

Mise en place hardy veggies. Look over your menu & identify any hardy veggies you can prep in advance. Most hardy veggies will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, so feel free to trim & clean brussels sprouts, break down a butternut squash, roughly dice sweet potatoes, etc. If you plan to prepare a Thanksgiving Salad, feel free to toast some nuts & whip up your vinaigrette at this point, too! (10-60 minutes active prep)

Defrost your turkey. Safely thawing a turkey takes some time! The safest way to do so is to place a frozen turkey in the coolest section of your refrigerator. This will slowly thaw out the turkey while keeping it at a safe temperature. As a general rule of thumb, plan for 24 hours of refrigerated thawing for every 4 pounds of turkey (that means a 12-14 pound turkey definitely requires 3-4 days!). If your turkey is still frozen the day of it simply will not safely defrost & cook in time for dinner. 😬 This is an essential to-do!

Prepare Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole. Mash & season the sweet potatoes & prepare a nutty streusel topping. Store both separately for assembly later on. (35 minutes active + 1 hour inactive prep)

Prepare Make Ahead Stuffing. Toast up easy homemade bread cubes & mix them with plenty of fresh herbs & aromatics. Store the stuffing mix in a baking dish for later. (40 minutes active prep)

Prepare Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes. Mash the creamy potatoes & load them up with butter for easy reheating later on. (35 minutes active prep + 25 minutes inactive prep)

Prepare Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole. Blanch fresh green beans & prepare a creamy mushroom sauce – all from scratch, no cans here! Store in a casserole dish for later. (45 minutes active prep)

Make your dessert(s) of choice! I love to plan an entire day just for baking! Most Thanksgiving desserts benefit from having a day to rest, especially cakes & pies.

Some Thanksgiving dessert ideas to get you started…

• Pie dough is easy to prep in advance & freezes great. This is my go-to pie crust recipe, it works beautifully for Thanksgiving favorites like pecan pie, apple pie, & sweet potato pie.
• Feel free to mix things up! Our Best-Ever Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust is a longtime PWWB reader fave, & you can never beat fall desserts like Mom’s Apple Pie Bars with Walnut Crumble or Chai Spiced Apple Crisp.

Spatchcock the turkey. Not sure how? Got you covered – How to Spatchcock a Turkey, with Step-by-Step Photos! Allowing the spatchcocked turkey to sit uncovered in the fridge overnight helps the skin lose moisture, ensuring it gets especially golden & crispy as it roasts. 😍 (30 minutes active prep)

Set the table. It’s so fun to wake up to a beautiful table on Thanksgiving day! Pick your favorite plates, silverware, glasses, & linen napkins – here are some PWWB House favorites! Then set a place for each guest. Add a centerpiece or table runner with mini-pumpkins, gourds, flowers, &/or candles – whatever feels festive! Don’t forget to leave some room for your serving dishware, water pitchers, bread baskets, etc. (20 minutes active prep)

Take the herb butter out of the fridge. It’s best to have the herb butter at room temperature when it comes time to season your turkey! (<5 minutes active prep)

Set up a drink station. Drinks are easy to mix in advance & leave out until guests arrive! These Bourbon Ginger Cider Cocktails are our signature PWWB House cocktail during the autumn months, & our guests always love Thanksgiving Party Punch! Set everything up near the snack table, but wait to set out any ice until your guests arrive. (30 minutes active prep)

Empty the dishwasher. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for this later! (10 minutes active prep)

Roast the turkey or chicken. As the Thanksgiving dinner host, preparing the main course will be your biggest to-do on Thanksgiving Day. One of the best parts about preparing a flat, spatchcocked turkey (either lemon herb or maple glazed) is that it only takes a few hours to cook. A cast-iron Thanksgiving Chicken also cooks quicker than a whole turkey. With the herb butters &/or herb oils prepped in advance, getting your Thanksgiving bird in the oven only requires about 25 minutes of active prep. Plan to get your spatchcock turkey or Thanksgiving chicken in the oven about 2 – 2 ½ hours before you’d like to sit down to dinner. (25 minutes active prep)

You’ve already done most of the hard work thanks to your make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes! 🙌🏼 On Thanksgiving Day all you have to do is…

• Finish & bake Make Ahead Stuffing. The stuffing finishes with a simple secret ingredient that gives the whole dish a creamy yet crispy texture. (40 minutes reheating)
• Assemble & bake Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole. Top the fresh green beans & creamy mushroom sauce with crunchy French fried onions & almonds. Then bake! (40 minutes reheating)
• Assemble & heat Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole. Simply add the nutty brown sugar streusel on top of the sweet potato mash before putting it in the oven. (40 minutes reheating)
• Reheat Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes. Cubes of butter melt into the mashed potatoes as they reheat, infusing the dish with even more irresistible creaminess! (40 minutes reheating)
• Finish Make Ahead Turkey Gravy. Whisk in fresh turkey drippings to bring the gravy back to life! If you’re not roasting a turkey, no worries – this recipe has a gravy making method for that too. (10 minutes reheating)