My Exact Thanksgiving Cooking Schedule: Make Ahead Plan, Menu and Timing

This year I’m cooking for 10 people with one oven compartment, which means I had to get organized early. Because the turkey will take over my oven for most of Thanksgiving morning, I planned out everything I could make the day before and asked my mother-in-law to bake a couple of the sides. Having a clear plan was the only way this was going to feel smooth. I wanted this year to feel peaceful and enjoyable, so I wrote out my entire schedule in real time and turned it into a step-by-step plan you can follow too.

Inside this post, you’ll get the exact Thanksgiving timeline I’m using for our family this year, including everything I’m making, what my mother-in-law is baking, and how I’m organizing it all so the kitchen stays calm. I break down the entire menu, all the make-ahead dishes and a full three-day plan (starting with the full grocery list on Monday) that tells you exactly what to prep and how to store it. I’m also sharing the Erewhon-inspired pumpkin and apple pies I tested a few times. I used the ingredient lists from their app and adjusted until they tasted right and I think these versions are pretty spot-on!

You’ll also get Wednesday’s full prep day written with timestamps (starting at 10am), plus the complete day-of Thanksgiving schedule so your turkey comes out on time and every side dish is reheated perfectly even with only two shelves in the oven. At the end, I included a full recipe collection so you can screenshot each one without having to scroll through anything.

I’m big on breaking bigger projects into manageable steps, so if you missed my Two-Week Countdown to Thanksgiving Checklist, make sure to check that one too. I’m keeping the rest of this update for my Substack family. The full post continues below: