Thanksgiving is now less than six weeks away, which means many families are making plans for travel and meal prep. But the cost of inflation will also be weighing heavily on their minds, especially for those who have large Turkey Day gatherings to feed.
However, the world of grocery shopping is highly competitive, and one chain, Aldi, is aiming to outdo the competition in enticing cost-conscious consumers to shop at its stores. The national grocery store chain has announced that it will put a full Thanksgiving meal, which feeds 10, on your table for just $40.
Here’s what you need to know as the turkey dinner wars kick off for 2025.
Aldi announces a Thanksgiving meal for 10 for just $40
Every national and regional chain that sells groceries will be vying for Americans’ dollars over the next six weeks as they begin shopping for their Thanksgiving meals.
Today, Aldi has announced that it intends to give cash-conscious consumers the ability to get a full turkey spread for ten people for just $40. As Aldi notes, at an average cost of just $4 per person, the deal, per household guest, costs “less than a pumpkin spice latte.”
The deal also happens to be $7 cheaper than the $47 Thanksgiving dinner for 10 that Aldi offered last year.
It should be noted that the $40 price isn’t for a package of set food items. Instead, Aldi calculated the price by adding up the cost of 21 individual products and ingredients that are needed for making a Thanksgiving meal of nine dishes.
Those dishes include:
- a 14-pound turkey
- rolls
- cranberry sauce
- mac and cheese
- stuffing
- mashed potatoes with gravy
- sweet potato casserole
- green bean casserole
- pumpkin pie
In a potential dig at competitors like Costco, Aldi notes that “no coupons or memberships” are needed to buy the individual items that go into making the $40 meal for ten.
The grocery store chain is also providing a downloadable list of those items here.
The average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner has hovered around $60 for years
The cost of Thanksgiving dinner can vary widely based on numerous factors, including the dishes you plan to prepare, the number of guests you’ll be feeding, and where in the country you are located. However, 2024 data from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) found that the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for ten people has hovered around $60 for years.
The AFBF found that the average Thanksgiving meal for ten cost $58.08 in 2024. That was down 5% from the $61.17 average meal cost in 2023. In 2022, the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for ten hit a record high of $64.05, according to the AFBF.
Of course, Aldi won’t be the only one vying for your Thanksgiving dinner dollars. Last year, the chain was in a heated competition with other major U.S. grocery stores, including Walmart and Target.
As reported by CBS Mornings last November, while Aldi was offering a 2024 Thanksgiving meal for ten for $47, Target was offering a Thanksgiving meal for eight for $40, and Walmart was offering a meal for 8 for $54. You can expect both of those major chains—and many others—to be similarly competitive this year.
This year, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 27.