Thanksgiving can be particularly tough to host if you’re short on time and have other responsibilities. That’s why a solution was created for people with busy lives: The Thanksgiving meal kit, which gathers together everything you need for a great Thanksgiving dinner and delivers it right to your door. Meal kits provide varying levels of preparation, but all in all are far easier than trying to put a Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving meal together all by yourself.
- Hello Fresh Thanksgiving Box – $159
- Williams Sonoma Complete Turkey Dinner for 8 – $250
- Vero Turkey Dinner Kit – $195
- Mackenzie Ltd Thanksgiving selections – cost varies according to sides
- Zabar’s Complete Holiday Dinner for 6 – $275
- Blue Apron Thanksgiving Dinner – $50
- Zingerman’s Turkey Rescue Kit – $125
- A final suggestion – check your area for other options
Further reading
- Kitchen fires, viral turkeys, family knife fights, and more Thanksgiving fails
- These holiday gadgets will make cooking your meal a breeze
Does a meal kit sound like the perfect Thanksgiving treat for your busy schedule? Check out these options for 2018 to see what kits you can choose from and what they deliver.
Note: Many Thanksgiving meal kits assume that you don’t have a completely bare kitchen. You will still need some basic ingredients to put everything together, usually things like oil, sugar, butter, and so on, as well as utensils and cookware. Make sure you check out the requirements for the kit that you choose, so you don’t have to run out to the store at the last minute. After all, that’s what you’re trying to avoid, right?
Hello Fresh Thanksgiving Box – $159
Ideally suited for a large Friendsgiving when you just don’t have much time, Hello Fresh’s kit helps you prepare with a meal designed to serve 8-10 people (or about half that, if everyone is very hungry). It features a garlic and herb butter turkey that is by all accounts surprisingly delicious, but you’ll have to roast it yourself, so make sure you have everything you need. Sides change yearly, but in 2018 they include gravy, cranberry sauce, ciabatta stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and caramelized shallots, and a dessert of apple ginger crisp.
Full instructions are included with all ingredients. For bigger parties you can also order the sides and dessert box if you want. The combination of high-quality food and affordability compared to other Thanksgiving kits makes Hello Fresh an excellent option. For general information on Hello Fresh, you can read our review.
You can order at:
Williams Sonoma Complete Turkey Dinner for 8 – $250
Do you prefer high-quality food with a minimal amount of preparation? Williams Sonoma has you covered with a rich assortment of Thanksgiving delights, centered on an organically fed turkey from the Willie Bird Ranch (feeds 8-9). Sides include a green bean casserole with Gruyere cheese sauce and shallots, butter chive mashed potatoes, and a pumpkin pie with homemade pastry.
The turkey ships roasted and set on ice for you to warm up, and the sides ship frozen, so set up those defrost settings in preparation. The company suggests you order by November 11 for Thanksgiving delivery.
You can order at:
Vero Turkey Dinner Kit – $195
Vero’s turkey dinner kit (build from ingredients with included instructions) is specially designed for Thanksgiving and serves 8-10. It comes with a 10-12 pound DoubleStar farm-raised fennel pollen turkey, although if you already have turkey plans you can just order the sides if you prepare.
Those sides include particularly delicious inclusions like fig, walnut, and sage stuffing, shallot gravy, blood orange cranberry relish, black garlic butter green beans with almonds, mascarpone and lemon mashed potatoes, and Fiori Mac N’Cheese. You’ll have to take care of dessert on your own, but otherwise this is an incredible kit for showing off to friends and family…while also being thankful.
You can order at:
Mackenzie Ltd Thanksgiving selections – cost varies according to sides
Mackenzie’s approach to the Thanksgiving kit is a broad selection of pre-cooked foods that you can mix and match as you desire. There’s a whole turkey option ($30+), but there’s also stuffed turkey roast and other interesting alternatives to explore. Sides tend to range from $30 to $60, and include literally everything Thanksgiving-oriented, from pumpkin truffles to sweet potato casserole.
If you can think of a traditional food, it’s probably on their list, and that’s just the beginning. The foods will arrive on ice or frozen, and thawing out properly can take up to 24 hours, so be prepared.
You can order at:
Zabar’s Complete Holiday Dinner for 6 – $275
Zabars offers a no-nonsense, fully cooked Thanksgiving meal based on past Zabars favorites. In addition to the turkey (guaranteed to be at least 11 pounds) you get chestnut stuffing, giblet gravy, cranberry salad, garlic-mashed potatoes, string beans with almonds, assorted dinner rolls, and Zabar’s classic cheesecake. It’s an expensive but high-quality option designed to serve six, and a great meal that only requires a few hours of warming.
The one thing to note about Zabar’s is that it’s very New York focused and requires overnight shipping options. If you live far away – say on the opposite coast – you might want to give them a call or message to check if shipping to you is still an option.
You can order at:
Blue Apron Thanksgiving Dinner – $50
Blue Apron takes a different, more intimate approach to Thanksgiving. This kit is ideal for 2-3 people and a cozy dinner at home – candlelight may well be involved. All necessary ingredients are included to make green bean, cranberry, potato and bread dishes, plus a turkey leg and turkey breast to roast. Blue Apron’s site also includes a selection of tips from customers who have made the kit before, and what they found was helpful.
You can order at:
Zingerman’s Turkey Rescue Kit – $125
There are some incredible kits for Thanksgiving, but what about the day after? If you aren’t responsible for the main feast but still want to help out (and you have a big family), this turkey “rescue kit” has everything you need to turn leftover Thanksgiving foods into amazing sandwiches. Ingredients include a loaf of Jewish rye bread, Zingerman’s Nor’easter Cabot cheddar, a half pound of sliced Swiss cheese, a jar of cranberry muster, a pint of coleslaw, a half pint of Russian dressing, and two bags of Zingerman’s potato chips. Four brownies are also thrown in if there just isn’t enough dessert still left around the house.
You can order at:
A final suggestion – check your area for other options
Not seeing anything you really like? We highly suggest you take a look locally. Grocery stores and other places in many cities will have Thanksgiving meal kits and delivery options that are only available where you live. These options are also more likely to include local cuisine and ingredients, which may be just what you’re looking for. Do some local online searches to see what comes up.
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