Best Tips to Prepare Delicious Costco Thanksgiving Dinner on a Budget

If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving, you know just how stressful it can be to cook and entertain guests. Luckily, the planning and shopping will be quick and easy if you’re a Costco member. You can grab everything you need to serve an unforgettable dinner all in one place. Let’s look at some of the best premade Costco Thanksgiving dinner items to save you time and money.

Plus, I’ll share some recipes and the items you can get from Costco to make them if you want to cook from scratch.

How to Prepare a Delicious Costco Thanksgiving Dinner on a Budget

Costco has just about everything you need to cook your own dinner from scratch or to serve a delicious premade meal that everyone will love (and no one will know it is premade!).

But before you start planning and shopping, here are a few important things to consider:

How many people are you serving? Remember that Costco sells everything in huge quantities. If you’re only preparing a dinner for two and you’re on a very tight budget, it may make more sense to shop at a regular grocery store – unless you love having plenty of leftovers!
Are you a member? Only members can shop in-store, but non-members can order online. The catch? You’ll pay a higher price for everything you buy (5% surcharge), so keep this in mind.
When do you want to shop? Costco typically starts carrying its fresh turkeys a week before Thanksgiving, but they often sell out fast. Plan your shopping day carefully to ensure you don’t miss out.

Now that we have that covered, let’s dive into all the delicious pre-made options you’ll find at Costco.

Costco Premade Thanksgiving Dinner

If you’re short on time or just don’t have the energy or desire to cook from scratch, Costco has plenty of delicious premade options that everyone will love.

Premade Appetizers

Keep guests happy and satisfied until the big meal is finished with these tasty appetizers:

Vegetable Tray: Includes fresh broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and other tasty vegetables, along with ranch dip. A simple, healthy and tasty appetizer.
Olive Platter: Includes three different olive choices (green, red and a mix of marinated olives).
Antipasto: A mix of smoked prosciutto, salame calabrese, salame di parma and coppa Italiana. This app pairs perfectly with the olive platter.
Caprese Salad: Includes roasted red tomatoes with fresh basil and marinated fresh mozzarella.
Fresh Cut Fruit Bowl: A blend of melons, strawberries, pineapple and grapes.

Costco Turkey Breast

Costco’s oven browned turkey breast is a great option if you’re only feeding a small crowd and want a budget-friendly main dish to serve. This recipe cooks this turkey in an air fryer to give it a slightly crispy texture.

If you’re feeding a bigger crowd, you can grab one of Costco’s fresh turkeys. Most clubs will also have some variation of a cooked turkey to save you time.

Turkey Alternatives

Not a fan of turkey? Try these pre-made or heat-and-serve alternatives at Costco.

Rotisserie Chicken: Costco’s famous, seasoned rotisserie chicken is perfect for Thanksgiving for two (maybe three) people.
Salmon Milano: Fresh salmon topped with basil pesto butter. Just bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, and you’re ready to dig in.
Applewood Smoked Half Ham: Pre-cooked and ready to eat. Thai ham is boneless, easy to carve and packed in its natural juices.
Jones Dairy Farm Fully Cooked Ham: If you need to feed a bigger crowd, this fully cooked ham is 14-18 lbs.

Premade Sides

Costco has tons of options for sides. These ones are easy to heat and serve.

Mac and Cheese: A classic side dish for Thanksgiving. Just heat and serve. You may want to add a little extra cheddar cheese if you have some on-hand.
Mashed Potatoes: All-natural, restaurant-style mashed potatoes that are ready in less than 10 minutes.
Oven Roasted Potatoes: Not a fan of mashed potatoes? These oven-roasted potatoes are a great alternative. They’re made with a blend of baby red and yellow potatoes roasted in 100% avocado oil.
Hawaiian Sweet Rolls: A classic addition to any Thanksgiving table. Just heat and serve. Costco sells these as a twin pack, so you get 32 rolls in total.
Whole Peeled Beets: A simple and healthy veggie side dish. Bake it with butternut squash, toss it into a salad or just serve it on its own.
Mediterranean Veggies: A blend of asparagus, cauliflower, artichokes, bell peppers, carrots and onions – all seasoned to perfection.

Some Costco locations also carry cauliflower stuffing and mashed cauliflower if you’re looking for a lighter take on these classic side dishes.

About a week before the big day, you’ll also (typically) find trays of premade mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes from the Kirkland Signature brand. You may find other sides, too. Every year, Costco carries new and exciting dishes to try, so be on the lookout on your next visit to your local club.

Dessert

Costco has a great selection of premade desserts that will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth, including classics like:

If you want something different, you’ll find other great dessert options, like:

How To Order Costco Thanksgiving Dinner

Did you know you can order a full Costco Thanksgiving dinner? That’s right! Just place your order, pick up, heat and serve.

It’s that easy.

To order your dinner, you can drop into Costco or place your order online. Costco doesn’t typically start accepting orders until a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

Every year, their Thanksgiving dinner changes, but it typically includes:

Turkey breast
Green beans
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Stuffing
Macaroni and cheese
Sweet corn
Dinner rolls
Cranberry relish
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Brussels sprouts casserole

Last year, their premade dinner was about $200 and served 8 people. The turkey still needs to be cooked, so you’re not really saving much time here, but it’s a convenient way to get everything you need delivered right to your doorstep. In fact, quite a few of these dishes will need to be cooked and not just reheated.

Typically, their order-ahead dinners are available to order in the first week or two of November.

Premade dinners are convenient and tasty, but they aren’t for everyone. Luckily, Costco has plenty of options for brave home cooks who are making everything from scratch.

How To Cook Costco Thanksgiving Dinner from Scratch

Want to cook from scratch? Costco will have most of what you need. Use these recipes to prepare an amazing Costco Thanksgiving dinner your guests will love.

Slow-Roasted Turkey

This slow-roasted turkey is so easy to make, and you can grab most of what you need from Costco. You may even find a disposable roasting tray in-store, which will save you so much clean-up.

14-lb turkey
Unsalted Butter
Onions
Lemons
Fresh sage and thyme

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

You can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without mashed potatoes. This recipe is super simple, and you only need a handful of ingredients.

Classic Stuffing

Stuffing is the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish. There are tons of variations of this dish, but let’s keep it classic and simple for our budget-friendly dinner. You can find most of what you need right at Costco.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

A hearty side dish that’s savory, delicious and the perfect complement to any main dish you serve. You’ll need just three ingredients for this recipe:

Crockpot Garlic Mushrooms

A tasty side dish that’s easy to prepare in a slow cooker. You need just a few ingredients that you can find at your local Costco.

Crimini Mushrooms (my Costco also has portabella and white mushrooms)
Unsalted Butter
Garlic
No-Salt Seasoning

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Here’s a delicious side dish that will pair well with turkey, ham or whatever you decide to serve as your main dish. You only need a few ingredients to make this dish, most of which you can find right at Costco.

Charcuterie Board

Costco has everything you need to make a killer charcuterie board for your Thanksgiving table. You can get as creative as you want here and add just about anything you love. Here are some ideas:

These are some of my favorite recipes to serve on Thanksgiving, and I almost always grab everything from Costco. Not only do we save money, but we save time not having to run to five different grocery stores to get what we need for dinner.

Enjoy a Stress-Free Costco Thanksgiving Dinner

Preparing and hosting Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be a hassle. Costco has virtually everything you need to serve the perfect dinner, whether you want to cook from scratch or grab premade dishes from the deli section. Use this guide to plan your dinner and give yourself a little extra “me time” before everyone arrives.

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Best Tips to Prepare Delicious Costco Thanksgiving Dinner on a Budget