Hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be a big undertaking, but it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. I have 21+ amazing Thanksgiving dinner ideas on a budget that will satisfy even your pickiest of guests.
But first, let me share three quick tips for keeping your dinner costs on track:
- Cook dishes from scratch – it takes longer, but it’s more affordable.
- Stick to the classics. Simple, real ingredients work best.
- Skip the booze. Alcohol can really skyrocket your dinner costs, so consider a sober Thanksgiving or stick to simple beers and wine.
21+ Delicious Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas on a Budget
1. Easy Roasted Turkey Breast
If you’re hosting a small Thanksgiving dinner, turkey breast is the perfect budget-friendly compromise. Everyone enjoys a classic turkey dinner, but you won’t be left with a mountain of leftovers and you’ll save money in the process. The ingredients are super simple: fresh herbs, butter, salt and pepper.
2. Best Thanksgiving Turkey
You don’t need expensive ingredients to cook a delicious roasted turkey. Some fresh herbs, lemon and herb butter are all you need. Bonus – you can cook this turkey with vegetables underneath to save time and cook up a budget-friendly side dish.
Related: 17 Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes That Everyone Will Love
3. The Best Cranberry Sauce
Canned cranberry sauce is cheap and easy, but it’s just as cheap to make your own. Plus, you’ll impress your guests. All you need are some fresh cranberries, a fresh orange, cinnamon and sugar. Cooking time is just 10 minutes, so this is a dish that comes together fast.
4. Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots
Home-cooked vegetables are some of the best Thanksgiving dinner ideas on a budget because when they’re prepared properly, they’re delicious and cheap.
And it doesn’t get much easier than this recipe. You’ll need fresh carrots, butter, garlic, spices, balsamic vinegar, apricot preserves and honey. If you’re on a really tight budget, skip the preserves – these carrots will still be delicious.
5. Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Pecans
A hearty, healthy and delicious side dish that’s cheap to make from scratch. To save time, you can use frozen, cubed butternut squash. The rest is ultra-simple. Maple syrup, pecans and cinnamon give this dish so much flavor, and you likely have most of these ingredients in your pantry already.
6. Classic Stuffing
Classic Thanksgiving recipes are always delicious and budget-friendly. For this recipe, you’ll even make your own bread cubes (it’s super simple, don’t worry). The rest of the ingredients are simple and cheap – butter, parsley, onion, fresh herbs and stock. Just bake and serve in a pretty casserole dish, and you have the perfect side dish for your holiday dinner.
7. Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham
If you’re not a fan of turkey, ham is a great alternative for Thanksgiving. And this recipe is both delicious and budget-friendly. You likely have most of the ingredients already, like brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and mustard. Cooking time is just over 1.5 hours, which gives you plenty of time to prepare everything else while your ham is cooking.
8. Classic Green Bean Casserole
No Thanksgiving is complete without a green bean casserole, and this recipe is both easy and budget-friendly. Using canned green beans will save you time and money. Mix everything together in a baking dish, bake for 25 minutes, and you’re ready to eat.
Related: 25+ Delicious Make Ahead Casseroles for Brunch and Dinner
9. Puff Pastry Spinach Pie
Simple, delicious, cheap and unique. Your guests will love this spinach pie, made with premade puff pastry. Frozen spinach is the star of the show with this recipe, but it also calls for delicious cheese. Most of the ingredients are things you already have at home.
10. Crispy Roast Potatoes
Potatoes are a classic side dish for Thanksgiving, but you can make this dish even more budget-friendly by skipping the mashing and roasting them instead. No milk or butter is required. Red potatoes are the best choice, but use whatever you have on hand.
11. Make it a Potluck Thanksgiving
One of the best Thanksgiving dinner ideas on a budget is to make your dinner potluck-style. Have all of your guests bring a dish to the dinner to save time and money. Plus, you’ll all enjoy a variety of dishes and cooking styles.
12. Super Stuffed Baked Apples
Here’s a simple and cheap dessert everyone will love. Apples are available in abundance in fall, so they’re cheap, easy to prepare as a dessert and still somewhat healthy. This recipe stuffs apples with a mix of rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and butter. Use whatever apple variety you want for this dish.
13. Creamed Corn Casserole with Jiffy Mix
Creamed corn casserole is so flavorful, cheap and easy to make, thanks to Jiffy corn muffin mix. Using canned whole kernel and creamed corn will save you time and money. Of course, you’ll also need your Jiffy mix and a few pantry staples you already have on-hand.
14. Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Pioneer Woman’s twice baked potato casserole is delicious, and if you’re on a tight budget, you can make it one of the only side dishes you serve with your turkey. But most of the ingredients are simple: butter, milk, sour cream, cheese, bacon and oil.
15. Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
If you’re not making roasted garlic mashed potatoes already, trust me when I say that you’re missing out. Creamy and flavorful, this recipe does take an hour and thirty minutes, but most of it involves baking and is not hands-on.
The best part?
You only need garlic, red potatoes, olive oil, salt, butter, half and half and some ground pepper.
16. Baked Mac and Cheese
Thanksgiving dinner ideas on a budget don’t get much better than baked mac and cheese. Creamy and heavy, this mac and cheese has a crispy exterior and mixes three different cheeses together for a heavenly taste.
You’ll make a bechamel with this recipe, adding in ingredients, such as pasta, flour, butter, half and half, seasonings, white cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar and, of course, Gruyere cheese to finish this recipe off.
17. Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash
Whew, this is one of the hearty meals that you can make in under an hour and it tastes delightful, too. Emilie, the site’s author, will walk you through the five-minute prep process before cooking your stuffed squash for 45 minutes.
What will you stuff your squash with?
Brown rice, pecans, Tuscan savory grounds, spinach, raisins, curry powder, oregano, tahini and thyme. If you’re looking for a dinner idea that won’t add too many calories to your day, this recipe is perfect and has only 466 calories in each serving.
18. Creamed Peas
I’ve never had creamed peas that tasted this divine before. Perfect for a comforting dish, these creamed peas start with you whisking melted butter and flour together until it’s thick and adding in peas, which you’ll cook until thoroughly heated.
Then, you’ll slowly add in the heavy cream and garnish before serving.
Related: 25+ Best Thanksgiving Side Ideas That Will Steal The Spotlight At Dinner (Simple And Easy!)
19. Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts aren’t for everyone – some people love them, some hate them. But, if you’re a person who does like them, these roasted sprouts include garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce and a few spices that add up to a tasty, unforgettable dish.
20. Sweet Rutabaga
Thirty minutes is all it takes to make these sweet, buttered rutabagas that are just over 150 calories and only require rutabaga, milk or cream, butter, salt and pepper. You’ll cook everything in a medium-sized pan and don’t even need to add sugar.
21. Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli casserole is one of the Thanksgiving dinner ideas on a budget that is a timeless classic. This dish is a bit on the heartier side of things with cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, butter, eggs, broccoli, onion, sharp cheddar cheese and even ritz crackers.
I really appreciate how the author offers customizable options that allow you to change things up a bit, such as adding cauliflower or chicken to the dish to make it a bit healthier.
22. Cinnamon Fried Apples
Cinnamon and apples? What can go wrong? This delightful fried apple recipe is melt-in-your-mouth delish and only requires a few ingredients:
- Chopped apples
- Lemon
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Ground cinnamon
And, if you’re rushing last minute and don’t have time to make an elaborate dessert, these cinnamon-fried apples will take you all of 20 minutes to finish.
23. Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms
Spicy yet impossible not to have just one more, these jalapeno poppers fill Baby Bella mushrooms with cream cheese, jalapeno peppers, bacon and cheese. If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, this is not the recipe for you.
But if you do like mushrooms, you can quickly cook these in your skillet or even a baking dish.
24. Sourdough Bread Pudding
Sourdough is a fantastic option on Thanksgiving and it makes a wonderful leftover that almost always tastes better the next day. You’ll need an 8” x 8” baking dish where you’ll add your sourdough bread, eggs, whole milk, cane sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract.
But, don’t forget the toppings of brown sugar, butter, chopped pecans and a handful of other ingredients.
Each serving is just under 400 calories, but it’s the one time a year – or one of a few – where you can treat yourself.
