Thanksgiving Cooking Timeline

How the timeline is worked out, and where the times come from

The plan is worked backwards from the minute you sit down. The main leaves the oven one rest before serving time and goes in one roasting time before that; each side dish's steps are laid end to end so the last one finishes at serving time, and desserts 45 minutes later. The oven is put on 15 minutes before its first dish, and turned up or down a preheat ahead of any dish that needs a different heat. Dishes marked for the days before go on the list for those days.

The turkey times are the USDA FSIS timetable for an oven at 325°F: unstuffed, 8 to 12 lb 2¾ to 3 hours, 12 to 14 lb 3 to 3¾, 14 to 18 lb 3¾ to 4¼, 18 to 20 lb 4¼ to 4½ and 20 to 24 lb 4½ to 5; stuffed, 3 to 3½, 3½ to 4, 4 to 4¼, 4¼ to 4¾ and 4¾ to 5¼. The plan starts the bird at the long end of its range and puts the first thermometer check at the short end. A frozen bird is thawed in the fridge at 4 lb a day, the slow end of FSIS's 24 hours per 4 to 5 pounds, and if that day has passed the page gives FSIS's cold-water thaw instead: about 30 minutes per pound. The 20-minute stand before carving is FSIS's too. Ham is the FSIS ham timetable at 325°F and rib of beef the FSIS beef timetable, with a 15-minute rest of ours for carving, longer than the 3 minutes FSIS sets. The UK timings switch to the Food Standards Agency's rule at 180°C.

The side dishes' and pies' minutes and oven heats are Homsy's own working figures, written for this tool and listed on the page; no source publishes one right time for green bean casserole. So are the rules that find a clash: the turkey fills its oven while it roasts, two dishes share an oven only if their heats are within 25°F, an oven holds three dishes on three shelves, and the stove has four burners. Prep that can wait, like peeling, is moved earlier so one person never has two hands-on jobs at once.

All of it is approximate, as USDA FSIS says of its own table. A turkey is done at 165°F in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast, measured with a food thermometer.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure above was read out of the code that runs on this page. Where a number is our own judgement rather than a published one, the note says so and cites nothing. Method last checked 23 October 2026.

Why a Thanksgiving timeline starts on Sunday

Weight	Unstuffed	Stuffed
8 to 12 lb	2¾ to 3 hours	3 to 3½ hours
12 to 14 lb	3 to 3¾ hours	3½ to 4 hours
14 to 18 lb	3¾ to 4¼ hours	4 to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 lb	4¼ to 4½ hours	4¼ to 4¾ hours
20 to 24 lb	4½ to 5 hours	4¾ to 5¼ hours

Weight	Fridge thaw
4 to 12 lb	1 to 3 days
12 to 16 lb	3 to 4 days
16 to 20 lb	4 to 5 days
20 to 24 lb	5 to 6 days

Dish	Steps	Oven
Stuffing, in its own dish	mix 20 min → bake 40 min	375°F
Mashed potatoes	peel 20 min → boil 25 min → mash 10 min	—
Green bean casserole	assemble 15 min → bake 30 min	350°F
Sweet potato casserole	assemble 20 min → bake 35 min	350°F
Mac and cheese	grate the cheese 10 min → make the sauce 15 min → bake 30 min	350°F
Roasted vegetables	chop 15 min → roast 35 min	400°F
Roasted Brussels sprouts	trim 10 min → roast 25 min	400°F
Dinner rolls	warm 15 min	375°F
Cornbread	mix 10 min → bake 25 min	400°F
Gravy	simmer 15 min	—
Cranberry sauce	simmer 15 min	—
Nut roast	mix 20 min → bake 45 min	350°F
Pumpkin pie	make the filling 20 min → bake 55 min	350°F
Pecan pie	make the filling 15 min → bake 55 min	350°F
Apple pie	make the filling 30 min → bake 55 min	375°F

Every Thanksgiving cooking schedule in a magazine is somebody else's: their menu, their bird, their oven, their 3 pm. The arithmetic is the part that matters, and it is short — serving time, minus the rest, minus the roasting time, minus the thaw — but it has to be done with your own numbers, and the thaw is the step that cannot be rescued on the day. A 16 lb frozen bird needs four days in the fridge, which puts the first job of Thanksgiving on the Sunday before it.

The rest of the week is about the oven. On Thursday the turkey fills it for most of the day, so anything that can be made ahead should be: cranberry sauce keeps for days, and pies baked on Wednesday leave Thursday's oven for the dishes that have to be hot. The last hour is where the plan earns its keep. The bird comes out to rest, and that rest is the only stretch when the casseroles, the stuffing and the rolls can have the oven — so how long it rests decides how much fits.

Many Thanksgivings are shared. If guests are bringing dishes, our potluck sign-up sheet has a Thanksgiving version with a line for every dish, and each dish someone else brings comes off your oven plan. The shopping goes on the printable grocery checklist, and the week itself is easier to hold together on a shared family calendar app than on the fridge door.

The honest limit of any timetable is the oven it was not written for. Ovens run hot or cool, a full oven is slower than an empty one, and the USDA says plainly that its times are approximate. That is why the plan puts a thermometer check in the timeline before the bird is due out: 165°F in the thigh, the wing and the thickest part of the breast is the finish line, whatever the clock says.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I put the turkey in for Thanksgiving dinner?

Take the time you want to eat, subtract the rest, then subtract the roasting time from the USDA FSIS timetable at 325°F. A 14 to 18 lb unstuffed turkey takes 3¾ to 4¼ hours. For dinner at 4 pm with a 40-minute rest, a 16 lb bird comes out at 3:20 and goes in by 11:05, starting at the long end of the range, with the first thermometer check at 2:50. The calculator above does that for your bird and your time.

When do I start thawing the turkey?

USDA FSIS allows about 24 hours in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds: 1 to 3 days for 4 to 12 lb, 3 to 4 days for 12 to 16 lb, 4 to 5 days for 16 to 20 lb, and 5 to 6 days for 20 to 24 lb. A 16 lb bird for Thursday goes into the fridge on Sunday morning. Starting early is fine, because a thawed bird keeps in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. If it is too late for the fridge, FSIS gives a cold-water thaw: about 30 minutes per pound in cold tap water, changed every 30 minutes, and cooked straight away.

What does a Thanksgiving cooking timeline look like for the week?

Sunday: the frozen turkey goes into the fridge. Tuesday: the cranberry sauce, which keeps. Wednesday: the pies, so the oven is free on Thursday. Thursday morning: the oven goes on and the bird goes in, the potatoes are peeled while it roasts, and the casseroles bake while it rests. The calculator builds that list from your own dishes and dates, then lays the day out minute by minute.

How do I cook Thanksgiving dinner with one oven?

Use the turkey's rest. The bird fills the oven while it roasts, so the casseroles, the stuffing and the rolls go in after it comes out, and have to fit inside the rest. The calculator marks the minutes where one oven is asked for two things at once — the turkey and a side, two heats more than 25°F apart, or more than three dishes on three shelves — and offers the fixes: rest the bird longer, use a second oven, or bake something the day before.

How long should the turkey rest?

USDA FSIS says to let it stand for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices set and it carves more easily. Tented in foil, a big bird stays hot for longer, and the extra time is when the oven is free for the sides. The plan starts at 40 minutes, and you can set anything from 20 to 75.

How do I know when the turkey is done?

With a food thermometer, because the timetable is approximate. USDA FSIS says a whole turkey is safe at a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, checked in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast — and to check with a thermometer even if the bird has a pop-up indicator. Stuffing cooked in the bird must reach 165°F in its centre too. The plan puts the first check at the short end of the roasting range.

Is there a printable Thanksgiving cooking timeline?

This one prints. "Print the timeline" gives one sheet with the days before at the top, every step on the day, a column for who is doing it and a box to tick; choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog for a file instead. "Add alarms to my calendar" downloads a calendar file with one event per step and an alarm at each, for Apple, Google or Outlook. The plan lives in the page's address, so the link keeps it or shares it.

Where do the side-dish times come from?

They are ours. The turkey, ham and beef times come from USDA FSIS and are cited in the method note; nobody publishes one correct time for green bean casserole, so the minutes and oven heats for the sides and pies are Homsy's own working figures for a family-sized dish, listed in full on this page. If your recipe says something different, your recipe wins.

10:50 am	Heat the oven to 325°F
10:50 am	Turkey: get it ready for the oven (15 min)
11:05 am	Turkey into the oven at 325°F
2:15 pm	Stuffing, in its own dish: mix (20 min)
2:35 pm	Sweet potato casserole: assemble (20 min)
2:50 pm	First thermometer check: Turkey needs 165°F (74°C) in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast
2:55 pm	Mashed potatoes: peel (20 min)
3:15 pm	Green bean casserole: assemble (15 min)
3:20 pm	Set the oven to 375°F
3:20 pm	Turkey out to rest under foil for 40 minutes
3:20 pm	Stuffing, in its own dish: bake in the oven at 375°F (40 min)
3:25 pm	Mashed potatoes: boil on the hob (25 min)
3:25 pm	Sweet potato casserole: bake in the oven at 350°F (35 min)
3:30 pm	Green bean casserole: bake in the oven at 350°F (30 min)
3:45 pm	Gravy: simmer on the hob (15 min)
3:50 pm	Mashed potatoes: mash (10 min)
4:00 pm	Serve

Your oven plan

Sides and desserts

Who is cooking

Minute by minute

The days before

On Thursday, November 26

What prints