Cooking for a crowd can be complicated: The prep for Thanksgiving dinner takes way longer than your typical weekday meal, there are far more dishes to clean, and a whole lot more mouths to feed. You know the ideal roast chicken size for your family, but do you know how big of a turkey you’ll need for 12 people? 15 people? Even more than that? So before you can even turn on the oven, you need to do the math to figure out how much turkey per person, which stuffing recipe makes sense for your crowd size, and how many Thanksgiving side dishes and Thanksgiving desserts you’ll need to make (or delegate to guests!).
We put together a kind of calculator that will help you determine how many pounds of turkey per person you can prep for your feast, plus our best estimates for sides and desserts. Consider this your ultimate Turkey Day cheat sheet to read, use, and forget while you spend more time focusing on your family, friends and of course, all that food. Quick rule of thumb to get you started: If you’re buying a whole turkey, plan on 1 pound (uncooked) per person. For a boneless turkey breast, get ½ pound per person. Feeding an army? Rather than buying the biggest bird you can find (which can be tricky to cook evenly while retaining moisture), get two smaller turkeys or one whole turkey and one breast. These generous estimates will likely leave you with delicious Thanksgiving leftovers to enjoy when all that hard work is over.
How much food do I need for Thanksgiving?
8 People
- Whole turkey (8 lbs)
- Dry mix stuffing (8 oz)
- Potatoes (3 lbs, or 6 large)
- Sweet potatoes (3 lbs, or 3 large)
- Canned cranberry sauce (2 16 oz. cans)
- Pie (1–2, 9″–9.5″)
- Butternut squash (3.5 lbs, or 2 small)
- Brussels sprouts (2 10 oz. containers)
- Green beans (2 lbs)
- Frozen creamed spinach (3 10 oz. packages)
16 People
- Whole turkey (16 lbs)
- Dry mix stuffing (16 lbs)
- Potatoes (6 lbs, or 12 large)
- Sweet potatoes (6 lbs, or 6 large)
- Canned cranberry sauce (3 16 oz. cans)
- Pie (2–3, 9″–9.5″)
- Butternut squash (6.75 lbs, or 3 medium)
- Brussels sprouts (4 10 oz. containers)
- Green beans (4 lbs)
- Frozen creamed spinach (6 10 oz. packages)
24 People
- 2, 12-14 lb whole turkeys or one whole turkey and one breast equal to about 24 lbs total
- Dry mix stuffing (24 lbs)
- Potatoes (9 lbs, or 18 large)
- Sweet potatoes (9 lbs, or 9 large)
- Canned cranberry sauce (4 16 oz. cans)
- Pie (3–4, 9″–9.5″)
- Butternut squash (10 lbs, or 4 large)
- Brussels sprouts (6 10 oz. containers)
- Green beans (6 lbs)
- Frozen creamed spinach (8 10 oz. packages)
You’re halfway there. Now that you know how much you need to buy, browse through the galleries below to figure out what dishes you’ll wow your family with this year. Happy cooking!
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