Target is keeping the price of its Thanksgiving dinner steady this year. The retailer’s complete Thanksgiving meal feeds six people for $30, which works out to $5 a person, the same per-person value it offered last year.
The meal is priced through Nov. 29, 2026, and is available now, since the sale window opened Nov. 8. Target also brought back its Good & Gather frozen turkey at 79 cents a pound for a third straight year.
What the $30 Thanksgiving Meal Includes
Target announced the deal in an Oct. 22, 2026, release from Minneapolis, published in full by the trade outlet Blue Book Services. The $30 price is before tax and covers nine items:
- Butterball Premium Whole Young Turkey, up to 10 pounds
- Good & Gather Russet Potatoes, 3-pound bag
- Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce, 14 ounces
- Del Monte French Style Green Beans, two 14.5-ounce cans
- Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, 10.5 ounces
- Good & Gather French Fried Onions, 6 ounces
- Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Turkey, 6 ounces
- Heinz Homestyle Turkey Gravy, 12 ounces
- Favorite Day Take & Bake Baguette, two count
Good Morning America summed up the bundle as a Butterball turkey and eight sides, putting Target’s offer alongside Walmart’s $35 basket for 10, Amazon’s $25 meal and Aldi’s $39 dinner for 10 in its Nov. 2 roundup of holiday grocery deals.
The cans of green beans, the mushroom soup and the fried onions add up to one classic side. Green bean casserole was created in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly in the home economics department at Campbell’s, according to Wikipedia’s history of the dish, and it still anchors many of the Thanksgiving table classics that have been on American tables for generations. Cooks who would rather start from fresh beans can plan ahead, and anyone with a surplus can follow a guide on how to freeze fresh green beans for later in the winter.
Dates and the Fine Print
Prices are valid Nov. 8 through Nov. 29, 2026, according to Target, and the meal offer is not valid in Alaska or Hawaii. All prices in the release are listed before tax.
John Conlin, Target’s senior vice president of merchandising for food and beverage, said in the release that Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving “are such joyful moments” for Target’s guests. The release describes the $30 bundle as maintaining last year’s $5-per-person value, so the per-guest cost has not moved from a year ago.
The bundle covers the main course and the core sides, though most hosts will still want to add dessert. The release points to Favorite Day pies in new sizes and flavors, including Apple Caramel Crumb, and those slot in next to the pies that show up on Thanksgiving tables across America every year.
The 79-Cent Turkey and Other Holiday Extras
Shoppers feeding a bigger crowd have another option. Target’s Good & Gather frozen turkey is back at 79 cents a pound starting in November, wherever it is sold, marking the third consecutive year at that price. The release does not give an end date for the turkey price.
Target also said it is adding about 60 new and trending food and beverage items for the season, plus an expanded lineup of $5 sides, pies, appetizers and wine. New sides include Good & Gather Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Parmesan Cheese Topped Roasted Vegetables, and more than 10 new Good & Gather frozen appetizers include Blueberry and Brie Cheese Sticks.
For hosts juggling several dishes at once, extra cooking space matters as much as the shopping list. A countertop appliance can free up the oven this Thanksgiving for the turkey, and a quick cleanup before company arrives helps too, as in this comparison of vacuums that get the house guest-ready.
Thawing and Cooking the Turkey Safely
The turkey in Target’s meal weighs up to 10 pounds, which matters for timing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says a turkey thawed in the refrigerator needs about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, and a bird between 4 and 12 pounds takes 1 to 3 days, according to its turkey roasting guide.
The agency also allows cold-water thawing at about 30 minutes per pound, with the water changed every 30 minutes and the turkey cooked right away. Whichever method is used, FSIS says the turkey and any stuffing must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit, checked with a food thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
After dinner, FSIS says turkey, stuffing and gravy left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be thrown out. Leftovers belong in shallow, covered containers in the refrigerator and should be used within 3 to 4 days, or frozen for later.
How Target’s Price Compares
At $5 a person, Target’s meal costs a little more per guest than some rival bundles. Walmart’s basket comes in around $3.50 a person and Aldi’s under $4, according to GMA, though both of those are built for 10 people, while Target’s bundle is sized for a smaller group of six at a lower total price. GMA did not list a serving count for Amazon’s $25 meal, which makes a straight per-person comparison harder for that one.
The bigger story is price stability. GMA reported that turkey prices are up 8.4% from a year ago, citing the latest Consumer Price Index, so holding the per-person cost flat gives smaller households a fixed number to plan around. The Butterball turkey at the center of the bundle, a brand that has run its Turkey Talk-Line for home cooks since 1981, keeps the main course familiar.
The deal ends Nov. 29, three days after Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, so shoppers who want the bundle for the holiday should buy early enough to leave time for thawing.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Winnebaggo – CC0/Wikimedia Commons
