Walmart has brought back its Holiday Meal Basket for 2026, pricing it at $35 for a meal that the retailer says feeds 10 people. This year’s bundle holds 26 items, from a Butterball turkey to pumpkin pie fixings, and it works out to $3.50 per person.
The basket is available in stores and online through Dec. 24, 2026, and Walmart is offering free Express Delivery on it through Nov. 30. The retailer says the same items cost 12% less than they did last year.
What the $35 Basket Includes
According to Walmart’s Oct. 28 announcement, the 2026 basket has 17 unique products and 26 total items, which the company says is 18% more items than last year. The centerpiece is a Butterball turkey priced at 97 cents per pound, the same price as last year.
The classic sides are Stove Top stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, and dinner rolls. New this year are the makings of a sweet potato casserole with Jet-Puffed mini marshmallows and a corn casserole made with “JIFFY” corn muffin mix. Dessert is pumpkin pie with whipped topping.
The item list in the release spells out the pantry staples: two boxes of “JIFFY” corn muffin mix, three cans each of Great Value corn and cut green beans, a 5-pound bag of russet potatoes, two packets of brown gravy mix, frozen pie crusts, a 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin, evaporated milk and a 12-count pack of brown-and-serve rolls.
A basket built around oven dishes puts pressure on kitchen space, and Frenz Hub’s comparison of air fryers and toaster ovens that free up the oven at Thanksgiving looks at ways to cook sides at the same time as the turkey.
Families traveling to a host’s house can split the shopping and the packing; Frenz Hub’s guide to luggage sets for holiday trips covers the travel side, while its tips on how to clean a dishwasher help with the cleanup after a big meal.
How the Price Compares
Walmart says this year’s basket costs 12% less than the same items did last year and calls it the lowest-priced one-click basket in the program’s history. The company says the basket program has saved customers more than $350 million since 2022.
The timing lines up with grocery bills that remain higher than a year ago. FOX 9 reported on Oct. 30 that food prices were up 2.5% from a year earlier in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ September consumer price index. Food at home was up 1.8% from a year ago, while food away from home was up 3.5%, according to the BLS figures FOX 9 cited.
Walmart’s own 2026 Holiday Trend Report found that 6 in 10 customers say holiday costs shape their shopping mood and 70% say lower prices would make holiday shopping easier, according to the release. That squares with a report on why Americans are dreading holiday bills this year, and for households watching food benefits closely, a new SNAP proposal adds another layer to budget planning.
David Guggina, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., said in the release that the basket has become one of the company’s favorite traditions and helps families make the holidays special without stretching their budgets. He said this year’s version “brings even more food to the table for just $35.”
How to Buy It and Delivery Dates
Shoppers can pick up the items in stores or buy the full assortment in one click at the Walmart Holiday Savings Basket page. Walmart says customers can also ask Sparky, its AI shopping assistant, to add the basket to an online cart.
Options include curbside pickup, Walmart’s new Express Pickup and delivery speeds ranging from one hour or less to scheduled delivery. Free Express Delivery on the basket runs through Nov. 30, 2026, and Walmart says there are no purchase quantity limits on the full basket or individual items.
Handling the Turkey Safely
A basket built around a whole turkey comes with a thawing schedule. According to the FDA’s safe food handling guidance, there are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water and in the microwave. The agency says to never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the countertop, and that food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
The FDA lists 165°F as the safe minimum internal temperature for poultry, including whole birds and stuffing. It also says to refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry and other perishables within 2 hours of cooking or purchasing, and to use an appliance thermometer to keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below. That matters for a basket that arrives with a turkey, a frozen pie crust and frozen whipped topping in the same order.
Why the Basket Lands Before Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26, 2026. Thanksgiving dinner is generally centered on a large roasted turkey, and Thanksgiving is the largest eating event in the United States as measured by retail food and beverage sales, according to Wikipedia.
That makes the holiday a key moment for grocers competing on price. Walmart, which was founded in 1962 by brothers Sam Walton and James “Bud” Walton and is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, according to Wikipedia, frames the basket as a way to cover the core of the meal at a fixed cost, with recipes built around the basket’s ingredients on its holiday food pages.
The basket stays on sale through Dec. 24, so it can also cover a Christmas Eve dinner. Shoppers who want home delivery at no extra charge have until Nov. 30.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
