Meal Kits vs. Home-Cooked: Which Is the More Cost-Effective Thanksgiving?

When hosting dinner parties, especially during the holidays, I tend to drop just enough cash to make me question whether or not it was all worth it. With Thanksgiving on our minds, we did some research and carefully analyzed the most cost-effective way to celebrate this year, without leaving your kitchen. We compared meal kits against two different home-cooked menus, our 3-Ingredient Thanksgiving and a collection of our traditional recipes, then priced out each option based on average costs from Wegmans, Peapod, and FreshDirect. See our results below, and in the spirit of the upcoming holiday, you’re welcome.

Meal Kits

You have one of two options here: “The Complete Feast” or “Just the Sides,” which is literally just the former minus the turkey and gravy. Both kits come fully equipped with the ingredients and instructions you’ll need to cook your Thanksgiving dinner. Just an aside, Martha’s turkeys are free-range and antibiotic free—would you expect anything less?

Contents:

• Brown Sugar Glazed Turkey and Gravy (“The Complete Feast” only)
• Classic Herbed Stuffing with Dried Cherries
• Big Martha's Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Root Vegetables with Brown Butter, Sage and Almonds
• Green Beans with Shallots and Lemon
• Spiced Apple Oat Crisp

Feeds: 8-10 people

Cost: $159.99 for “The Complete Feast,” $99.99 for “Just The Sides”

Last day to order: November 15, 12pm EST

3-Ingredient Thanksgiving Turkey with Orange and SagePhoto by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton

Unlike Martha, Chef Puck allows you to essentially build your own menu based on yield and ingredient. Don’t like turkey? Order the Cornish game hens. Like turkey but now you really want Cornish game hens too? Get the turkey for eight people and the hens for two instead of four. Select your sides and your desserts, and feel free to add as much or as little as you like. Chef Puck is very flexible.

Contents:

A la carte, we selected:

• Roasted Turkey
• Sourdough Herb Stuffing
• Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
• Chocolate Pecan Pie

Feeds: 8 people

Cost: $136 ($164 with the hens for two!)

Last day to order: November 19, 11am EST

This one operates as the majority of meal kits do: pick your plan (how many people, how many nights per week) and select your own menu. That said, don’t let the turkey fool you: it’s pretty clear that this is not a Thanksgiving-specific meal kit. It is, however, available during prime turkey time, and comes with Thanksgiving meal staples like sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. The cost is built into your weekly plan, all you have to do is select the menu, if you feel moved by this description.

Contents:

• Apricot-Glazed Turkey Thighs
• Roasted Sweet Potato
• Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Feeds: 2 adults, 1 adult and 2 children, or 1 person who likes lots of leftovers

Cost: $47.80/week + $7.95 shipping*

Last day to order: Menu available November 19-25

*This cost is reflective of the least expensive plan of two servings, two nights per week.

Home-Cooked Menu Ideas

I selected the below recipes from our traditional Thanksgiving gallery based solely on personal preference. I went with one turkey, three sides, and a dessert because that’s what felt right to me. But you do you.

Contents:

• Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey with Gravy: Large Crowd
• Classic Potato Gratin
• Our Favorite Thanksgiving Stuffing with Sausage and Cornbread
• Basic Cranberry Sauce
• Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

Feeds: 8-10 people

Cost: Based on our calculations, the cost for this ranges from $115 to $165, with $137 as the average.

Produce:

• 1 bunch fresh sage
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary
• 1 bag fresh cranberries
• 2 Navel oranges
• 1 lemon
• 2 medium red onions plus 1 large
• 3 medium celery stalks
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 medium shallots
• 4 pounds russet potatoes

Meat:

• 1 (13- to 15-pound) turkey
• 1 pound breakfast sausage links

Bakery:

• 1/2 pound good-quality day-old crusty country-style or peasant bread
• 1/2 pound day-old cornbread

Dairy:

• Unsalted butter
• 3 ounces Gruyere
• 1 ounce Parmesan
• Heavy cream
• ½ dozen eggs
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional for serving, please note that I obviously included vanilla ice cream in my calculations)

Freezer aisle:

• Pastry dough

Pantry:

• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Light corn syrup
• Vanilla extract
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ pound pecan halves

• Wegmans: $135.46
• Peapod: $111.75
• FreshDirect: $164.21

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi

Whether you’re a seasoned Thanksgiving cook or not, these three-ingredient recipes will simplify your menu without compromising flavor. You may still be in the kitchen all day, but you will definitely have fewer things to juggle.

Contents:

• Turkey with Orange and Sage and Gravy
• Thanksgiving Stuffing
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple and Pecans
• Caramel Apple Tart

Feeds: 8-10

Cost: Based on our calculations, the cost for this ranges from $120 to $164, with $137 as the average.

Produce

• 2 1/2 pounds green beans, preferably thin haricot verts
• 1 bunch fresh sage
• 2 Navel oranges
• 2 large or 3 medium leeks
• 3 lemons
• 5 large apples, preferably a mix of Granny Smith, Gala, and/or Cortland
• 5 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 small bunch celery, with leaves attached if possible

Meat

• 1 (12–14 pound) turkey
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh sweet Italian sausage

Bakery

• 2 medium loaves cranberry-nut bread

Dairy

• Heavy cream (optional)

Freezer aisle

• 1 (14 to 17-ounce) package puff pastry, preferably all-butter

Pantry

• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• The smallest bag of all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 small bottle maple syrup
• 1 jar of caramel sauce
• 7 ounces pecan halves
• 1 bottle white wine

• Wegmans: $129
• Peapod: $120
• FreshDirect: $164

Our Takeaway

As far as meal kits go, Chef’d is certainly the most bang for your buck, but it’s also the most complicated (don’t expect a Shake ‘n Bake situation, this kit is serious). As for home-cooked options, the traditional menu will cost roughly the same as the 3-Ingredient menu, but it definitely leaves room for more creativity. It’s in the same price bracket as Chef’d, and you may have to do all the shopping (and heavy lifting of grocery bags from said shopping), and put aside more time than you would with a meal kit, but would it really be Thanksgiving if you weren’t in the kitchen all day?