A Guide To Thanksgiving Dinner: How Much To Serve Per Person - So Happy You Liked It (2024)

FAQs

How much Thanksgiving dinner per person? ›

Especially if guests are arriving hours before dinner will be serve! I recommend 4 appetizers or bites per person. Most resources out there will recommend between 1 and 2 pounds of turkey per person. I think it's safe to plan for 1 1/2 pounds per person.

Combining all of our research together, we can now reveal that the average American consumes a somewhat staggering 6,300 calories with their Thanksgiving dinner: that's including starters, mains, desserts, and drinks!

Thanksgiving dinner hosts will be pleasantly surprised when they buy their turkeys and potatoes this year. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost to feed 10 people a turkey dinner is $61.17 in 2023 — down 4.5% from last year, which set a record at $64.05.

How many dishes should I serve with the turkey? For 4 people, choose 1-2 appetizers and 3 sides. For 8 people, choose 1-3 appetizers and 3 sides. For 16 people, choose 2-3 appetizers and 3 or more sides.

The amount of mashed potatoes to serve per person at Thanksgiving dinner depends on various factors, including individual preferences, the overall menu, and the number of side dishes. As a general guideline, plan for about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes per person.

FinanceBuzz, a finance informational website, estimated people can expect to pay $35.40 for a 15-pound turkey, or $2.36 per pound. Californians would pay an average of $41.85 for turkey. WalletHub estimated Americans spend $949 million on Thanksgiving turkeys each year.

The 2023 survey findings show that the average cost of a holiday feast for 10 people is $61.17, which ends up being less than $6.20 per person. While this figure is 4.5% less than the average holiday dinner cost in 2022, it's up 25% compared to the average cost in 2019.

4 p.m. is perfect because you want it to be late enough in the day that this meal is the main event—there will be no major meal before or after.” Importantly, a 4 p.m. mealtime does not go against any prescriptions of etiquette.

What are Thanksgiving meal standards? ›

But a few things are guaranteed, no matter where I am or who I'm with: There will be turkey; there will be stuffing; there will be cranberry sauce, gravy, potatoes, and pie.

Why are Thanksgiving ingredients pricier? Labor and food production costs contribute to the increasing cost of produce this year, and food production costs are estimated to increase by 4.1%.

Old Homestead Steakhouse in Manhattan says it's serving the most expensive Thanksgiving dinner in the world, and it costs $181,000. So what do you get for that price? The world's most luxurious food — plus goodies from new iPhones to a cruise to Super Bowl tickets, according to the restaurant.

Despite those rising costs, the fact that Thanksgiving's main course is more affordable means that 2023 may be the year to cook at home. That's opposite of 2022, when many economists said consumers may actually have saved money by going to a restaurant.

How much stuffing do you need for Thanksgiving? Plan to serve about 3/4 cup of stuffing per guest.