Most Thanksgiving shopping lists are organized by dish, which is how you end up in the supermarket on Tuesday buying flour, three onions, a turkey and a bag of ice all at once, and then going back on Wednesday for the butter you forgot.

Organized by trip instead, it works. Buy the things that keep as early as possible, when the shops are calm. Buy the fresh things last. And know in advance which items everyone underbuys, because those are the ones that send you out again on Thanksgiving morning.

The printable

[Printable: a one-page Thanksgiving food list, three shopping trips, per-person quantities in a column you can multiply, and a non-food section at the bottom]

Quantities, per person

Multiply by your headcount. These allow for leftovers, which most people want.

• Turkey: 1¼ lb bone-in. Full working in our turkey per person chart.
• Potatoes for mash: ½ lb raw.
• Stuffing: ¾ cup made, about 2 oz of bread. See stuffing quantities per person.
• Each other side: ½ to ¾ cup.
• Cranberries: 1½ oz raw, a 12 oz bag serves 10 to 12.
• Gravy: ⅓ cup. Make more.
• Rolls: 1½.
• Dessert: 1½ servings across all desserts.
• Drinks: 3 per adult. Ice: 2 lb per person.

For twenty or more, the method changes as well as the numbers. See Thanksgiving sides for a crowd.

Trip one: two weeks out

Everything shelf-stable, while the shops are still civilized.

• Order the turkey. Fresh birds must be ordered; frozen ones sell out in the good sizes. This is the one genuine deadline on the list.
• Canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, canned broth or stock
• Flour, sugar, brown sugar, cornmeal, cornstarch
• Kosher salt (a full box if you are brining)
• Dried herbs, spices, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla
• Pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries
• Marshmallows, chocolate chips, candy corn
• Wine, spirits, mixers, soda
• Foil, parchment, cling film, freezer bags, foil pans

Trip two: one week out

Dairy, eggs, hardy vegetables, bread for stuffing.

• Butter. Far more than you think, 2 to 3 lb for a full Thanksgiving. Nobody buys enough butter.
• Cream, milk, buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese
• Eggs (two dozen minimum)
• Cheese for the board and for the mac and cheese
• Bread for stuffing, so it has time to go stale
• Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, winter squash (all keep well)
• Cranberries (fresh or frozen; they freeze fine)
• Frozen pastry, frozen vegetables

Trip three: two days out

Fresh only, and the shops will be unpleasant. Go early and take the list.

• Fresh herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley
• Green beans, brussels sprouts, salad leaves
• Celery, carrots, lemons, oranges, apples
• Rolls if you are not making them
• Deli meat and anything for boards
• Whipping cream, ice cream
• Ice, and then more ice

The things everyone underbuys

Every year, in roughly this order.

1. Butter. Two to three pounds. It is in everything.
2. Stock. Stuffing, gravy, mash, reheating. Buy twice what the recipes total.
3. Foil. Covering, tenting, leftovers. Two rolls.
4. Ice. Two pounds a head. The shops shut and you cannot make it fast enough.
5. Serving spoons. Not food, but count them. Six or seven dishes each need one, plus the gravy ladle, and most kitchens have three.
6. Leftover containers. People want to take food home and you do not want to lose your dishes.

The non-food list

The things that are not food but decide whether the day works.

• Foil pans for leftovers guests take home
• Trash bags, more than usual
• Dishwasher tablets
• Candles, napkins, paper towels
• A meat thermometer that works. Check it before Thursday.
• Batteries for it

The thermometer is worth singling out. It is the only piece of equipment that decides whether the turkey is good, and it is the one people discover is broken at three o’clock on the day.

Working out how much you actually need

Take the headcount, multiply the per-person figures above, then apply one adjustment.

Children under about ten eat roughly half an adult portion, and count as half a head for everything except dessert, where they count as one.

Then add nothing further for leftovers. The 1¼ lb of turkey and the ¾ cup of sides already build them in. This is where over-buying starts.

The full meal in context is in the traditional Thanksgiving menu, and the cooking order in the prep timeline.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to buy for Thanksgiving dinner?

Split it into three trips: shelf-stable goods and the turkey order two weeks out, dairy and hardy vegetables a week out, and fresh herbs, greens and ice two days out. Buying by trip rather than by dish is what stops the extra journeys.

How much food do I need per person for Thanksgiving?

About 1¼ lb of bone-in turkey, half a pound of raw potato, three-quarters of a cup of stuffing, and half to three-quarters of a cup of every other side. Those figures already include leftovers.

When should I buy my turkey?

Order it two weeks ahead. Fresh birds need ordering, and frozen ones sell out in the useful sizes. Allow four days of fridge thawing for a 16 lb frozen turkey, roughly 24 hours per 4 to 5 lb.

What do people always forget to buy for Thanksgiving?

Butter, stock, foil, ice and serving spoons. Buy two to three pounds of butter, twice the stock your recipes call for, two rolls of foil, and two pounds of ice per person.

How do I adjust quantities for children?

Count children under about ten as half an adult for everything except dessert, where they count as a full portion. Do not then add extra on top for leftovers. The standard per-person figures already allow for them.

The bottom line

Three trips, not one. Order the turkey two weeks out because it is the only true deadline. Buy far more butter, stock, foil and ice than the recipes suggest. Count your serving spoons. And test the thermometer before Thursday.

Print this and take it with you — the two-week trip is the one that makes the last one bearable.