With inflation up since this time last year, Americans could end up spending more on their holiday dinners. However, Walmart and Aldi are stepping up to provide affordable Thanksgiving meals at $39 and under.
Walmart’s Holiday Meal Basket costs $35 and feeds 10 people – so, around $3.50 per person. It includes 26 items (17 unique products) from “trusted national and Walmart brand favorites,” according to a press release from the company. Those items include ingredients to prepare classic holiday dishes like Butterball turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie.
“The expanded basket items reflect changing customer preferences and more side dishes with the addition of sweet potatoes, mini marshmallows, corn muffin mix and more,” said Walmart.
This 2026 meal deal has 18% more items than last year for 12% less cost, it added. In fact, Walmart said this year’s basket is the “lowest priced one-click basket” in the history of the program, which has saved shoppers $350 million since 2022.
“The Holiday Meal Basket has become one of our favorite traditions at Walmart. It brings our purpose to life in such a meaningful way by helping families make the holidays special without stretching their budgets,” said David Guggina, president and CEO, Walmart U.S. “This year, our Holiday Meal Basket brings even more food to the table for just $35, while making it easier for customers to plan, shop, and celebrate in ways that work for them.”
Affordable prices can help makes the holidays jollier. For example, Walmart’s 2026 Holiday Trend Report shows that six in 10 shoppers said holiday costs shape their shopping mood – 70% also said that lower prices would make holiday shopping easier. Walmart’s Holiday Meal Basket isn’t just available for Thanksgiving, it’s offered through Christmas Eve on Dec. 24, with Express Delivery available through Nov. 30
Shoppers can head to Walmart.com/HolidaySavingsBasket for more information on how to get their meal deal.
Aldi’s deal is a bit more expensive at $39 for a 10-person meal, but it is still under $4 per person. It includes a 16-pound turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, cranberries, peas, carrots, celery, pumpkin pie ingredients, milk and whipping cream. It said that it built the menu based off of “core items tracked in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) longstanding Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey.”
“Thanksgiving shouldn’t require a calculator or a coupon strategy,” said Atty McGrath, CEO of Aldi. “At ALDI, shoppers can put a 16-pound turkey and the Thanksgiving classics on the table for 10 people, all for under $39. No hoops. Just a really good meal at a really good price.”
Like Walmart, Aldi has offered Thanksgiving meal deals in recent years. Over the past five years, its shoppers have saved an average of 26% on a classic Thanksgiving meal compared to the national average reported by AFBF, the company said.
Aldi’s deal is available through Nov. 25, and “shoppers can find the products to craft their Thanksgiving meal at their local ALDI clearly marked with a turkey logo on in-store shelves,” the company explained. “New this year, customers can add the entire shopping list to their online cart in one-click for curbside pickup or delivery at ALDI.us,” it added.
