Holiday Meal Planner Template (Printable PDF & GoodNotes)
Two pages for a big holiday meal. The holiday meal plan lists each dish with prep time, cook time, who's making it and a done box, with space for a cooking timeline. The cooking timeline page has lines for dinner time and turkey weight, then a minute-by-minute plan with time, task, oven temperature and who.
- Printable US Letter8.5 × 11 in, white paper
- Printable A4210 × 297 mm, white paper
- iPad / GoodNotesAlso Notability and Noteshelf
- E-ink tabletreMarkable, Kindle Scribe, Boox
Free PDF, 2 pages, undated. No sign-up needed.
Shown for iPad in the Terracotta Sun theme. Printable downloads use white paper (there's a dark mode preview below); the e-ink version is black and white.
2 pages, ready to fill in.
- Page 1, Holiday Meal Plan: A table with columns for dish, prep time, cook time, who and done; lined space for cooking timeline
- Page 2, Cooking Timeline: Write-in lines for dinner time and turkey weight; a table with columns for time, task, oven temp and who
- Undated, so you can print or duplicate it as often as you need
Who it's for
First-time Thanksgiving or Christmas hosts, families sharing cooking between several people, and anyone cooking a big meal with one oven.
Getting the most from a holiday meal planner.
Decide dinner time first
Write the time you want to sit down, then plan everything backwards from it.
Plan the oven
The oven is usually the bottleneck. List each dish's oven temperature and time, and spot clashes before the day.
Use the turkey weight
Turkey roasting and resting times depend on weight. Write it down and follow a trusted guide for times and safe internal temperatures.
Give dishes to guests
The who column makes it easy to share the cooking. Write who's bringing what when guests offer.
Prep ahead
Many sides, desserts and sauces can be made a day or two before. Put those on the timeline as day-before tasks.
Write a shopping list from the dish list
Go through each dish and list its ingredients on a grocery list a week before. Buy non-perishables early and fresh items two days before.
Included in 2 planners
This template is a page in each of these planners. Open one to see everything else that comes with it.
Get it inside a full hyperlinked planner
The thanksgiving planner includes this page alongside dated month and week pages for your year, with side tabs and links between every page. Pick your device and theme, preview it free, and pay only when it's right.
- Dated pages for the whole year
- Tap a tab or a date to jump there
- GoodNotes, Notability, Samsung Notes, e-ink and print sizes
Opens the thanksgiving planner with the Thanksgiving section switched on.
Or read about the thanksgiving planner first.
About this holiday meal planner template
Need help importing it? See devices and apps or the FAQ.
Is it for Thanksgiving or Christmas?
Both, and any big holiday meal, from Easter to Eid. The cooking timeline has a turkey weight line, but you can use it for any centrepiece.
What's on the two pages?
Page one: a dish list with prep time, cook time, who and done, plus a short cooking timeline. Page two: dinner time, turkey weight and a timed task list with oven temperatures.
Does it tell me how long to cook a turkey?
No. Use a trusted recipe or food safety guide for cooking times and temperatures, and write them on the timeline.
What's in the Thanksgiving planner?
A Thanksgiving countdown, holiday meal plan and cooking timeline, plus party planning and meal pages.
