Thanksgiving Countdown & Dinner Timeline

Pick the serving time and bird size, get every deadline from fridge-thaw day to the minute the oven opens.

Serving time

Turkey weight (lb)

Stuffed?

Brining? (wet brine adds a fridge container day)

Thanksgiving = 4th Thursday of November, US. Timeline assumes a frozen bird, 325°F oven, and one oven shared with sides.

—days until Thanksgiving (US)

—frozen bird → fridge, by

—brine in, if brining

—prep day: sides mise, desserts, table

—oven start day & time

—sides share the oven at

How the math works

Target = 4th Thursday of the current year: Nov 1 + ((4 - weekday(Nov 1) + 7) % 7) + 21 days (find the first Thursday, add 3 weeks).

Thaw: fridge thaw needs lb/5 × 24 h; deadline = oven start − thaw time. If the bird is frozen, count thaw days backwards from oven start.
Cook: unstuffed 13 × lb + 15 min, stuffed 15 × lb + 15; rest max(20, 15% of cook); carve buffer 20 min. Oven start = serving − carve − rest − cook.
Brine: 24 h brine occupies the fridge before thaw time, brine deadline = thaw deadline.
Prep day = oven day − 1: peel/cut sides, bake desserts, set table. Sides window: last 90 min of the roast's cook time, the oven's tail is your mashed-pottery gravy window.

One oven, one bird: real kitchens juggle two racks and hot spots. Treat every deadline as "no later than" and keep a 15-minute cushion. Not a catering plan, adjust for oven count and guest count.

Frequently asked

How many days until Thanksgiving?

Enter today's date, Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday of November every year in the US (Canadian Thanksgiving is the 2nd Monday of October).

When should I put a frozen turkey in the fridge?

24 hours per 5 pounds before cooking: a 16-lb bird goes into the fridge 3.2 days before the oven, the tool shows your exact date.

When do I start cooking the turkey for a 5 pm dinner?

A 16-lb unstuffed bird needs ~4 h 43 m cook + 30–40 min rest + 20 min carving, start around 10:20 am, sides ride the oven's last 90 minutes.