Thanksgiving timeline by dinner time: 1 PM to 6 PM
Pick the time you want to sit down and every step moves with it. What changes is how early the day starts: a 2 PM dinner has the first pie in the oven before 8:30 AM, and a 6 PM dinner has it going at noon. The table below lists the key oven times for each dinner time, and a full checklist for 2 PM follows it.
Key oven times for each dinner time
These come from the same scheduler as the planner, with the one-oven Thanksgiving menu from the one-oven guide: a 12 to 14 lb unstuffed turkey, four sides, a pie, one oven, 15 minutes for each preheat or temperature change.
| Dinner | Preheat | Turkey in | Turkey out | Sides in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | 6:50 AM | 8:15 AM | 12:00 PM | 12:15 PM |
| 2:00 PM | 7:50 AM | 9:15 AM | 1:00 PM | 1:15 PM |
| 3:00 PM | 8:50 AM | 10:15 AM | 2:00 PM | 2:15 PM |
| 4:00 PM | 9:50 AM | 11:15 AM | 3:00 PM | 3:15 PM |
| 5:00 PM | 10:50 AM | 12:15 PM | 4:00 PM | 4:15 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 11:50 AM | 1:15 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:15 PM |
- "Preheat" is the first step of the day: the oven goes on 15 minutes before the pie, which bakes first and cools for two hours (an example time).
- "Turkey in" plans for the long end of the USDA range for a 12 to 14 lb bird (3¾ hours at 325 °F).
- The turkey comes out an hour before dinner and rests, covered. The oven climbs to 350 °F and the sides go in 15 minutes after the turkey comes out.
- All six dinner times fit with no clash. The turkey rests for an hour in every one of them, which fits the 20 minutes before carving that USDA's turkey brochure advises.
When the turkey goes in, by weight
A bigger bird moves "turkey in" earlier and nothing else. These are the USDA unstuffed roasting times at 325 °F (long end of the range) counted back from an hour before dinner. The turkey roasting time chart has the full table, stuffed birds and the source.
| Weight | Hours | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 12 lb | 2¾ to 3 | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 12 to 14 lb | 3 to 3¾ | 8:15 AM | 9:15 AM | 10:15 AM | 11:15 AM | 12:15 PM | 1:15 PM |
| 14 to 18 lb | 3¾ to 4¼ | 7:45 AM | 8:45 AM | 9:45 AM | 10:45 AM | 11:45 AM | 12:45 PM |
| 18 to 20 lb | 4¼ to 4½ | 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM | 9:30 AM | 10:30 AM | 11:30 AM | 12:30 PM |
| 20 to 24 lb | 4½ to 5 | 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
A 20 lb bird for a 1 PM dinner goes in at 7:30 AM. The pie would then have to start around 6 AM, so bake it the day before. Pies keep, and it takes the oven out of the morning.
Full checklist for a 2 PM dinner
The sides window is the 45 minutes between the oven reaching 350 °F and the turkey being carved. Stuffing needs 45 of them, so it goes in first, with the sweet potato casserole alongside it. The green bean casserole follows, and the rolls go in last.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 7:50 AM | Preheat the oven to 350 °F |
| 8:05 AM | Put Pumpkin pie in the oven (350 °F, 55 min) |
| 9:00 AM | Take Pumpkin pie out (5 h before serving) |
| 9:00 AM | Set the oven to 325 °F and let it get there |
| 9:15 AM | Put Turkey, 12–14 lb in the oven (325 °F, 3 h 45 min) |
| 1:00 PM | Take Turkey, 12–14 lb out to rest, covered (1 h before serving) |
| 1:00 PM | Set the oven to 350 °F and let it get there |
| 1:15 PM | Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min) |
| 1:15 PM | Put Sweet potato casserole in the oven (350 °F, 30 min) |
| 1:25 PM | Start Mashed potatoes on the stovetop (35 min) |
| 1:25 PM | Put Green bean casserole in the oven (350 °F, 35 min) |
| 1:45 PM | Take Sweet potato casserole out and keep it covered (15 min before serving) |
| 1:45 PM | Start Gravy on the stovetop (15 min) |
| 1:45 PM | Put Dinner rolls in the oven (350 °F, 15 min) |
| 2:00 PM | Mashed potatoes: ready |
| 2:00 PM | Gravy: ready |
| 2:00 PM | Take Stuffing (in a dish) out |
| 2:00 PM | Take Green bean casserole out |
| 2:00 PM | Take Dinner rolls out |
| 2:00 PM | Serve |
For another dinner time, shift this list by the same number of minutes. For different dishes or cook times, open the planner and change them there; the checklist updates live.
Choosing a dinner time
These are my suggestions, not sourced advice.
- An early dinner means an early start but a free afternoon. The turkey is out by 1 PM for a 2 PM meal, and the sides bake while people arrive.
- A late dinner leaves the morning for shopping, setting the table and the stovetop dishes. The cost is a long wait for guests, so plan snacks.
- Between those, 3 or 4 PM starts the oven at 9 to 10 AM, so the turkey goes in about when the kitchen is already busy with prep.
- Allow slack. The table uses the long end of each range, but an oven that runs cool or a cold bird can take longer. Check the turkey with a food thermometer: USDA says 165 °F in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing.