Walmart’s $35 Holiday Meal Basket includes 26 items designed to feed 10 people, or $3.50 per person.
Sam’s Club is offering a Thanksgiving meal for about $160 that serves up to 16 people and takes roughly two hours to prepare.
Both deals offer convenient shopping options, but the meals differ in price, menu, and preparation time.
Putting together Thanksgiving dinner can mean juggling a long grocery list, hours in the kitchen, and a bill that adds up quickly. This year, Walmart and Sam’s Club are offering shoppers two ways to simplify the holiday meal without spending as much time planning every detail.
Walmart’s Holiday Meal Basket focuses on affordable ingredients for a traditional holiday spread, while Sam’s Club has assembled a larger assortment of prepared and ready-to-heat foods. The two options offer different approaches depending on how many people are coming to dinner and how much cooking hosts want to do themselves.
Walmart’s $35 basket includes Thanksgiving staples
Walmart’s 2026 Holiday Meal Basket costs $35 and is designed to serve 10 people, bringing the estimated cost to $3.50 per guest. Available through December 24, the basket contains 26 items, including products from national brands and Walmart’s Great Value line.
The assortment includes a Butterball turkey priced at 97 cents per pound, along with Stove Top stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, gravy mix, and dinner rolls. Shoppers also get ingredients for green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and corn casserole, plus the makings of a pumpkin pie with whipped topping.
Walmart says this year’s basket contains 18% more items than last year’s version and costs 12% less than those same items did in 2025. The company also says customers can buy the assortment without a special membership or purchase limits.
Shoppers can purchase the basket in stores or online, with curbside pickup and delivery options. Walmart is also offering free Express Delivery on the basket through November 30, 2026.
"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," David Guggina, president and CEO, Walmart U.S., said in a news release.
"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.”
Sam’s Club offers a larger meal for about $160
For shoppers hosting a bigger gathering or looking to spend less time cooking, Sam’s Club is offering its 2026 Member’s Mark Thanksgiving Meal for just under $160. The assortment is designed to feed up to 16 people, working out to less than $10 per person based on the full meal.
The 11-item spread includes hickory-smoked turkey, boneless carver ham, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, green beans with cranberries and almonds, macaroni and cheese, sweet corn, cranberry crunch salad, and dinner rolls. It also comes with a charcuterie tray for appetizers and two 12-inch pumpkin pies.
Sam’s Club estimates that the full meal can be prepared in about two hours, compared with seven to nine hours for making all 11 dishes from scratch. Members can shop in stores or add the complete assortment to their online cart with one click, then choose curbside pickup or delivery.
The meal becomes available to order October 28. Sam’s Club notes that prices and availability may vary by location, and the per-person estimate is based on serving 16 guests.
“We’re helping people spend less time in the kitchen and more time with family,” Ashley Peoples, Senior Director, Product Development, Sam’s Club, said in a news release. “And on a day like Thanksgiving, that’s what really matters.”
What the deals mean for Thanksgiving shoppers
The two offers give shoppers different ways to approach holiday dinner. Walmart’s basket is the lower-cost option for those willing to prepare the dishes themselves, while Sam’s Club offers a broader menu with more prepared foods and a shorter estimated cooking time.
For a household watching its grocery budget, the Walmart basket’s $35 price may be appealing. Hosts expecting a larger crowd or hoping to cut down on kitchen work may prefer Sam’s Club’s assortment, provided they have a membership and the meal is available at their local club.
Before ordering, shoppers should consider their guest count, the dishes they want to serve, and how much preparation they are comfortable doing. The advertised per-person prices also depend on serving estimates, so actual portions and costs can vary.