Thanksgiving Dinner Planner 2026 – Google Sheets & Excel + Printables (Letter & A4)

Hosting Thanksgiving this year? Put the guest list, the menu, the shopping and the oven schedule in one place, and know exactly when each dish needs to go in.

This is a ready-to-use spreadsheet for Google Sheets and Excel, plus 11 printable pages for anyone who'd rather plan with a pen.

What it does

• Dashboard: type your dinner date and the time you sit down to eat. It shows days to go, confirmed guests, dietary needs, budget left, the first job of the day and when to start it.
• Guests: one row per household, with RSVP, adults and kids, allergies and what they're bringing. Headcount updates by itself.
• Menu: one row per dish, with who makes it, servings, make-ahead day, method, oven temperature, cook and rest minutes.
• Day-of Timeline: builds itself from the Menu. Every dish is sorted by its start time, working back from dinner, so you can see when the oven is busy.
• Grocery List: items by store section (produce, dairy, pantry and so on), with "have it?" and "bought?" columns, estimated costs and a running "still to buy" count.
• Budget: a food and hosting budget with estimated vs. paid and what's left.
• Turkey: type the turkey weight to get roasting hours (stuffed or not), the day to move it to the fridge to thaw and a size guide for your headcount.
• Countdown: a week-by-week checklist from early November to the leftovers.

What you get

• Blank planner (.xlsx)
• Example planner with sample data, so you can see how everything works
• 11 printable pages in US Letter and A4: dinner at a glance, guest list & RSVPs, menu plan, grocery list by section, make-ahead plan, day-of timeline, oven & stovetop schedule, turkey cheat sheet, table & seating, countdown, leftovers & notes for next year
• Quick-start README

Good to know

• No macros and no add-ons. Works in Google Sheets (File → Import), Excel for Windows, Mac and the web, and opens in LibreOffice/Numbers.
• Set for Thursday, November 26, 2026, but you can type any date, so it also works for Friendsgiving or Canadian Thanksgiving next year.
• Turkey thawing and roasting times follow the USDA / FoodSafety.gov charts and are estimates. Always check with a food thermometer (165°F).
• Instant digital download. Nothing is shipped.

License: personal use only. Please don't resell, share or redistribute the files.

Refunds: because this is a digital download, sales are final. If a file won't open or something is broken, contact me through the link in your receipt and I'll fix it or refund you.