Three Simple Upgrades to Elevate Your Aldi or Walmart Thanksgiving Feast

Both Aldi and Walmart are touting Thanksgiving dinners in 2025 for under $40. I particularly admire the Aldi list, but bagged stuffing mix, gravy mix, and canned cranberries are not the way to impress your guests. You can create an elevated Thanksgiving meal on a budget with ease with these simple tips and recipes. Homemade stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce are some of the easiest recipes you will ever cook, taking just minutes of your time. You can keep the remainder of your Aldi or Walmart list, but these three upgrades will take your meal from everyday to spectacular!

A few upgrades will make your Thanksgiving Meal a hit with your friends and family!

These upgrades bring homemade taste and freshness without breaking the bank. Here are three straightforward upgrades that will transform your Aldi or Walmart Thanksgiving into a feast your family will remember.

Make Stuffing from Scratch

Stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving side, but the boxed or dried stuffing mixes often result in overly salty or mushy dishes. Instead, making stuffing from scratch is surprisingly easy and affordable.

Homemade bread stuffing with fresh herbs

Start by saving bread throughout the summer and fall. Freeze any bread that’s close to expiring, then cube it and let it dry out for a day or two before Thanksgiving. If you don’t have saved bread, pick up a good-quality loaf with your grocery haul. You can use either regular bread or cornbread, depending on your preference. For a savory cornbread option, prepare it ahead of time and cube it just like bread.

The base ingredients for stuffing—onions, celery, butter, herbs, and broth—are already on most Aldi or Walmart Thanksgiving lists. Sauté the onions and celery in butter until soft, then mix with the dried bread cubes and herbs like sage or thyme. Add broth gradually until the mixture is moist but not soggy. Bake until golden and fragrant.

Try our Best Traditional Herb Stuffing recipe. This homemade stuffing has a fresh, rich flavor that boxed mixes can’t match, and it’s free from preservatives and artificial additives. Better yet, it's inexpensive to make. Fresh herbs are great, but you can make a very nice stuffing with dried sage.

Make Gravy from Scratch

Gravy mix packets are convenient but often taste artificial and lack depth. If you roast a turkey, you already have the perfect base for a delicious homemade gravy.

After the turkey is done, please remove it from the roasting pan, tent it in foil, and pour the pan drippings into a small saucepan. You can add a little broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits for an extra flavor boost. Add about 2 cups of broth and strain the mixture to remove solids.

Heat the drippings and broth over medium heat. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs like rosemary or thyme, if desired. To thicken the gravy, mix three tablespoons of cornstarch with three tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Whisk this slurry into the hot drippings, stirring constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

This simple step turns basic pan drippings into a rich, silky gravy that complements your turkey perfectly.

Homemade turkey gravy in a saucepan

Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch

Canned cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple, but it can be overly sweet and gelatinous. I checked two weeks before Thanksgiving, and both Aldi and Walmart offered 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries at $0.99 and $1.42, respectively.

For a better cranberry sauce, start with fresh cranberries!

Combine one 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries with 1 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of water (or orange juice) in a saucepan. For an extra flavor boost, add orange zest or warming spices like cinnamon or cloves. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.

This fresh cranberry sauce boasts a bright, tangy flavor and a natural texture that surpasses that of canned versions. It’s a simple upgrade that adds color and freshness to your Thanksgiving plate.

A full plate of Thanksgiving goodies!

Easy Upgrades to Aldi or Walmart Thanksgiving Plan

These three upgrades—homemade stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce—are easy to make, cost-effective, and bring a fresh, homemade touch to your Thanksgiving meal. They replace processed mixes and canned items with real, high-quality ingredients that taste better and are healthier for you.

Try these simple swaps this year to impress your family without stretching your budget. Your Aldi or Walmart shopping list will still keep costs low, but your Thanksgiving table will feel like a special occasion.