Posted by When my aunt called last September to ask if I could host Thanksgiving for the entire family this year, I experienced what I can only describe as a moment of pure panic followed by determined acceptance. Twenty-three people. Twenty three hungry people expecting the meal of the year. I had hosted dinner parties before, sure, but nothing quite on this scale. That is when I learned the hard truth about Thanksgiving cooking for crowds: you cannot just multiply your usual recipes by four and hope for the best. Learn crowd tested tips for turkey, sides, and stress-free holiday hosting.
The real secret to feeding a large group during the holidays lies in choosing recipes that scale well without losing their soul. You know what I mean, those dishes that taste just as incredible when you make them for two dozen people as they do for six. Over the years, I have collected what I consider to be the holy grail of Thanksgiving recipes for crowds, and I want to share them with you before you find yourself in the same predicament I did.
Let me start with the turkey because everyone seems to think this is where the challenge begins. Here is the thing though: roasting one massive bird for a crowd is actually not your best move. I learned this the hard way when my first attempt resulted in dry breast meat and undercooked thighs. Instead, I now roast two smaller turkeys, around twelve to fourteen pounds each. They cook more evenly, finish at roughly the same time, and give you those crispy skin-to-meat ratios that everyone fights over. I season them simply with butter, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper because when you are cooking for a crowd, you want broad appeal. The herb butter goes under and over the skin, and I stuff the cavities with quartered onions, carrots, and celery. Nothing fancy, but the result is consistently moist meat with golden, crackling skin.
Now, can we talk about mashed potatoes for a minute? Making mashed potatoes for twenty-plus people on Thanksgiving day itself is a recipe for disaster and cold food. I discovered a game-changing method that involves making them almost entirely ahead of time. You boil and mash your potatoes the day before with cream cheese, butter, and sour cream. The cream cheese is key here because it keeps everything smooth and prevents that gluey texture that happens with reheating. Store the mashed potatoes in a buttered baking dish, then on Thanksgiving day, you just warm them in the oven for about thirty minutes. They emerge creamy, hot, and tasting like you just made them. I usually go through about ten pounds of potatoes for my crowd, which sounds excessive until you see how quickly they disappear.
Stuffing is where you can really shine when cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a large group. I make mine with a combination of sourdough bread and cornbread, dried out overnight so it soaks up all the good flavors. The base includes tons of sautéed onions and celery, fresh sage, thyme, and enough chicken stock to make it moist but not soggy. For a crowd, I bake it in two large roasting pans, which gives you more of that coveted crispy top that people pile onto their plates. One year I added Italian sausage to one pan and kept the other vegetarian, and that compromise worked beautifully for my mixed group of eaters.
Green bean casserole gets a bad reputation, but I think that is unfair. When you make it from scratch with fresh green beans, real mushroom sauce, and crispy fried onions, it transforms into something legitimately delicious. For large gatherings, I blanch the green beans ahead of time and make the mushroom sauce the day before. Assembly on Thanksgiving takes maybe fifteen minutes, then it goes into the oven. The key is using a very large, shallow baking dish so you maximize that crispy onion topping everyone loves.
I would be remiss if I did not mention gravy because good gravy can save a dry turkey and bad gravy can ruin a perfect one. My method involves making a rich stock from the turkey necks and giblets while the birds roast. This simmers away with onions, carrots, celery, and herbs for hours. When the turkeys come out, I use those pan drippings combined with my stock to create a gravy that is deeply flavored and silky smooth. I make about two quarts for my crowd, which seems like a lot until you realize people put it on everything, not just the turkey.
Dessert for crowds should be simple and make-ahead friendly. I abandoned the idea of multiple pies years ago because who wants to be rolling out dough for five different pies? Instead, I make two large sheet pan desserts. One is always pumpkin because tradition demands it, but I do mine as pumpkin cheesecake bars with a gingersnap crust. The other varies, but apple crisp in a massive pan never disappoints anyone. Both can be made the day before, and you can serve them straight from the pan.
Reference
United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Turkey basics: Safe thawing and cooking. https://www.fsis.usda.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Leftovers and food safety. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://www.fsis.usda.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Food safety during the holidays. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov