The Walmart holiday meal basket is $35 for 10 people this year, or $3.50 a person, the lowest priced one-click basket in the program’s history. Walmart said on Wednesday the bundle has 26 items, 18% more than last year, at a cost 12% below those same items. It is sold in stores and online through Dec. 24 as the retailer pushes value ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Key Takeaways
- Walmart’s holiday meal basket is $35 for 10, or $3.50 a person.
- It has 26 items, 18% more than last year, at a 12% lower cost.
- Butterball turkey is 97 cents a pound, unchanged from 2025.
- Free express delivery runs through Nov. 30; sales continue through Dec. 24.
What’s in the Walmart Holiday Meal Basket
CBS News’ item list breaks the kit into 17 products and 26 items, mixing Great Value goods with national brands. USA TODAY calls it a mix of 26 brands and notes 18% more items than last year. TODAY said sweet potatoes, mini marshmallows and corn muffin mix are new.
USA TODAY said the ingredients cover a full holiday dinner:
- Butterball turkey at 97 cents per pound
- Stove Top stuffing
- Cranberry sauce
- Mashed potatoes and gravy
- Green bean casserole made with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Dinner rolls
- Sweet potato casserole with Jet Puffed mini marshmallows
- Corn casserole made with “JIFFY” corn muffin mix
- Pumpkin pie with whipped topping
CBS News lists the turkey as a Butterball Frozen Whole Turkey, 10-16 lbs, that serves 7-11, plus fresh cranberries and Great Value French fried onions. TODAY said the Butterball is 97 cents per pound, the same as 2025.
A 12% Lower Cost Than Last Year
Walmart said in a statement reported by CBS News, “Not only does this year’s basket have 18% more items, but it also costs 12% less than those same items did last year, making this the lowest priced one-click basket in the program’s history.”
TODAY put last year’s Walmart Thanksgiving meal at $39.92 for 10 people. USA TODAY said last year’s deal was about $4 a person.
Through September, U.S. food prices had risen 2.5% this year, CBS News reported using its price tracker. Federal Reserve data in that report show food bought at grocery stores for home consumption up more than 30% since 2020. Walmart cited internal survey data that consumers are seeking lower prices.
David Guggina, Walmart U.S. CEO and president, told TODAY, “We are focused on everyday low prices for our customers and members, 365 days a year.” He added, “I would say that the American consumer right now is resilient, but they’re being very intentional with their money, and they’re looking for value.”
Free Express Delivery Through Nov. 30
The basket is available in stores or on Walmart’s holiday savings basket page through Dec. 24. Free Express Delivery on the meal basket runs through Nov. 30. Recipes built from the ingredients are at Walmart.com/holidayfood.
Those dates let one bundle cover Thanksgiving and Christmas, with free express delivery only through Nov. 30. The timing fits Walmart’s holiday sales across three events, a long runway rather than one weekend.
Aldi and Target Thanksgiving Meal Deals
TODAY reported Aldi’s meal feeds 10 for $39, with a 16-pound turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, cranberries, peas, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie ingredients, milk and whipping cream. Aldi CEO Atty McGrath said, “Thanksgiving shouldn’t require a calculator or a coupon strategy.” He also said, “At ALDI, shoppers can put a 16-pound turkey and the Thanksgiving classics on the table for 10 people, all for under $39.”
TODAY described Target’s meal for six as “including a turkey that costs $30, or 79 cents a pound,” plus russet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, fried onions, stuffing, gravy and two baguettes. Sticker prices are not equivalent once party size is included.
| Retailer | Price cited | Serves | Turkey detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | $35 | 10 | Butterball at 97 cents/lb; CBS lists 10-16 lb |
| Aldi | $39 | 10 | 16-pound turkey included |
| Target | Turkey $30 | 6 | 79 cents a pound |
What $3.50 a Person Signals
For grocery and e-commerce executives, this is price architecture: more items, a 12% lower matched cost and a per-person number built to travel. Guggina told TODAY, “Forty percent of those rollbacks focus on groceries because groceries are the items that our customers purchase most frequently.” Butterball, Campbell’s, Stove Top, JIFFY and Jet-Puffed next to Great Value keep the deal from reading as a pure trade-down.
Aldi specifies a 16-pound turkey in a $39 meal for 10. CBS lists Walmart’s bird as a 10-16 pound range inside the $35 basket, and USA TODAY puts that turkey at 97 cents a pound. Target’s $30 and 79-cent figures, as TODAY phrased them, do not convert cleanly to a per-person price.
With grocery-store food for home consumption up more than 30% since 2020, per Federal Reserve data CBS News cited, the offers that hold will show more items, a lower matched cost and a delivery promise without making shoppers do the math.
