10 Walmart Foods Under $10 For An Affordable Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to gather together, sharing a delicious feast of food prepared with love and, of course, thankfulness. Many people look forward to this big holiday all year, but preparing such a large feast can quickly add up financially, and with groceries costing more in 2025, many people find themselves without a lot of money to splurge on this meal. Thankfully, it doesn't have to cost a small fortune. While some people turn to making a Thanksgiving feast from canned goods, you can also head to Walmart for its generous selection of budget-friendly foods.

Walmart is a massive retailer known for its affordable food items, many of which fall under the store's own private label, Great Value. While many people do their shopping here during an average week, fewer realize they can throw together their holiday meals using the store's affordable ingredients. We did our research and scoured Walmart's offerings to find highly rated ingredients worthy of gracing your Thanksgiving table with everything you need — main dishes, sides, desserts, and drinks. Sticking to this list of must-have budget items from Walmart, you'll spend less than $100 for a meal that can comfortably serve about four people, and possibly a couple more if need be.

A 40-ounce can of Bruce's Yams costs a little over $3, meaning you could actually get two or three cans while staying under the $10 budget. This makes the purchase an excellent option for "bulking up" your Thanksgiving feast, alongside a handful of other ingredients on this list.

The word "yams" can mean various things in different places, but these are cut sweet potatoes preserved in syrup. Although there are a few different canned sweet potato options, Bruce's is a highly rated choice at 4.5 out of 5 stars on Walmart, with 1,092 ratings.

This versatile ingredient can be heated up and eaten as-is for a hearty, mildly sweet side that perfectly accompanies the other menu items on this list. You can also create mashed sweet potatoes by pairing these with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, if you have it. Other potential options include sweet potato pie and sweet potato casserole, depending on the ingredients you already have in your pantry or refrigerator.

One box of Great Value Instant Mashed Potatoes contains about 12 servings and costs a bit over $3.50. Like with the sweet potatoes, you could purchase two of these boxes while remaining under the $10 budget if you really wanted to — although, with so many servings included, that might be unnecessary. With a 4.5 rating from 1,285 reviews, this instant mashed potato is a strong choice for Thanksgiving, supported by previous customers.

The most obvious use here is simply to make mashed potatoes. While boxed potato flakes make something that rarely comes close to tasting like the real homemade version, the online reviews suggest that this should still make a satisfying side dish. You can also improve boxed mashed potatoes in various simple ways, using things you already have in your kitchen. For example, a squirt of mayonnaise or a dollop of sour cream creates a creamier, richer final dish, and seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley are excellent additions for flavor.

A second way to use these mashed potatoes, in a pinch, is to thicken gravies or soups. This is an excellent option if you don't have flour or cornstarch at home, but already have the instant mashed potatoes for your meal. Start by sprinkling in only a small amount, building up slowly until you've reached your desired consistency.

The Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix pairs excellently with turkey since both are poultry-based, and costs under $3 for a box with six servings. If you need more, a second box should suffice, and you'll still be paying barely more than $5. All you need to add is water and butter, which most people will already have at home. Although there are several stuffing options available, this specific one has a 4.6 rating with 1,531 reviews — and there's no reason to sacrifice taste when excellent budget options like this exist.

You can make this on the stove, according to the instructions, but there are a few ways to give boxed stuffing mix a flavor boost. If you have it on hand, using chicken broth instead of water is an easy way to make it more flavorsome with limited additional effort. Another great tip is to place your stuffing mix into a casserole dish once it's been prepared on the stove. Bake it until the top is slightly crispy and browned, for a firmer, slightly drier stuffing.

No Thanksgiving would be complete without a complementing bread, and Rhodes Yeast Dinner Rolls step in to fill that need. At Walmart, you can get a frozen bag of these rolls containing an astonishing 36 servings for less than $5. Best of all, these are practically guaranteed to be delicious, as evidenced by the 4.5 rating they received on the Walmart website with 885 reviews.

To make these rolls, you'll need to allow them to proof for about three to five hours, until the dough has doubled in size. Then, bake them in the oven at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes, and cool them on a wire rack. You can brush the tops with melted butter once done, if you'd like, or even take an extra step by sprinkling the tops with a bit of garlic salt and parsley. Any way you choose to do it, these will be the perfect pairing for the other dishes in your affordable Thanksgiving dinner.

The Great Value Cut Green Beans come highly recommended, with an average 4.5 rating from a whopping 5064 reviews. However, the best part is that each can cost less than a dollar. You could get several cans and still stay considerably under the $10 per item budget, saving quite a lot on the overall total of your meal.

The easiest option is to simply serve these green beans as-is, perhaps with a little butter, salt, and pepper to elevate their natural flavor profile. But if you already have the ingredients on hand (or are willing to splurge on the additional necessities), you could make these into an easy green bean casserole. For this, you'll need one can of cream of mushroom soup, soy sauce, black pepper, fried onions, and your green beans.

If you already have the soy sauce and black pepper at home, you can get a family-size can of cream of mushroom soup at Walmart for just over $2.50 and a small container of fried onions for about $3. Alongside two cans of Great Value Cut Green Beans, the cost of making a green bean casserole is still comfortably under $10.

The Great Value Homestyle Turkey Gravy is an excellent store-bought gravy that has a 4.5 rating from 861 customers on the Walmart website. You can get one 12-ounce jar for about $1.50, although it's a good idea to pick up two, to ensure you have enough for everyone. After all, gravy isn't only an excellent option for adding complementary flavors to your mashed potatoes, but also for cooking your budget-friendly main dish (we'll get to that).

Sometimes jarred gravy can fall a little flat when compared to the homemade turkey gravy many people make for Thanksgiving. Fortunately, you can easily doctor up this Great Value gravy to make it taste almost identical to homemade versions. Start by pouring the pre-made gravy into a pot on your stove, then add some basic seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. You could also include a pinch of red pepper flakes if you'd like the gravy to have a little heat to it. Once warmed up, stir in a few pats of cold butter to create a creamier, silkier texture and taste. Your guests will be hard-pressed to tell you're serving jarred gravy!

Creating an affordable Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to mean skipping out on the fancy drinks — after all, every aspect of your holiday meal should feel special. With a 4.6 average rating with 443 reviews, Welch's Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Red Grape Juice Cocktail is an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving table. Since one bottle only costs about $4, you can pick up two while staying under the $10 budget and still ensure there's plenty to go around.

Since this is a non-alcoholic drink option, it's perfect for everyone, including children, moms-to-be, and those who choose to refrain from alcohol. It's even a great, fun choice for anyone who's more health-conscious, as this Welch's juice cocktail contains no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. Break out the fancy glasses for this bubbly drink, to make the holiday feel extra special.

No Thanksgiving meal would be complete without dessert, and pumpkin pie is one of the most traditional options. The Freshness Guaranteed Pumpkin Pie ensures you can offer your guests something delicious without breaking the bank. At a little over $5 for a five-serving pie, this option has a 4.4 average rating with 306 reviews. You can even pair this with a second dessert option (highlighted below) to ensure there's something for everyone and ample sweet treats to go around.

Not only is this pumpkin pie an affordable dessert, but it's a quick one that saves a lot of time, too. There's no need to do any baking because this pie comes ready to serve. If you prefer, you can top each slice with a little whipped cream. Don't already have whipped cream at home? A bottle of Great Value Original Dairy Whipped Topping costs about $3 and can play double duty for both suggested pies on this list. 

Pumpkin pie may be the most traditional option, but let's face it, not everyone enjoys it. For this reason, most people keep a second dessert on standby for Thanksgiving. Some people prefer homemade pecan pie, but this Southern Pecan Pie by Marie Callender's is an excellent choice too, coming in at around $7 for eight servings, with the ringing endorsement of a 4.5 average rating online from 1,584 customers.

For an added touch, you can top each pecan pie slice with the whipped cream suggested for the pumpkin pie. And, like the other option, this one is ready to eat, so you don't have to stay in the kitchen baking. Simply thaw the pie and then serve it to your guests. A good time to pull the pie from the freezer is in the morning, right before you start preparing the other dishes. This allows it to thaw while you focus on other things.

While most families get a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, there's a much more affordable option that still allows you to embody the holiday's flavors. The Great Value Thin-Sliced Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast comes in a 16-ounce container, giving you a little more than four servings for just around $6. These slices are already fully cooked and entirely gluten-free, making them an excellent choice for a quick and affordable meal.

One of the best ways to serve these turkey breast slices is by heating them up in the gravy mentioned earlier. This will help pair the flavors of your meal together and create a more "traditional" Thanksgiving turkey taste. Once the meat's been heated up, the straightforward option is to remove the slices from the gravy and serve them on their own. Alternatively, though, you could leave them in the gravy and serve them over the mashed potatoes — this helps stretch the turkey further for those serving more than four people.