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Calories · Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner calories, scoop by scoop.

Thanksgiving is the one dinner nobody eats as a single dish. It is a plate built from six bowls, a second plate an hour later, and pie. Here is roughly what each scoop adds, whether you are at home, at a friend’s table or eating Thanksgiving out on November 26.

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In short

A full Thanksgiving plate — turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and a roll — is about 1,100 calories, and about 1,500 with a slice of pumpkin pie. Stuffing, gravy and pie move the number most; turkey breast itself is one of the lighter things on the table.

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The plate

One Thanksgiving plate, piece by piece.

Our plate is one full plate: 5 oz roast turkey with skin, ¾ cup stuffing, 1 cup mashed potatoes with gravy, ½ cup green bean casserole, ¼ cup cranberry sauce and a dinner roll. Built from USDA values, it comes to about 1,100; a lighter plate with 3 oz of turkey, half scoops and no roll is closer to 600.

Seconds are the real variable. Most people go back for the sides, not the turkey — which is the expensive way to go back, calorie-wise.

Side by side

Thanksgiving sides and desserts, roughly.

Each dish links to its own page, with the usual range, what pushes it up and the sources behind it.

Rough calories for Thanksgiving dishes, with the serving each number is for
DishRough numberServing behind the number
The full plate~1,100one full plate: 5 oz roast turkey with skin, ¾ cup stuffing, 1 cup mashed potatoes with gravy, ½ cup green bean casserole, ¼ cup cranberry sauce and a dinner roll
Mashed potatoes and gravy~300one cup of restaurant mashed potatoes with gravy
Stuffing~350one cup of bread stuffing, a generous holiday scoop
Green bean casserole~130one cup of green bean casserole
Pumpkin pie~370one regular slice, ⅛ of a 9-inch pie, without whipped cream
Pecan pie~670one regular slice, ⅛ of a 9-inch pie
Eggnog~230one cup (8 fl oz) of eggnog, without alcohol

What moves it

Butter, gravy and the second slice.

  • Stuffing. Bread baked in butter and stock: a cup of stuffing (about 350) is more than most people guess.
  • Mash and gravy. A cup of mashed potatoes with gravy (about 300); restaurant mash made with cream and butter runs higher before any gravy.
  • Which pie. A slice of pumpkin pie (about 370) versus pecan pie (about 670) — pecan’s corn syrup and nuts nearly double it.
  • The light one. A cup of green bean casserole (about 130) is one of the smallest numbers on the table, fried onions and all.
  • The glass. A cup of eggnog (about 230) before anyone adds rum; wine and beer are on the drinks page.

Eating it out

Thanksgiving at a restaurant.

Restaurant Thanksgiving plates are portioned, which makes them easier to read than a buffet at home: one slab of turkey, a scoop of each side, a slice of pie. Prix-fixe menus often add a soup or salad course and a bread basket, so count the courses, not just the plate.

Planning to book? Our guide to Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant covers reservations, set menus and ordering for a group.

In PlateDiary

Keep the table, not just the number.

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. With them on, snap the table and each dish and drink becomes its own save; a PlateDiary AI read gives each one a rough “~” number you can accept or change, or you can type your own number on any save without AI. Restaurant portions vary, so treat every number here as rough, and ask a doctor for medical guidance.

In PlateDiary

A rough number for the dishes you save — only if you want one.

Off unless you turn them on

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and, when PlateDiary AI reads your photo of the table, each dish gets one rough “~” number. Accept it or change it; a number you correct is remembered for that dish. With Calories off, the app looks exactly as it did before.

A read sends small pictures of the cut-out dishes, with the place's name as a hint — never the table photo, faces or your location. Calorie numbers never go to analytics, and nothing is written to a health app. PlateDiary AI starts with free tries; here is how it works.

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Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Turkey, light and dark meat, roasted, skin eaten, FDC 2706114
  2. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Potato, mashed, from restaurant, with gravy (1 cup 250 g), FDC 2709501
  3. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Bread stuffing (1 cup 200 g), FDC 2707687
  4. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Green bean casserole (1 cup 230 g), FDC 2710040
  5. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Pie, pumpkin (regular slice 150 g; 8–9 inch pie 1,200 g), FDC 2708011
  6. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Pie, pecan (regular slice 150 g), FDC 2708015
  7. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Eggnog (1 cup 256 g), FDC 2705502

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in a Thanksgiving dinner?

A typical full plate is about 1,100 calories, or about 1,500 with a slice of pumpkin pie. Seconds and drinks are what push a whole day well past that.

What is the highest-calorie Thanksgiving side?

Usually stuffing (about 350 a cup) or mashed potatoes with gravy (about 300 a cup). Pie is the biggest single serving at the end.

Is pumpkin pie lighter than pecan pie?

Yes — a regular slice of pumpkin pie is about 370 calories, pecan pie about 670.