Cooking an entire Thanksgiving turkey is a big undertaking. If you’re looking to simplify your holiday meal prep, consider buying a pre-cooked turkey instead. Many grocery stores, restaurants, and online retailers offer convenient fully cooked turkey options – some even provide complete holiday feasts! Read on for the best places to purchase a hassle-free pre-made turkey.
Grocery Store Deli Counters
Check the deli counter at your local supermarket or wholesale club. Many grocers sell whole roasted turkeys and heat-and-serve turkey breasts during the holidays. For example, Costco, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Albertsons, and Safeway all carry ready-to-eat turkeys in November. Lead times and availability vary by location, so call ahead to order. Typically these pre-cooked turkeys cost $2.99-$5.99 per pound.
Opting for a turkey from the grocery store deli allows you to also conveniently grab side dishes, desserts, and anything else you need to round out your Thanksgiving meal.
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel’s Heat & Serve Roast Turkey Breast Feast feeds up to 5 people for $54.99. The complete meal includes two carved turkey breasts, cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, choice of three country sides, sweet yeast rolls, and pumpkin and pecan pies. Simply heat, serve, and enjoy – it couldn’t be easier!
Cracker Barrel also offers fried turkey options for the holidays Visit crackerbarrel.com to order online or call your nearest location
Boston Market
Boston Market sells entire oven-roasted holiday turkeys for $5499 as well as individual turkey breast meals starting at $1299. Sides like mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, and more are also available. Order online for pickup or delivery.
With over 450 locations across the country, there’s likely a Boston Market near you to supply a convenient pre-cooked turkey.
Honeybaked Ham
Despite the name, Honeybaked Ham sells delicious fully-cooked whole turkeys too. Prices range from $56-$150 depending on size. Choose roasted, smoked, or Cajun turkey.
Honeybaked turkeys arrive frozen, so be sure to allow enough thawing time before Thanksgiving day. Order online for pickup or nationwide shipping.
Harry & David
For premium gourmet turkey, Harry & David offers a 10-14lb pre-cooked, oven-roasted Diestel turkey for $139.99. It serves 8-10 people. Harry & David also provides complete Turkey Dinner Feasts with sides starting at $199.99 for 4-6 people.
Omaha Steaks
Alongside their signature steaks, Omaha Steaks sells fully cooked turkeys infused with brown sugar and honey. Options include whole turkeys ($99.99), turkey breasts ($59.99), and boneless breasts ($49.99).
Order online for delivery in an insulated cooler to your doorstep.
D’Artagnan
For organic and free-range turkeys, check out D’Artagnan. They offer cooked organic turkeys ($149.99), turkey breasts ($89.99), and the Feast of the Seven Fishes for Thanksgiving ($179.99).
D’Artagnan ships nationwide, but order by the specified deadline to receive your turkey in time for Thanksgiving.
Williams Sonoma
Purchase premium turkey from family-owned Willie Bird Ranch via Williams Sonoma. These pre-brined roasted whole turkeys ($149.95) arrive chilled. Available in 3 sizes from 7-16lbs.
Restaurant Take-Out
For maximum convenience, pickup a cooked turkey dinner to-go from a local restaurant! Call ahead to reserve your holiday meal. Boston Market, Cracker Barrel, and Bob Evans are all popular options. Your local family-owned restaurant may also offer Thanksgiving take-out.
Local Farms & Butcher Shops
Don’t overlook local food providers like family farms and butcher shops. They may cook turkeys to order for Thanksgiving. Check your farmer’s market or search “thanksgiving turkeys to go near me”. Supporting local is always in season!
The Benefits of Buying Pre-Cooked
Purchasing an already cooked turkey makes Thanksgiving easy. Here are some of the benefits:
- Saves oven space for side dishes
- Provides peace of mind – no worrying about undercooking
- Lets you skip the messy job of home turkey prep
- Allows more time to focus on desserts and decor
- Provides portion control with individual turkey breasts
- Offers convenience with restaurant take-out or delivery
This Thanksgiving, give yourself the gift of a pre-cooked turkey and relax knowing your centerpiece is handled. Focus your time and energy on the fun parts of the holiday!
Best Overall
- Farm-raised heritage birds
- Wild and organic available
- Smoked breasts available
What We Dont Like
DArtagnan has earned a reputation as one of the best places to buy mail-order turkeys and other gourmet meats, and after our Associate Editorial Director, Mary Kate Hoban, prepared one of the Green Circle birds for her familys Thanksgiving dinner, we knew the brand was deserving of our best overall spot.
“I sampled a Green Circle turkey from DArtagnan for my familys Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone agreed it was one of the best turkeys weve ever had. Plus, ordering it ahead of time and receiving it frozen in enough time to thaw in the refrigerator before the big day was so convenient,” Hoban says. Additional at-home testing resulted in a fresh, flavorful turkey with a good mix of light and dark meat that was easy to carve.
DArtagnans turkeys are all farm-raised. In fact, each farmer DArtagnan works with signs an agreement saying they will never use antibiotics or added hormones. The Green Circle label means the turkeys are certified by Humane Farm Animal Care. These turkeys are fed a diet of vegetables (surplus from markets) and whole grains. The turkey that was sent as a sample arrived on the specified day, packaged frozen in a box with insulated foam. The flavor of the cooked bird impressed everyone, and the whole process was incredibly easy. The Green Circle turkeys are currently sold out, however.
“You really cant go wrong when you order from DArtagnan,” says Julia Warren, VP of Commerce. “Any of the meats you can choose from are high quality and the shipping process is pretty seamless. Ive ordered a few things and have yet to be disappointed.”
Size: 4-12 pounds | Serves: 4-12 people | Shipping: FedEx Overnight and FedEx Priority Overnight shipping available.
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How We Taste Tested Mail-Order Turkeys
We have facilitated two mail-order turkey taste tests in order to find the best options to include on this list. For both tests, we ordered several turkeys from different retailers to the homes of our experienced product testers and editors so that they could prepare them for their own Thanksgiving or other holiday dinners and provide feedback. During this years test, turkeys arrived at the testers homes in late June.
Butterball Fully Cooked Smoked Turkey Breast Review
FAQ
Can you get a turkey already cooked?
Does Costco sell cooked turkeys for Thanksgiving?
Does Trader Joe’s have cooked turkeys?
Can you buy a cooked turkey from Popeyes?
Where can I buy a full cooked turkey?
California-based Willie Bird ranch offers fully cooked turkeys, shipped chilled through Williams Sonoma. Choose from 3 sizes (7-10 pounds up to 13-16 pounds, depending on how many people you’re serving). From mail-order options to local stores like Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Publix and Popeyes, we found the best turkeys for 2023.
Where can I buy pre-ordered turkeys?
Order in person in store while supplies last and pick up pre-ordered turkeys in store at the scheduled date/time set at time of order. Supermarkets are actually great sources for pre-seasoned, pre-cooked, chilled and sometimes even hot Thanksgiving turkeys and Thanksgiving meal packages.
Can you buy a pre cooked turkey?
You can order a pre-seasoned, or even a pre-cooked, bird and dig right in. We combed the web to find you the best turkeys of all kinds, from grocery-store go-tos to pasture-raised birds to the famous turducken that the football commentators feast on during the Thanksgiving gridiron action.
Where can I buy pre cooked Thanksgiving turkey?
Supermarkets are actually great sources for pre-seasoned, pre-cooked, chilled and sometimes even hot Thanksgiving turkeys and Thanksgiving meal packages. I’ve personally used a few local, small markets like Pat’s Marketplace on Long Island.