Thanksgiving dinner 2025: How much you can save using store-brand items

Though the price of food remains stubbornly high, Wells Fargo’s annual Thanksgiving report suggests consumers can stretch their dollars to keep holiday meal costs down this year.

The report, led by chief agricultural economist Michael Swanson, estimates shoppers can save money by buying private-label items as opposed to brand-name. 

What they're saying:

"Some of the simplest actions can pay real dividends when it comes to the fight against inflation," Matt Schulz, LendingTree's chief consumer finance analyst, told FOX Business. "Simply taking the time to compare costs among different retailers or even among different brands sold by the same retailer can really make a difference in extending your family’s holiday budget."

Here’s a breakdown of Wells Fargo’s annual Thanksgiving report: 

Turkey

Despite the overall cost of turkey having gone up 0.6%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics comparing September 2024 and September 2025 prices, the retail price for national brands are down 3.7% compared to last year.

Vegetables

National brand-name frozen vegetables are down 15% compared to a year ago, but private-label frozen vegetables prices increased 0.8%. 

This is an indication that national brands have been pressured into offering more value to get their share of the sales, Wells Fargo said. 

The price of fresh vegetables was similar or slightly higher than their frozen counterparts. 

Sides

Prices for private brand dinner rolls declined by 22% from a year ago and stuffing, prepared gravy mix and fresh cranberry prices dropped between 3% and 4%. 

National brand pumpkin pies also dropped 3%. 

Consumers should opt for private label options when buying these items if they’re trying to stay on a budget, Wells Fargo suggested. 

Mashed potatoes

Prepared mashed potatoes saw a price drop of 1.5% from last year due to a better potato crop and competition. 

Beverages 

Wells Fargo reported that the beer sector is up 3% from a year ago, even as the category has faced some slowdowns in consumption over time. However, the wine category as a whole is down 0.1% from last year. 

For soft drinks, prices for a 12-ounce can fell 3% from last year, but prices for 2-liter bottles are up 7% over the same period. 

2024 v. 2025

A Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people that consists of an all private-label (store-brand) menu comes in at $80, while an all national name-brand menu totals $95. 

The other side:

Last year, Wells Fargo’s report calculated that a meal using only national name-brand items would cost $90 for 10 people and a meal made from store-brand ingredients  would cost about $73.