This Thanksgiving, consumers are leaning into scratch-made comfort foods, premium upgrades and playful twists – while brands respond with value-driven deals and nostalgic favorites.
Consumers are planning to cook and eat at home more this year compared to last year, according to recent data from Kroger’s 84.51 Precision Marketing’s consumer digest.
On Thanksgiving, 82% of shoppers plan to share a sit-down meal with others and 66% plan to cook and bake at home. Consumers’ menu will revolve around scratch-made dishes like main courses, savory sides and fresh sides, while snacks and appetizers, desserts and breakfast will be made with mixes. Pre-made items like dinner breads and candy are expected to be present as well, according to 84.51.
With Thanksgiving recipe searches up 32.9% year over year across Google, TikTok and Instagram, consumers are looking for staples and elevated ingredients to incorporate into their at-home menus, according to Spate search data from Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025 vs. Oct. 2023 to Sept. 2024.
Comfort, quality and nostalgia are driving holiday search behavior
Searches for holiday staples are surging, like green beans, brine, turkey brine, egg and Gournay cheese all jumped more than tenfold year over year, signaling prep for casseroles, turkey brining, baking and cheese boards. Searches for cheese climbed +235% YoY to 63.0K searches, chicken rose +178.9% to 29.7K (a 19.0K increase YoY), and pantry staples like potato (110.2K, +24.2K) and sweet potato (83.1K, +28.5K) continue to anchor meal planning, per Spate.
Searches for nostalgic and premium brands are also spiking. Velveeta tops the list with >1,000% YoY growth and 422.4K searches (+420.9K), followed by Boursin (255.8K; +249.8K) and Kerrygold (158.0K; +158.0K).
Pantry staples like Campbell’s (+634%; 223.6K) and Kraft (+418%; 183.3K) are trending, while sweet treats and baking essentials – Lotus Biscoff and King Arthur Baking – also jumped more than tenfold, per Spate.
International twists on traditional Thanksgiving dishes, like pumpkin tamales, butternut squash risotto, green-chile and jalapeno cornbread, key lime cranberry relish and oyster stuffing also are on the rise, according to Tastewise data.
Brands double down on affordability and accessibility for holiday hosts
Companies are tapping into consumers’ acute focus on value while delivering core staples that deliver classic comfort foods. Lidl announced earlier this month that its Thanksgiving offerings can feed 10 people for less than $36, which they claim is “nearly $10 cheaper than last year’s feast.”
The retailer offers its Thanksgiving staples like pie crusts, brown gravy mix, canned pumpkin, boxed macaroni and cheese and a whole turkey for $0.25 per pound for shoppers using the MyLidl app.
On a similar vein of offering accessible products to consumers, frozen food brand Amy’s Kitchen and Instacart partnered to “give every ‘Amy’ in America a night off from dinner duty” by offering a free Amy’s meal on Instacart using a promo code while supplies last through Nov. 26.
To promote the offer, Amy’s Kitchen launched a marketing campaign on social media featuring actress and comedian Amy Sedaris.
JELL-O launched its “No Thanks” Thanksgiving molds in shapes resembling brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and pecan pie to reimagine “playful, jiggly creations that are as fun to look at as they are to eat.”
According to the brand’s social listening research, nearly one-third of consumers consider Brussels sprouts their least favorite Thanksgiving side, more than a quarter avoid cranberry sauce and one in five skip pecan pie.
“Over 60% say they are more likely to try dishes that look fun and believe a holiday should feel playful, not stiff,” and adding JELL-O brings color and nostalgia back to the Thanksgiving table, according to the company.
In an effort to “bring the holidays earlier than ever,” Blue Diamond launched its Almonds and More mixed nut blend with a pop-up event on Halloween in Pasadena, Calif, according to Maya Erwin, VP of marketing and innovation for Blue Diamond.
The brand is marketing Almonds and More as an accompaniment for consumers throughout the holiday season. Almonds and More is packaged in a festive container and features a blend of almond, cashew and pistachio in three seasonings: Smokehouse, Roasted Sea Salt and Honey Roasted.
