Thanksgiving Made Easy: 10 Spots for Carryout Thanksgiving Meals in Indianapolis
I don't know about you but sometimes the very idea of hosting, cooking, baking, and prepping a traditional Thanksgiving meal whether for my family of four - or our extended fam of 20 or more! - is insanely overwhelming. I'll take any help I can get from dolling out pitch-in ideas to inviting people to come early and roll up their sleeves. But literally nothing beats grabbing carryout from a favorite restaurant (don't sleep on Pots & Pans Pie Co!) for Turkey Day.
Let's make your Thanksgiving Day plans easier - I'm spilling a list of 10 of my favorite spots for carrying out a holiday meal in Indy!
Here are 10 Spots for Carryout Thanksgiving Meals in Indianapolis:
1. The His Place Eatery Thanksgiving Dinner for 10
We ordered from His Place Eatery a couple years ago and I'm telling you, it's in our number one spot for a reason. So. Delicious. Everything is packaged up perfectly for easy transport home, and includes one meat, two sides, cornbread, and gravy. As a bonus, you can also select from a number of premium sides like bourbon cream corn and candied sweet potatoes, or peach cobbler. Pricing: $145, feeds 6-10. Orders due by 11/18.
2. How about take and bake options from Sahm's Catering?
A Circle City staple, the Sahm's menu boasts tons of traditional Thanksgiving dinner options like cornbread dressing, smoked turkey, and maple sweet potato casserole. But the coup de grace is definitely the Sahm's coffee cake for Thanksgiving morning (spoiler: We always pick one up for Christmas morning too.) Pricing: $159, serves 6-8. Orders due by 11/23.
3. Try the Pots & Pans Pie Co: Traditional Thanksgiving meal pot pie
I'm a sucker for all things Pots & Pans Pie Co. at 49th and College, and they have a huge lineup of sweet pies this season. If you're planning to serve a smaller group of 2-4, why not pickup their Thanksgiving dinner pot pie as a takeout option? It's offered in a 6" or 9" version, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cornbread stuffing inside. Pricing: $15.50 - $41.50.
4. How about creating your own ham feast from Harry & David: A Customizable Holiday Dinner
If you want that homemade feel, Harry & David’s Create Your Own Ham Feast is a total win. You start with their signature spiral-sliced ham - tender, smoky, and perfectly glazed - then mix and match your favorite sides to build your ideal holiday spread. Choose from comforting classics like garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or sweet corn souffle, and top it all off with one of their famous desserts (the pumpkin cheesecake is a standout!). Pricing: $249.99, serves 6-8.
5. Order the Seasons 52 Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Takeout
Honestly, I had no idea Seasons 52 offered this until it popped up in my feed. Their Thanksgiving Green Box includes a comprehensive traditional Thanksgiving dinner with roasted turkey, gravy, brioche stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, a fresh green salad, and six of what they call their "Pumpkin Pie Indulgence." Yum. Pricing: $230, serves 6-8.
YOU’VE GOT THE CRANBERRY SAUCE, PUMPKIN PIE, AND THE SWEET POTATOES PLANNED.
More Spots for Carryout Thanksgiving Meals in Indianapolis...
6. Pickup from Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel’s Thanksgiving Heat n’ Serve Feast is a hearty spread that and goes from oven to table in just two hours - perfect for a cozy, low-stress celebration. The feast features two oven-roasted turkey breasts, cornbread dressing, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, and all the crave-worthy sides: sweet potato casserole topped with pecans, mashed potatoes, green beans, and warm yeast rolls. And yes, there’s dessert - both pumpkin and pecan pie are included, because why choose just one? Serves 4-6 or 8-10. Pricing: varies. 24 hour notice before pickup required.
7. Go for Goose The Market
Always a favorite for delicious food when I'm downtown, Goose The Market has an incredible selection of holiday menus from a slow-roasted turkey to smoked, charcuterie boards and starters, and all the essentials you could ask for like a caramel pumpkin pie. Pricing: Varies, and serving size varies.
8. Bet on Bob Evans
The smells on set during our regular weekly segment with Fox 59's Indy Now the other day were incredible - come to find out it was Bob Evans setting up a sampling of their Thanksgiving dinner. Choose fr Bet on om a variety of Farmhouse Feasts (packed cold) or hot Holiday Celebration Platters. Pricing: Varies, serves 4-10. Delivery is available!
9. Get your sides from Grandma's Kitchen
Owned by local Indianapolis caterer Robyn Lukens, Grandma's Kitchen is offering a robust menu of side dishes this holiday season. Choose from mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and gorgonzola or sweet potato casserole with pecan topping - all of these will look great on your table. Pricing: varies per item, serves 4-8.
10. Or go for this meal-and-centerpiece combo from 9th Street Bistro and The Westfield Flower Box
We’re loving this fun Thanksgiving collab from 9th Street Bistro and The Westfield Flower Box. This year, you can grab your heat-at-home holiday meal and a gorgeous floral centerpiece in one easy drive-through pickup, a total holiday win. I’m eyeing the centerpiece add-on (because who doesn’t want their table to look instantly pulled together?), but the convenience of pairing it with dinner pickup might be my favorite part. Pricing: varies per item, serves 2-4 or 8-12.
LIFE HACK ALERT: CUT THE WORK IN HALF AND ORDER A THANKSGIVING DINNER BOX
Where to find free Thanksgiving meals in Indianapolis
We've also gathered a list of locations in Indianapolis that have provided free turkeys or full Thanksgiving meals to those in need in past years. This is by no means an exclusive list, and we lovingly refer you to the comprehensive guide the Indianapolis Recorder maintains here:
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Indianapolis (Haughville neighborhood)
New Direction Church, Indianapolis
North United Methodist Church, Indianapolis
Roberts Park United Methodist Church (via the Mozel Sanders Foundation), downtown Indianapolis
Sheridan Community Center, Sheridan
St. Louis De Monfort, off Hague Road, Fishers
Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis
Watkins Park Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway, Indianapolis
Wheeler Mission, Indianapolis
