Attention Kroger shoppers - turkeys are now in stock!. This is your guide to everything you need to about picking up a turkey at your local Kroger store. We got frozen turkeys, fresh turkeys, turkey breasts, turkey drumsticks, turkey thighs - we got it all for you in this guide.
We are updating the prices now for 2023. We have the frozen turkeys done and are waiting to hear about more about fresh turkeys.
Check out ALL of our turkey price guides for your favorite stores
It's Thanksgiving time again. Turkey time!
Even though turkeys are available year round, most of us only seem to buy them for Thanksgiving, maybe Christmas.
It's a shame because turkey is so good. I prefer it everyday over chicken.
If you are Kroger shopper and you probably are if you are reading this post, we are here to help you select your bird. This guide will tell you all you need to know about the turkeys available at Kroger and all the stores they own (such as Ralps, Smith's, Fry's, Harris Teeter, etc).
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💲 Frozen Turkey Prices
First let's look the prices of the frozen turkeys, then we will move on to fresh.
Here are the prices of frozen turkeys at Kroger. Prices do vary between stores. These prices were taken from the Kroger owned Smith's store in Springville, Utah on November 12, 2023.
| Kroger Brand Whole Turkey | $.79/lb |
| Butterball Whole Turkey | $1.69/lb |
| Simple Truth Natural Whole Turkey | $2.59/lb |
| Simple Truth Organic Free Range Turkey | $3.79/lb |
| Honeysuckle White Turkey Breast | $2.49/lb |
By far, the cheapest price of a turkey at Kroger is the Kroger band frozen whole turkeys. You see below that the price differs depending on where you are at. I have see between .49/lb up to .99/lb. Kroger posted a sign doing all the math for us.
🎧 Wondering how Kroger turkey prices measure up to other stores? Listen to our podcast episode on - What to Expect to Pay for a Turkey.
A few "rules" go along with the turkeys
- You have to add the digital coupon in order to get the deal. Otherwise you won't!
- You can use the deal once in most stores. A very limited number of stores will allow for 2 turkeys at the deal price.
- You must spend at least $25 in additional purchases in nearly all stores.
Not all those weights are going to be available. You don't often see turkeys that are 10 pounds in the grocery store. I looked through the selection of Kroger turkeys and found that the smaller end turkeys average around 13-16 pounds and the larger sizes were in upwards of 20-22 pounds.
❓ Are Prices Different at Different Stores?
The answer is yes. The prices you see here are from a Kroger store in Springville, UT
Here is a list of prices for the Kroger brand turkey at other stores across the country. There is a lot of variation.
| Sevierville, TN | $.49/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 2 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $.49/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 1 |
| Dallas, TX | $.79/lb, limit 1 |
| Louisville, KY | $.49/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 1 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $.59/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 1 |
| Little Rock, AR | $.99/lb with card, limit 1 |
| Atlanta, GA | $.59/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 2 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $.49/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 1 |
| Charleston, WV | $.49/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 1 |
| Bloomington IL | $.59/lb, $.99 w/o coupon, limit 2 |
| Anaheim, CA (Ralphs) | $.79/lb, limit 1 |
| Tucson, AZ (Fry's) | $.99/lb, limit 1 (for a frozen Butterball turkey) |
| Asheville, NC (Harris Teeter) | $.29/lb (Harris Teeter branded) with $40 additional |
| Madison, WI (Pick n'Save) | $.69/lb, limit 1 (Kroger or Jennie-O) |
| Denver, CO (King Soopers) | $.87/lb, limit 1 |
| Omaha, NE (Baker's) | $.97/lb, limit 1 |
| Portland, OR (Fred Meyer) | Free if you spend $150, $.69/lb if you spend $50, limit 1 |
| Seattle, WA (QFC) | $.89/lb, limit 1 with digital coupon (Jennie-O) |
| Chicago, IL (Mariano's) | $.59/lb, limit 1 (Kroger or Jennie-O) |
| Springville, UT (Smith's) | $.79/lb, limit 1 |
Most stores are either at .49/lb or .59/lb with a few being more. In Portland at the Kroger owned Fred Meyer store you can get a free turkey as long as you spend $150. If you spend $50 it's $.69/lb.
Read our tips on How to Quickly Thaw a Turkey
🦃 Fresh Turkey Prices
If you aren't a fan of thawing, then you might be in the market for a fresh turkey. Or you simply don't have enough time left.
Here are the prices of fresh turkeys at Kroger.
| Honeysuckle White Whole Turkey | $1.99/lb |
| Butterball Whole Turkey | $2.49/lb |
| Jennie-O Whole Turkey | $2.29/lb |
| Honeysuckle White Turkey Wings | $2.49/lb |
Read our post on How Far in Advance to Buy a Fresh Turkey
If you don't want to buy a while turkey or are looking for additional turkey drumsticks, wings, and tights are available at some stores. Great for those families than can't get enough of the dark meat.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Let's get into some of the most frequently asked turkey questions to further help you select your turkey.
Can You Order a Turkey for Kroger Pickup?
Yes you can! Kroger Pickup is a way to have your groceries shopped for you and delivered right to your car. According to Pickup for my store ($.79/lb) you can get a 10-14 pound Kroger turkey for about $9.48, limit 1 per order. This will be cheaper at stores with a lower per pound price.
How Much Does a Butterball Turkey Cost at Kroger?
Butterball is probably the most recognized brands of turkey in the United States. Nearly all grocery stores carry their turkeys. Kroger was nice enough to put up a sign breaking down the price of a frozen Butterball turkey. Here is the one in the Utah store I was in.
What is the Largest Turkey You Can Buy?
The largest turkeys I saw were around 22 pounds in the Kroger and Butterball brands. I am not a fan of large turkeys as they are hard to deal with and take longer to cook - thus easy to dry out. I always recommend either doing 2 small turkeys or a 14-15 pound turkey along with a whole bone-in turkey breast (see our Instant Pot recipe)
Can You Get an Amish Turkey?
Maybe. I have seen them in stores in the east or southern United States but not out west. Last time I saw them for $1.99/pound. Amish turkeys known to be raised in better conditions than many of the other turkeys. They do not use antibiotics and may or may not be free range.
Can You Get Organic Turkeys?
A Simple Truth Organic turkey was $3.79/lb. Comparing that to Costco it's 30 cents a pound more. Click/tap here to learn more about organic turkeys,
❔ Do They Sell Turkeys That Haven't Been Soaked in a Solution?
If you look at the package of most turkeys you will see that it includes some percentage of a solution that may contain turkey broth, water, sugar, vinegar, "natural flavoring", sodium phosphate etc. Yikes! The percentages tend to be higher in the frozen turkey than the fresh
Even if the turkey is labeled "all natural" that doesn't mean anything. They still could contain these added ingredients.
There was only one turkey in the store that I could find that didn't contain any added ingredients besides retained water (more on that in a moment). The turkey was the Simple Truth turkey. Not organic in this case but still the most "natural" turkey I could find.
If money is not a concern, I would pick the Simple Truth turkey as my Thanksgiving turkey.
💧 What Does Contains Retained Water Mean?
Whether it's turkey or chicken whenever you see the words "retained water" on the package, that means that the turkey has soaked up some water from the cooling process. When processing poultry one is done to chill it as soon as possible is to dunk it in really cold water.
Naturally some of the water will be absorbed into the turkey. Whenever you see the word "air chilled" on chicken that means that instead of dunking in water it was chilled by fans. this is slower and more expensive but results in a a better flavored bird.
I have not seen any air chilled turkeys before.
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🦃 More About Turkey You'll Want to Read
Are you finding different turkeys in your store or different prices? Let us know what your store has by leaving a comment below. Thanks! Also feel free to ask any question you have.
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