The cheapest turkey for this Thanksgiving that I have found has been at Meijer - the store that every Michigander knows about and loves. Learn about all the turkeys you can find at Meijer.
UPDATE - This guide has been updated for the 2023 Thanksgiving season.
Check out ALL of our turkey price guides for your favorite stores
My search for the cheapest turkey is over!
Meijer you win.
At 59 cents a pound for their frozen birds, no one else has it any cheaper.
That so cheap that you know they aren't making a single cent off those turkeys. In fact I would like to know much money it's costing them.
But hey it works. Year after year people will go to get the best deal on the turkey and do all their other shopping there.
I could just end this post right there. We already know what's cheapest right. Does anything else matter?
I think it does and you might too.
So let's look through all the turkeys Meijer has to offer.
Jump to:
- 💲 The Cost of a Turkey at Meijer
- 📝 What Ingredients are in a Meijer Turkey?
- ❔ How is the True Goodness Turkey Different?
- ⚖️ Honeysuckle White vs. Butterball
- ❓ When Can You Get Fresh Turkeys at Meijer?
- 💵 How Much is a Turkey Breast at Meijer?
- 🚜 Does Meijer Carry Organic Turkey?
- 🍗 Does Meijer Sell Smoked Turkeys?
- 🦃 More About Turkey You'll Want to Read
💲 The Cost of a Turkey at Meijer
Let me price out for you all the turkeys. These prices were recorded on Thursday, November 16, 2023.
| Meijer Frozen Whole Turkey | $.59/lb (limit 1) |
| Meijer Fresh Whole Turkey | $1.19/lb (limit 1) |
| Honeysuckle White Frozen Whole Turkey | $1.09/lb (limit 1) |
| Butterball Whole Frozen Turkey | $1.29/lb (limit 1) |
| Butterball Whole Fresh Turkey | $1.99/lb (limit 1) |
| True Goodness Frozen Whole Turkey | $2.19/lb |
| Plainville Organic Whole Turkey | $3.99/lb |
| Honeysuckle White Frozen Turkey Breast Bone-In | $2.49/lb (limit 1) |
| Plainville Bone-In Fresh Turkey Breast | $3.49/lb |
| Butterball Smoked Whole Turkey | $2.99/lb |
| Smoked Turkey Drumsticks | $3.49/lb |
| Smoked Turkey Wings | $3.49/lb |
| Smoked Turkey Tails | $3.99/lb |
| Butterball Boneless Roast | $15.49 for 3 lbs |
| Jennie-O Oven Ready Boneless Frozen Turkey Breast | $5.49/lb |
Obvious you should buy the Meijer frozen turkey right?
If the cheapest turkey is what you need, want or all you can do then go with it. But if you want to factor in others things read on.
📝 What Ingredients are in a Meijer Turkey?
You must keep in mind that most turkeys that are on the market contain added ingredients. The Meijer turkey for examples contains up to 9.5% solution of turkey broth, salt, sodium phosphate, sugar, and flavoring.
This is done to add flavor to the turkey but more so to help it last longer frozen. I prefer this wasn't the case as I would rather season my turkey myself completely and not have these added ingredients. I still do a dry brine with a Meijer turkey, because whatever they add is definitely not enough to flavor the bird.
Those the are looking to avoid sugar will have to look for another option.
When you are on a really tight budge 59 cents a pound for meat can't be beat.
❔ How is the True Goodness Turkey Different?
Meijer is also selling a turkey under their True Goodness label. What's the difference? The ingredients added are the same. So it's not that. These turkeys are not organic, so it's not that.
The only difference I can see is that they promise that these turkeys are antibiotic free which means they were never given antibiotics when living. This is often done in over crowded buildings where disease could easily run rampant.
The traces of the antibiotics could end up in you when you eat the turkey that was treated with them.
⚖️ Honeysuckle White vs. Butterball
I know Butterball has quite the following. They have established themselves as THE" name brand of turkeys. Are they worth the extra money over the Meijer turkey. Or what about a Honeysuckle White turkey?
My thoughts are I have not seen a difference significant enough to pay more money for those brands than the Meijer brand.
However, the Butterball turkey does not contain added sugar. It's a better option for those that cannot have sugar.
❓ When Can You Get Fresh Turkeys at Meijer?
Fresh turkeys are normally available about 10-14 days before Thanksgiving. This year they are going for $1.19 per pound.
The reason fresh turkeys are more expensive than frozen is that it takes more care in transport than turkeys that are frozen hard as a rock.
If you have no time or space to thaw a turkey, then choosing a fresh turkey is the way to go. The Meijer fresh turkey also has NO added ingredients, so no added sugar, salt, broth or any of that.
The fresh turkey does have up to 6% retained water. This is because in order to chill the turkey fast for packaging they get dunked into really cold water. Naturally some of that water will be retained in the meat.
To learn more about this concept, check out my post What is Air Chilled Chicken?
💵 How Much is a Turkey Breast at Meijer?
If you wish to consider frozen turkey breast, they are going for $2.49/lb for the cheapest option. This is quite a bit more expensive the whole turkey, so you are not getting as good a value. This is the option you do when you need to have a smaller amount of turkey. Or just don't have the space to manage a whole turkey.
One Thanksgiving we were traveling in our camper and had to go with a turkey breast as there was no way I was going to fit a full size bird in my small RV fridge!
Try my Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe or my Dry Brined Air Fryer Turkey Breast recipe.
🚜 Does Meijer Carry Organic Turkey?
On the highest end on the price scale for whole turkeys is the organic turkey.
If price were no object this is the turkey I would choose each and every year. Organic Prairie is a co-op of farmers. The advantages of buying these turkey are you are supporting smaller farmers as well as getting a turkey that was raised in a healthier environment.
And yes, you can taste the difference.
I believe out of all the turkeys at Meijer this one is the highest quality and best tasting.
What makes an turkey organic, check out our post on What is Organic Turkey?
🍗 Does Meijer Sell Smoked Turkeys?
You have a few different smoked turkey options, starting with a whole Butterball smoked turkey for $2.99/lb. This is $2 a pound cheaper than the smoked turkey that you find at Costco to give you a comparison. Although I haven't tasted them side by side to tell you which is better.
If you just want smoked turkey parts you can choose from drumsticks, wings, and tails.
Check out my post on How to Reheat a Smoked Turkey. Works for whole turkeys, drumstick, or thighs.
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