Holiday Dinner Planner
iPhone app

Free dinner timeline planner

Get every dish on the table at the same time.

Tell it when you're eating and what's on the menu. It works backward to one kitchen timeline — preheating, oven temperature changes, burners, resting and prep — for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any big dinner.

Plan your dinnerThanksgiving timeline

No sign-up. Works for one oven or two, °F or °C. Print it or keep it on your phone.

123694:00PM · dinner
  1. Turkey11:45 AM–2:55 PM
  2. Stuffing3:00 PM–3:40 PM
  3. Sweet Potatoes3:00 PM–3:40 PM
  4. Green Bean Casserole3:10 PM–3:40 PM
  5. Mashed Potatoes3:30 PM–4:00 PM
  6. Gravy3:40 PM–4:00 PM
  7. Cranberry Sauce3:45 PM–4:00 PM
  8. Dinner Rolls3:45 PM–4:00 PM

A real plan: Thanksgiving for eight dishes in one oven, dinner at 4:00. Each ring is a dish; the brass hand is dinner.

Plan your dinner

Start from a menu, change anything, add what guests are bringing. The timeline updates as you go.

When are you eating?

Your kitchen

Ovens
Temperatures in
4

What's on the menu?

8 dishes

Tap to add or remove

Your timeline

Dinner at 4:00 PM

Thursday, November 26, 2026 · 8 dishes · 1 oven, 4 burners

  • First step11:25 AM
  • Cooking day4 hr 35 min
  • Oven changes2
  • StatusEverything fits

Your oven and stovetop

Dinner timelineThursday, November 26, 2026 · Dinner at 4:00 PM
  1. 11:25 AM−4:35Prep Turkey20 min hands-on
  2. 11:30 AM−4:30Preheat oven to 325°FAllow about 15 min
  3. 11:45 AM−4:15Turkey into the oven3 hr 10 min · at 325°F
  4. 2:15 PM−1:45Prep Stuffing20 min hands-on
  5. 2:35 PM−1:25Prep Sweet Potatoes20 min hands-on
  6. 2:55 PM−1:05Turkey out of the ovenRest 30 min, loosely covered
  7. 2:55 PM−1:05Raise oven to 350°FFrom 325°F · allow 5 min
  8. 2:55 PM−1:05Prep Green Bean Casserole15 min hands-on
  9. 3:00 PM−1:00Sweet Potatoes into the oven40 min · at 350°F
  10. 3:00 PM−1:00Stuffing into the oven40 min · at 350°F
  11. 3:10 PM−0:50Prep Mashed Potatoes20 min hands-on
  12. 3:10 PM−0:50Green Bean Casserole into the oven30 min · at 350°F
  13. 3:25 PM−0:35Turkey rested — ready to carveKeep covered until dinner
  14. 3:30 PM−0:30Prep Gravy5 min hands-on
  15. 3:30 PM−0:30Start Mashed Potatoes on the stove30 min
  16. 3:35 PM−0:25Prep Cranberry Sauce5 min hands-on
  17. 3:40 PM−0:20Green Bean Casserole out of the ovenKeep warm until dinner
  18. 3:40 PM−0:20Sweet Potatoes out of the ovenKeep warm until dinner
  19. 3:40 PM−0:20Stuffing out of the ovenKeep warm until dinner
  20. 3:40 PM−0:20Raise oven to 375°FFrom 350°F · allow 5 min
  21. 3:40 PM−0:20Prep Dinner Rolls5 min hands-on
  22. 3:40 PM−0:20Start Gravy on the stove20 min
  23. 3:45 PM−0:15Dinner Rolls into the oven15 min · at 375°F
  24. 3:45 PM−0:15Start Cranberry Sauce on the stove15 min
  25. 4:00 PM0:00Dinner Rolls out of the ovenStraight to the table
  26. 4:00 PM0:00Gravy off the heatStraight to the table
  27. 4:00 PM0:00Mashed Potatoes off the heatStraight to the table
  28. 4:00 PM0:00Cranberry Sauce off the heatStraight to the table
  29. 4:00 PM0:00Dinner is readyEverything should land together

Times are planning estimates. Check doneness with a food thermometer: 165°F (74°C) for turkey, chicken and stuffing.

Holiday Dinner Planner for iPhone

Plan it here. Cook it from your phone.

The timeline above is yours to print. On the day, Holiday Dinner Planner for iPhone runs it for you.

  • A reminder for every step. Preheat, in, out, rest — each one arrives on time, even with the phone locked.
  • Cook Mode. The next step in huge type you can read across the kitchen. The screen stays awake.
  • Running late? It replans. Tell it the turkey needs 15 more minutes. Only the steps that depend on it move.
  • Next year is already done. Every dinner is saved. Use it again and the dishes, kitchen and guests come along.
Coming soon to theApp StoreSee the app

Free for one dinner with up to three dishes. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. No account, no ads, no tracking.

The app's timeline: turkey out of the oven, raise oven to 350°F, stuffing into the oven
Cook Mode: the next step, Prep Turkey, in large type with a 26-minute countdown and a Done button
Running Late: dinner is now projected for 9:25 PM, with options to move dinner or keep the time

How the timeline is built

Five rules, applied to your kitchen

These are the same rules the iPhone app uses, running the same scheduling engine. When your kitchen genuinely can't do everything at once, the plan says which dishes clash and offers a fix it has checked, instead of quietly moving food around.

Read the full method
123694:00PM · dinner

Thanksgiving for eight dishes in one oven, dinner at 4:00. Each ring is a dish; the brass hand is dinner.

  1. Work backward from the moment you eat.

    Every dish is placed as late as it can be while still being ready on time, so food comes out hot instead of waiting.

  2. Give the least flexible dishes the best slots.

    Rolls that must be served straight from the oven get the minutes nearest dinner. Cranberry sauce, which holds for an hour, can finish early.

  3. One oven, one temperature at a time.

    Dishes share the oven when their temperatures match. When they don't, the plan adds a “raise oven to 375°F” step with time to heat up.

  4. Never more pans than burners.

    Stovetop dishes are counted against your burners; slow cookers, air fryers and pressure cookers are counted too.

  5. One pair of hands.

    Hands-on prep is laid out one job at a time and moved earlier when needed, so the last half hour stays manageable.

Timelines

Calculators

Guides

Questions people ask

Is the dinner planner free?

Yes. The planner on this site is free, with no account and no limit on dishes. Print the timeline or copy a link to it.

How does it handle dishes that need different oven temperatures?

An oven holds one temperature at a time. Dishes within about 5°F share it; otherwise the plan runs them one after another and adds a step to raise or lower the oven, allowing about a minute per 10°F. If there's no room before dinner, it flags the clash and suggests a fix it has checked. See cooking dishes at different oven temperatures.

Can I add dishes that guests are bringing?

Yes. Mark a dish as “Someone's bringing it”, add who and when they arrive, and whether it needs reheating, keeping warm or finishing. The plan fits that in after they arrive. Dishes that arrive ready to serve take no kitchen space. The Friendsgiving planner shows a full example.

Are the cooking times accurate?

They're planning estimates. Turkey times follow the USDA roasting chart for an unstuffed bird at 325°F, but ovens and ingredients vary. Check doneness with a food thermometer — 165°F (74°C) for poultry and stuffing.

Is there an app?

Holiday Dinner Planner for iPhone runs the same plan on the day: a reminder when each step is due, Cook Mode, a Lock Screen countdown, and replanning when something runs late.