46 Hilarious Thanksgiving Food Disasters That Prove That Turkey Day Isn’t Always Gravy

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that sounds picture-perfect in theory. A giant feast, a cozy gathering of loved ones, and everyone sharing what they’re grateful for—what’s not to love? Turns out, plenty. Between family drama, kitchen disasters, and the pressure to nail that golden-brown turkey, Thanksgiving can quickly morph from a Hallmark moment into a blooper reel of epic proportions.

This list is here to remind us that even the most festive day can go hilariously wrong. Whether it’s an overcooked bird, a relative oversharing at the table, or someone’s last-minute realization that they forgot the pie (gasp!), these Thanksgiving disappointments prove the holiday isn’t always just gravy. So, grab a plate of leftovers and prepare to feel a little better about your own Turkey Day mishaps!

1. Happy Thanksgiving, Heres A Turkey I Forgot To Thaw, Annnd Apparently My Dog Saw A Mouse And Now He Won’t Get Off The Counter…. Oh And I’m Working Tonight Too

2. Cooked A Thanksgiving Meal From Scratch For My Family & No One Ate It

3. I Work At An Old Folks Home. This Is The Visitor Parking On Thanksgiving Day

4. Saw These Little White Balls In Foil Next To My Wife’s Apple Pie. Thought She Made Candies, Too. Now I’m Looking For A Dentist On Thanksgiving Because I Bit Into About 3 Ceramic Pie Weights

5. Made A Meat Pie With Leftovers From Thanksgiving. I Think He’s Cute

6. Our Thanksgiving Day Catastrophe

7. Was Super Pumped To Smoked A Turkey For Thanksgiving. Only Now Am I Able To Be Ok With Sharing The Pictures Of This Abomination. I’m Not Sure What Went Wrong

8. We Got A Request From That Aunt Proclaiming That We Now Owed Her $75 To Cover The Cost Of The Thanksgiving Meal

9. My Friend Writes “Apparently I Bought A Brining Bag Instead Of A Baking Bag”

10. Not Only Am I Spending This Years Holidays Alone Because My Closest Family Live In A Different State, My Boyfriend And I Broke Up Just A Couple Of Days Ago So I’m At My Lowest. Then I Managed To Burn This Pizza. Hope Everyone’s Thanksgiving Is Going Well

11. Whole Family Were No-Shows. This Was Our Thanksgiving For 3

12. I’m Visiting Home And Some Relatives Need Their OS Reinstalled

13. We Did Eventually Save The Turkey

14. So I Get An Email With Photos From My Girlfriend’s Family’s Thanksgiving

15. That Time My BF’s Lovely Family Invited Me To Join Them For The Holiday And I Proceeded To Demolish The Dessert I Was Trying To Impress Them With. Happy Thanksgiving, Fools!

16. Nobody Showed Up For Thanksgiving

17. Parents Are Getting Divorced, Don’t Want To Deal With Who Is Going Where. Happy Thanksgiving

18. Happy Thanksgiving!

19. Grandparents House Caught Fire While They Were Away For Thanksgiving

20. I Am Really Crying Right Now Cause First Year That I Am In Charge Of The Lasagna And I Dropped It I Think Imma Stay Home

21. I Think Thanksgiving Has Caused The Baker At My Local Grocery Store To Go Completely Insane

22. Sigh. Happy Thanksgiving

23. Happy Thanksgiving?

24. My Buddy Attempted To Make A Rotisserie Turkey For Thanksgiving This Year

25. First Thanksgiving Fail… Had To Remind Myself Not To Stress Out. It Happens. A Glass Of Wine Helped

26. Happy Thanksgiving From My Family To Yours

27. Green Bean Casserole Anyone?

28. Gone For Vacation For 5 Days. Came Back To Find This Leaking In Our Basement Guest Bedroom. My Wife’s Family Is Coming For Thanksgiving In 2 Days

29. Someone Slashed My Tire The Night Before I Was Supposed To Drive 3 Hours For Thanksgiving With Family

30. Came To Visit The Right Wing In-Laws For Thanksgiving And Got To Stay In The “American Room”

31. School Lunch On Thanksgiving

32. Someone Shot My French Door With A BB Gun Today. Happy Thanksgiving

33. Rut Roh. Time For Some New Baking Dishes. Roasted Pecan Fail

34. Thanksgiving 101. Take Last Night’s Pizza Out Of The Oven Before Cooking Today’s Casseroles

35. They Are Supposed To Be Turkeys

36. Got A Cake For Thanksgiving, Didn’t See It Until We Got Home

37. I Grabbed It Wrong And It Fell

38. These Pecans Just Pecan’t

39. Whole Family Is Staying At My House The Next Couple Days For Thanksgiving And Our Septic Is Clogged

40. Brand New Dishwasher Bought On Sept 25 Fails On Thanksgiving. Not Pleased

41. I Came Back From Thanksgiving To Find That My Landlord Had Revarnished/Painted The Stairs Up To My Apartment. They Are Still Wet, I Was Given No Notice, And There Is Only One Staircase

42. Girlfriend’s Little Brother Just Worked His First Thanksgiving Double. This Was The Staff Meal

43. On My Flight Home For Thanksgiving, This Couple Had Their Window Shade Up And A Kids Show Playing On A Tablet Without Headphones, Both Prior To 7 Am