Learn about the best tips and cooking essentials that you should know about that will make cooking and hosting Thanksgiving dinner in your RV as easy as pie.

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📍- RVs around the World

When my husband and I first moved into our RV last summer, we decided early on that we would learn how to cook in our tiny kitchen space. We refused to give up on our love of home-cooked meals and bonding time over the stove simply because our space was limited. Thus began a months-long process of knocking our elbows against the side of our fridge as we tended to pots and fighting with our kitchen sink which seemed to grow smaller with every passing dinner. 

Eventually, we got used to this miniaturized home of ours, cooking delicious meals from scratch every week that we have been on the road.

Thanksgiving, however, is a whole different animal. It’s a challenge that will require the combination of tips, tricks, and space-saving kitchen gadgets that we have collected over our time on the road. 

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of you will be enjoying the holiday whilst camping in your RV, we figured there would be no better time for us to bestow this knowledge onto all of you. Whether you live in your camper full-time, or you’re experimenting with some holiday camping, stick around to learn everything you need to know about hosting Thanksgiving in an RV.

Many RVers have adopted the idea of camping for the holidays. If you are new to the RV community and didn’t already notice, securing an RV site over a holiday can be competitive. Be sure you reserve a spot in advance, and as early as you know about your plans. While boondocking (camping with no hookups) is technically an option, we strongly suggest a site with full hookups to accommodate for how much electricity and water you will surely go through as you prepare a Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t sit around the table with the people we love most. Don’t let the fear of a tiny living space keep you from continuing with this tradition. Invite your friends and family to join you for the holiday, and encourage those who have campers of their own to bring them along! Since oven and fridge space are some of the main challenges of hosting Thanksgiving in your camper, utilizing all of the appliances that those extra RVs come with is an added bonus.

Before we start prepping the food, you must take a moment to create your dinner menu and shopping list. Consider adding in some cold dishes and appetizers which can be preassembled to free up some oven space for the actual day.

While I think there is something special about cooking your Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by your loved ones, there are always items that can be store-bought. For me, a Costco-prepared pumpkin pie and cranberry juice slid right out of the can are perfectly acceptable. If that seems like blasphemy to you, then just decide on what dishes you think could do with a bit of corner-cutting. Not everything has to be made from scratch for you to be proud of the meal you helped assemble.

Even in a sticks-and-bricks home, I have always appreciated the benefits of creating a cooking schedule. Particularly with the limited cooking space that RV stoves typically provide, you should have a game plan to help you understand how much can fit into your oven at one time, and when each dish needs to start cooking. The goal is to try and avoid your mashed potatoes from being cold and dry by the time your green bean casserole is ready to eat.

Prepping is the name of the game when we talk about an RV Thanksgiving. Even if you have a top-of-the-line kitchen in your RV, counter-surface real estate is going to be hard to come by on game day. We highly recommend that you chop, shred, wash, peel, and dice absolutely everything that you possibly can before your camper is packed with your hungry cousins. You can even bake entire dishes beforehand and quickly heat them up again right before you eat.

Most RVs have propane-powered fridges, ovens, stoves, grills, and hot water heaters, all of which are appliances that will get the workout of a lifetime on Thanksgiving. You will likely blow through more propane than you ever have on one day before, and you would be wise to make sure you are prepared. I honestly can’t imagine a bigger Thanksgiving disappointment than realizing that all of your cooking sources have stopped working. Ensure that this doesn’t happen to you by stocking up on more propane than you think you need before the event.

If you’re like us, you don’t keep a large collection of plates and cutlery in your RV. Even if we wanted to, there simply isn’t enough space in our tiny cabinets to keep more than the essentials. While it’s perfectly acceptable to go out and purchase some disposable items to help serve all of your guests, I think it’s an even better idea to get real plates and silverware at your local thrift store. These items are abundant in second-hand stores, and they are usually sold for pennies, quickly becoming a cheaper alternative to plastic ware. You can re-donate the items to the store after Thanksgiving and feel good knowing that you helped save the planet while also giving your guests something sturdy to eat from.

Depending on where in the world you are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving, it may be possible for you to celebrate and eat dinner under the open sky. With all of the tips and tricks that we’ve shared with you today, a limiting factor for any RV Thanksgiving is the indoor square footage. Setting up a dining space outdoors definitely solves this problem and also creates a relaxing and peaceful setting to enjoy together with your family.

An investment into an 8-in-1 Ninja Foodi was one that we made in the early days of RV life and it has proved to be essential in our tiny kitchen ever since. An air fryer, toaster, and oven all in one, you can use the foodie to cook side dishes while your main oven is in use. Best of all, it folds up and out of the way once it’s cooled down, making it ideal to keep as a staple cooking accessory for year-round RV living.

Instant Pots are one of those kitchen gadgets that will make you wonder how you ever survived without them. Combining the functionality of a slow cooker, pressure cooker, and rice maker, its multipurpose role makes it a space-saving dream for RV travelers. Best of all, there are fantastic recipes out there for Instant Pot-made Thanksgiving day classics such as mashed potatoes, green beans, and yams.

The ability to increase your rack space in your RV oven is something that many nomads would trade a small fortune for when trying to prepare a Thanksgiving meal. Fortunately, the cost of this luxury is much cheaper than what you may expect when you consider tiered oven racks. Right now, you can purchase a set of three-tiered oven racks from Betty Crocker for under $20 on Amazon, effectively doubling the amount of dishes that you can fit into your oven at one time.

While you may not think of a grill as being a staple accessory when cooking for Thanksgiving, there are plenty of dishes that can be barbequed. Asparagus, carrots, and corn are all commonly grilled sides and many people actually prefer them when prepared this way. We recommend a portable grill from the Weber Q series which easily folds away into storage to be used later on down the road.

Ever heard of deep frying your turkey? It’s actually a common practice nowadays that results in a juicy, tender, and perfectly moist bird very reliably. Even with all of the oven space in the world, many people across the country prefer to cook their turkey in the deep fryer. Why not give it a try and free up your oven for other dishes?

Sterno cans are a camper’s best friend while trying to keep their food warm. Particularly, these little guys would come in handy if you’re waiting around for some dishes to finish cooking while others start to grow cold on the counter. Investing in a few of these will ensure that all of your food is warm and ready to eat at the same time.

If there’s a space beside your RV oven which could use some supplementary square footage it is likely your refrigerator. While some campers are lucky enough to have residential fridges or outdoor minifridges, many will only come equipped with an RV-sized fridge or smaller. This makes storing ingredients, drinks, and leftovers a serious problem. If this is you, and you don’t already own a high-quality cooler, then now is the time to invest in one.

We hope you enjoyed reading this guide to hosting and cooking for Thanksgiving in an RV. If you have any questions, or perhaps you know of a Thanksgiving Day tip that I may have missed, leave us a comment so that we can help future campers together!

Thank you for joining us at Discovery Detour, where the destination is always unknown.