How to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner in Your RV

Holidays don’t look the same for everyone. While some people will have a big Thanksgiving dinner at home, others will spend Thanksgiving on the road in their RV – which means Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings might need to be prepared differently than you’re used to.

Whether you’re visiting family and want to help with the cooking load or spending Thanksgiving on the road, you can easily make Thanksgiving dinner from your RV – but you’ll need some RV camping organization hacks to help. Below are answers to common questions that will help!

Can You Cook A Turkey In An RV Oven?

If you’re fortunate enough to have an oven in your RV, you can cook a turkey. However, to ensure it gets done before you run out of your propane supply, quarter a turkey before cooking it in your RV oven.

If you’re just cooking for you and your spouse, a few turkey breasts may be all you need and will cook well in a crockpot or air fryer.

Whether you roast your turkey whole or quartered, using a baking stone in your oven will help keep the heat even in the range. Not all RVs have an oven, but luckily there’s more than one way to roast a turkey.

Can You Cook Your Turkey Outdoors When RVing?

If your RV lacks an oven and ample counter space, taking some of your cooking chores outside will save you some valuable space. It will also allow you to use your kitchen for cooking the fixings that will go with your turkey once it’s done.

Consider roasting your turkey on an open fire, portable fire pit, in a Dutch oven, smoker, or on the grill to take most of the turkey cooking process out of your RV's kitchen.

How Do You Pack Food For A Thanksgiving Meal In An RV?

The first step toward packing your RV is making room for your groceries before you buy them. You'll want to clean out the first and cupboards, throwing away expired items and consolidating what you can. You'll need every bit of space for your camp cooking gear, turkey and side dish ingredients like mashed potatoes, veggies, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and tools. 

Next, you'll want to make sure you have an accurate count for the number of people you’ll be cooking for, consider if you want to have leftovers, and make a list before heading to the grocery store.

Food that doesn’t fit in your RV's fridge but still needs to be kept cold can be transported in coolers.

A camp kitchen with keep all the Thanksgiving gear you’ll need neat and organized in your RV. The Out-In-About Box™ is large enough to store your kitchen gear, spices, gloves, mitts, and cooking tools to have all your Thanksgiving materials all in one place.

Space-Saving Ideas For Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner In An RV

If your RV doesn’t have a range or oven, you have other options.

Many countertop ovens and air fryers will run on 110-volt power. Many of them are big enough to cook a turkey in. However, they will take up a lot of counter space until the bird is finished cooking.

Use Multiple Small Appliances

Even the largest RVs have limited kitchen space compared to what’s in a home. Smaller RVs usually have a two-burner stove, a single sink, limited storage, and limited hot water for cleaning up.

However, a crockpot (slow cooker), air fryer, electric skillet, and other small appliances can help you get dinner on the table and keep it warm. They can then be stowed away until needed.

Precook And Reheat

Your RV may have a kitchen, but space is limited even in the largest Class A models. Pre-cooking your turkey and other menu items will save a lot of aggravation, allowing you to enjoy yourself.

Items such as pre-made mashed potatoes, pre-cooked, and sliced turkey, frozen green bean casserole, stove-top dressing, and other easy-to-prepare things take the work out of camp cooking and freeing up a lot of time for yourself.

A Sample Menu That Would Work Well In An RV:

• Turkey – either thawed and ready to cook or pre-cooked.
• Mashed potatoes – instant, pre-made, or you can make them yourself ahead of time or at camp.
• Stuffing — you can make turkey stuffing ahead of time and bake it at cam, or you can use an instant stuffing mix. This is a shortcut that saves a lot of time.
• Turkey gravy mix — or your recipe.
• Corn on the cob — in the air fryer
• Green bean casserole — this can be made ahead, or you can buy it in the Deli or frozen.
• Green beans — in the slow cooker
• Sweet potato casserole — this classic recipe can be baked ahead of time, frozen, and reheated when you are ready to serve dinner.
• Bread — whether you heat and serve dinner rolls, or fresh, warm yeast rolls, don’t forget the bread.
• Green salad — salad can be made ahead and kept cold until served.

And any other items you would like to eat with your camp turkey. Don't forget:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Paper plates
• Utensils
• Napkins
• Beverages, including water

Planning your meals for RV living can already be challenging. When adding the task of preparing a special Thanksgiving dinner, RV camping organization hacks can help save you time, maximize space and allows you to enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday wherever your RV takes you.