Instacart is giving away up to 50,000 turkeys for Thanksgiving

Instacart will drop up to 10,000 turkey offers a day at 9 a.m. PT from Nov. 18 to 22, each worth up to $40 off a whole bird. You need a $50 order to use one.

Instacart is giving away up to 50,000 Thanksgiving turkeys, and you’ll want an alarm set for noon Eastern.

Starting Wednesday, Nov. 18, Instacart will release up to 10,000 turkey offers a day at 9 a.m. PT (noon ET) through Sunday, Nov. 22, the company announced Monday. Each one takes up to $40 off an eligible whole turkey, fresh or frozen, from a participating store on Instacart. Five days of 10,000 turkeys is where the 50,000 comes from.

The catch: you have to spend at least $50 on your Thanksgiving order. The turkey counts toward that.

“We’re covering the turkey and the delivery fees,” Instacart CMO Laura Jones said in Monday’s announcement.

How do I get a free turkey from Instacart?

Here’s how it works, according to Instacart’s terms:

• Go to the turkey page: Instacart’s Thanksgiving landing page is instacart.com/store/pages/turkey.

• Claim after the drop: Each day’s batch of up to 10,000 offers goes live at 9 a.m. PT and lasts while supplies last.

• Build a $50 basket: Your Thanksgiving order has to hit at least $50, turkey included. Alcohol doesn’t count toward the $50.

• Order the same day: You have to place the order on the day you redeem the offer.

• One per customer: Each customer gets one redemption between Nov. 18 and 22.

Fees, taxes and other terms apply. Instacart hasn’t listed which retailers are participating, so check the stores near you on the turkey page.

Is the Instacart turkey actually free?

Up to $40 of it is. The offer takes up to $40 off a whole turkey. If your bird costs more than that, you pay the difference.

You’ll still pay delivery and service fees on that order. Instacart is also running $0 delivery fees from Nov. 23 to 25 on orders of $10 or more, but that’s after the turkey window closes on Nov. 22. So the free turkey order and the free delivery days don’t overlap.

Your options: grab the turkey offer early and pay delivery, or wait for free delivery and pay for the bird. The delivery deal is also one per user and while supplies last, and service fees still apply. Both offers are U.S. only.

When should I order my Thanksgiving turkey?

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26. The giveaway ends Sunday, Nov. 22, four days before.

That matters for frozen birds. The USDA says to allow about 24 hours of fridge thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds, or about 3 to 4 days for a 12- to 16-pound turkey. A frozen bird that shows up Sunday is cutting it close if it’s a big one.

Instacart’s own Thanksgiving Turkey Report, published Nov. 3, says most people wait anyway. Fresh whole turkey sales peaked on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Last year, frozen birds peaked on Friday, Nov. 21, six days before the holiday.

Frozen turkeys make up about 60% of the whole turkeys sold on Instacart. And on Thanksgiving Day 2025, food thermometer sales jumped 3,589%, the biggest one-day jump of any category. Some people learn the hard way.

Does anyone else get a turkey deal from Instacart?

Yes. Instacart’s 1,200 top Diamond Cart shoppers, part of Instacart’s rewards program for the gig workers who shop and deliver orders, get $40 off their own basket if they have Instacart+ and completed the most orders in 2026, Instacart said. They’ll get details by email Nov. 18.

Instacart also cited a Harris Poll it commissioned. It found 74% of Americans worry rising grocery costs are affecting their Thanksgiving, and half said they won’t skip or cut back on turkey no matter the price.

Is DoorDash buying Instacart?

Yes. DoorDash agreed in October to buy Instacart for about $17 billion. Instacart is still running its own promotions in the meantime. [Here’s what the deal means for shoppers.](https://news.piratesandprincesses.net/p/doordash-is-buying-instacart-what)

Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• Instacart (Nov. 9, 2026), the giveaway announcement, terms, delivery deal, shopper perk and Laura Jones quote

• KTLA (Nov. 9, 2026), the giveaway terms, dates, daily drops, $50 minimum, free delivery days, Diamond Cart perk and Harris Poll figures

• Instacart (Nov. 9, 2026), the giveaway announcement headline

• Instacart (Nov. 3, 2026), the Thanksgiving Turkey Report shopping data

• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (undated), turkey thawing times

AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.