As Americans prepare for Thanksgiving feasts later this month, many hosts are balancing a desire to create memorable meals with the realities of busy schedules, tight budgets and a crowded kitchen filled with hungry family members and guests. This holiday season, Birds Eye, the USA’s No. 1 frozen vegetable brand, is helping consumers serve vegetables at their peak quality in meal staples and flavorful side dishes that make Thanksgiving preparation easier for all involved.
Vegetables have long been a central to the Thanksgiving table, and recent trends illustrate how much demand grows as the holiday approaches. As meal makers plan their menus and shop for familiar favorites, frozen vegetables see a noticeable lift leading up to the November 26 festivities.
“Thanksgiving is a special occasion when food brings family and friends together, and side dishes are an important part of those traditions,” said Rich Campbell, brand director for Birds Eye. “We are proud to offer a variety of vegetables and sides that help consumers serve the comforting favorites their guests love and bring a complete Thanksgiving spread to the table.”
Not surprisingly, November is a busy month for stocking up on frozen vegetables, with demand peaking during the week leading up to Thanksgiving. During Thanksgiving week last year, frozen vegetable sales were 22% higher than average weekly sales, while Birds Eye vegetable sales were nearly 34% higher.
And there’s evidence that consumers are planning ahead throughout the month. In the four weeks leading up to Thanksgiving 2025, frozen vegetable dollar sales in the United States increased 7.9% compared with the month prior, from $364.5 million to $393.2 million. Birds Eye saw an even greater increase than the industry average, with frozen vegetable dollar volume rising 12.7%, from $85.8 million to $96.6 million over the same period.
Classic Thanksgiving Vegetables Take Center Stage
Vegetables also have a greater presence on Thanksgiving Day, appearing in 33% of dinner occasions compared with 22% of non-Thanksgiving dinner occasions, seeing an 11-percentage-point increase. As consumers balance preparing multiple dishes for the holiday, time is of the essence. Nearly one in five Thanksgiving Day meals include convenient, quick-to-prepare heat-and-eat foods, a category that includes frozen vegetables.
Many vegetables see a Thanksgiving boost, with a traditional favorite leading the way. Birds Eye frozen sweet potato sales in the month leading up to Thanksgiving were nearly 175% higher than the brand’s average four-week sales for the year, marking their highest annual sales period, according to Circana Market Advantage statistics.
For the yam enthusiast, Birds Eye Steamfresh Diced Sweet Potatoes provide a convenient Thanksgiving short cut. These sweet potatoes come washed, peeled, diced and ready-to-cook, and are ready in the microwave in minutes thanks to the Steamfresh prep method. Birds Eye Oven Roasters Sweet Potatoes as well as Carrots & Red Potatoes Oven Roasters are also convenient options, featuring pre-cut vegetables that can be prepared on a single sheet pan.
Other Thanksgiving favorites include mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, and corn. Birds Eye offers a variety of options to help hosts round out their menus with familiar favorites including:
• Loaded Mashed Potatoes, featuring creamy mashed potatoes topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions for a flavorful twist on a classic side dish.
• Steamfresh Cut Green Beans are ready in minutes and can be served as a classic side dish or incorporated into favorite holiday recipes.
• Ultimate Cheesy Broccoli Mac & Cheese combines tender broccoli florets with creamy, cheesy macaroni, bringing two popular side dishes together in one convenient option.
• Steamfresh Super Sweet Corn cooks right in the bag for an easy addition to the Thanksgiving table.
Birds Eye is a unit of Chicago, Illinois-headquartered Conagra Brands, one of North America’s leading branded food companies with net sales of over $11 billion in fiscal 2026. Its extensive frozen food portfolio includes Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Banquet, Frontera and gardein brands.
