Zero‑Waste Thanksgiving: Cooking & Cleaning with Every Scrap

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Today I’m sharing ways to use every part of your Thanksgiving meal—from stock made with turkey bones to vegetable scrap broth—and natural cleaning solutions for the post‑feast cleanup.

Did you know that during the holiday season, over 28 billion pounds of edible food are thrown away (Source). That is an incredible amount of food waste that could likely be prevented!

When we are at a time in life when every dollar counts, we need to be able to make the most of the items that we are buying for food during the holidays. All it takes are some small shifts in planning and cooking. Let’s dive in and share some ideas today!

Plan Ahead & Shop Smart

• Portion planning: Know how many guests you’ll serve and plan dishes accordingly; choose recipes that use up whole ingredients so that even a half a cup of broth doesn’t go unused. If you do know that you will have some items left, try and think of creative ways to use them. (Example: leftover buttermilk.)
• Buy local or unpackaged: Shopping at farmers’ markets cuts down on packaging if you still have one going this time of year. If not, you can also bring reusable bags and containers with you to your local grocery store to at least eliminate some plastic from coming home with you.
• Go reusable: Skip the paper plates and use real plates. Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones. Anything that is reusable will save plastic and paper from the trash.

Cook with Every Scrap

• Save bones & vegetable bits for stock: Collect turkey bones, onion peels, herb stems, and other scraps in the freezer; simmer them with water, peppercorns, and bay leaves for an all‑purpose stock. Strain and store. You may can up the broth to make it shelf stable.
• Repurpose leftover dishes:
  • Turkey: Turn meat into pot pie, soup, or shepherd’s pie; use the carcass for broth. You can also make these Turkey Quesadillas.
  • Stuffing & rolls: Make stuffing dumplings or savory bread pudding; process stale rolls into breadcrumbs that keep well. Our favorite way to use up stuffing is to add it to Meatloaf.
  • Mashed potatoes: Use in potato bread or rolls. My Amish Cinnamon Rolls also use mashed potatoes if they don’t have added herbs.
  • Vegetables: Purée roasted or steamed vegetables into soup or frittata or quiche.
  • Cranberry sauce: Stir into yogurt, bake in thumbprint cookies or serve alongside savory dishes.
  • Leftover salad or fruit: Blend dressed greens with broth for a quick soup; bake fruit salad into a crumble like this easy Crockpot Cobbler.
• Freeze & label: Do this with your extras so you can enjoy a taste of Thanksgiving months later without waste if you aren’t ready to eat them right away.

Composting & Feeding Animals

• Feed the critters: Despite your best efforts, some food scraps will probably still linger. You still don’t need to throw them out! Keep a labeled container for compost and empty it into your compost bin if you have one. If you have chickens, pigs, or goats, most food scraps are safe for them to enjoy.

Natural Cleaning with Kitchen Scraps

• Citrus‑infused vinegar cleaner: Use leftover orange, lemon or grapefruit peels. Fill a jar with citrus peels, cover with distilled white vinegar, and let infuse for about two weeks; strain and store. The vinegar’s acetic acid has antibacterial properties, and citrus oils act as a solvent to lift dirt and grime. Use this concentrate full strength or diluted as an all‑purpose spray, window cleaner or kitchen degreaser. The great thing about making this cleaner is that it uses up leftover citrus, which is something your animals cannot eat.

Low‑Waste Serving & Decor

• Skip the plastic: Use reusable beeswax bowl covers instead of plastic wrap. I like this stuff that can be cut to fit your containers.
• Decorate with natural items: Branches, pinecones, popcorn, bark, tree branches, and cranberries…so many natural things that you can make pretty decor with! (Here’s how to make a centerpiece with a log!) All natural things can be composted after the meal.
• Skip the paper too: As mentioned above, use reusable tableware such as real plates, cloth napkins, and cloth towels instead of paper products.

Sharing & Sending Leftovers

• If you are sending leftovers: Package leftovers in glass jars or reusable containers for guests or ask guests to bring their own containers to take home their favorite dish. This is also a great way to use up the meal if you know you will have too much to handle on your own!

With some thoughtful planning and creative cooking you can work to make Thanksgiving more frugal and make the most with what you have. What are some ways you will be making your Thanksgiving “zero-waste” this year?

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

• Fluffy and Soft Bread Machine Rolls Recipe
• Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecake Recipe
• The Easiest Healthy Cranberry Sauce: 3 Ingredients
• My Famous Homemade Stuffing Recipe from Scratch

This blog post on Zero-Waste Thanksgiving Ideas was originally posted on Little House Living in November 2025.

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