Animal Crossing New Horizons: Complete Thanksgiving Guide
Thanksgiving, commonly known as Turkey Day, is one of the most anticipated annual events in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and it is one of the most anticipated annual events in the game.
Let Franklin the turkey, professional chef extraordinaire, be your guide to Thanksgiving Day festivities this year and in the years to come. No, we’re not going to cook Franklin.
Our Turkey Day guide will help you collect the greatest ingredients and reap the benefits of Animal Crossing’s Turkey Day celebration.
What is Turkey Day, exactly?
On American Thanksgiving, players may expect to encounter Franklin, a unique NPC, in their Resident Services area with a cooktop in front of him in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Turkey Day.
Tom Nook had invited Franklin, a chef, to prepare food for the island. Franklin requires the player’s assistance in putting together his menu.
The player will be Franklin’s helper on this day. You must assist him in gathering the components for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast in exchange for unique Thanksgiving DIY recipes and furniture.
The date changes since Thanksgiving is usually on the fourth Thursday of November. The dates for the next five Thanksgivings are as follows:
- 25th of November, 2021
- 24th of November, 2022
- 23rd of November, 2023
- 28th of November, 2024
- 27th of November, 2025
Turkey Day Goals
On Thanksgiving Day, the major event is a scavenger hunt. Franklin is the only one who can assist you in getting started. You’ll be given a list of materials, including pumpkins, clams, and fish, and instructed where to find them.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on your local (Nintendo Switch) time, Franklin will be ready to answer questions on the ingredients needed for the many Thanksgiving-themed recipes he wants to cook.
The devs added a culinary feature to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the New Horizons Update 2.0, as well as the ability to cultivate tomatoes, wheat, and other components, so those ingredients are available.
Turkey Day Secret Ingredients
To complete the recipe, Franklin’s list can be supplemented with a hidden ingredient. You’ll have to figure it out on your own if you don’t know what it is, or look it up on our list below. Bring all of the ingredients to Franklin, and he’ll prepare everything for you.
The chat amongst the villagers will also expose Franklin’s secret ingredients, so keep a watch out!
If you offer Franklin the secret ingredient for the dish, you’ll get a bonus piece of furniture. To get the Turkey Day DIY recipes, make sure you provide him the secret ingredients for all four dishes.
Below is a list of all of the components, as well as one hidden ingredient, for each dish. Franklin will ask for the secret ingredient when he’s finished preparing the dish if you have it.
All Turkey Day Recipes and Secret Ingredients
Clam Chowder
- 3 Manila clams
- Secret recipe: 1 scallop
Fish Meuniere
Northern Hemisphere:
- 1 sea bass
- 1 olive flounder, dab, or red snapper
- Secret recipe: 1 Barred knifejaw
Southern Hemisphere:
- 1 sea bass
- 1 olive flounder or red snapper
- Secret recipe: 1 Barred knifejaw
Gratin
Northern Hemisphere:
- 1 mussel
- A flat, round, or skinny mushroom
- 1 oyster
- Secret recipe: 1 Dungeness crab
Southern Hemisphere:
- 1 squid
- 1 sea urchin
- Secret recipe: 1 Dungeness crab
Pumpkin Pie
- 1 orange pumpkin
- 1 white, yellow, or green pumpkin
- Secret recipe: 1 pumpkin (in a color you did not provide already)
How to Get Turkey Day Ingredients and Where to Find Them
Franklin will not be the only one in the kitchen on Thanksgiving. Villagers will also set up cooking stations in their homes where you may trade ingredients.
If you’re in need of mushrooms or pumpkins, some of your people might be able to help. You can also go back in time and grow your own. You can exchange certain fish for the materials you need if you don’t want to journey back in time. This is an option to consider if you don’t have a lot of vegetables growing on your island.
| Ingredients | How To Get |
| Barred Knifejaw | Fishing in the ocean.Months active (north): March-NovemberMonths active (south): September-May |
| Dab | Fishing in the ocean.Months active (north): October-April Months active (south): April-October |
| Dungeness Crab | Diving in ocean |
| Manila Clam | Digging sand on the beach. |
| Mussel | Diving in ocean |
| Olive Flounder | Fishing in the ocean. Available all year for both northern and southern hemispheres. |
| Oyster | Diving in ocean |
| Red Snapper | Fishing in the ocean. Available all year for both northern and southern hemispheres. Their shadows are large, so look for a big fish shadow when walking around your island’s perimeter. |
| Flat MushroomRound MushroomSkinny Mushroom | On the ground near both regular trees and cedar trees. Respawns every 5 p.m. |
| Scallop | Diving in ocean |
| Sea Bass | Fishing in the ocean. Available all year for both northern and southern hemispheres. Their shadows are the largest, so look for the biggest fish possible when walking around your island’s perimeter. |
| Sea Urchin | Diving in ocean |
| Squid | Fishing in the ocean.Months active (north): December-August Months active (south): June-February |
| White Pumpkin | Pick up a White Pumpkin from a Ripe White-Pumpkin Plant, grown using Pumpkin Starts. |
| Yellow Pumpkin | Pick up a Yellow Pumpkin from a Ripe Yellow-Pumpkin Plant, grown using Pumpkin Starts. |
| Orange Pumpkin | Pick up an Orange Pumpkin from a Ripe Orange-Pumpkin Plant, grown using Pumpkin Starts. |
| Green Pumpkin | Pick up a Green Pumpkin from a Ripe Green-Pumpkin Plant, grown using Pumpkin Starts. |
How do you include the hidden ingredient into your Thanksgiving dishes?
After you’ve created a dish for the first time, you can add a hidden ingredient. “It’s your call,” Franklin will add, “It’s your call, but if you’d like to go above and beyond, bring me any ingredients you think might work”.
Franklin will be able to enhance this exact dish once you’ve given him the ingredients and it’s been produced with the hidden ingredient in your inventory.
Turkey Day Rewards
Once you’ve assisted Franklin in the culinary process, he’ll give you the recipes for the four foods you helped him prepare.
Each finished dish in Animal Crossing New Horizons’ Turkey Day will get you a Thanksgiving-themed item as well as exclusive DIYs for secret components. You’ll obtain the final four DIYs if you get all of the hidden ingredients right.
Franklin will not provide them to you personally. By following the directions, you can get the recipes on your Nook Phone. Here’s the full list of prizes:
Basic Rewards:
Cornucopia – from completing the Fish Meuniere Recipe
Turkey Day Rug – from completing the Clam Chowder Recipe
Turkey Day Flooring – from completing the Gratin Recipe
Turkey Day Wallpaper – from completing the Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Special Rewards:
These are rewards that are randomly given depending on what secret ingredient you’ve given Franklin first to enhance the recipes.
Turkey Day Casserole
Turkey Day Chair
Turkey Day Decorations
Turkey Day Garden Stand
Turkey Day Wheat Decor
Turkey Day Table Setting
Turkey Day Table
Turkey Day Hearth
If you can’t make it to the event, don’t worry; they’ll be available at Nook’s Cranny the next day.
We hope you found our guide useful. Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!