Feast Freedom: Our Oven-Free Thanksgiving Dinner - RV Style

Wanderluxe With Us
Nov 21
4 min read

Updated: Nov 23

Thanksgiving Dinner - RV Style — Move over, Martha! Check out this beautifully arranged Thanksgiving feast featuring a golden roasted turkey, an assortment of cheeses and meats, fresh fruits, and seasonal vegetables, creating a warm and inviting holiday table setting. If traditional is your game but you're working in a small space this year... we got you covered. But ALSO, if you're interested in an alternative to Turkey Day, read on!

Thanksgiving. It conjures images of massive roasting pans, endless counter space filled with yummy goodness, and that comforting, slow-cooked smell of a dozen dishes simmering at once. For years, we thought that was a necessary ritual, but one fateful year changed our minds for good. Now we live full-time in a Class A RV, and if it weren't for that alternative way of thinking.. Thanksgiving may be quite stressful.

Now, our “endless” countertop space is about 2 square feet.

So, how do the Kramers pull off a full, luxurious, eight-course holiday meal in 20 square feet of kitchen?

The truth is, we don’t! We actually haven’t had a ‘traditional’ huge Thanksgiving spread in almost a decade.

THE Thanksgiving UN-INVITation

About 7 years ago, my two toddlers were both sick with the flu. Both my family and Chad’s family kindly asked that we please keep our germs at home. We were devastated at first. What would we tell our children!? We were UNINVITED to Thanksgiving?! But it honestly turned out to be the best thing that ever happened for Turkey Day.

That year, we spent Thanksgiving, which is an American holiday, with our friends from the Czech Republic, celebrating our first “Friendsgiving”.

Their culture, as a whole, is far less wasteful than ours. We have learned so much from them over the years that we now apply it to our nomadic lifestyle. They thought it absolutely ridiculous and excessive to cook a ton of dishes that no one particularly cared for. Then, the waste! There is SO much left over that gets thrown away. They are right. I had never thought of it that way. A Thanksgiving without my mom’s green bean casserole, though?! Gasp!

turkey, roasted root veggies, stuffing, green bean casserole — Traditional Thanksgiving turkey, stuffed with rosemary, roasted root veggies, onions, and apples.

We cut the dinner menu down to the traditional Thanksgiving essentials. (For our family, it was turkey, roasted root veggies, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and rolls.) We did cook a turkey. (And learned, by accident, that if you cook the bird upside down, it is FAR more juicy! Try it. I dare you! Read on for my best bird tips!)

We also learned a much more important takeaway:

Thanksgiving is about togetherness and gratitude, not the size of your stovetop or the number of dishes in your spread. We traded the size of the kitchen for the efficiency of our appliances.

That said, meet our Convection Oven, Air-Fryer, Toaster, and Microwave! The Café™ 1.7 Cu. Ft. Convection Over-the-Range Microwave Oven. It also steam cooks AND has this cool ‘Chef Connect’ option. Check it out here.

Ha ha. I sound like an infomercial, but seriously.. THIS MICRO-OVEN ROCKS!

Another essential is the Gas ONE GS=4000P - Camp Stove

The coolest thing about this one is that it runs on butane OR propane and you can use it indoors OR outdoors, making it a perfect cook option for van life!

WanderLuxe Thanksgiving Mindset

This guide is our WanderLuxe Thanksgiving Mindset—a system that uses our Air Fryer/Microwave, and a Portable Gas Cooktop + everyday small appliances, like our super slim Bella toaster, to create a stress-free, oven-less feast. PLUS… Check out our alternative Thanksgiving menu at the end to see how we plan to spend our Turkey Day this year. Spoiler… it doesn’t include turkey.

A campsite in autum with a campfire buring — The best Thanksgiving dishes are served around a campfire and enjoyed in the company of good friends.

Key Takeaways:

The "Appliance Zone Defense" (The Mindset): Success in a small RV kitchen relies on abandoning the oven and treating your secondary appliances—the Air Fryer, Microwave, Pressure Cooker, and Portable Cooktop—as specialized chefs, assigning each dish to its most efficient tool to prevent bottlenecks and maximize simultaneous cooking.

Strategic Turkey Downsize (The Main Event Hack): If you absolutely MUST have a bird… avoid the difficulty of a whole 20 lb bird. Instead, use a smaller Turkey Breast cooked in the Air Fryer for crispy skin or a whole chicken cooked in the Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker for moist, tender meat and an immediate gravy base. My kids actually don’t like turkey at all, and I am a pescatarian, so last year we did a beautiful Iron Skillet Charred Seabass! (Check out the end for all these recipes!)

Two-Day Prep is Non-Negotiable (The Timing Hack): Complete all non-cooking tasks (chopping vegetables, making cranberry sauce, mixing pie filling) on the day before. The Day Of should be reserved strictly for cooking and timing the "Appliance Rota."

Air Fryer for the Crisping (The Texture Hack): Use the Air Fryer to provide the crucial crispy texture that the oven usually handles, specifically by finishing the Stuffing (to create a top crust) and perfectly crisping the onions on top of the Green Bean Casserole.

Deconstruct Dessert (The Space Hack): Since an oven-baked pie is difficult, opt for a Crustless Pumpkin Bake, finished in the Air Fryer, or an elegant Pumpkin Parfait/Trifle served in glassware, which requires zero oven time.

Utilize the Outdoors and Delegate (The Cleanup Hack): Double your limited counter space by setting up a serving station in the outdoor space (weather permitting).