how many americans prefer thanksgiving leftovers to thanksgiving dinner?

About two-thirds of Americans say they actually enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers more than the main Thanksgiving meal itself, according to recent national surveys of U.S. adults who celebrate the holiday.

Quick Scoop

• Surveys of around 2,000 U.S. adults have found that more than two-thirds of people who celebrate Thanksgiving think the leftovers taste better than the original dinner.

• One poll reported that “more than six in ten” Americans enjoy the holiday leftovers more than the main holiday meal, again showing a clear majority in favor of leftovers.

• Many respondents specifically called out next‑day turkey sandwiches as their favorite way to enjoy the food, with a large share intentionally cooking extra just so they have leftovers.

What this means in plain numbers

• If you imagine 100 Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving, something like 60–70 of them say they prefer the leftovers to the original Thanksgiving dinner.

• These figures come from brand‑ or organization‑sponsored surveys (often around 2,000 respondents), so they are estimates, not an official government statistic, but multiple polls point in the same direction: leftovers win.

In other words, Thanksgiving might be officially one day, but for most Americans, the “real” joy is in the days of reheated plates and turkey sandwiches that follow.

TL;DR: Multiple national surveys suggest that roughly two-thirds of Americans who celebrate the holiday prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to the original Thanksgiving dinner.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.