Trifle To Turkey Sandwiches: Thanksgiving Meals From 10 Seasons Of ‘Friends’

The hit TV Show FRIENDS has been one of the most popular sitcoms of all time since it aired in 1994. Even today, many moments are part of pop culture history, and especially the ones from Thanksgiving.

Meat Trifle To Turkey Sandwiches: 'Friends' Thanksgiving Meals From All 10 Seasons

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'Friends' Thanksgiving Episodes

The hit TV Show FRIENDS has been one of the most popular sitcoms of all time since it aired in 1994. Even today, many moments are part of pop culture history, and especially the ones from Thanksgiving. Every year, the gang gets together to celebrate the holiday with feasts and friendship. Take a walk through every year’s dinner specials.

Season 1 ‘The One Where the Underdog Gets Away'

In Season 1 the gang has all their Thanksgiving plans ruined when they get stuck on the roof watching a parade balloon run awry. Monica’s turkey burns to a crisp and instead, she whips up a batch of grilled cheese sandwiches. While not the traditional feast, everyone is more than happy to be spending the day with their friends.

Season 2: 'The One With the List'

Mockolate, Mockolate and more Mockolate this year as Monica tries to leverage her job as a freelance recipe developer for the synthetic chocolate substitute Mockolate. Monica creates recipes using minuscule amounts of the product in things like cranberry cake, pumpkin pie with Mockolate cookie crumb crust and Mockolate chip cookies. As Phoebe describes the produce as "what evil must taste like." this is the Friends Thanksgiving you’d never want to recreate.

Season 3: 'The One With the Football'

This year was dominated by an epic Football game where Ross and Monica thoroughly show their sibling similarities in a battle to win The Gellar up. And while they’re still outside fighting over the ball when night falls the rest of the gang enjoys a Roast turkey, stuffing, yams with marshmallows, cranberry sauce, "amazing" vegetarian stuffing for Phoebe and special mashed potatoes for Chandler, eaten out of a serving bowl with a wooden cooking spoon.

Season 4: 'The One With Chandler in a Box'

Roast turkey, gravy, green beans, yams, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and generous pours of white wine. With Monica's ice-in-the-eye emergency, Phoebe takes over as the left-handed sous chef. Eye-patched Monica returns to help finish the meal prep, while Chandler is confined to a box to help earn back Joey's friendship. The gang enjoys the meal together, along with a special guest, Monica's ex-boyfriend Richard's son.

Season 5: 'The One With All the Thanksgivings'

While this year we skip over the Thanksgiving feast in the modern day, the friends go over all their memories of Thanksgiving’s past. Teenage Monica showcases her culinary skills by preparing macaroni and cheese for Chandler, who hates Thanksgiving food thanks to his own painful memories of the holiday. The episode culminates in the present day with Monica's iconic turkey-head scene when Chandler finally says ‘I love you’. It’s also the feast which Monica turns into Ross’ memorable ‘Turkey Sandwich with moist maker’ in the next episode.

Season 6: 'The One Where Ross Got High'

In this memorable Thanksgiving episode, Rachel's disastrous trifle becomes a comedic masterpiece, layering whipped cream with sautéed meat, peas, onions, jam and ladyfinger biscuits. While everyone politely takes a bite to avoid hurting her feelings and Ross declares it tastes like feet, Joey digs in and comes out with the now iconic line, "Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Good," which captures the hilarious culinary chaos.

Season 7: 'The One Where Chandler Doesn't Like Dogs'

This year was all about their battle to name all 50 states of America and while Joey manages to find 56, Ross refuses to eat until he names them all. He misses out on the traditional feast includes turkey, stuffing, and various side dishes, with Monica enjoying cream pie post-dinner. In the middle of the night, Ross returns realising he forgot Delaware, and sits down to his late dinner.

Season 8: 'The One With the Rumor'

Pregnant Rachel's aversion to poultry complicates Monica's Thanksgiving planning. Joey's insistence on having turkey leads to a comedic cooking challenge, with him promising to consume an entire bird, switching to stretchy maternity pants to give him more room to achieve his ‘Everest’. The menu features a diverse spread catering to different dietary preferences: turkey for Joey, chicken for Chandler, and various side dishes.

Season 9: 'The One With Rachel's Other Sister'

Rachel's disruptive sister Amy creates chaos during this Thanksgiving while Chandler convinces Monica to use their pristine wedding china, with Joey receiving a standard plate (just in case). The feast includes their favourite Rolls, a full bar plus red wine, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and cranberries, all of which Monica recommends cutting midair to protect her plates. All to no avail, as Chandler accidentally shatters all the plates at the end. RIP wedding plates.

Season 10: 'The One With the Late Thanksgiving'

In the final Thanksgiving episode, a stressed Monica reluctantly prepares the meal after her friends' persuasion. But Rachel and Phoebe attend a baby beauty contest, and Joey and Ross spend the afternoon at a Rangers game, all of them showing up hours late to a furious Monica who refuses to let them in. The result is a cold feast that is dramatically spilt when Joey bursts through the door with Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and Chandler's cranberry sauce flying everywhere. All that is forgiven and forgotten when Monica gets the call from the adoption agency saying she and Chandler are getting a baby.