Families that get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which used to be called Food Stamps, can stretch their budgets to make holiday meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
With a little planning, you can buy many traditional holiday foods with your SNAP EBT card.
Thanksgiving Favorites: Roast Turkey and Cranberry Sauce
For many people, roast turkey with herb butter is the most famous Thanksgiving dish. The following foods can be bought with SNAP benefits:
- Whole turkey
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh herbs (such as sage, thyme, or rosemary)
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Salt and pepper
All of these things can be bought with SNAP benefits, as long as they are in stock at your local grocery store.
You will need the following to make a traditional cranberry sauce with orange cinnamon:
- Fresh cranberries
- Orange juice and zest
- Sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Water
You can also get these things with SNAP, which makes it easy to make a tasty side dish for Thanksgiving.
Christmas Delights: Prime Rib and Gingerbread Cookies
People often eat prime rib with garlic and rosemary for Christmas dinner. These things are covered by SNAP benefits:
- Prime rib roast
- Garlic
- Fresh rosemary and thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
If you want to make gingerbread cookies for dessert, you can also use your SNAP benefits to buy everything you need:
- All-purpose flour
- Ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves
- Molasses
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Baking soda
- Butter
Even things like molasses, which are often checked to see if they are eligible, can be bought at big stores like Walmart with SNAP.
What You Can’t Buy with SNAP
SNAP benefits cover a lot of necessary groceries, but there are some things that are not covered:
- Alcoholic beverages (e.g., wine, beer, whiskey)
- Pet food
- Household supplies (e.g., paper products, cleaning items)
- Cosmetics and hygiene products
- Live animals (except for fish or shellfish removed from water)
- Hot meals
- Vitamins, medicines, and supplements
Stretch Your Benefits This Holiday Season
You can make memorable holiday meals for your family without going broke if you plan ahead and know if you are eligible for SNAP.
Check your SNAP balance and shop early to avoid holiday shortages and make sure your Thanksgiving and Christmas tables are full of tasty home-cooked meals.