Looking for a low-carb, keto-friendly Thanksgiving menu? Look no further. These delicious recipes — from bacon-stuffing bites, all the way to gooey pecan pie — are shockingly low in carbs, but definitely don’t skimp on flavor. Make every recipe if you want a fully keto feast, or pick and choose a few favorites to add to a traditional Thanksgiving table.
1. Bacon-Wrapped Stuffing Bites
Image credit: Who Needs A Cape?
This one’s an easy, quick crowd-pleaser. To make this near-perfect Thanksgiving appetizer recipe keto-friendly, just replace the stuffing the recipe recommends with a keto stuffing (like the one below). If your stuffing comes out on the dryer side, add an egg to the mixture to act as a binder before preparing these bites.
2. Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan & Mushrooms
Image credit: Well Plated By Erin
Spaghetti squash is a perfect fit for a keto diet since it’s lower-carb than other winter squashes: In one cup of cooked spaghetti squash, you’ll find just 10 grams of total carbs. This is an easy yet memorable side dish (or for non-holiday days, a great vegetarian main course).
3. Keto Cranberry Sauce
Is it really Thanksgiving without any cranberry sauce? We think not. By using orange zest, you can get that nostalgic aroma (although we’d recommend increasing the amount of zest used in this recipe by half). Using a monkfruit sweetener in place of sugar also means you can replicate the same sweet-tart flavor you love from cranberry sauce while staying keto.
4. Keto-Friendly Stuffing
Image Credit: It’s Simple by How to Do This and That
This is honestly one of our favorite keto Thanksgiving recipes. It’s the most classic-stuffing-feeling of any keto dressing recipe we’ve come across (although, pro tip: we’d recommend adding an onion). If you want a variation on the classic stuffing theme, we also like this version, which makes use of crunchy pork rinds, and this creative interpretation of stuffing, which uses cauliflower in lieu of keto bread.
5. Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast
Image credit: The Cookie Rookie
Well, this recipe is a serious Thanksgiving show-stopper. A turkey breast won’t feed a massive crowd, but if you’re celebrating with a Thanksgiving of eight or fewer people this year, this carefully bacon-wrapped turkey breast is about as keto-friendly, celebratory, and delicious as you can get.
6. Low-Carb Gravy
This keto gravy recipe uses egg yolks to create a round, creamy richness. Traditionally, flour is used to thicken up gravy, but if you’re having trouble getting this one to the thicker side, use ⅛ teaspoon of xanthan gum or arrowroot powder to help it come together to the consistency you’re looking for.
7. Sausage and Cabbage Skillet
Image credit: Maebells
This is such a fast, delicious side dish for Thanksgiving that you’ll want to keep in your recipe book and re-make the rest of winter. Cook for just four or five minutes to keep a crunch in the cabbage, or if you want that glossy, soft texture, keep it on the stove for 10 minutes or more.
8. Keto Garlic Dinner Rolls
Image credit: Gimme Delicious
Trust us, these keto rolls are extremely good. Fluffy and cheesy, each roll has only 4g of net carbs. If you want them to have that extra-buttery feeling on top, just reserve a few tablespoons of the garlic butter mixture to spread onto the rolls after baking. We think Thanksgiving is the ideal time to go for extra garlic butter, so we’re in full support.
9. Roasted Radicchio and Prosciutto with Balsamic
Image credit: LeRoux Kitchen
This is such an elegant, seasonal side dish. While this roasted radicchio recipe is best piping hot, it’s also very good at room temperature, which is an important consideration if you’re bringing a dish to someone else’s home for Thanksgiving. After the ingredients are prepped, it also takes just seven minutes to prepare, so it’s a good one to make in a brief moment if the stovetop is pretty busy.
10. Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Image credit: Cafe Delites
Mashed potatoes are such a Thanksgiving staple, it’s hard to imagine the holiday without them. For a great keto option, however, you should check out this garlic mashed cauliflower, which has a creamy texture that… well, we won’t say it’s the same as mashed potatoes, but it’s tasty in its own right. And feel free to go with eight or ten cloves of garlic instead of the recommended six — assuming your crowd likes their mashes as garlicky as we do.
11. Keto Pecan Pie
Image credit: Life Made Sweeter
Keto Thanksgiving desserts aren’t as difficult to make as you might think. The crust for this pie relies on a combination of almond and coconut flour (along with plenty of grass-fed butter) to give it that warm, crumbly texture, and the filling utilizes coconut milk to achieve the classic, gooey pecan pie texture.
12. Low-Carb Cranberry Bars with Streusel Topping
Image credit: I Breathe I’m Hungry
This is an easy-to-make keto Thanksgiving dessert that’s excellent to have on-hand throughout the holidays in case guests stop by. To that point: they also freeze extremely well, and you can just pop them into a 300 degree oven for a few minutes to warm them back up if you don’t have to time defrost in the fridge. This recipe is lovely on its own, but would also be great served with clementine wedges. Bonus: the leftovers make an excellent breakfast the next day.
Jess Novak is the Head of Content and Audience Development for Clean Plates. She’s obsessed with making meals that taste like they’re not healthy but secretly really are. You can follow her on Instagram @jtothenovak.
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