We’ve done all the planning for you and compiled 27 Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes that are sure to please everyone at the dinner table.
Paleo, Gluten free, Vegan, Whole 30, and regular ‘ol “eats anything” people are sure to find more than enough to eat when you plan your Thanksgiving meal around the recipes we’ve rounded up for you.
Use this Thanksgiving Meal Planning Sheet to organize your meal and cook times. Then sit back, have a cup of tea, and relax for a minute before next week’s cooking begins.
If you’re looking for a certain type of Thanksgiving recipe click on the links below to jump to the type of recipe you’re looking for.
Thanksgiving Appetizers
The Wooden Skillet (GF, paleo)
I love boards like this because they allow you to express your creativity and use up things in the fridge or pantry. Follow the recipe exactly as The Wooden Skillet wrote it or use it as an idea springboard for your own Charcuterie board creation. Trade the meat and cheese for plant-based options and you’ve got something for the vegan in your family to enjoy.
– The Fitchen (GF, vegan, paleo, whole 30)
This is such a versatile appetizer. Don’t like cucumber? Use zucchini instead. Don’t like sun dried tomatoes? Use green or black olives in their place. Thank you to The Fitchen for creating such a great healthy + easy appetizer.
– Epicurious (GF, vegan, paleo, whole 30)
What’s not to love about a bowl of warm spiced olives? These aren’t the traditional black “stick on your fingers” olives – they’re all grown up and so much tastier. Change the flavor by using lemon, lime, or grapefruit zest and switching up the herbs.
– Vegan Richa (vegan)
There’s nothing tastier than crisp puff pastry combined with warm cheese and veggies. Get creative and sub kale, Swiss chard, arugula, or collard greens for the spinach. Don’t have a vegan to feed? Use regular cream cheese or goat cheese in place of the vegan cream cheese.
– Minimalist Baker (GF, vegan)
This hummus can be tweaked in so many ways. Sub sweet potato or butternut squash for the pumpkin. Use garbanzo or pinto beans for the white beans. Remember, white beans might be labeled as great northern or cannellini beans in your grocery store.
Thanksgiving Side-Dishes
Kale Salad with Kabocha Squash and Maple Dijon Dressing
– With Food & Love (GF, vegan, paleo, whole 30)
Every ingredient in this recipe is an ingredient you can switch out. If you don’t know what kabocha squash is, use sweet potato, delicata, or butternut squash instead. If you’re guests don’t like spending their Thanksgiving meal chewing kale, use spinach, watercress, or arugula in it’s place. Pumpkin seeds can be traded for sliced almonds or sunflower seeds and the pomegranate can be traded out for diced apple or dried apricots. Yum!
Healthy Waldorf Salad
– The Adventure Bite (GF)
With a little tweak this recipe can be vegan, whole 30, or paleo. Use unsweetened plant-based yogurt to make it vegan and trade the yogurt out for extra-virgin olive oil or an actual avocado to make it paleo and whole 30 compliant. Dried cranberries are typically sugar sweetened so those will need to be removed or replaced with raisins for strict whole 30 and paleo dinner participants.
Wild Rice with Watercress & Hazelnuts
– Epicurious (GF, vegan)
I labeled this vegan because it’s super easy to sub plant-based butter or extra-virgin olive oil for the butter in this recipe. You could also use sprouts, spinach, or arugula in place of the watercress. Recipes like this are great because most any grain or nut can be used in place of the wild rice and hazelnuts so…open the cupboard and use what you’ve already got on hand.
– Peas & Crayons (GF, vegan)
If you use another dried fruit for the dried cranberries and skip the honey this sauce will be paleo and whole 30 compliant. Wow your Thanksgiving guests with homemade cranberry sauce this year. Best part…it can be made ahead.
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
– Fat Free Vegan (GF, vegan)
Gravy is a must have on Thanksgiving and this GF, vegan recipe is one that’ll even have the carnivores at the table gobbling it up. Don’t spend time making more than one gravy, make this one and just don’t tell anyone it’s vegan. They’ll never know.
– Minimalist Baker (vegan, GF*)
I love recipes like this because they’re blank canvases that allow for a lot of tweaking. If you’re needing a GF stuffing then just sub the bread with a GF loaf. Easy peasy. Want to get more veggies into your thanksgiving guests bellies? Dice up some carrots, bell peppers, slice up some mushrooms, and finely chop some kale.
– Love & Lemons (GF, vegan)
This recipe could be paleo and whole 30 but you’ll have to use a white sweet potato for the regular potato the recipe calls for. This recipe is so good that even your mashed potato eating family members will happily devour them. If you do use the white sweet potato you may need to up the garlic, salt, and rosemary to offset the mild sweetness the white sweet potatoes have.
– Hummusapian (GF, vegan)
What’s to tweak on green bean casserole? Nothing as far as I’m concerned. This is an American Thanksgiving classic and a must at anyone’s Thanksgiving table.
– Epicurious (GF, vegan, paleo, whole 30)
Skip the anchovies and Parmesan cheese and this slaw can be enjoyed by everyone at your table. Put the cheese on the side so it can be added by the dairy eating crowd.
– Eating Bird Food (GF, vegan)
This is my mom’s favorite. I love that this one is lower in sugar than traditional sweet potato casserole but still delivers all the flavor. Use butternut squash or pumpkin for a twist on this Thanksgiving favorite.
Thanksgiving Bread Recipes
– My Gluten Free Kitchen (GF)
There’s nothing to substitute with this recipe. Make these and your GF guests will be oh so appreciative.
– Minimalist Baker (vegan)
These rolls call for spelt flour which can be found in most grocers these days. If you don’t have it regular whole wheat flour will work fine. You can try substituting an all-purpose GF flour blend to make these GF and vegan but they may not be as fluffy.
– Sally’s Baking Addiction
You can make these vegan by using plant-based butter instead of regular butter. The health of these rolls can be dialed up by using half whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour.
Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
– Five Heart Home
There’s no switching around to do with these dinner rolls. If you want a soft, fluffy, and healthy dinner roll for your Thanksgiving table then these are them.
Thanksgiving Proteins
– The Spruce Eats (GF, vegan)
Lentil loafs are a great turkey alternative for your no-meat Thanksgiving guests. Skip the ketchup on top and use the mushroom gravy that’s listed above. I’d also suggest using pre-cooked brown rice and adding a hefty dose of finely chopped and sauteed veggies to this loaf. Mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, parsnips, celery, kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens would all mix wonderfully into this lentil loaf.
– Well Plated by Erin (GF, vegan, whole 30, paleo)
First, to make this whole 30 and paleo friendly just skip the chickpeas and optional Parmesan. You could use delicata or acorn squash instead of butternut or have fun and do a mix of different squashes. The beans, quinoa, kale, and cranberries can also be switched out. As long as you’ve got the squash, use the contents of your cupboards to determine how you fill them.
– Crunchy Creamy Sweet (whole 30, paleo)
If you’re Thanksgiving group is small or you’ve got a giant Instant Pot this is a great alternative to oven cooked turkey.
– Epicurious (paleo, whole 30)
There’s nothing better than a short ingredient list that packs a ton of flavor – especially on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
– It’s Yummi (GF, vegan)
Skip the brown sugar in the topping and this crumble will satisfy your paleo and whole 30 guests sweet tooth. Sub the butter with plant-based butter and it’s vegan. The best thing about crumbles is you can use any fruit or combo of fruits and the walnuts can be replaced with whatever nuts you already have. Berries + almonds, apples +hazelnuts, berries + apples + mixed nuts…you get the idea
– It’s Cheat Day Everyday (GF)
This is a great alternative to the traditional pumpkin pie. You can also play around and use sweet potato or butternut squash instead of pumpkin and walnuts or almonds in place of the pecans.
– Paleo Gluten Free Eats (paleo, GF)
Based on the ingredients in this cake I’m pretty certain everyone at the Thanksgiving table’s going to want a piece. It may be GF and paleo but it’s packed with sweet Thanksgiving flavor.
– Connoiseurus Veg (vegan, GF*)
If you’ve got a GF, vegan coming for Thanksgiving then use a GF crust and this pumpkin pie will make them happy happy. It’s another recipe that sweet potato and butternut squash can also be used in place of the pumpkin. So many yummy options.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
– Crunchy Creamy Sweet
In Closing...
There you have it. 27 healthy(ish) recipes for your Thanksgiving meal.
We hope these recipes show everyone at your table that healthy + Thanksgiving + tasty can all go together.
Healthy food can taste delicious and doesn’t always have to be lettuce leaves and fat free dressing. And butter, sugar, and a few carbs should be enjoyed every once in a while.
The key is moderation.
Use a small plate on Thanksgiving, practice mindful eating (learn more about it here), and walk away from the dinner table satisfied but not stuffed.
Enjoy your meal but don’t overdo it. Recognize that even a small bite of something is enough.
Don’t forget…corral the entire dinner group and head out the door for a post meal walk.
Make Healthy & Happy your new Thanksgiving tradition.
We pray God bless and keep you this holiday season. Keep Him at the forefront of all you do and remember that He is the reason for all we’re celebrating.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.
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