Here in the States, it’s basically a foregone conclusion that you will gain weight over the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is America’s poster child for unabashed binge eating. All of that fatty food means you have to get fat, right? Well, with a ketogenic Thanksgiving, maybe something else is possible!
The star of the show, turkey, is totally fine (though you may not want to overdo it with the protein). Instead, the biggest culprits during Thanksgiving are the sides and desserts.
We are looking to find keto substitutes for Thanksgiving sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing and more.
As for keto Thanksgiving desserts, we want to replace the sugar and crust used in foods like pies and cobblers.
And, don’t forget those drinks– they all have tons of sugar in them as well.
With the sheer amount of food you will likely eat, we are aiming for lower carb versions of all our favorites. Our goal is to limit the damage and still satisfy all your comfort cravings.
First, here are some general tips on how to stay keto on Thanksgiving.
General Tip: Sugar out, Alternative Sweeteners in
Almost every Thanksgiving food recipe contains added sugar. One of the biggest swaps we can make is to replace the “real” sugar for a sugar substitute.
For baking we prefer Swerve
For drinks, we prefer Stevia
Intermittent Fasting before the big meal is a solid strategy on Thanksgiving
Everyone thinks they are starving themselves waiting to binge on a huge Thanksgiving meal, but fat-adapted keto dieters know better. We’re actually prolonging ketosis by fasting and increasing our blood ketone levels.
That means fasting until your meal will set you up for success.
Ketogenic Thanksgiving Recipes for all your favorite dishes!
Here are some great recipe ideas for a ketogenic Thanksgiving!
Pro-Tip: Real quick before we get into it. There’s a lot of cooking ahead of you. Why don’t you try our keto-friendly Peppermint Mocha Latte recipe to help get you through the marathon that is prepping for Thanksgiving dinner?!
Green Bean Casserole
This is definitely one of our favorite holiday dishes. But Green Bean Casserole is one of those dishes that you might think there isn’t a lot of carb content. However, the fried onions really add up as well as the hidden thickener in the cream of mushroom soup (most are 10g per can!).
This Green Bean Casserole recipe gets it right by making a baked fried onion alternative without breading to keep the flavor. Also, you build your own cream of mushroom with heavy whipping cream.
Stuffing
The primary ingredient in stuffing is bread, which makes sense because the whole idea is to soak in all the flavors and juices. Bread is the perfect vessel for that, however, normal bread contains tons of carbs.
That’s where our savory friend almond flour comes to the rescue and is able to turn a classic stuffing into one of the keto Thanksgiving sides you can easily enjoy.
Check out this recipe for Savory Keto Stuffing from Low Carbe Diem.
- The recipe contains a nested recipe for making almond flour bread. But, with all the cooking that’s going on, you might not have enough time for that. Instead, try Liberated Specialty Foods Cashew Creme Bread.
- We don’t use the cashew bread for sandwiches due to the dense, crumbly texture. But, for that exact same reason, this stuff works amazingly well in stuffing recipes.
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
A staple of any holiday meal is mashed potatoes. However, the starch content makes mashed potatoes a big keto no-no.
However, cauliflower again saves the day! Check out this Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic recipe. You won’t be able to the tell difference, plus roasted garlic kicks it up a notch.
Gravy
As simple as gravy seems, it can be pretty complex to make. Those turkey-meat drippings that hold all the flavor are wonderful for keto. However, the real issue is that flour is added to thicken the gravy.
Luckily, this Keto Gravy recipe forgoes all flour and uses ghee and cream instead! You get an even richer gravy without any of those unnecessary carbohydrates!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts have always been on the infamous list of vegetables that people love to hate on. But, in recent years, they have now become fashionable. It turns out, they are absolutely delicious and low carb to boot!
This Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon recipe is so simple yet packs ton of flavor. Bacon complements everything well, but especially Brussels sprouts.
Cranberry Sauce
Did you know that most of the sweetness from cranberry sauce actually comes from added sugar? That’s why almost every ingredient label you find will have sweetened cranberries listed.
That actually works in our favor, as we can use any number of keto-friendly sweeteners instead of sugar, such as erythritol. Just note that if you use powdered erythritol (such as Swerve Confectioners sweetener), that you should use significantly less than the recipe calls for.
This Cranberry Sauce recipe uses 4 ingredients to make a low carb, sugar-free cranberry sauce.
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
We love a super savory jalapeno cheddar cornbread. Cornbread is normally made from cornmeal, which is off-limits. However, just substitute in Good Dee’s Cornbread Mix which has 0g net carbs and you’re set.
You can use Good Dee’s mix in this easy Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread recipe and you’re good to go!
Mac & Cheese
This cheesy and gooey classic will be an easy hit, especially among kids. By swapping out macaroni with cauliflower, this becomes a super keto-friendly dish. This Califlower “Mac” and Cheese recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
If you feel there is already too much cauliflower on your menu, you can try the low net carb Pasta Zero.
Pumpkin Soup
We found a great Pumpkin Soup Recipe that also happens to be low carb!
If you’re not familiar with this particular dish, spices like nutmeg and cinnamon combine perfectly to balance the slightly sweet flavor of pumpkin. It’s a soothing, warm dish that works great as a holiday appetizer or first course.
And while pumpkin may have a relatively high glycemic index value, it actually has a very low glycemic load— so eat up!
Biscuits with Cinnamon Butter
What happens when you mix low carb biscuits with cinnamon butter? You get an absolutely mouth-watering mix of sweet and savory. As a bonus, the almond flour makes these biscuits that much more fatty and delicious.
Just combine Keto Biscuits Recipe + Keto Cinnamon Butter recipe = Perfection
Pro-Tip: Looking for some low carb buns instead of making your own biscuits? Try the 0g net carb option from Smart Buns! Warm them up and you’re ready to go!
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Not sick of Cauliflower yet? This Whole Roasted Cauliflower with butter is a simple option for a savory, low carb side.
Sweet Potato Casserole
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without sweet potato. And nothing goes better with sweet potatoes like sugar and butter.
How do we make the sweet potato casserole keto-friendly? This great Low Carb Sweet Potato Casserole recipe swaps out the sweet potato for a combo of butternut squash and cauliflower to keep the carbs low. Plus, they cook with low glycemic sweeteners!
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is a must-have dessert at any Thanksgiving dinner. ‘Nuff said.
The culprits are the crust and the sweetener and this Keto Pumpkin Pie recipe takes care of both by using coconut flour and a low carb sweetener.
Pro-Tip #1: The crust is probably the most time-consuming part. If you want a pre-made crust that is already super low carb, check out Cali’Flour Foods’ Pumpkin Spice Crust.
Pro-Tip #2: Whipped cream is, of course, fine. Just use real heavy whipping cream and sweeten it with Swerve Powdered Confectioner’s Sweetener
Pecan Pie
Did you know that pecans are one of the most keto-friendly nuts? That means they make a great ingredient for dessert pies. All you have to do is deal with swapping out the sugar for an approved sweetener and you’re good
Check out this delicious Low Carb Pecan Pie recipe that does just that.
Hot Apple Cider
Hot and spicy apple drink by the fire? Yes, please!
Check out our very own recipe for Hot Mulled Apple Cider! We use Apple Cider Vinegar and a keto-friendly sweetener to make this low carb and delicious.
Hot Cocoa
This one is easy. Everyone loves hot chocolate and the easiest way to get there is hot water and some mix. Most of the classic mixes are loaded with sugar, but there are some great just-add-water, keto-friendly mixes like Lakanto’s Drinking Chocolate Mix!
That wraps up our list of Ketogenic Thanksgiving Recipes! Enjoy and happy holidays!
~Sonja & Thanh
