Keto Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

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Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving this year or just bringing some dishes to the main event, I can help you cut carbs and sugar this holiday season with these Keto Thanksgiving recipes. This post includes everything from the Thanksgiving turkey with low-carb remakes to traditional sides like cauliflower mac and cheese and cranberry sauce to keto-friendly appetizers for your guests to enjoy while the meat roasts. And, because I hope you know I love keto desserts, there are so many options like my Keto Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars too! No matter what your goals are this holiday season, I know that you’ll be able to use these recipes to craft the perfect Low Carb & Keto Thanksgiving Dinner Menu.

What’s with this Keto Thanksgiving Recipes Menu?

In theory, holiday meals are about the people around the table. However, in reality, holidays are the worst when it comes to how we eat.

I mentioned this before in my Keto Candy post, but I am not the Keto Police. You can opt, just like I do, to choose what you eat during the holidays.

But, I decided to share this post to help those who want to stick to keto over the holidays, and those who just want to make adjustments to their menu to cut carbs and sugar.

Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Keto-friendly cauliflower mac and cheese is rich and creamy comfort food at its best without the added carbs.

Get this Recipe

How to Not Gain 10lbs because “it’s Thanksgiving!”

For me, and maybe you’re better at this, my “just one meal” on Thanksgiving used to turn into weeks of poor eating that undermined all of the progress I made. So, if you’re looking for strategies to help stay on track this holiday season, here are some tips that worked for me:

Decided which dishes I wasn’t willing to give up

My grandmother’s recipe for cornbread stuffing is one dish I need in my life “as is”. I only have it on Thanksgiving and I don’t bother finding a replacement. Do you have a few dishes that you just want to enjoy as is?

Made Less Food

I am often the host of Thanksgiving dinner. This means that I control how much food is available. I cut the amount of food that I made in half and purchased takeout containers for my guests.

For me, this meant I had just enough for 1 day of leftovers after my guests took things home.

Replaced some favorites with keto versions

I cook a ton of keto-friendly foods. So, I know which things are perfect replacements for the real thing.

And, fortunately for me, many of the desserts that I make are one-to-one substitutes. Specifically, my keto cheesecakes that are filled with sugar taste exactly like the keto cheesecakes that I make with sugar replacements. So, I just swap some regular versions with the keto-friendly version.

Healthy Keto Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars

Get your low carb pumpkin fix with these delicious keto pumpkin bars. Creamy layers of cheesecake and perfectly spiced pumpkin pie sit on top of a buttery crust!

Get this Recipe

close-up of three keto pumpkin pie cheesecake bars stacked on top of each other

How to Use these Keto Thanksgiving Recipes to Make the Perfect Dinner Menu

As I mentioned, you can use this post to craft the perfect dinner menu. To do that, I recommend the following for mixing and matching recipes in this post:

Choose 1-2 proteins from these Main Dishes
Pair those with 1-2 Appetizers for your guests to enjoy while the meat roasts
Add 1-2 Vegetable Side Sides to go with your turkey
Choose 1-2 Rolls, Sauces or Stuffing
Choose 1-2 Desserts

Need recipes for Christmas?

Even though they are a month apart, it seems like Christmas is so close to Thanksgiving. I’m not sure about you, but I tend to make fewer and more casual recipes for that dinner.

If you’re preparing for Christmas, then you can check out my Ultimate Keto Christmas Dinner Menu as well as these keto Christmas cookies to bake.

Thanksgiving Main Dishes

While turkey may be the traditional meat on your Thanksgiving table, you might want to give my Pressure Cooker Pot Roast a try. The flavor is exceptional, and it can really give your guests a break if they have more than one gathering that weekend.

Feel free to serve chicken or even a simple turkey breast if your family is smaller.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Keto Thanksgiving Turkey -My PCOS Kitchen

Easy Cast Iron Whole Roasted Chicken – Strength and Sunshine

The Best Brined Whole Turkey – Easy & Delish

How to Spatchcock a Chicken – Whole New Mom

Easy Baked Sirloin Roast with Herb Rub – Beauty and the Foodie

Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Appetizers

I try not to go overboard on appetizers while the bird is cooking, so I don’t overeat across the entire day, but sometimes you just need something to munch on, especially if you serve your meal later in the day.

Shrimp and bacon make for hearty flavors in small packages. You could even serve just appetizers as a fun take on the main meal, maybe in between Black Friday deal shopping!

Low-Carb Roasted Pumpkin Salad – Simply So Healthy

Savory Bacon Cranberry Cheese Tartlets – Beauty and the Foodie

Easy Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Appetizer – The Foodie Affair

Keto Shrimp Guacamole and Bacon – Low-Carb with Jennifer

Low-Carb Mini Bacon Chive Cheeseballs – Simply So Healthy

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus – Wholesome Yum

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms – The Foodie Affair

Vegan Almond Feta Cheese – Whole New Mom

Easy Cheese Ball Recipe with Cream Cheese, Bacon & Green Onion – Wholesome Yum

Zero Carb Thanksgiving Platter – Step Away From the Carbs

Thanksgiving Side Dishes & Vegetables

Some people say the table wouldn’t be complete without green bean casserole, so I made sure to find one that was Keto-friendly.

You can also simply roast vegetables like Brussels sprouts, which would fit just about every single dietary need. Going Keto for Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be complicated.

Crispy Air Fryer Green Beans – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Creamed Spinach – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Garlic Butter Mushrooms – Chef Not Required

Keto Brussels Sprouts Casserole – Simply Stacie

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Low-Carb Pecan Stuffing – Simply So Healthy

Sauteed Green Beans – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Keto Cauliflower Stuffing – KimspiredDIY

Instant Pot Rutabaga Mash – Recipes from a Pantry

Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts – To Simply Inspire

Riced Cabbage – Low Carb Africa

Keto Green Bean Casserole – Yellow Glass Dish

Keto Mashed Cauliflower – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Rolls, Sauces, Stuffing & Gravy

How amazing do these Parmesan Bread Bites look? Your guests won’t even know they are eating Keto, and everyone will get to break bread together. Cranberry sauce is another strong tradition, and you can easily make it sugar-free to fit keto or simply to make sure you save your sugar for dessert!

Keto Cornbread – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Keto Cranberry Sauce – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Keto Gravy – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Keto Parmesan Garlic Bread Bites – Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Keto Pull-Apart Clover Rolls – Beauty and the Foodie

Easy Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Marinade – Savory Spin

Herb Sausage Stuffing – Keto Cooking Christian

Keto Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – KimspiredDIY

Easy Keto Thanksgiving Desserts

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without pumpkin – so I’m sharing my bars. Plus, to keep the pumpkin theme, I found a mousse and a pie!

You won’t miss the extra sugar, but you’ll still get the satisfaction of a sweet bite to end the day. I won’t tell if you come back for seconds! I might even want to serve the Blueberry Cobbler as breakfast the next morning.