Planning a holiday menu when you’re trying to follow a specific health plan isn’t always easy. Let us help you plan your Thanksgiving or holiday dinner with our favorite low carb and keto-friendly holiday recipes!
We have 25+ of the best keto Thanksgiving recipes from your appetizers, main dish, side dishes, sauces and dessert!
Some of the dishes are low carb and might not be true keto. We have a wide variety of readers and some try to follow strict keto during the holidays, and others are just trying to keep their carbs down but want to still enjoy their favorite holiday. Just do what’s best for you and your health program!
Keto Thanksgiving Menu
Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is always one of my favorite family celebrations. For the most part we stick to the same core dishes but it’s always nice to add in a few new surprises each year.
As a general rule of thumb, here’s what I serve as our Keto Thanksgiving Menu, if you can get your guests to help bring some of the dishes, even better!
My go-to holiday appetizer is just putting together a simple meat and cheese board, with the addition of low carb vegetables. No one would guess it’s low carb and it’s ALWAYS an impressive crowd pleaser. Even better? This is an easy dish for older kids to assemble for you!
- 2-3 appetizers
- turkey
- 2-4 hot side dishes (depending on your party size)
- salad
- bread (whether it be keto or just bread for your non-keto guests)
- 1-2 desserts
Holiday Meal Planning Easy
Wondering how to juggle it all and not end up stressed and frazzled by the time dinner is served? Here’s my top tips after serving large holiday meals for the past 20+ years:
- Get your guests to help! Trust me, they WANT to! Whether it be to bring a dish or help with prep, let them assist.
- Assemble the baked dishes and desserts 2-3 days in advance.
- Set the table the day before.
- Don’t make everything from scratch, some store-bought items like a meat and cheese tray or olives for an appetizer are just fine.
- Make some dishes in a crockpot, instant pot, or air fryer to free up oven space
- Put older kids (and spouses!) to work. Don’t try to do it all.
- Scared of a big turkey? Cook turkey breasts instead.
LOW CARB APPETIZERS
Hot Artichoke Green Chili Dip
By Whole Lotta Yum
BBQ Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Recipe can be found on Ruled.me
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Mushrooms
Recipe can be found on Snappy Gourmet
Low Carb Keto Charcuterie Board
Recipe by Whole Lotta Yum
HOLIDAY MAIN DISH
Herb and Butter Roasted Turkey
Recipe can be found on Half Baked Harvest
If you’re looking for a recipe for a whole turkey, this is a fabulous one to try! The turkey recipe itself is low carb, gluten free and keto friendly, the gravy is NOT. Please substitute with the keto gravy instructions posted further down in this post as a substitute!
Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Find the recipe on Whole Lotta Yum
Do you have an air fryer yet?? Thanksgiving might just be the best time to go out and get one if it’s been on your wish list! Here’s our recipe for yummy air fried turkey breast that cooks in under an hour.
Low Carb Crock-pot Tuscan Turkey Breast
Find the Recipe on Seeking Good Eats
Sometimes you don’t want to deal with a huge messy turkey, maybe it’s because you want to keep it simple or maybe you just don’t want or need that much meat!
My sister has the PERFECT easy turkey solution for you on her food blog, Seeking Good Eats! She just cooks the turkey breast, but what keeps it moist and perfect every time, is that she makes it in her slow cooker instead of the oven.
POTATO AND POTATO SUBSTITUTES
Low Carb “Sweet Potato” Casserole
Find the recipe on Wholesome Yum
Wholesome Yum does it again! Maya is one of my favorite low carb food bloggers and hits it out of the ballpark time after time with her healthy adaptions of not healthy recipes. Her sweet potato casserole tastes just like the real deal, but instead uses a mix of butternut squash and cauliflower. There’s only 5 net carbs in each serving!
Loaded Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Find the recipe on Evolving Table
Creamy Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes w/ Keto Gravy
Find the recipe on Keto Connect
Keto Roasted Radishes
Find the recipe on Whole Lotta Yum
Before you turn up your nose at the thought of roasted radishes, you’ll be surprised to hear that radishes are actually the closest tasting cooked vegetable to our dear old friend the potato!
Even my teen son and his friends like this dish when they found themselves my taste testers at their recent get-together.
HEALTHY LOW CARB STUFFINGS
Keto Thanksgiving Stuffing
Find the recipe on Keto Diet App
HOT VEGGIE SIDE DISHES
Brussel Sprouts with Cream Sauce & Bacon
This simple brussel sprouts casserole is one of the most popular on our site! I promise, even brussel sprouts haters will love this casserole.
Find the recipe on Whole Lotta Yum
Asparagus with Brown Butter Hollandaise
Find the recipe at Low Carb Maven
Creamy Broccoli Bacon Bake
Find the recipe on Kraft Recipes
Low Carb Green Bean Casserole
Find the recipe on Low Carb Maven
LOW CARB BREADS
Low Carb & Keto Dinner Rolls
Find the recipe on Low Carb Maven
Low Carb Biscuits
Find the recipe on Heart of a Country Home
Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins
Find the recipe on Kirbie’s Cravings
YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY SAUCES
Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
Find the Recipe on Wholesome Yum
Keto Gravy
Find the recipe on Keto Diet App
LOW CARB HOLIDAYS DESSERTS
Keto Crustless Pumpkin Pie
If you’re looking for an AMAZING keto pumpkin pie recipe that does NOT have a crust, then you’ll definitely want to make our keto crustless pumpkin pie. This is easy to adapt and bake individual servings into ramekins too.
Find the recipe on Whole Lotta Yum
4 net carbs per serving
Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
Find the recipe on Foodie Affair
6 net carbs per serving
Low Carb Pumpkin Pie
Find the recipe on Briana Thomas’s blog
Low Carb Pecan Pie Bites
Find the recipe on Joy Filled Eats
If you need more Keto holiday recipes, you’ll want to check out our other posts!
- 18 Keto Side Dishes
- 25 Days of the Best Keto Christmas Cookies
- 12 Keto Fat Bombs & Candies You Can’t Resist
And don’t forget the sugar free cocktails during the holidays!
Enjoy! I hope you love these recipes as much as I do!! XOXO, Jen
Jillian says
Your Thanksgiving menu looks delicious! I may use some of these recipes myself. Thanks for including my grain-free, wheat-free, gluten-free almond biscuit recipe! 🙂
WholeLottaYum says
Thank you, Jillian! You’re welcome! And I can’t wait to try your biscuits!!