Plan your ultimate menu with these Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes. Enjoy all your holiday favorites without sacrificing any flavor with lots of gluten-free options to choose from. I’ve put together my ‘all-out’ and my ‘super simple’ Thanksgiving menus below for inspiration.
Celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in a more relaxed way with my make-ahead tips. Or if you’re looking for super simple, I have you covered for that too.
It’s taken years to get all our family favorites written down and made gluten-free. But I hope these recipes will help you to have the best Thanksgiving too.
No one wants to feel like they’re left out with dietary restrictions of course. So I hope these recipes will help you to have the perfect holiday without feeling like you need to make a million things!
We’ll start out with my ‘all-out’ Thanksgiving menu and my ‘ultra simple’. But there’s no need to stick to the menu listed!
I’ve also included some favorite appetizers, side dishes, and desserts here as well. You can also head over to the Thanksgiving section of the recipe index. From there you can customize your own menu.
All Out Gluten Free Thanksgiving Menu
- Appetizers – I like to make my Antipasto Platter or Cheeseboard because they’re both no-cook grazing options.
- Smoked Turkey – straight from the Traeger recipe, or you can follow my smoked chicken breasts recipe for a simpler option.
- Gluten-Free Gravy – with my gluten-free flour tips, no one will ever know the gravy is gluten-free. You’ll also find my handy gravy ratio in that recipe so you can expand it to fit as many drippings as you need.
- Best Mashed Potatoes – these are best made right before serving and I know you’re going to love the incredible texture these have. The secret is to add the butter before any liquid and you’ll be surprised how much difference it makes!
- Butternut Stuffing – is completely grain-free and it’s always been a hit even with people who don’t need to be gluten-free. You’ll find some make-ahead tips in this recipe as well.
- Cranberry Orange Sauce – super easy to make, this is my go-to cranberry sauce and you can make this several days ahead as well.
- Sweet Potato Casserole – also has make-ahead options to help you out.
- Green Beans with Bacon & Mushrooms – the bacon mushroom sauce can be made ahead, then reheated to toss with your freshly steamed green beans. It’s also made on the stovetop to free up oven space.
- Maple Glazed Carrots – these also have a stovetop option to free up oven space and they’re always the biggest veggie hit thanks to the browned butter and sage.
- Apple Spinach Salad – don’t underestimate how nice a fresh salad is with Thanksgiving dinner. This one balances out all the other flavors.
- Desserts – Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Crisp or Pumpkin Pie, and Pecan Pie Bars with my Homemade Whipped Cream and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.
Whew… this is ambitious, but it does make for an incredible all-out kind of Thanksgiving. You can definitely prep quite a bit ahead to make it easier.
Also, I hope you feel free to customize this menu according to your family traditions, add to it, or simplify it! Head over to my Thanksgiving section of the recipe index for all my recipes.
Ultra Simple Gluten Free Thanksgiving Menu
- Smoked Chicken Breasts – these are super easy to make in just over an hour and you can cook as much as your smoker will allow. This recipe is especially good if you want to have a smaller Thanksgiving without a ton of leftover turkey.
- Mashed Potatoes – my best ever mashed potatoes are a must in our house because we lean towards potatoes over stuffing.
- Gluten Free Gravy – you can make this with or without drippings, so if you smoke the chicken just make the basic gravy without drippings.
- Cranberry Orange Sauce – super easy and made ahead, a little cranberry sauce is essential to me in even the simplest menu.
- Optional Stuffing – I know stuffing isn’t optional for every family, but to keep things simple I like to choose either stuffing or mashed potatoes depending on who I’m serving.
- Pick a Veggie – Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Broccoli, or Maple Glazed Carrots. Or go fresh with my Apple Spinach Salad.
- Pick a dessert – Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Crisp, or Paleo Pecan Pie Bars are all classics paired with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
And that’s it, a super simple gluten-free Thanksgiving Menu! Feel free to add more or less to the list above.
But I’ve found it so nice to think about Thanksgiving from a simpler perspective and just choose a few dishes rather than trying to go all out. For the simplest ever Thanksgiving meal make my Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots and choose a dessert.
Appetizers
- How to Make an Antipasto Platter is my #1 go-to appetizer recipe because you don’t need to cook anything and it can be prepped beforehand. It’s also easy to make on a small platter or expand it to feed a crowd.
- Cheese Board – this recipe can also be prepped ahead for as many as you’d like.
- Bacon Wrapped Dates – these can also be prepped ahead and are always a hit.
- Deviled Eggs + 10 toppings – these are always fun and you can top them with as many of the 10 options as you’d like.
- Butternut Hummus – another make-ahead option that’s truly stunning for the holidays.
- Cranberry Kombucha Mocktail – these are so fun and festive, and the cranberry-orange combo is always welcome during the holidays. You can also check out my 5 Kombucha Mocktails for more flavor combinations.
Best Gluten Free Thanksgiving Sides
- Paleo Butternut Stuffing
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Simple Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole
- Green Beans with Bacon and Mushrooms
- Maple Glazed Carrots
- Caramelized Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
- Garlic Roasted Carrots
- Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Broccoli
- Best Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Sautéed Green Beans
- Apple Spinach Salad
Sauce Recipes
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Gluten Free Gravy
- Mushroom Cream Sauce or Garlic Parmesan Sauce for a ‘fancy’ option. These sauces are both really great with Thanksgiving recipes and you can serve them instead of gravy or serve both sauce and gravy.
Gluten Free Thanksgiving Desserts
- Gluten Free Apple Crisp
- Gluten Free Apple Pie Bars
- Pumpkin Crisp
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie
- Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
- Gluten Free Caramel Apple Galette
- Death by Chocolate – this is traditional at celebrations in my husband’s family and I love adding chocolate to a Thanksgiving menu!
Tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner
- My #1 tip for a relatively stress-free Thanksgiving Day is to choose several make-ahead recipes. And don’t overcomplicate the menu, less is more. Or less menu = less potential stress!
- If possible have your guests bring 1 side dish, dessert, or appetizer each to take the pressure off.
- Choose what recipes you make by how much ‘real estate’ they take up on your stove and in your oven. There are only so many dishes you can cram in the oven at once. And there’s very little room if you’re roasting a turkey. Try choosing as many ahead options as you can. And possibly smoking your turkey if you have that type of grill/smoker will help a lot. If you’re doing a smaller dinner, consider getting a smoked turkey breast you can heat up in the slow cooker. Or try making my Smoked Chicken Breasts.
- Shop ahead as many days as possible to avoid last-minute rushing.
- For the desserts, you can make whipped cream hours ahead of time and refrigerate it. I like to bake everything the morning of, so the crust and crisp toppings are crispy. You can make the crisp topping ahead of time and freeze until you’re ready to use it. It will keep 2-3 days in the fridge or 1-2 months in the freezer. Also if you’re making ice cream, it can be made 1 week in advance.
I really hope this Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes post was helpful. If you do get a chance to make any of these recipes, I hope you’ll leave me a comment or rating. I’d love to hear how your experience went.