Thanksgiving is always celebrated with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner – a spread of delicious food. Many love Thanksgiving for that exact reason – they dream about food that will be served at the Thanksgiving dinner all year round.
However, that food is usually high in fats and carbs. While that’s totally okay for some people, if you are on a low carb diet and you don’t want to break it, you might struggle with finding low carb Thanksgiving side dishes on a table, unless you bring them yourself.
But lucky for you, there are delicious low carb Thanksgiving side dishes, that are both keto-friendly, and delicious even for those who aren’t low carb and aren’t strictly looking for a low carb side dish.
So, I’m sharing a roundup of low carb Thanksgiving recipes, where each side dish recipe is low carb friendly, and full of flavor!
40 Best Low Carb Thanksgiving Sides
Brussels Sprouts & Bacon
Ingredients:
2 cups Brussels sprouts – 112 calories
3 Uncured bacon, slice – 132 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, crumbled, blue cheese – 159 calories
Instructions:
Cut bacon into small pieces with kitchen shears.
Add bacon to pan, cook on lowest heat ~10 minutes stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Chop hard ends off of Brussels sprouts & then cut them in half.
Spray oven safe pan or casserole container with an oil spray – add in all ingredients.
Bake for 30 minutes, mixing around ingredients midway through.
Notes: No pork? Use turkey bacon or soy bacon. No dairy? Use oil instead of the oil spray.
Cauliflower Bake
Ingredients:
2 cups Cauliflower florets – 50 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, cheddar – 152 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, grated (cups) – 115 calories
0.0625 cup Heavy Cream (cups) – 25 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
1 tsp Red pepper flakes, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
This recipe works best when making 2+ servings at once.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray an oven-safe dish with an oil spray.
Cut cauliflower pieces into small pieces.
Spray a pan with an oil spray.
Stir fry cauliflower pieces for ~6 minutes.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, transfer to oven-safe dish.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Loaded Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups Cauliflower rice, raw (already riced) – 76 calories
1 Zucchini, medium – 33 calories
3 Uncured bacon, slice – 132 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, shaved (cups) – 111 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Slice zucchini into small pieces, cut bacon into small pieces with kitchen shears
Add bacon to pan, stir fry for ~10 minutes on low heat, or until bacon has cooked through
Add cauli rice to pan for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add in zucchini for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Top with garlic salt and Parm cheese, mix in ~2 minutes, stirring occasionally
No dairy? Use oil. No bacon? Use turkey or soy bacon.
Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
2 cups Cauliflower rice, raw (already riced) – 76 calories
2 Tbsp Cream cheese, whipped (Tbsp) – 66 calories
¼ cup Cheese, shredded, cheddar – 114 calories
¼ cup Cheese, Parmesan, grated (cups) – 86.25 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
This recipe works best when making 2-3 servings at one time. So double or triple the ingredients above & portion into 2-3 servings.
Spray pot with an oil spray.
Stir fry cauli rice for 7 minutes, stirring frequently, on low heat.
Add in the rest of the ingredients, stirring continuously.
Make sure whole pot contents is heated through, serve immediately.
Dairy-free? Use dairy-free cheeses or swap this meal out for something else you’d prefer.
Comfort Casserole
Ingredients:
½ cup Tomatoes, canned, crushed – 25 calories
4 oz Ground beef, 90% lean, raw – 185 calories
¼ cup Ricotta cheese, part-skim – 108 calories
1 cup Cauliflower rice, raw (already riced) – 38 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, mozzarella – 112 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
1 Basil, dash – 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash – 0 calories
Ins
tructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
This recipe works best when making 2-3 servings at once. So double or triple the ingredients above, then divide into 2 or 3 equal sized portions when ready to eat.
Spray a pan with an oil spray. Stir fry cauliflower rice and ground beef on medium heat for about 8 minutes, until beef is cooked through and you see some browning in the cauli rice.
Spray casserole dish with an oil spray.
Combine all ingredients into the casserole dish, bake for 25 minutes.
No beef? Use ground turkey, tofu, or beans. No dairy? Use dairy-free cheeses, or swap this meal out for another.
Feta Tomato Pasta with Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
3 oz Feta, block – 225 calories
2 cups Tomatoes, grape – 64 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) – 119 calories
1 Salt, dash – 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories
1 tsp Garlic, minced (tsp) – 0 calories
2 cups Squash, spaghetti – 90 calories
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 deg F.
Spray a small casserole dish with an oil spray.
Add in tomatoes. Top with olive oil, garlic, and spices, mix so everything is coated.
Add in feta cheese in the center of the casserole dish.
Slice spaghetti squash if you haven’t already (be careful!).
Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper & spray it with an oil spray. Put spaghetti squash on top of baking sheet, cut side down.
Bake casserole dish with tomatoes & feta, and spaghetti squash for 40 minutes.
Mix tomato & feta mixture until creamy.
Shred spaghetti squash with a fork, add spaghetti squash to casserole dish & mix in.
Note: 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash = about 1/2 a spaghetti squash
No dairy? Dice up 4 oz raw chicken to cook in place of the feta, & add another 1 tsp oil.
Caprese Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
2 cups Squash, spaghetti – 90 calories
1 oz Mozzarella balls, mini – 81 calories
½ cup Tomatoes, grape – 16 calories
1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) – 119 calories
1 Salt, dash – 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories
1 Oregano, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut spaghetti squash in half if haven’t already (be careful). Scoop out seeds of spaghetti squash.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it with an oil spray.
Bake spaghetti squash, cut side faced down, for 35 minutes.
Shred spaghetti squash with a fork when it has cooled down for a few minutes.
Halve cherry tomatoes.
Mix in a bowl: shredded spaghetti squash, mozz balls, tomatoes, oil, and spices.
No dairy? Use more oil or bacon bits.
1/2 spaghetti squash = about 2 cups spaghetti squash.
Broccoli Cheese Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
2 cups Squash, spaghetti – 90 calories
1 cup Broccoli – 31 calories
⅓ cup Cheese, shredded, mozzarella – 112 calories
2 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) – 50 calories
1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut spaghetti squash in half if haven’t already (be careful). Scoop out seeds of spaghetti squash.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it with an oil spray.
Bake spaghetti squash, cut side faced down on the baking sheet, for 35 minutes.
Shred spaghetti squash with a fork when it has cooled down for a few minutes.
While spaghetti squash is baking, spray a pan with an oil spray.
Stir fry broccoli for 5-6 minutes.
Once spaghetti squash is shredded, mix with cheeses and broccoli.
If it needs heating, microwave or stir fry with an oil spray briefly.
Top with garlic salt.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, or oil.
1/2 spaghetti squash = about 2 cups spaghetti squash.
Parmesan Green Beans Side
Ingredients:
1 cup Green beans – 39 calories
¼ tsp Garlic, minced (tsp) – 0 calories
1 Tbsp Cheese, Parmesan, grated (Tbsp) – 25 calories
Instructions:
Spray a pan with an oil spray.
Add in garlic.
Stir fry green beans ~5 minutes on low-medium heat.
Top with cheese.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, or use oil instead of the oil spray.
Fall Harvest Salad
Ingredients:
2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 14 calories
½ cup Asparagus spears – 13.5 calories
2 Carrots, whole, medium – 50 calories
½ cup Green beans – 19.5 calories
3 tsp Sesame seeds (tsp) – 18 calories
6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
1 Tbsp Creamy dressing (e.g. ranch), regular (more than 50 calories per 2 tbsp) – 74 calories
1 tsp Red wine vinegar (tsp) – 1 calories
1 Salt, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Slice chicken into strips. Cut carrots into strips.
Add oil to pan. Cook chicken and veggies (aside from spinach) ~15 minutes on lowest heat, until chicken has cooked through.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and serve.
No chicken? Use beans, tofu, or fish. No dairy? Use more red wine vinegar.
Cauliflower au Gratin
This delicious cauliflower dish is perfect for a low-carb side dish – it’s creamy, tasty, and it won’t break your low-carb diet.
Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash
Acorn squash is perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish, and when you roast it with parmesan like in this recipe, it becomes a super flavorful, yet simple side dish that should find a place at your Thanksgiving table.
Low Carb Cornbread
Cornbread is a Thanksgiving side classic! Every Thanksgiving dinner table has one, and lucky for you, it’s easy to make it low carb!
Creamed Spinach & Pearl Onions
Spinach is definitely a popular side dish, so there’s no doubt your guests will love this recipe.
Asparagus with Cranberries and Pine Nuts
It doesn’t get more Thanksgiving-themed than asparagus with cranberries and pine nuts! This recipe will be one of your favorites, for sure.
Keto Turkey Gravy
No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without gravy! So, this keto friendly Turkey gravy definitely needs to be on your table this Thanksgiving.
Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Here’s another fun way to serve brussels sprouts – a beloved Thanksgiving side!
Spinach-Parm Casserole
Another delicious low carb casserole your guests will love.
Cauliflower Cheese & Onion Croquettes
This will probably be one of the tastiest side dishes you’ll serve at your Thanksgiving table! These croquettes are not only suuuper delicious, but they’re also low carb since they’re made with cauliflower and not potatoes!
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Mashed potatoes are probably everyone’s favorite side dish. To make it low carb, sub the potatoes with cauliflower, and you get a delicious low carb side dish!
Keto Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards are something every celebration should have! So, why not make a low-carb Thanksgiving charcuterie board your guests can eat as an appetizer or even as a side dish?
Green Bean Bundles
A simple recipe that is perfect for a side dish on your Thanksgiving table.
Roasted Green Beans
These roasted green beans with mushrooms, balsamic, and parmesan will definitely become a favorite amongst your guests.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Who doesn’t love stuffed mushrooms? It’s such a great side dish, and this recipe will wow all of your guests!
Baked Parmesan Breaded Squash
When something is parmesan breaded, you know it’s good! This is the perfect low carb side that everyone will love, even those who aren’t on a low-carb diet!
Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Peppers
This side dish is very low carb, keto-friendly, and yet super delicious!
Kale Salad with Cranberries
A salad is always a great low-carb side dish, but this kale salad with cranberries is definitely perfect for Thanksgiving!
Parmesan & Thyme Mushrooms
This recipe is super quick, and yet is so delicious! It’s perfect for a side dish.
Roasted Root Vegetables
Roasted vegetables are probably the most typical side dish, but they are so versatile and delicious that you definitely need this at your dinner table.
Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Another take on the Thanksgiving classic – brussels sprouts. This gratin recipe will be loved by everyone!
Collard Greens
A classic Thanksgiving side that everyone loves!
Zucchini Mushroom Bake
Casseroles and baked dishes are the easiest sides to turn low carb, so here is another delicious one.
Roasted Cabbage with Bacon
Roasted cabbage is a super delicious dish! I don’t know why it’s not more popular, since it’s so tasty, easy to make, and thankfully, low carb!
Kale Skillet
This easy recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving, and it’s low carb!
Roasted Carrots
This easy side dish is simple but definitely delicious.
Green Bean Casserole
Like I said, casseroles are the best way to make a super delicious and low-carb side dish! Since green beans are often found on a Thanksgiving dinner table, this green bean casserole is the perfect low-carb Thanksgiving side.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
What better way to make a low carb side dish, than to include sweet potatoes?
Roasted Jicama with Green Beans
This roasted jicama with green beans recipe is perfect when you’re in a hurry and need a quick low-carb side dish.
Caesar Salad with Crispy Parm
Caesar salad is definitely one of the most delicious salads overall. This Thanksgiving twist on the classic is the most delicious salad you’ll serve at your dinner table!
Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Bacon makes everything taste amazing, and it’s no different with this easy broccoli salad!
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