Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes
Thanksgiving should be one of those meals where everyone can pull up a chair and find plenty to eat. This collection of gluten-free and dairy-free Thanksgiving recipes is full of the dishes I proudly make for my own holiday table, from cozy fall sides and roasted vegetables to appetizers, mains and desserts worth saving room for.
If you’re cooking for family and friends who eat a little differently, you’re in the right place. Every recipe here is gluten-free and dairy-free, and each one is also an AIP Thanksgiving recipe and also a Paleo Thanksgiving recipe. Whether you’re planning the whole menu or just looking for one dish everyone can share, I hope you find something here that earns a place at your table year after year.
The Main Course
small gatherings
Confit Turkey Legs
Slowly cooked in duck fat until the meat turns silky and succulent, then crisped in a hot skillet just before serving, these turkey legs deliver everything people love about holiday turkey — but better.
Appetizers
For the appetizer table
Warm Marinated Olives
A small bowl of marinated olives is one of those simple things that makes a table feel finished. It’s a little something to nibble on while dinner comes together, or to set out when friends drop by.
IF YOU LOVE HUMMUS
Carrot Tahini Dip
This carrot tahini dip is inspired by mutabbal, a Middle Eastern tahini dip, seasoned with za’atar, garlic and lemon.
Soup & Salad
an elegant salad
Harvest Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Radicchio and kale take the lead in this Harvest Salad, with crisp apple slices, salty prosciutto, roasted pumpkin seeds and a handful of frizzled shallots, all dressed in a sweet Maple Vinaigrette.
Save this Collection
Enter your email below and I’ll send it right to your inbox.
By saving this recipe, you will also receive regular email updates from Salt & Well.
ELEGANT AND DAIRY-FREE
Parsnip Soup with Apple Butter
This creamy parsnip soup blends earthy parsnips and sweet apples into a silky dairy-free purée, topped with apple butter, roasted parsnips, fresh thyme and truffle salt.
Stunning Sides
A MODERN CLASSIC
Butternut Squash and Apple Bake
This Butternut Squash and Apple Bake is a little vintage, a little nostalgic, and completely delicious. Fresh rosemary and sage balance the sweetness while everything roasts in the oven.
Make-Ahead Classic
Cranberry Sauce
This easy homemade cranberry sauce combines fresh cranberries and orange with coconut sugar, cinnamon and ginger for a sweet-tart, rustic sauce.
a side everyone steals
Smashed Brussels Sprouts
Smashed Brussels sprouts might just be the ultimate upgrade to the already superior roasted Brussels sprout. These are cooked in bacon fat, then topped with pickled onions.
A New Holiday Tradition
Harvest Vegetables Agrodolce
This roasted vegetable medley has the best of the season: fennel, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and sweet roasted grapes, all tossed with a maple agrodolce sauce with lemon zest and a whole head of roasted garlic.
pass the fries
Duck Fat Parsnip Fries
These Duck Fat Parsnip Fries might be one of the best ways I’ve ever eaten parsnips. They get beautifully golden and crisp on the outside, tender in the middle, and roasting brings out so much of their natural sweetness.
HIgh Protein & Vegetarian
Roasted Carrots with Creamy White Beans
Spiced roasted carrots layered over a creamy white bean puree for a rustic side dish or a plant-based holiday option.
Beverages
SET UP A CIDER BAR
Spiced Mulled Cider
Think of mulled cider as autumn’s take on punch — a warm, crowd-friendly drink you can make in just a few minutes and keep simmering on the stove or warm in a crockpot throughout the day.
Dessert
the centerpiece of your dessert table
Baked Pumpkin Pudding
Thanksgiving isn’t complete without pumpkin pie, in my opinion. Apple pie and pecan pie are welcome to play a supporting role, but pumpkin pie is the star, at least at my Thanksgiving table.
A LITTLE SOMETHING SWEET
Salted Caramel Coconut Macaroons
These lovely little thumbprint macaroons are filled with the most delicious dairy-free salted caramel sauce.
Cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a mix of dietary needs doesn’t have to mean making separate versions of everything.
Many traditional holiday dishes can be made with thoughtful ingredient swaps, or were naturally suited to the table all along. These dairy- and gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes are designed to feel like Thanksgiving first: abundant, comforting, beautiful food that just happens to work for more of the people gathered around you. However your table looks this year, the goal is the same: really good food and plenty of it, with dishes everyone is excited to pass around. That’s the kind of Thanksgiving I want to cook, and the kind of table I hope these recipes help you create.