13 Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes

If you’ve been gluten-free for awhile, whether due to celiac disease or other dietary concerns, you have gotten used to passing on certain foods made with wheat, barley, or rye–especially during the holiday season.?

Fortunately, when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, gluten-free options abound! Not only does the centerpiece of the meal—the turkey—naturally contain no gluten, a number of other sides, from mashed potatoes to cranberry sauce, are generally gluten-free. Even with traditional wheat-based desserts like pies, cakes, and pumpkin rolls, there are plenty of “GF” workarounds that allow you to enjoy your favorite flavors.

Here are 13 appetizers, sides, and desserts for a gluten-free feast to enjoy this Thanksgiving.

Appetizers

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pears with Candied Balsamic Drizzle

So fancy! This appetizer from The Spruce Eats features the irresistible combination of sweet, juicy pears and thin, salty prosciutto in a presentation worthy of a high-end restaurant. A quick and easy balsamic reduction drizzles over the top to finish things off. Be prepared for these gluten-free bites to disappear fast before dinner.?

Pumpkin Bean Dip and Fall Tortilla Chips?

Make your bean dip a bit more intriguing by adding pumpkin and crunchy pepitas. This pumpkin Hummus from A Love Letter to Food whips up in no time in the blender (and doesn’t even require any tahini).

For extra fun, in this recipe you'll get out your cookie cutters for some custom fall-themed tortilla chips. Pumpkin and leaf shapes make for more whimsical dipping—and a fresher, crispier taste—than chips out of a bag.

Simple Baked Brie With Honey and Pistachios

Short on time? When Thanksgiving Day has you juggling cooking, cleaning, and family politics, opt for this simple-but-elegant baked brie with honey and pistachios from Serious Eats. It’s got just three ingredients, but we’d wager it’ll still garner recipe requests.?

To keep this app totally gluten-free, serve with sliced fruit or GF crackers.

Everything Bagel Deviled Eggs

Don’t worry! This recipe may have “bagel” in its name, but there’s no gluten here. Instead, these everything bagel deviled eggs from Serious Eats use a spice blend that mimics that of “everything” bagels. Toasted sesame seeds, dried minced onion, and caraway seeds recreate the flavor of the bready favorite on hardboiled eggs–complete with smoked salmon for the bagel-and-lox vibe.

Side Dishes

Wild Rice Stuffing

Just because you’re gluten-free doesn’t mean you have to miss out on stuffing. Replacing bread cubes with wild rice is an excellent way to keep this Thanksgiving classic on the table. In this recipe from The Spruce Eats, a wild rice blend joins cranberries, pecans, veggies, and fresh herbs for a celebration of flavors and textures that earns its place alongside your turkey.

In addition to being gluten-free, a wild rice stuffing may provide more health benefits than a traditional white bread recipe. It’s packed with protein-rich whole grains, antioxidants, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and other nutrients. It’s even a good source of fiber.???

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Both gluten-free and Paleo diners will want a heaping helping of this healthy sweet potato casserole from Verywell Fit. Silky mashed sweet potatoes bake beneath a crunchy topping made of spiced pecans and coconut milk. Even with these rich ingredients, this recipe comes out to just 196 calories per serving.?

Chopped Orange Almond Cranberry Relish

Prepared cranberry sauce is almost universally gluten-free, so you could opt for a canned variety atop your turkey. But why would you want to when you could make this unique chopped orange almond cranberry relish from Craving Something Healthy?

This side comes together in the food processor in 10 minutes or less—no cooking required. Leftovers make a tangy addition to oatmeal or yogurt.

Sweet and Tangy Maple-Roasted Root Vegetables

Parsnips may not be the trendiest vegetable, but they’re a high-fiber winter root veggie well worth showcasing at Thanksgiving. These sweet and tangy maple-roasted root vegetables from Verywell Fit feature parsnips, carrots, and sweet potatoes in a naturally gluten-free side dish. Caramelization at high temperature brings out the veggies’ natural sweetness, complemented by a maple syrup-infused glaze.

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

The bad news: For those who can’t tolerate gluten, both the crispy fried onions and cream-based sauces in green bean casserole are frequent harbingers of wheat. The good news: You can get around the gluten by using cornstarch instead of wheat flour, as in this gluten-free green bean casserole from Serious Eats.

Once everyone around the table tastes the fresh, homemade fried onions that top this alternative side, they may not want to return to the original.

Roasted Mexican Sweet and White Potato Salad

When there’s one last section of real estate open on your Thanksgiving plate, should you opt for sweet potatoes or white potatoes? With this unique side from Verywell Fit, you don’t have to choose. Here, sweet potato and red potatoes get cozy with red bell pepper in a spicy olive oil dressing, topped off with crunchy pumpkin seeds.?

Five grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, plenty of vitamin C, and heart-healthy fats make this salad with Mexican flair a healthy GF side.

Desserts

Gluten-Free Pecan Bars

Pecan-based desserts may shadow pumpkin-y treats in terms of popularity, but for protein and healthy fats, nuts win the day. Gluten-free pecan bars from The Organic Dietitian amp up the health factor in the pecan dessert category by using low-glycemic index pitted dates as sweetener. Meanwhile, they’re packed with plant-based protein from a cup of almonds in the crust and a cup of pecans in the topping.

Gluten-Free Harvest Apple Crisp

Round out the Thanksgiving dessert spread with this allergy-friendly harvest apple crisp from The Real Food Dietitians. Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and nuts, this crisp has only 175 calories per serving and it just sweet enough, thanks to minimal added sugar. Warm and bubbly out of the oven, it’s the perfect coda to the Turkey Day feast.

Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie?

It just isn’t Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie—but many gluten-free eaters may have resigned themselves to going crust-less with this holiday stand-by. This gluten- and dairy-free version from The Spruce Eats lets you have your pie and eat its crust, too! A GF flour mix creates a flaky crust, while coconut milk stands in for cow’s milk in the pumpkin filling.