Is Thanksgiving your favorite holiday too? If you want to wow your guests while sticking to your Whole30 round, you’ve come to the right place. My roundup of Whole30 Thanksgiving recipes will ensure your Thanksgiving feast is both delicious AND compliant. From savory sides to festive mains, these dishes will impress your guests with options that celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving.
If you’ve landed on this page, it’s safe to say you’re gearing up for a Whole30 Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving is about hearty, aromatic, and comforting dishes. There’s no skipping out on flavor here! From robust potato dishes to veggie sides that embrace the fall harvest to satisfying mains, this round-up of Whole30 Thanksgiving recipes ensures you don’t miss out on taste while staying true to your dietary goals. Many of these Whole30 Thanksgiving recipes are also paleo and gluten-free.
What is Whole30?
If you’re already eating Whole30, you likely know the answer to this. But if you’re hosting a friend who’s following Whole30, you might be wondering what that entails. First off, kudos to you for being such a thoughtful host! Whole30 is all about returning to the basics. It’s a 30-day reset focused on eating unprocessed ingredients. This means cutting out sugars, sweeteners, legumes, grains, dairy, and alcohol. Instead, the focus is on enjoying lean meat, vegetables, fruits, and fresh herbs.
People choose Whole30 for a variety of reasons, whether it’s to enhance overall well-being, reset dietary habits, boost energy levels, or identify food sensitivities. So, let’s get into it – here is a collection of my favorite Whole30 Thanksgiving recipes!
For more delicious Whole30 recipes for the crisp autumn months, check out my collection of Whole30 fall recipes .
Whole30 potatoes and squash sides
What is a Thanksgiving spread without potatoes and squash? These staples are essential to any fall or winter feast, and Thanksgiving is no exception. When it comes to eating spuds and squash on Whole30, you’ve got plenty of options. This smashed sweet potato will complement your meaty main. With pecans, thyme, and garlic, they tick all the Thanksgiving flavor boxes. Make sure to use ghee instead of butter to keep them Whole30 compliant. Keep it classic with some crispy roasted potatoes or roasted acorn squash – two timeless favorites. And if you’re a fan of texture on your potatoes, don’t go past these mini hasselback potatoes .
Whole30 Thanksgiving side dishes
When I think of my Thanksgiving menu, variety is key! A spread brimming with lots of flavorful options to load up on your plate is the way it’s done in my house. I love having lots of different tastes and textures to dig into at Thanksgiving. Start with a crisp fall brussels sprouts salad – it’s a total celebration of seasonal produce. Everyone will love piling some salad onto their plate to balance those delicious Whole30 mains. These garlic bacon mushrooms will add a savory depth to your spread – the combination of smoky bacon and earthy mushrooms will be a total hit at your Thanksgiving table. Now, let’s talk about veggie sides. You simply cannot have Thanksgiving without brussels sprouts! (I think that’s a law?) These whole roasted brussels sprouts will make sure you’re complying with tradition AND Whole30. Bring some warmth with this roasted turmeric cauliflower . Finally, for a touch of green, this easy roasted asparagus will round out the feast.
Whole30 Thanksgiving dinners
Okay, we know turkey is the classic Thanksgiving centerpiece, and you can certainly prepare turkey in a Whole30-friendly way, but have some other gems that will make everyone around the table express their gratitude this Thanksgiving! For a standout dish, you simply cannot go past a roasted rack of lamb . Lamb has a reputation for being finicky to cook, as it’s easy to overcook it. My roasted lamb recipe comes out tender and flavorful every time, so you can impress your guests without the stress. If something a bit more traditional yet effortlessly delicious sounds good to you, this crockpot roast chicken is as easy as it is delicious: it requires next to no prep, stays super juicy, and is almost impossible to overcook. For something exciting, surprise your guests with a classic Italian main, with my porchetta recipe . It’s surprisingly simple to make and will be a memorable addition to your Thanksgiving table. For a sweet and savory option, try this honey mustard chicken . Don’t worry – it doesn’t actually use honey! Thanks to a little trick with dates, you can create this memorable and warming, festive Thanksgiving dinner while sticking to your Whole30 round!
Last but not least
Finally, if you do cook up a turkey dinner, remember to keep the leftovers for this easy homemade crockpot turkey stock recipe . You just put everything in the crockpot, add some water, and turn it on. Then you get bonus broth to enjoy. You can make my turkey soup with it – just add potatoes instead of egg noodles!
