50+ Lightened-Up Thanksgiving Recipes For Your Big Feast (2024)

This Paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and vegan appetizer makes a great snack when you have guests with a mix of dietary restrictions.

Get the recipe: Brussels sprout chips

Wow your family and friends with these slightly sweet and refreshing edamame bites.

Get the recipe: edamame crostinis

Not only is the creamy filling delicious, it works well as a vegan-friendly dip if mushrooms aren't your favorite.

Get the recipe: stuffed mushrooms

Typically served with a sweet and spicy Asian sauce, this version is paired with something a little creamier and with less sugar. The dip also uses protein-packed Greek yogurt.

Get the recipe: baked coconut shrimp

For a healthy twist on a dip usually loaded with calories, try this low-calorie kale ricotta dip.

Get the recipe: kale ricotta dip

Whatever you're celebrating, a bowl of guacamole is always a great addition. Opt for an even creamier, fluffier dip when you add one ingredient to the mix: nonfat Greek yogurt.

Get the recipe: lower-fat guacamole

Bring some healthy color to your plate with this shredded carrot and cabbage salad that's all tied together with a creamy lemon-tahini dressing.

Get the recipe: shredded carrot and cabbage salad

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to get your green on with this nutrient-rich jewel-toned Winter greens salad. Kale and chard provide the hearty base, while pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts add some crunch and sweetness.

Get the recipe: kale and chard salad

Whether you're looking for a protein boost in your salad or have gone gluten-free, you'll love this quinoa tabbouleh salad.

Get the recipe: quinoa tabbouleh salad

Bring kale and sprouts together for salad perfection.

Get the recipe: shredded brussels sprouts salad

Bitter greens like endive taste their best when temperatures drop. Serve this beet, apple, and endive salad to make the most of seasonal produce.

Get the recipe: beet, apple, and endive salad

The roasted butternut squash and parsnips are soft and sweet, and the tofu is firm and slightly salty — all the textures and flavors just go perfectly together and scream Fall.

Get the recipe: cinnamon date roasted butternut squash, parsnips, and tofu

Guests will go back for seconds of this mildly spicy, satisfying one-pot meal, perfect for vegetarians.

Get the recipe: mushroom pilaf

Delicata squash is sweet like a sweet potato, but large enough to stuff — this dish looks beautiful and tastes even better.

Get the recipe: wild rice-, lentil-, and cranberry-stuffed delicata squash

Forget the bread, and cook up this Paleo-inspired stuffing made with sausage, apple, and butternut squash. The result is absolutely delicious.

Get the recipe: sausage and butternut squash stuffing

For a little taste of the South, make this gluten-free corn bread dressing. It's spiced with cumin and cayenne pepper and can also be made vegan with a few simple substitutions.

Get the recipe: gluten-free corn bread dressing

Another gluten-free alternative, this non-traditional stuffing is made with fluffy quinoa with the Fall flavors of zucchini, butternut squash, and dried cranberries.

Get the recipe: quinoa stuffing

The nuttiness of protein-packed wheat berries plus autumnal spices like cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon will complement the rest of your meal.

Get the recipe: spiced wheat berry pilaf

Like traditional stuffing, this vegan version is made with whole-grain bread and wild rice. It's also flavored with a sweet hint of pears, red onions, apple cider, and dried cranberries.

Get the recipe: cranberry-pear wild rice stuffing

This vegan gravy recipe will fool even the biggest carnivores at the table. It's rich and creamy but not loaded with saturated fat.

Get the recipe: vegan gravy

This thick and yummy vegan mushroom gravy is a tasty alternative for the non-meat eaters at your table. It's delicious on seitan, tofurky, or a slice of Field Roast celebration loaf.

Get the recipe: vegan mushroom gravy

Homemade cranberry sauce is so easy to make, not to mention healthier than its store-bought jellied counterpart. Try this citrus twist.

Get the recipe: orange cranberry sauce

Adding pomegranate juice as well as the seeds gives this traditional recipe an extra flavor burst and loads it with antioxidants.

Get the recipe: pomegranate cranberry sauce

Mashed sweet potato recipes are often sweetened with maple syrup and cinnamon, but this savory sweet potato mash uses a spicier, calorie-free kick with cumin and cayenne instead.

Get the recipe: savory sweet potato mash

This easy mashed potato recipe is made with white beans, so each 140-calorie serving offers 4.4 grams of fiber and 6.2 grams of protein.

Get the recipe: mashed potato with white beans

A lightened-up celery root and parsnip puree is an excellent lower-calorie and lower-fat substitute to mashed potatoes with the addition of extra fiber and protein.

Get the recipe: celery root and parsnip puree

This decadent-tasting dish has that texture you're craving, while the baked-potato toppings like scallions and diced bacon make the dish even more delicious.

Get the recipe: creamy mashed cauliflower

Say goodbye to the sugar-laden marshmallows, and welcome a pecan crumble to top off sweet potato casserole.

Get the recipe: sweet potato casserole

This cilantro smash from Karma Chow is rich in flavor and low in calories. The creaminess of the smash comes from the addition of white beans, which also increase the protein content of the dish.

Get the recipe: cilantro cauliflower smash

It's butter, cream, and more butter that traditionally give mashed potatoes their richness, but these ingredients are hardly necessary as proven by these low-carb mashed potatoes that add Greek yogurt and cauliflower to the mix.

Get the recipe: Greek yogurt mashed potatoes

High-fiber sweet potatoes lay the base while an antioxidant-rich red pepper and jalapeño dressing ties everything together. You're going to love these leftovers the day after Thanksgiving.

Get the recipe: spicy sweet potato salad

Skip the dessert-like sweet potato casserole for a more whole-foods approach. Sometimes simple is better!

Get the recipe: maple-roasted sweet potatoes and yams

In this fresh and tasty healthy green bean casserole, panko and Parmesan cheese offer a healthier revamp of french-fried onions, and the addition of mushrooms ups the veg factor.

Get the recipe: healthy green bean casserole

This recipe pairs the bitterness of Brussels sprouts with the sweetness of maple syrup and the saltiness of tamari, making for complex flavors.

Get the recipe: maple miso brussels sprouts

Butter- and cream-free Swiss chard tastes decadent and comforting. It's a perfect complement to all the rich and heavy food that'll be at the scene.

Get the recipe: no cream "creamed" Swiss chard

In the past, you may have cooked up your sprouts with bacon or pancetta, but this recipe for balsamic Brussels sprouts with walnuts offers a similar depth of flavor while providing a boost of healthy fat not found in those meaty options.

Get the recipe: balsamic brussels sprouts with walnuts

Loaded with fiber and vitamins, this immunity-boosting, comforting soup will also support healthy digestion.

Get the recipe: cauliflower soup

The best part about this recipe is that you finally have a reason to use those fun doughnut pans you've always wanted.

Get the recipe: baked pumpkin doughnuts

Low in calories while remaining full of flavor, these pumpkin bars make a great Thanksgiving dessert. You cannot even taste the shredded carrot added for extra vitamin A.

Get the recipe: pumpkin-carrot bars

Marry your two favorite apple desserts — apple pie and apple crisp — by making this amazing vegan apple crumble pie.

Get the recipe: vegan apple crumble pie

This raw, vegan, and gluten-free pumpkin pie is the real deal. One bite of the almond, cashew, date, and coconut crust, and you'll never go back to the regular recipe.

Get the recipe: vegan pumpkin pie

You can still enjoy this Thanksgiving staple even if you're on a gluten-free or Paleo plan. Just bake these decadent-tasting pecan pie bars.

Get the recipe: pecan pie bars

These adorable mini caramel apples are the perfect small treat after an indulgent meal.

Get the recipe: vegan mini caramel apples

Sometimes, there's nothing like a warm apple crisp to signal the end of a great Fall meal. This vegan apple cranberry crisp is a cozy way to celebrate the holiday.

Get the recipe: vegan apple cranberry crisp

No butter, eggs, milk, or cream here. This sweet potato pie with whipped coconut cream tastes so creamy, no one at the table will believe it's vegan.

Get the recipe: vegan sweet potato pie

These dairy-free chewy ginger molasses cookies will make a sweet and healthy end to your Thanksgiving feast.

Get the recipe: ginger molasses quinoa cookies

Say it ain't so: a delicious cheeseless cheesecake? This video recipe for soy-free vegan pumpkin cheesecake will make you a believer.

Get the recipe: vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Soft, chewy, and under 100 calories, these gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are bursting with that spiced pumpkin pie flavor you crave.

Get the recipe: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Bread pudding makes for an easy throw-together dessert, and substituting almond milk for regular cuts a few calories as well. This easy recipe for vegan pumpkin bread pudding is the perfect option.

Get the recipe: vegan pumpkin bread pudding

Who needs high-calorie pecan pie when you can make these vegan pecan thumbprint cookies? They're a cinch to make and can be baked ahead of time if your oven is prime real estate on Thanksgiving.

Get the recipe: vegan pecan thumbprint cookies

If you want to end your Thanksgiving feast on a not-too-sweet note, these pumpkin coconut bars may be just what you need. They'd also make a great post-Thanksgiving breakfast bar if you need something to grab before your Black Friday shopping spree.

Get the recipe: pumpkin coconut bars

This subtly sweet vegan pumpkin pie pudding is full of fiber and protein for a healthy sweet treat any time during Thanksgiving weekend.

Get the recipe: vegan pumpkin pie pudding

For a sweet after-dinner treat, bite into a slice of oatmeal pumpkin spice bread that's completely dairy-free.

Get the recipe: oatmeal pumpkin spice bread

Since this apple pear crisp is vegan, it's lower in fat and cholesterol than the traditional dessert, and the pear adds a subtle, sweet twist (plus it ups the fiber).

Get the recipe: apple pear crisp

Soft and full of warming spices, each cider doughnut is only 86 calories.

Get the recipe: vegan cider doughnut

When you want your house to feel as cozy as slipping on a sweater in the Fall, turn on your oven, and bake this pumpkin bread.

Get the recipe: chocolate chip pumpkin bread