Thanksgiving recipes: Delicious and healthy options

Create a healthy Thanksgiving Day menu with these tasty recipes.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for family, friends, good health and great food. This year, instead of serving the old standbys — turkey smothered in gravy, candied yams, buttered corn and pumpkin pie — try healthier recipes.

Soups and salads

  1. Pumpkin soup
  2. Wild rice mushroom soup
  3. Apple salad with figs and almonds
  4. Salad greens with pears, fennel and walnuts

Turkey and stuffing

  1. Herb-rubbed turkey au jus
  2. Roasted turkey with balsamic sauce
  3. Glazed turkey breast with fruit stuffing
  4. Low-fat turkey gravy
  5. Stuffing with cranberries
  6. Wild rice (or quinoa) stuffing

Side dishes

  1. Honey-glazed sweet potatoes
  2. Garlic mashed potatoes
  3. Cauliflower mashed 'potatoes'
  4. Sweet carrots
  5. Holiday green bean casserole
  6. Brussels sprouts with shallots and lemon

Bread and muffins

  1. Popovers
  2. Best honey whole-wheat bread
  3. Apple corn muffins

Healthy desserts

  1. Pumpkin-hazelnut tea cake
  2. Rustic apple-cranberry tart
  3. Tasty apple pie
  4. Sweet potato and squash pie
Nov. 10, 2020 See more In-depth

See also

  1. Navigate the farmers market
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  3. Calories in sushi
  4. Cuts of beef
  5. Fast food: Tips for choosing healthier options
  6. Fast food tip: Get grilled
  7. Fast food tip: Go green
  8. Fast food tip: Have it your way
  9. Fast food tip: Keep it small
  10. Fast food tip: Skip the fries
  11. Fast food tip: Watch what you drink
  12. Grass-fed beef
  13. Health-boosting nutrients: Antioxidants
  14. Healthy breakfast options
  15. Healthy fast food? Yes it's possible
  16. Holiday recipes
  17. Meat and poultry
  18. How to use food to help your body fight inflammation
  19. Is sea salt healthier than table salt?
  20. Keep your breakfast cereal healthy
  21. Sample menu
  22. Menu planning
  23. Menus for heart-healthy eating
  24. Credible nutrition information
  25. Organic foods
  26. Organic foods: What the labels mean
  27. Sea salt vs. table salt
  28. Antioxidants
  29. Guide to gourmet salt
  30. Guide to beans and legumes
  31. Snack attack? Try these 100-calorie snacks
  32. Sodium nitrate in meat: Heart disease risk factor?
  33. Sugar challenge: Cut the sweetness for 2 weeks
  34. Think outside the cereal box
  35. Try these quick, fun breakfast options
  36. Ultraprocessed foods: Convenience at what cost?
  37. Vegetable juice
  38. What are added sugars?
  39. What are the leanest cuts of beef?
  40. What do the dates on food packages mean?
  41. Understand clean eating
  42. What is BPA?
  43. What sell-by dates really mean
  44. Where's the lean beef?
  45. White whole wheat