15 Foods for a Keto-Friendly Thanksgiving

Charcuterie boards are a delicious assortment of snacks such as meats, cheeses, dips, fruits, vegetables, nuts, olives, pickles, and crackers. A few brands also make specialty keto crackers, cheese crisps, and chips.

Charcuterie boards have something for everyone and can be made to match any group's dietary needs and favorites.

Rich, savory deviled eggs are bite-sized appetizers with creamy filling made from the yolks of the hardboiled egg whites they're served in. They're easy to modify for keto diets by using a low-carb mayonnaise, mashed avocado, extra mustard, sour cream, or cream cheese.

Deviled eggs are especially festive when sprinkled with crisp, crumbled bacon, minced green onion, or fresh herbs.

Crisp lettuce, baby spinach, hearty kale, arugula, or a mix of greens make a fresh salad ready to dress up. Add flavorful low-carb toppings like cheese, diced avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, nuts or seeds, crumbled bacon, and hard-boiled eggs.

Keto-friendly salad dressing can be made from scratch or found at some stores.

Cauliflower and a little creativity make a smooth, fluffy low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes. The cauliflower is cooked until very tender and then pureed until it's free of lumps. A hearty dollop of cream, cream cheese, or butter makes cauliflower mashed faux-tatoes as rich and silky as their traditional competition.

Brussels sprouts are at their best in the fall and winter. Roasting or pan-frying gives this controversial veggie crispy, caramelized outsides with tender centers. They can be served plain or with additional flavors like garlic or balsamic vinegar, and salty toppings of crumbled bacon, feta cheese, or toasty parmesan will make them a new favorite.

Using a base of roasted cauliflower or keto bread made from wheat flour alternatives like almond or coconut flour keeps the flavor and texture of stuffing without all the carbs found in traditional bread-based versions. Adding flavorful spicy sausage crumbles and cheese bumps up the fat and flavor.

Made with green beans, mushrooms, and crisp onions in cream sauce, green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving classic. It's loaded with carbs when it's made with a can of condensed soup and packaged fried onions, but making low-carb crisp onions at home and using a fresh cream-based sauce make this favorite keto-friendly.

Hearty greens have a savory flavor and nutritious punch. Collards, kale, and other cooking greens are naturally rich in fiber and vitamins while staying low in carbohydrates. Simmering them with onions and a ham hock or loading up on salty, smoky bacon makes them fit ketogenic diets even better.

Macaroni and cheese is an unexpected wonder on a keto-friendly Thanksgiving menu. Swapping carbohydrate-loaded grain-based pasta for low-carb, grain-free pasta or cauliflower makes this holiday favorite the perfect vessel for a rich sauce made of real cream and gooey melted cheese.

It can be personalized with bacon, onions, or family-favorite additions.

Almond flour and coconut flour combine with shredded mozzarella, cream cheese, and eggs to make a keto-friendly bread alternative called fathead dough. It's used to make delicious rolls that are very similar to the grain-based original.

They bake up amazingly tender and fluffy, just waiting for a pat of melting butter.

Traditional roasted turkey is naturally keto. Gourmet cooking methods like brining, wrapping in bacon, and even deep frying make the usually bland meat delicious, and the extra fat is a good thing on this diet.

Most gravy is thickened with grain, but with a little extra planning and just a few extra ingredients, low-carb gravy is a tasty addition.

Sweet-tart cranberries are an essential Thanksgiving staple, but traditional cranberry sauce is very high in sugar. Preparing it at home with sugar-free sweeteners offers up all the taste while keeping the carbohydrates low enough for keto. Cinnamon or orange zest can make brighten the flavor even further, so you won't even notice the missing sugar.

Turkey doesn't need to be the only star on a Thanksgiving menu. Succulent, juicy slices of tender prime rib roast are a luxury that's sure to impress. Flavored with pungent garlic, spicy horseradish, or simply with salt and cracked pepper, it's surprisingly easy to prepare with minimal hands-on time.

Pie crust made from almond flour or coconut flour and real butter, plus filling sweetened with low-carb sweetener such as erythritol, make a pumpkin pie that's both tasty and keto-friendly. Sweet, earthy pumpkin puree blends with eggs, heavy cream, sweetener, and spices in this favorite.

Simple but elegant, fluffy chocolate mousse is a quick and easy crowd-pleasing and keto-friendly dessert. It's made with heavy or whipping cream combined with cream cheese, unsweetened cocoa powder, and sweetener for a decadently rich chocolate flavor.