This dairy free Thanksgiving menu is perfect whether you are lactose intolerant, allergic to milk proteins, or love someone who is! Best of all, the recipes are really easy to make!
I am one for traditions and themes. I believe just because you are dairy free doesn’t mean you can’t have a traditional Thanksgiving. So, all these recipes are for classic Thanksgiving dishes.
Dairy Free Appetizers
Pick one or make both of these appetizers for Thanksgiving.
Deviled eggs are the most popular appetizer for Thanksgiving. Generally deviled eggs are dairy free but here is a delicious dairy free recipe anyway.
Franks in a blanket have always been my families go to appatizer. They are super easy, kid friendly, and everyone always loves them.
Dairy Free Dinner Rolls and Sweet Quick Breads
To me, a sit down meal is not complete without dinner rolls and on Thanksgiving sweet cornbread is a must too!
I recommed picking one type of dinner roll and one type of cornbread (I love the cornbread muffins):
Dinner rolls are a wonderful touch to any meal but especially to a Thanksgiving table. These crescent rolls bring a little charm with their classic shape.
Cloverleaf rolls are dinner rolls that have three parts making them look like clover leafs. They are perfect for any dairy free Thanksgiving dinner.
Overnight cloverleaf rolls are great for cutting down Thanksgiving prep time. No knead cloverleaf rolls recipe are also great if you don’t know how or don’t like to knead and don’t have a kneading mixer.
These dairy free dinner rolls are light and fluffy. You can make them in just about anything.
These rolls are very easy with little hassle making them perfect for Thanksgiving!
These sweet cornbread muffins are pretty much the muffin version of my sweet cornbread. I really like that they are in muffin form though because it makes for easy and mess free serving.
Does a side dish get more American than cornbread which is beloved in both the North and the South? This recipe is for sweet cornbread which is popular in the North, especially New England.
Dairy Free First Course
A first course of soups or salads is totally optional but a nice touch if desired
I think it’s always nice to start a meal with a salad. This Apple Salad has apples, cranberries, and nuts on a bed of spinach stopped with an apple vinaigrette. No cheese, no dairy, just no flavor distractions.
The Bird
This dairy free roasted turkey is amazingly moist and incredibly delicious.
Dairy Free Gravy
There are a few different treditional options for gravy.
Most popular is turkey gravy which uses drippings from the roasted turkey. Next, is gravy without drippings for those who prefer not to use them. Lastly, is white gravy which is the most popular type of gravy surved on Thanksgiving in Arkansas,
Turkey gravy is made from turkey drippings and in my opinion is the most delicious gravy!
If you prefer a gravy without drippings, this gravy is perfect for you!
You may be suprised to know that the most searched recipe in Arkansas on Thanksgiving is White Gravy.
Dairy Free Sides: Starches and Carbs
Choose your favorite starch/carb side like mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash, sweet potato casserole, and southern cornbread:
There is arguably no more important side at a Thanksgiving dinner table than mashed potatoes. These dairy free mashed potatoes wonderfully creamy and delicious.
They also can be made ahead of time, when most mashed potato recipes cannot.
These dairy free scalloped potatoes are an addictive side dish you and your guests are sure to love! I seriously can't get enough of them.
This dairy free stuffing/dressing is your classic stuffing that is simple and versitile
Sweet potato casserole is a Southern favorite and a delicious side dish!
This dairy free cornbread is the Southern version of cornbread. It is savory and makes for a great side dish.
Biscuits are a popular addition to Southern Thanksgiving meals instead of dinner rolls.
Since potatoes are native to America that makes them the best starch to have at your dairy free Thanksgiving table. These Mixed Mashed Potatoes uses both sweet and regular potatoes givings it a wonderful autumn color and has lots of flavor.
The best thing about cornbread muffins is that you don’t need to worry about cutting them: Dairy Free Southern Cornbread Muffins and Dairy Free Sweet Cornbread Muffins.
What can make butternut squash even better? Cinnamon and brown sugar of course!
This Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Roasted Butternut Squash is a sweet and colorful dairy free side to add to your dairy free Thanksgiving table.
Dairy Free Sides: Veggies
Whether sautéed or roasted, veggies add lots of flavor and color to a Thanksgiving spread.
Pick one or two:
This Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole are a classic and are pretty easy to make. It also tastes so much better than casserole using only canned ingredients.
Green Beans, Cranberries, and Almonds may not exclusively use ingredients native the the new world, but they make a nice side and two out of three ain’t bad right?
Roasted beets and carrots is a other way to add color to your Thanksgiving table. By roasting the beets and carrots you caramelize the sugars making them sweeter and more delicious.
These sautéed Green Beans with onions and garlic are one of my favorite sides! They are easy to make and have incredible flavor.
If you love peas, these sauteed peas and onions with garlic are for you. They are simple yet delish!
Dairy Free Dessert
It isn't Thanksgiving without a classic dessert. Choose one or more of these dairy free desserts!
Pumpkin was served at the very first Thanksgiving meal. So, I believe that it is only right that it should make an appearance even if it is in the form of pie.
This dairy Free Pumpkin Pie is super easy to make and this post helps you avoid all the downfalls that commonly ruin the dessert.
Sweet potato pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert in the South. It's flavor is similar to pumpkin pie and is filled will warm fall spices but has a unique taste all it's own.
While pecan pie may be less popular than pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie, it is still a Thanksgiving classic. It is also very easy to make.
Another classic Thanksgiving dessert is apple pie. This dairy free apple pie comes with a flaky and delicious dairy free crust.
While butternut squash pie is not a classic Thanksgiving recipe, it's become a popular alternative to canned pumpkin filling.
Did you know that butternut squash is extremely similar to the Dickson pumpkin Libby's uses in their pumpkin pie filling?
Brownies are a suprisingly popular Thanksgivng dessert and these gooey brownies are one of my most popular recipes on my site!
If fudgy brownies for Thanksgiving are your thing, then these brownies are perfect for you!
Another suprisingly popular Google search on Thanksgiving is for Rice Krispie Treats. In fact! Their search increases by 5000% on Thanksgiving!
Full disclosure, while I know banana bread is very popular in some states on Thanksgiving... I thought it was as a breakfast but I read somewhere that it may be eaten as a dessert so I'm adding it here as an option.
Since banana bread is added to the list I figured I'd add pumpkin bread because it is so yummy and while it's often eaten for breakfast, it can also be eaten as a dessert.
If we're already adding atypical desserts, I have to add these pumpkin muffins which are one of my favorite fall foods and are certainly sweet enough to be a dessert!