Yaidy Santiago Need 3 keto friendly thanksgiving sides that don’t require a lot of time and effort (and still taste absolutely delicious)? Then my keto gravy, cranberry sauce, and cauliflower mash got you covered!
Since what we really want to do during Thanksgiving day is eat and enjoy time with our families, I tried to focus on sides that take less than 30 minutes to make.
I think everyone would agree that thanksgiving sides are just as important to your Thanksgiving dinner as the turkey itself! So today I’ll be sharing some easy keto sides that are perfect for a low carb diet!
These carb free sides are going to ensure that our table has variety!
After completely testing these recipes with my boyfriend and family, and ensuring everything is as jam-packed with festive deliciousness as possible, can happily share these 3 easy keto sides with you.
My journey to creating carb free sides for thanksgiving is now complete!
For those of us that are trying to live a healthier lifestyle, these easy keto sides are going to be really helpful, not only for thanksgiving but for our everyday meals.
Let’s add some flavor to our Thanksgiving with these 3 mouthwatering keto friendly thanksgiving sides shall we!
1) Making Keto Friendly Gravy
Is it even Thanksgiving without some succulent gravy? Gravy is just such a classic. An absolute essential for the holidays, and a must for your thanksgiving spread.
As you can already guess I make my gravy keto friendly, so it can be the perfect compliment to my cauliflower mash and turkey!
How To Make Keto Gravy
If you’ve been wondering how to make keto gravy, you’re at the right place!
I’ll be giving you the exact details of my keto friendly gravy recipe so you can see for yourself how easy it is to make.
For this recipe we avoid flour and use xanthan gum as a thickener so we can achieve the classic gravy consistency. Xantham gum really is the perfect low carb thickener for any keto recipe.
I use it for my keto jams all the time and it worked flawlessly in this recipe too.
Truthfully, before this recipe I wasn’t really a diehard fan of gravy, though this easily made me a gravy enthusiast!
Since this keto friendly gravy is made with turkey drippings; all the fat and delicious melted butter from our lemon herb butter turkey fuse together to make an utterly irresistible keto friendly gravy.
By using all the turkey’s extra juices that dripped into the pan as a base for the gravy, we create an absolutely mesmerizing flavor. Which we can then put directly on whatever we wish (like the cauliflower mash below).
Here’s what you need:
- Turkey Drippings
- Unsalted Butter
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Xantham Gum
- Salt
Showing you how to make keto gravy was a top priority for me this Thanksgiving, so I can’t wait to see your results!
Tips
- If your gravy is too thick when it cools down, just heat it up again and whisk it. It will gradually get back to a pourable consistency.
- Remember to let it cool down a bit, because when it’s really hot (fresh off the stove), it’s too thin. You want a warm but not too hot gravy as it tends to gel together when it’s cold.
- Keto gravy can be stored in the fridge and reheated before serving.
2) No Sugar Cranberry Sauce
I can’t begin to tell you how much I love cranberry sauce. It’s literally the reason I get excited for thanksgiving every year! I just can’t get enough of it.
It complements the turkey so well and it’s so easy to prepare. I’m all about the sweet and salty combinations (who would have guessed, right 😊 ), and this one just takes the cake!
So here’s my recipe for no sugar cranberry sauce, the healthier keto alternative.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
My no sugar cranberry sauce is really simple (it only has 5 ingredients!), and is unbelievably close to regular jam in both flavor and texture.
The monkfruit sweetener, lemon juice and cinnamon incorporated make an excellent combination.
The best part is that you can vary the amount of xanthan gum according to how thick you want your sauce.
I love jellied cranberry sauce so my recipe resembles that type of consistency (as you can see in the pictures). If you like a runnier sauce then only use half of the xantham gum suggested.
Keto Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:
- Fresh Cranberries
- Monkfruit Sweetener
- Xantham Gum
- Lemon Juice
- Ground Cinnamon
It barely takes me 15 minutes to prepare it!
It’s one of the quickest sides to make, so if you’re ever in a hurry, and forgot to make something to take to your friendsgiving dinner, this is the recipe to make.
Everyone loves a homemade cranberry sauce and there’s no doubt they’ll completely appreciate the effort you put in to make it (even though it only took you 15 minutes to make!).
Are Cranberries Keto?
So, are cranberries keto? I wondered about this as well when I began keto. Well they happen to be keto, but just as with everything else, they need to be consumed in moderation.
They’re low carbs and full of antioxidants. So next time someone asks you ‘’Are Cranberries Keto?”. Feel free to inform them that they are indeed keto, with 7g net carbs per cup.
My no sugar cranberry sauce has a lot of fans, so be sure to make it part of your Thanksgiving sides this year. I promise you no one will be able to tell this isn’t sugar packed cranberry sauce.
Tips
- Fresh cranberries are always superior to the canned version, you can easily find a bag of cranberries in your local grocery store during season.
- When you make this healthy no sugar cranberry sauce, store it in the fridge. It lasts for about 2 weeks in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer. So it’s totally a make ahead recipe!
- I wish that cranberries were available all year round but since I haven’t found a genie as of yet, here’s what I do. Buy extra and freeze them for later, that way you’ll be able to make no sugar cranberry sauce all year round. (Just like I do!)
3) Cauliflower Mash with Garlic and Butter
I’ve heard a lot of people wondering how they can make cauliflower mashed potatoes keto friendly and I’ve found the perfect way to make the low carb mashed potato alternative.
Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without mashed potatoes and this keto friendly alternative has just added some life back to the table.
Best of all, It’s low carb, incredibly creamy, and a walk in the park to make.
Think of it as eating mashed potatoes without all the carbs; a keto dream come true!
How to make Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Keto
This mash is more so creamed cauliflower (I used my magic bullet) than typical mashed potatoes.
I wanted a silky smooth texture and cauliflower doesn’t get this consistency when just mashed. (If you’ve worked with cauliflower before, you know what I’m talking about.)
So it’s a low carb mashed potato alternative with a delicious buttery garlic flavor, and an incredibly soft texture.
You’ll need the following:
- Frozen or fresh cauliflower rice
- Garlic Powder
- Heavy Cream
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Freshly chopped scallions
Yes you read right! That’s it! And after reading the recipe card you’ll know exactly how to make cauliflower mashed potatoes keto in just 3 steps.
Don’t forget to garnish it with freshly chopped scallion, as it gives a punch of flavor!
If I’m being completely honest, I used to think that potatoes were the best vegetable ever! Having it constantly as a kid, it’s deeply ingrained into my heart.
It’s embarrassing just how many potatoes I used to eat.
So believe me when I tell you that this healthy low carb mashed potato alternative completely replicates mashed potatoes, and will totally satisfy your potato cravings.
Benefits of Cauliflower
Cauliflower has a lot of health benefits and it’s one of the most versatile of vegetables when it comes to eating keto.
It’s high in fat, helps with digestion and has very little amount of calories.
According to Healthline.com cauliflowers also are an excellent source of antioxidants and rich in Sulforaphane (which help as an anti inflammatory in your body)!
Cauliflower is just so easy to add into our diet. I literally make cauliflower rice all the time at home.
I wholeheartedly recommend you buy the frozen cauliflower packs, as it’s so easy to incorporate in your dishes.
While this cauliflower mash is amazing for thanksgiving, you can make some absolutely delicious rice bowls as well, like this mouthwatering Korean Rice Bowl with fried egg on top. Yummmmy!!
Enjoy Your Easy Keto Sides!
All these carb free sides are the healthier versions of the classics we all love!
I figured that this year we all needed to indulge in some keto friendly thanksgiving sides that everyone in our house could enjoy equally.
I hope this makes your family happy, as much as did mine. If you have any questions, leave a comment below. Happy Thanksgiving!
Share Your Results!
I hope you enjoy my keto friendly thanksgiving sides as much as I did.
If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out!
Absolutely love to see your creations! If you happen to make one of the recipes, would really love to see it!
Just use the hashtag #sweetketolife, tag me on Instagram @sweetketolife, or just let me know by comment!
Thanksgiving recipes you might like:
Keto Friendly Gravy
Ingredients
- 1½ cups turkey drippings
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp xantham gum
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, place your 1½ cups of turkey drippings, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, pinch of salt, and 1/2 tsp xantham gum. Mix well
- Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Then let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
No Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup monkfruit sweetener
- 1½ tsp xantham gum
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the 3 cups of cranberries and 1/2 cup of water to boil for 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup monkfruit sweetener, 1 ½ tsp xantham gum, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and let boil for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the cranberries have melted down, turn the heat off and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Store in a jar or plastic container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How to Make Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Keto
Ingredients
- 24 oz cauliflower rice frozen or homemade
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook your frozen cauliflower rice following the directions of the bag. Make sure is fully cooked and defrosted. ( If using fresh cauliflower see notes***)
- In a blender or food processor, place all your ingredients except for the butter.
- Mix the 1/2 stick of butter by hand once all is blended. Serve with your favorite dish.
Notes
