Recipes Holidays and Events Recipes Thanksgiving Healthy How to Make Your Thanksgiving Menu Healthy By Allrecipes Editors and Melanie Fincher Published on October 4, 2021 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Robert Jacobs/Meredith Preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that's lower in fat and calories but still thrills the crowd isn't hard. All it takes is a few ingredient substitutions and some clever fat-busting techniques. Let's take a look at how to make a delicious, healthier Thanksgiving meal. 01 of 13 The Turkey Constatine Poulos/Meredith If you're hosting a small gathering, buy a turkey breast rather than the whole bird, as breast meat is lower in calories than dark meat. If you do buy a whole turkey, avoid "self-basting" turkeys, as they often contain added fat. And, it goes without saying, stay away from the deep fryer this year, and roast or smoke the turkey. Stuff the turkey cavity with whole or halved onions, halved lemons or apples, and sprigs of fresh herbs such as sage, marjoram, thyme, and/or rosemary. Rather than rubbing the skin with butter or oil, spray it with an oil spray and season it with salt and pepper. 02 of 13 Recipe: Slow Cooker Turkey Breast View Recipe Lori "This is simple and delicious, and certainly not rocket science," says naples34102. "No need to really add anything or change anything other than the cooking time -- mine was done perfectly at 5-1/2 hours. The meat is tender, juicy, and delicately seasoned." Watch the video. 03 of 13 Recipe: Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breasts View Recipe lutzflcat "This one is a keeper," raves momof4. "I make it every thanksgiving instead of the whole turkey -- it turns out beautifully every time! Very pretty presentation, too!" 04 of 13 Recipe: Easy Smoked Turkey View Recipe KGora This smoked turkey recipe uses a minimal amount of oil to crisp the skin, but you can substitute with an oil spray for an even lighter take. 05 of 13 Guilt-Free Gravy Meredith Gravy is one of the biggest calorie culprits on the table. Use vegetable oil rather than turkey drippings when making the gravy — it's still fat, but vegetable oil is lower in saturated fat and is cholesterol-free. If you use turkey drippings to add flavor, use a fat separator ($16; amazon.com). Pour the gravy into a separator and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Some of the fat in the gravy will rise to the top of the glass where you can skim it off easily. Better yet, make a low-fat broth-based gravy or a vegetarian gravy instead. 06 of 13 Recipe: Lightning Gravy View Recipe Marianne Here's a broth-based gravy that comes together in just 5 minutes: "This is awesome because it's low fat, low cal, (for gravy!) and quick," says Drunken Cookie. "I added a black pepper and a small pinch of ground sage." 07 of 13 Slimmed-Down Sides Blaine Moats/Meredith Instead of loading up your mashed potatoes with lots of butter and cream, add some of the starchy water you used to boil the potatoes. The starchy water will give your mashers a low-cal creamy texture and help cut back on fat. You can also add turkey or chicken broth, evaporated skim milk, or fat-free sour cream to your mashed potatoes. For extra flavor, stir in roasted garlic and herbs. For added nutrition, add pureed cooked cauliflower, parsnips, or turnips — or replace the potatoes entirely with Mashed Parsnips or Mashed Turnips. Scrap the traditional dessert-style candied sweet potato casseroles in favor of a low-fat, naturally-sweetened sweet potatoes. Try a cranberry relish or cut down on the amount of sugar in your cranberry sauce by adding fruit juices or apple sauce. Bake the dressing in a casserole dish rather than in the turkey, where it absorbs fat from the turkey as it bakes. It's hard to slim down a stuffing recipe, so take a small serving if it's your Thanksgiving favorite. If you can avoid recipes using too much sausage or bacon; wild rice and grains are more nutritious than bread stuffings. 08 of 13 Recipe: Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower View Recipe Photo by bd.weld. "This was good and a great way of adding extra veggies into a meal," says Manda. I had mine along side some corn and stuffing. It was the perfect accompaniment and easy to make." More Potato Recipes: Clapshot Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Shallots Spruced Up Mashed Potatoes 09 of 13 Recipe: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta Cheese View Recipe Allrecipes Magazine "These were absolutely fabulous," says susiekew. "We aren't fond of sweet potato dishes that have a lot of added sugar, so this was really to our taste." More Sweet Potato Recipes: Onion Roasted Sweet Potatoes Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Honey Cranberry Apple Sauce Cranberry Sauce with Apricots, Raisins, and Orange 10 of 13 Recipe: Cranberry, Sausage and Apple Stuffing View Recipe Pictured: Cranberry, Sausage and Apple Stuffing. Allrecipes Magazine LivinOurLuvSong says, "I left out the sausage and used veggie broth. I baked it in a pan and it was perfect." More Stuffing Recipes: Wild Rice Stuffing for Turkey Celery Stuffing 11 of 13 Rethink Pie Blaine Moats/Meredith Most of the fat in a pie comes from the crust. Try a crust-free pumpkin pie recipe or a reduced-fat graham cracker crust. 12 of 13 Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Squares View Recipe Alberta Rose "This is a great recipe," raves LAURA J JOHNSON. "It makes homemade pumpkin pie much easier and it tastes great." More Crustless Pie Recipes: Gluten Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie Impossible Pumpkin Pie I Pumpkin Chiffon Pie II 13 of 13 More Thanksgiving Menu Inspiration: skynesher/Getty Images A Traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner Menu A Thanksgiving Menu for Two Check out our complete collection of Thanksgiving Recipes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit