Gluten-free Thanksgiving Guide

Don’t let your gluten-free diet “get in the way” of enjoying your Thanksgiving meal this year. We’ve put together a list of Thanksgiving foods that you can enjoy with no problem, what to watch out for, and there’s even a secret thanksgiving recipe at the end of this blog! Keep reading to make the most out of your Thanksgiving food. 

Thanksgiving foods for a gluten-free diet

• Turkey – the main dish of Thanksgiving. Turkey should be a green light to eat with no problem. Spices and seasonings should be naturally gluten-free, just watch out for the marinades and read the labels. 
• Stuffing – watch out for stuffing, it contains breadcrumbs. But don’t worry, that’s an easy fix, just substitute regular breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs. 
• Mashed potatoes – creamy, delicious and naturally gluten-free. 
• Gravy – some people like to make gravy with flour, which is a big no-no for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Substitute flour with cornstarch, you get the same consistency and thickness.
• Veggies – any veggie sides should be naturally gluten-free.
• Ham – be a ham [pun intended] and make sure your glazes are homemade and watch out for any recipes that call for flour – again, you can substitute with cornstarch. 
• Green bean casserole – we singled out the casserole because most green bean casseroles are topped with crispy french onions that contain wheat flour. 
• Cranberry sauce – yummy to the tummy, even for tummies that cannot handle gluten!
• Candied Yams – this sweet dessert is safe for gluten-free diets and who doesn’t love marshmallows?
• Pies – pumpkin, apple, peach, no matter the flavor, you must watch out for pie. Most pie crusts contain flour. It is best to make the pie crust from scratch to make sure that there are no wheat or flour ingredients. 

Lucky for us gluten-free dieters that Thanksgiving food does not contain too much “no” ingredients. It is always best to read all food labels and if someone else is hosting, make sure to let them know of your diet restrictions and help them out!

Gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 ½ Gluten-free all purpose flour blend. We love Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoons xanthan gum (take out if using a flour blend that includes it) 
• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cold – cut into small pieces
• 3-4 tablespoons milk, cold (or dairy-free milk)

Filling

• 1 (15oz.) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• ½ cup half and half (or heavy whipping cream, or full fat coconut milk)
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed into the measuring cup
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

For the pie crust:

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and xanthan gum. To measure the flour, spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 
3.   Cut butter into flour mixture until the butter is small.
4.   Add milk and combine. Use your hands to work the milk into the dough. Add additional milk if needed.
5.   Knead dough until it comes together. Form a ball with the dough.
6.   Place the dough ball onto a large piece of parchment paper and shape into a disc. Cover with a second piece of parchment and roll out into a 10-inch circle.
7.   Peel the top piece of parchment paper off, and invert into a greased pie pan. Flute the edges. Use your fingers to repair any tears in the crust, if needed.

For the pumpkin pie filling:

8. In a large mixing bowl, blend all pumpkin pie filling ingredients together with an electric mixer until no lumps remain.
9.   Pour filling into pie crust 
10. Cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil, to prevent the top from browning too soon.
11. Place pie on the baking sheet and bake for 55-65 minutes until the center is firm, removing the foil after 30 minutes to allow the top to brown.
12. Remove the pie from the oven and cool.
13. Cut, serve and enjoy!