Hosting a Gluten Free Thanksgiving
Welcome to your essential resource for hosting a safe, delicious, and entirely stress-free gluten free Thanksgiving. Whether you are navigating Celiac Disease yourself, or warmly hosting family and friends who require a strict gluten free diet, we are helping ensure your holiday table is filled with incredible flavour and completely free from hidden gluten.
The holiday season is meant for gathering, giving thanks, and sharing hearty, comforting meals. However, for those with Celiac Disease, a traditional Thanksgiving spread can look like a minefield of cross-contamination and hidden gluten. From the breadcrumbs in the stuffing to the flour thickening the gravy, gluten traditionally hides in almost every course.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Looking to host a perfect holiday feast? Look no further! We are here helping you create the perfect gluten free Thanksgiving menu. Turn to this simple how-to guide for hosting an easy, joyful gluten free Thanksgiving with delicious dishes in every single course.
Learn How to Make Your Thanksgiving Favourites Gluten Free
It is completely possible to make just about everything on the typical Thanksgiving table gluten free without sacrificing flavour, richness, or the spirit of the holiday. The key is to know exactly where to find the hidden gluten and how to replace it without compromising the texture or taste of the dish.
Sometimes, you can even find substitutions that make your dishes even better than the originals. With the right preparation, your guests might not even notice that everything on the table is entirely safe for those with Celiac Disease.
Choosing the Right Turkey (Is Turkey Naturally Gluten Free?)
You can’t go wrong with a simple, beautifully roasted turkey at the centre of your Thanksgiving dinner. Fresh, plain turkeys without any added broth, spices, or plumping liquids are naturally gluten free.
However, you must be cautious with frozen, pre-basted, or seasoned turkeys. Many commercial brands inject their poultry with a basting solution that can contain gluten or traces of wheat. If you prefer a smoked or flavoured turkey, your safest option is to buy a fresh, unseasoned bird and flavour it yourself at home using fresh herbs, pure butter, and safe spices.
Additionally, you must discard the gravy packet that is often included inside the cavity of a frozen turkey unless it specifically bears a certified “gluten free” label. Most pre-made gravies and commercial gravy mixes rely heavily on wheat flour as a thickener.
The Best Gluten Free Stuffing and Dressing
You do not need to mourn your favourite stuffing being excluded from your Thanksgiving menu! It is surprisingly easy to make homemade gluten free stuffing.
To create the perfect side dish, you can use a high-quality pre-made gluten free stuffing mix, such as Olivia’s Croutons & Stuffing Mix, or simply use toasted gluten free bread cubes from your own kitchen. Leave your gluten free bread out for a day or toast it lightly in the oven to dry it out, then proceed with your traditional family recipe.
The best gluten free stuffing is made with a rich, savoury homemade turkey broth pulled directly from your roasting pan. Once you’ve added safe spices, celery, onions, and broth, your Thanksgiving stuffing is going to taste almost exactly the way you remember it. Always ensure your spices are from a safe source, favouring fresh produce or certified gluten free spice brands to avoid cross-contamination.
Gluten Free Stuffing Recipe
Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Safe Gravy
Homemade mashed potatoes do not naturally contain gluten. Traditional recipes simply call for fresh potatoes, butter, and milk or cream. Simply skin and boil the potatoes, mash them thoroughly, add generous amounts of butter and a splash of milk, and whip them with a hand mixer until they reach the perfect consistency. While some brands of instant mashed potatoes are gluten free, making them from scratch guarantees safety and offers far superior flavour.
When it comes to gravy, skip the wheat flour entirely. You can easily thicken your delicious pan drippings using a slurry made from cornstarch and cold water, or by using a high-quality gluten free all-purpose flour blend (like gfJules or King Arthur Baking). Club House also offers an excellent gluten free gravy mix if you prefer a convenient, reliable shortcut!
Easy Gluten Free Gravy Recipe – Must Have Poutine Gravy
Scalloped Potatoes, Casseroles, and Sides
Other favourite holiday side dishes, such as au gratin potatoes, sweet potato casseroles, or traditional green bean casseroles, commonly contain gluten.
For au gratin or scalloped potatoes, substitute the traditional roux (butter and wheat flour) with a gluten free flour blend to create your creamy cheese sauce. For green bean casserole, standard cream of mushroom soup and crispy fried onions are off-limits. Thankfully, several brands now offer gluten free cream of mushroom soup, and you can top your casserole with certified gluten free crispy onions to keep that satisfying crunch.
Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
It can be notoriously difficult to bake excellent gluten free bread from scratch, and dinner rolls are no exception. Thankfully, the market has expanded brilliantly.
There are now dinner rolls your guests might mistake for gluten-filled bread. Little Northern Bakehouse offers a pre-made gluten free dinner roll that is beautifully soft, fluffy, and versatile. Warm their Classic Gluten Free Dinner Rolls in the oven just before serving, and slather them in fresh butter for the perfect accompaniment to your meal.
Ending on a Sweet Note: Pies and Desserts
No Thanksgiving is complete without dessert. Pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies are holiday staples, but traditional crusts are heavy on wheat flour. You can easily craft a flaky, buttery crust using a gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum (essential for elasticity). Alternatively, save time by purchasing pre-made gluten free pie shells, such as those from Kinnikinnick, which bake up beautifully and save hours of kitchen prep.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Gluten Free Apple Pie Filling Recipe
Alphabetical List of Gluten Free Thanksgiving Foods & Products
Keeping track of what is safe can feel overwhelming. Use this handy A-to-Z list when grocery shopping to ensure your holiday pantry is fully stocked and strictly gluten free!
- Apple Cider: Naturally gluten free and the perfect autumnal beverage.
- Butter: Pure, unsalted butter is naturally gluten free; avoid butter spreads with artificial additives.
- Cranberry Sauce: Most canned varieties (like Ocean Spray) are naturally GF, but making it from scratch with fresh berries is easy and delicious.
- Dinner Rolls: Look for Little Northern Bakehouse Classic Dinner Rolls in the freezer or bakery aisle.
- Eggs: A naturally GF staple essential for baking pies and binding stuffing.
- Flour Blends: Always use certified gluten free 1-to-1 baking flours like gfJules or King Arthur Baking.
- Gravy: Use Club House Gluten Free Brown Gravy mix or thicken homemade drippings with cornstarch.
- Ham: If serving ham instead of turkey, verify that the glaze does not contain hidden gluten or soy sauce.
- Ice Cream: Perfect for pie, but always check the label! Pure vanilla bean is usually safe, while cookie-dough flavours are not.
- Jell-O: A fun, naturally gluten free addition to fruit salads and retro desserts.
- Kinnikinnick: An excellent brand for pre-made gluten free pie crusts and graham cracker crumbs.
- Leafy Greens: Fresh salads are safe; just ensure your salad dressing is certified GF.
- Marshmallows: Kraft (Jet-Puffed) marshmallows are widely considered safe for topping your sweet potato casseroles.
- Nuts: Raw, unseasoned walnuts and pecans for pies are safe; avoid pre-seasoned or roasted nuts which may have cross-contamination.
- Olivia’s Croutons: Their gluten free stuffing mix is a massive time-saver and tastes incredible.
- Pumpkin Puree: Ensure you are buying 100% pure pumpkin, not pre-spiced pumpkin pie filling, which sometimes contains additives.
- Quinoa: A fantastic, naturally GF alternative grain for creating modern, savoury harvest bowls or stuffing.
- Rice: Wild rice blends make an excellent, earthy Thanksgiving side dish.
- Sweet Potatoes: Naturally gluten free and perfect for roasting, mashing, or baking into casseroles.
- Turkey: Stick to fresh, unbasted, unseasoned whole turkeys.
- Unsalted Broth: Ensure your boxed chicken or turkey broth is explicitly labeled gluten free for making stuffing and gravy.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract for your baking; avoid imitation vanilla which can sometimes harbour gluten.
- Whipping Cream: Fresh heavy cream whipped with a little sugar is the ideal GF pie topping.
- Xanthan Gum: A crucial ingredient in GF baking to give your homemade breads and pie crusts elasticity.
- Yams: Similar to sweet potatoes, fresh yams are completely safe and delicious.
- Zucchini: Perfect for roasting as a healthy side or baking into a spiced gluten free harvest loaf.
Frequently Asked Questions for a Gluten Free Thanksgiving
Yes, a fresh, completely unseasoned turkey is naturally gluten free. However, many frozen turkeys are injected with basting solutions or broths that contain gluten. Always read the label and look for turkeys with no added ingredients.
Traditional gravy is almost always thickened with wheat flour, meaning it is not safe for those with Celiac Disease. You must make or purchase a specific gluten free gravy version.
You can easily thicken pan drippings by whisking in a slurry made of equal parts cold water and cornstarch, or by using a certified gluten free all-purpose flour blend.
Yes, most canned cranberry sauces are naturally gluten free. However, making it from scratch using fresh cranberries, sugar, and water guarantees there is no cross-contamination.
Little Northern Bakehouse makes fantastic gluten-free dinner rolls that have a soft texture and warm up beautifully in the oven.
If made from scratch with fresh potatoes, milk, and butter, they are naturally gluten free. Avoid pre-packaged instant mashed potatoes unless they bear a certified GF label.
Only if it is prepared specifically for you. Traditional recipes may use flour as a thickener or include a streusel topping made with wheat flour.
Most standard marshmallows, like Kraft Jet-Puffed, are made without gluten ingredients and are generally safe, but always verify the packaging as manufacturing practices change.
Standard green bean casserole is highly unsafe, as it relies on canned cream of mushroom soup (thickened with wheat) and crispy fried onions (coated in wheat flour). You must use GF soup and GF onions to make it safe.
Use separate cutting boards, utensils, and colanders for gluten-free prep. Do not bake gluten free foods on the same unlined baking sheets as gluten-containing foods, and serve the GF dishes with their own dedicated serving spoons.
Standard pie crusts are made entirely of wheat flour. You must buy specialized gluten free pie crusts (like Kinnikinnick brand) or make your own from scratch using a GF flour blend.
Fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme) are completely safe. If using dried spices, ensure they are single-ingredient spices, as some mixed seasonings use gluten as an anti-caking agent.
Ham itself is gluten free, but the glazes often are not. Many commercial ham glazes contain soy sauce (which contains wheat) or malt flavouring. Always check the glaze ingredients carefully.
100% pure canned pumpkin puree is naturally gluten free. Be cautious with cans labeled “Pumpkin Pie Filling,” as these are pre-mixed with spices and occasionally thickeners that may pose a risk.
Yes, fresh vegetables tossed in olive oil and basic salt and pepper are perfectly safe and make a wonderful, healthy side dish.
Absolutely not. If you put wheat-based stuffing inside a turkey, the entire turkey becomes contaminated with gluten and is no longer safe for someone with Celiac Disease to eat. Bake stuffing in a separate casserole dish instead.
A high-quality 1-to-1 baking blend that already contains xanthan gum, such as gfJules or King Arthur Baking Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour, works best for mimicking the texture of traditional pastry crust.
Usually, no. Unless the packaging explicitly states the basting broth is gluten free, it is highly likely it contains hidden wheat or modified food starch derived from wheat. Always opt for fresh, unbasted poultry.
