Skip to Content

38 Healthy Thanksgiving Sides

Sharing is caring!

These delicious, healthy Thanksgiving sides are very tasty! They're the perfect side dishes for your holiday meal.

We've included some of our favorite healthy veggie sides, salads, potato dishes, and sides with fruit.

There are some classic Thanksgiving side dishes as well as some new favorites that will be popular with your family.


An overhead shot of a large serving platter of roasted carnival squash topped with feta and pomegranate.

Healthy Vegetable Side Dishes

  • Roasted Carnival Squash - You'll love this roasted carnival squash recipe - it's so easy to make and results in creamy, succulent squash.
  • Roasted Acorn Squash - This delicious roasted acorn squash is a great side dish! You can also roast acorn squash and use it in salads or soups. It's incredibly flavorful and hearty.
  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out all their flavor! This great, easy side dish of roasted Brussels sprouts is always a hit.
  • Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese - This roasted beet salad with goat cheese recipe hits so many delicious flavor notes!
  • Roasted Squash and Grapes - This recipe for roasted squash and grapes is an elegant and delicious side dish for the holidays or other special meals.
  • Wild Rice Stuffed Delicata Squash - Wild rice pilaf heartied up with lentils, flavored with curry spices and cumin, and dotted with sweet dried cranberries and crunchy pecans - all served up in delicious roasted delicata squash halves. 
  • Oven Roasted Root Vegetables - This delicious healthy mix of roasted root vegetables is a fantastic side dish.
  • Parmesan Cheese Green Beans - Easy, oven-roasted crispy parmesan green beans with savory garlic and herb seasonings and a crispy parmesan coating that is totally irresistible – even for picky eaters!

fennel gratin in a baking dish with a serving spoon

Healthier Casserole Recipes

  • Roasted Fennel Gratin - This fennel au gratin recipe is quite frankly wonderful.  This is a perfect side dish for a holiday dinner or a special meal!
  • Healthy Green Bean Casserole - This healthy green bean casserole recipe is made without canned soup! A delicious, from scratch recipe with incredible flavor.
  • Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole - This healthy sweet potato casserole is lightened-up, sugar-free version of the classic recipe! It's gluten-free, paleo and Whole30 compliant as well.
  • Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole - A cozy and delicious chicken and wild rice casserole made with butternut squash and cranberries.

A closeup shot of an Asian pear salad with arugula, blue cheese, and grapes in a white serving bowl.

Healthy Salads for Thanksgiving

  • Asian Pear Arugula Salad with Blue Cheese - This delicious Asian pear salad is made with blue cheese, arugula, frisée, and grapes. It's such a delicious and beautiful salad recipe.
  • Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad - This shredded Brussels sprouts salad with kale and apples is quick and easy to make! It's full of crunchy bits and savory bits.
  • The Best Green Salad Recipe - This is the best green salad recipe - it's got crumbled pecorino, rich panko, soft butter lettuce, a bright jolt of red spring onions.
  • Roasted Grape Salad - This roasted grape salad is full of wonderful flavors! It’s a great side dish at a dinner party or for a holiday meal.
  • Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad - Butternut squash cranberry salad is a great fall salad! Made with butternut squash, cranberries, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette.
  • Artichoke and White Bean Salad - A delicious artichoke white bean salad with shaved Brussels sprouts is a warm and flavorful meal.

Healthy mashed sweet potatoes in a serving bowl topped with butter.

Healthy Potato Side Dishes

  • Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes - These healthy mashed sweet potatoes are a fantastic, flavorful side dish.
  • French Potato Salad - This French potato salad with green beans and hard-boiled eggs is a hearty side dish.
  • Roasted Sweet Potatoes - These roasted sweet potatoes have a crispy caramelized exterior and a soft irresistible interior. The optional seasoning blend adds a perfect accent to these potatoes.
  • Artichoke Potato Salad with Dill - This delicious potato salad with dill is fresh and filling. It’s a simple recipe and is largely hands-off, as the bulk of the time is spent roasting the potatoes.

citrus pomegranate salad on a large serving dish with serving spoon

Side Dishes with Fruit

  • Citrus Fennel Salad Recipe - This salad combines grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, fennel, and mozzarella into a delicious and bright fruit salad.
  • Homemade Cranberry Sauce - A simple recipe for fresh and easy homemade cranberry sauce.  Made with real whole cranberries and just 3 other ingredients!
  • Ham & Gruyere Tarts with Apples - These ham and cheese puff pastry tarts with apples are absolutely delicious! They're savory, flavorful, and easy to pull together. 
  • Citrus Pomegranate Salad - A delightful salad recipe that combines crumbly feta cheese, bright greens, slivered shallots, and a zesty dressing.
Yield: 4 servings

Healthy Thanksgiving Sides

A pear and arugula salad in a serving bowl.

Try one of our favorite healthy Thanksgiving side dishes - this delicious Asian pear salad with arugula and blue cheese.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 2 cups chopped frisée
  • ½ head radicchio, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup red grapes, halved
  • 3 ounces blue cheese
  • 3 Asian pears, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, wholegrain mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the arugula, frisée, and radicchio to the mixing bowl. Toss to combine with the dressing.
  3. Add the grapes, most of the blue cheese (reserve a little for topping), and most of the pears (reserve several slices for topping) to the bowl. Toss to combine.
  4. Top the salad with the remaining cheese and slices of pear.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 827mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 5gSugar: 14gProtein: 6g

Skip to Recipe