We often think of Thanksgiving as a holiday of food—a meal often rich in gluten and dairy.  Traditional stuffing, a Thanksgiving favorite, is made from bread (wheat).  Pumpkin pie contains wheat and dairy.  Mashed potatoes are loaded with milk, cream and butter.  All off limits on a gluten-free and casein-free diet.

But you don’t have to miss out.  Spend time with family while maintaining the special diet your family is on. 

Here’s a simple but delicious GFCF Thanksgiving dinner—and your guests won’t know the difference:

Roasted Turkey
Gluten-Free Stuffing
Gluten-Free Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts
Pumpkin Pie


Turkey is inherently gluten-free and dairy-free unless you add something containing those ingredients.  Use safe herbs and spices, oils, and avoid flour often used as thickener for gravy.  Avoid “apple pie spice” and other spice blends in your Thanksgiving dinner.

My Gluten-Free Stuffing and Gravy recipes are included—they are simple recipes any cook can make.  For mashed potatoes: you can very easily substitute non-dairy milk for any milk or cream in the mashed potatoes, and ghee or other fat for the butter.  All vegetable recipes can be made gluten-free if they are not already.  For a pie, there is no excuse not to do GFCF—there are so many options and no one will know the difference! See the link to my Brussels Sprout recipe it’s in season, and festive with the addition of dried cranberries. See GoDairyFree.org for Perfect Pantry Pumpkin Pie, a delicious dairy-free and soy-free pumpkin pie.  


Enjoy this delicious meal with your family!  They'll never know it's gluten-free and dairy-free!

About the Author

Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and Autism Diet Specialist, and author of Nourishing Hope for Autism.  Visit: NourishingHope.com, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Image Credit: Harvest Market Natural Foods, "Turkey Time Again". November 22, 2011.