70 Keto and Low Carb Holiday Recipes (2025)

FAQs

How do you survive Thanksgiving on keto? ›

A few general tips for making your Thanksgiving keto-friendly: Swap out mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower, nix adding any flour to thicken recipes like green bean casserole or creamed spinach, and load up on the low-carb veggies like Brussels sprouts, spaghetti squash, and mushrooms.

Lazy Keto is a simpler version of the ketogenic diet that ditches macro tracking and only consists of counting net carbs. Often times it's used for weight loss and is structured to be easy to follow.

While some people have success staying on keto for an extended period of time, “the long-term research is limited,” says Jill Gulotta, RDN, who's based in White Plains, New York. Gulotta recommends staying on keto for six months max before reintroducing more carbs to your diet.

If you're unfamiliar with a keto diet, here's the quick explanation: It's extremely low in carbohydrates and high in fat. Meat, including turkey with skin, is fine to consume, but other Thanksgiving staples aren't. Mashed potatoes are off limits, along with bread stuffing, rolls, sugary cranberry sauce and desserts.

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

#1: Eating too much protein.

The body can convert the amino acids from excess protein into glucose, potentially sabotaging your weight loss efforts and keeping your body out of ketosis. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this translates to about 75g of protein at about 10-20% protein.

It sounds impossible, but it's not. Yes, you have to cut out most carbs to make this happen. But you also need to increase your nutrition. Keeping an abundance of nutrients in your diet tells your body that it's not starving.

You'll Probably Feel Low on Energy

As carbohydrates provide most of the fuel for daily activity and functioning, you'll probably have less energy if you stop eating carbohydrates. You may feel more tired and hungry and find concentrating more difficult.