Thanksgiving is supposed to feel warm and welcoming, not like a marathon. This year, I’m sharing my full make-ahead gluten-free and dairy-free Thanksgiving plans, including soups, sides, and desserts that taste just as good the next day. Every recipe is linked back to the creators I love, and I share the adaptations I’m making for common food restrictions.
Food Guidelines
Our family has a variety of dietary concerns and preferences. No wheat, dairy, pork, beef, shellfish, fish, seafood, mint, sweet potatoes, coconut, or small seeds/nuts in main dishes
(not a nut allergy).
How to make Thanksgiving ahead of time
I’ve taken the overwhelm out of Thanksgiving prep (including taking time to rest!) by breaking it down into 30-minute mini-tasks that you can complete before your Thanksgiving guests arrive.
Please see the calendar below:
Arrival Dinner: Potato Tacos and cozy sides
Serving an easy and comforting meal as my guests arrive.
Potato tacos: by Caitlin Jesson
Uses baked potatoes as taco shells.
Make them up to three days ahead and reheat at 400°F for 15–20 minutes.
Fill with chopped veggies, lettuce, salsa, and beans.
Corn Salad: by Martha Stewart — make vinaigrette 5 days ahead; use frozen corn, add tomato + avocado day of.
Apple Crumble Pie: by Erin at Meaningful Eats — use Wholly GF crust, make crumble as directed, substituting Earth Balance butter for dairy; freeze up to 2 months.
Thanksgiving Lunch: Simple Soups
Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup — by Janssen at Everyday Reading:
Hold the cream, swap cornstarch for flour, and olive oil for butter. Freezes beautifully.
Power & Glow Immunity Soup — by Arash at Shred Happens:
Use tofu instead of cottage cheese and freeze it up to one month.
Serve straight from crockpots on paperware for no dishes! Pretty plates, napkins, and cups (Amazon affiliate links) with Kirari West rolls and a Whole Foods sourdough baguette.
Thanksgiving Dinner: Classic Comfort
Herb Mayonnaise Roast Turkey: by Ree at The Pioneer Woman. Defrost 3 days ahead; ice the breast 30 minutes while coming to room temp. Recipe swaps: corn starch for flour in the gravy
Olive-Oil Mashed Potatoes & Gravy — by Dave at GF Dave
Make 1–2 days ahead, reheat at 350°F for 20–30 minutes.
Gravy can be made 2–3 days ahead or frozen for 2 months.
Fruit-and-Nut Cornbread Stuffing — via Food Network Magazine
Use Pamela’s GF cornbread mix and olive oil instead of butter. Putting the pecans on only half.
Assemble one day ahead and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Chocolate Pumpkin Pies — by Lisa at A Table Full of Joy.
Use a GF Oreo crust and almond-milk creamer. Freeze fully baked up to 1 month.
Baby Wedge Salad — by Deb at Smitten Kitchen:
Pickle onions and toast pepitas ahead of time, then assemble them just before dinner.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts + Apples — by Sarah at Healthyish Foods:
Blanch and freeze Brussels ahead, roast from frozen with olive oil.
Canned cranberry sauce
GF Yorkshire puddings by Becky at Becky Excell. Substituting almond milk for dairy.
Bitchin’ Sauce and ranch for raw veggies
Thanksgiving Day Schedule
Saturday, November 22, 2025
9 a.m. Start turkey (roaster oven) + soups in crockpots.
- 12 pm. Lunch is served
3 p.m. Roast Brussels sprouts & apples.
4 p.m. Reheat sides + Yorkshire puddings.
4:30 p.m. Warm gravy, toss salad.
5 p.m. Dinner.
6 p.m. Warm pies 10–15 minutes at 300°F.
Day 1: Hosting prep Pantry
Clean out your pantry. You want to make room for all the once-a-year items you’ll be buying for Thanksgiving while keeping it functional for you to use for the next few weeks.
Day 2: Hosting Prep Fridge & Freezer
This is similar to why you clean out your pantry: to make your fridge and freezer functional for now and during the time your guests are here. Remember, the goal is to make space, not to make it Pinterest-perfect.
Day 3: Hosting Prep Kitchen Basics
Here’s the list I’m using to check to see if I have what I need.
Prep & Cook Equipment
These cover everything from soups to desserts.
Large stock pot (for soups)
Medium saucepan + sauté pan (for sauces, gravy, and veggies)
Sheet pans or roasting pans (for turkey, Brussels sprouts, and reheats)
Baking dish (for apple crumble pie and casseroles)
Mixing bowls (various sizes)
Measuring cups and spoons
Chef’s knife and paring knife
Cutting boards
Spatula, slotted spoon, ladle, and tongs
Potato masher or ricer (for mashed potatoes)
Rubber or silicone spatulas (for crusts and desserts)
Cooling rack (for pies and baked goods)
Oven thermometer
- Food storage containers
Serve & Buffet Setup
Plan for efficiency when serving lunch and dinner.
Large serving platters or trays (for tacos and main dishes)
Serving bowls (for soups, salads, and sides)
Gravy boat or small pitcher (for gravy or sauces)
Carving board and carving knife (for turkey)
Oven-safe serving dishes or buffet trays (for keeping things warm)
- Collapsible warming trays
Tongs, slotted spoons, and ladles (for serving)
Bread basket (for rolls and baguettes)
Pie server or dessert spatula (for desserts)
Pretty disposable paperware or durable plates (depending on your setup)
Crockpots (for soups and keeping sides warm)
Tableware for 8 People
Make sure you have everything needed for the table.
8 dinner plates
8 salad or appetizer plates
8 dessert plates
8 soup bowls (if not using paperware)
8 sets of flatware (fork, knife, spoon)
8 water glasses or goblets
8 wine glasses (optional)
8 cloth or paper napkins
1 tablecloth or 8 placemats
8 bread plates with butter knives (optional)
8 charger plates (optional)
Day 4: Assess and shop non-perishables that will hold
Summary
Ingredients to buy ahead of time
Oils & Vinegars
Olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil
Balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar
Vegetable or neutral oil (optional backup)
Starches, Flours & Thickeners
Gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
Pamela’s gluten-free cornbread mix
Cornstarch
Baking & Sweets
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Maple syrup
Vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Ground ginger
Cocoa powder (for chocolate pumpkin pies)
Herbs & Spices
Salt (coarse and fine)
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Dried thyme, rosemary, or sage (for turkey and stuffing)
Paprika (for color on roasted veggies)
Canned & Jarred Goods
Canned pumpkin purée
Canned fire-roasted tomatoes
Canned beans (black, pinto, or refried)
Canned or boxed vegetable broth
Canned cranberry sauce
Condiments & Sauces
Mayonnaise (for herb-mayo turkey rub)
Bitchin’ Sauce (this is refrigerated)
Dairy-free ranch
Salsa (for potato tacos)
Dijon or yellow mustard (optional for vinaigrettes)
Grains, Nuts & Seeds
Pecans (for stuffing and pies)
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds for salad)
Shelf-Stable Extras
GF Oreo crusts (or GF Oreos to make your own)
GF/DF pie crusts (mine are frozen)
Produce That Stores Well
Potatoes (russet or gold, for tacos and mash)
Onions and garlic
Apples (keep cool, away from moisture)
Freezer & Long Shelf-Life Refrigerated Items
Frozen corn (for corn salad)
Brussels sprouts (can blanch/freeze ahead)
Wholly GF pie crusts (keep frozen)
Earth Balance or dairy-free butter (long shelf life refrigerated)
Almond milk or oat milk (shelf-stable or refrigerated, long shelf life)
Dairy-free creamer (buy now if long-dated)
Silken Tofu (vacuum-sealed versions last 4–6 weeks unopened)
Eggs (keep up to 3–4 weeks if purchased fresh)
Day 5: Take a BReak
It’s the holiday season, enjoy it however you wish.
Day 6: Bake the Cornbread for the Cornbread Stuffing
Since the recipe calls for 14 cups, I made two boxes of cornbread. Check the package to make sure it’s gluten-free and dairy-free. I used nut milk instead of dairy milk; I used cashew, but almond and GF oat milk (my favorite!) work as well. I like the Elmhurst brand because it doesn’t contain fillers or sweeteners like others do, and it’s shelf-stable.
Day 7: Assembly Apple pie filling and crumble topping
This is not a baking day, I repeat, you’re not baking this today. Assemble the apple pie filling and crumble topping per the recipe. I used plant butter rather than dairy butter to make this GF (recipe already uses GF flour) and DF. Then put it into a freezer zip-lock bag and freeze.
Day 8: Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
I’m using GF and DF pre-made crust to reduce the amount of work for myself. The filling is from this recipe on A Table Full of Joy. Instead of evaporated milk, I used a nut milk creamer. If you don’t have time to make, bake, cool, and freeze, let it cool and then put it in your fridge. You can always freeze it the next day.
Day 9: Make Power & Glow Immunity Soup
Make, cool, and freeze. I used silken tofu instead of cottage cheese. Otherwise, I followed Shred Happen’s recipe in the caption.
Day 10: Take a break
Give yourself a margin in your prep. Life will happen, and you’ll need to go with the flow. Use today to get what you need to be present in your life.
Hosting Thanksgiving can be stressful for many people, but by taking it one step at a time, you can enjoy the experience.
