It can be tough to stick to your wellness goals during the holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception. That’s why we put together this Thanksgiving menu of Bulletproof favorites for a healthful, nourishing meal, from turkey to pumpkin pie. You won’t find any grains, gluten or refined sugar here — just wholesome, delicious dishes that your entire family will love.
Plenty of traditional Thanksgiving foods already fit into the Bulletproof Diet, like buttered green beans, mashed sweet potatoes and roast turkey. But other foods can contribute to inflammation, brain fog and sugar cravings — like dinner rolls made from refined flour, casseroles made from condensed soups, and ultra-processed treats.
Luckily, you can still make the most of the holiday and feel good the next day. Here’s a full Bulletproof Thanksgiving menu, plus a grocery list.
Bulletproof Thanksgiving Menu
- Main: Roast Turkey With Gravy
- Sides: Bulletproof Cranberry Sauce, Cauliflower Bacon Mash and Roasted Sweet Potato Stuffing
- Dessert: Bulletproof Pumpkin Pie
The Main Event
Roast Turkey With Gravy
This turkey is coated in a savory, yet simple poultry rub. Patting the skin dry might seem like an extra step, but it helps the rub adhere and ensures your turkey’s skin turns golden brown and crisp. Turkey is a lean meat, so don’t be afraid to pile on the gravy.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: ~3.5 hours
Ingredients
- 1 (14 to 16 lb.) pasture-raised turkey, giblets removed
- 2 tbsp. Grass-Fed Ghee
- Turkey rub:
- 2 tsp. rosemary, dried (or 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely diced)
- 2 tsp. thyme, dried (or 2 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely diced)
- 1 tsp. sage, dried (or 1 tbsp. fresh sage, finely diced)
- ½ tsp. garlic powder (optional; omit if you’re sensitive to garlic)
- ½ tsp. onion powder (optional; omit if you’re sensitive to onion)
For gravy:
- Turkey drippings
- 3 tbsp. arrowroot powder
- 2 cups pasture-raised chicken or turkey stock
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Pink salt, to taste
- ½ tsp. garlic powder (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Pat your turkey dry, both inside and out.
- Combine herbs and spices to make turkey rub.
- Put turkey in a roasting pan. Melt the ghee in a saucepan and rub or brush it over the turkey, both inside and out.
- Rub the turkey with the herb mixture.
- Roast the turkey for about 3 ½ hours, basting it every 30 minutes so it stays moist. Remove when a food thermometer registers 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Move the turkey to a serving platter and put a tin foil tent over it. Let it rest for 30 minutes or longer. Keep the drippings.
- For the gravy, pour the turkey drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Add arrowroot starch and whisk until mixture starts to smooth out. Add stock, bring to a boil and whisk until the gravy is smooth. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the gravy is the thickness you want. Add apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and salt, then take off the heat.
- Serve and enjoy!
Side Dishes
Bulletproof Cranberry Sauce
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce. Fortunately, cranberries are some of the most Bulletproof fruit you can eat, thanks to their plentiful antioxidants and low sugar content. This four-ingredient cranberry sauce takes only a couple minutes to make. Xylitol brings extra sweetness without spiking your insulin, and orange zest adds depth of flavor.
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. cranberries (frozen is fine)
- ¼ cup water
- Zest of one orange, grated
- ¼ cup xylitol (more if you like sweeter cranberry sauce)
Directions
- Add the cranberries, water, orange zest and xylitol to a food processor.
- Blend until you get an even consistency.
- Pour into serving dish and enjoy!
Cauliflower Bacon Mash
This recipe is from Bulletproof: The Cookbook. Made with nutrient-dense cauliflower, it’s a buttery, bacon-y upgrade over normal mashed potatoes. Why avoid white potatoes? Unlike sweet potatoes or yams, white potatoes are members of the nightshade family, which can contribute to inflammation in some people. That’s why they’re in the red zone of the Bulletproof Diet roadmap, but sweet potatoes are in the green.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pastured, uncured bacon, diced
- 3/4 to 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4 tablespoons grass-fed unsalted butter or ghee
- 2 tablespoons Brain Octane oil
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- In a large skillet, lightly cook the bacon over medium-low heat. Do not let it get too crispy (keep those fats intact), and do not let the fat smoke. Set bacon aside and reserve the fat in the pan.
- In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and steam until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a high-powered blender, blend three-fourths of the cauliflower with the butter, oil, vinegar and salt to taste. Stir in the bacon and remaining cauliflower. Pulse the mixture until chunky. For amazing flavor, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
- Enjoy!
Roasted Sweet Potato Stuffing
These spiced sweet potatoes taste just like classic stuffing. A light dusting of coconut flour keeps them crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 sweet potatoes, chopped or diced
- 3 tbsp. grass-fed ghee
- 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper (or more, if you like it hot)
- 3 tsp. (dried) – 3 tbsp. (fresh) mixed herbs: Combine equal parts sage, parsley, oregano, rosemary and chives
- 2 tbsp. coconut flour
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes (sweet potatoes should be just shy of tender). Move sweet potatoes to a bowl of ice water, cool, and then drain well. Be sure you cool the sweet potatoes here or they won’t crisp later.
- Spread sweet potatoes evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure you don’t overcrowd them — you want them to get good and roasted.
- Melt the ghee in a saucepan, then drizzle it over the sweet potatoes. Combine mixed herbs with cayenne pepper, sprinkle mixture over the sweet potatoes, and toss to coat.
- Add the coconut flour and toss to coat again.
- Bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes, or until the potatoes start to crisp and brown.
Dessert
Bulletproof Pumpkin Pie
This creamy pumpkin pie is loaded with quality fat and collagen protein, and there’s no sugar. You don’t even have to bake it. If you want a crust, mix almond flour or sweet potato flour with a pinch of salt and just enough grass-fed butter to keep it together.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes (if you’re steaming fresh pumpkin)
Cooling time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 cups steamed pumpkin or sweet potato, warm (or BPA-free canned pumpkin)
- 5 tbsp. Brain Octane oil
- ¼ cup grass-fed butter or ghee
- 2 raw egg yolks
- 1 cup coconut milk (BPA-free)
- 1/3 cup xylitol or erythritol
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsp. pumpkin spice (You can buy it pre-made and organic, or make enough to last a while: Mix 1/4 cup cinnamon, 4 tsp. nutmeg, 4 tsp. ginger and 2 tsp. ground allspice, and store it in an airtight jar away from heat and light)
- 2 tsp. cinnamon (optional, for dusting)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 5 tbsp. Collagelatin, dissolved into 1/3 cup of boiling water
Directions
- Blend everything together until it’s creamy.
- (Optional) If you want a crust, mix almond or sweet potato flour with salt and just enough butter to keep the crust together. Add a splash of cold water if it isn’t mixing. Press the crust into a pie pan or dish.
- Pour the filling over the crust, or directly into a pie pan or dish (if you’re not doing the crust.) Chill the pie in the freezer for at least an hour, or in the fridge overnight. For extra decadence, dollop some whipped coconut cream on top and dust with extra cinnamon.
What guests can bring
Planning on hosting a crowd? If anyone wants to contribute to the meal, invite them to bring a delicious appetizer, side dish or dessert. Of course, drinks are always welcome.
Related: The Bulletproof Guide to Alcohol (and How to Hack Your Hangover)
For extra inspo, here are a few easy Bulletproof recipes that would pair well with the menu above:
Starters
- Baked Coconut Shrimp With Cilantro-Lime Dip
- Bacon-Avocado Caesar Deviled Eggs
- Chilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Antipasto
Sides
- Fluffy Keto Almond Flour Biscuits
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Paleo Fall Salad With Butternut Squash, Bacon & Kale
Drinks
Desserts
Grocery list
This list includes covers the items for the five recipes in the Bulletproof Thanksgiving menu.
Pantry
- Grass-fed ghee or grass-fed, unsalted butter
- Rosemary (dried or fresh)
- Thyme (dried or fresh)
- Sage (dried or fresh)
- Parsley (dried or fresh)
- Oregano (dried or fresh)
- Chives (dried or fresh)
- Garlic powder (optional; omit if you’re sensitive to garlic)
- Onion powder (optional; omit if you’re sensitive to onion)
- Cayenne pepper
- Pumpkin spice (or 1/4 cup cinnamon, 4 tsp. nutmeg, 4 tsp. ginger, and 2 tsp. ground allspice)
- Cinnamon
- Himalayan pink salt
- Arrowroot powder
- Pasture-raised chicken or turkey stock
- Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Brain Octane oil
- Coconut flour
- Vanilla
- Xylitol
- Erythritol (optional)
- Collagelatin
Produce
- 1 lb. cranberries (frozen is fine)
- Zest of one orange
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 5 sweet potatoes
Meat
- 1 (14 to 16 lb.) pasture-raised turkey, giblets removed
- 1/2 lb. pastured, uncured bacon
- 2 raw egg yolks
