The holidays are right around the corner, and it’s going to take some extra vigilance to stay sugar-free. We’ve got a few ideas on how to remove sugar from your Thanksgiving and holiday dinners.

1. Skipping Dessert Isn't An Option

Eliminating dessert from holiday meals is just not an option. Traditional pumpkin pie serves up 25 grams (6 teaspoon) of sugar per slice. And who has only one small slice of pie? Skip the added sugar and try a stevia sweetened recipe: Sugar-Free Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites, Chocolate Raspberry Mousse, Keto Maple Pecan Ice Cream, Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream, and Vegan Pumpkin Fudge

Now, have yourself a second slice of dessert. Go ahead. You deserve it.

2. Tart Cranberries are The Perfect Sidekick

A can of jellied cranberry sauce contains 24 grams (6 teaspoons) of sugar per ¼ cup. To compare, a cup of whole cranberries contains only 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of sugar. Cranberries are meant to be tart, and that tartness makes them an excellent complement to your turkey.

Make homemade cranberry sauce using fresh or frozen cranberries, and simmer in a saucepot. Try Kristine's Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce. Jazz up your regular recipe with grated apple or apple cider, or add a new twist with orange zest and fresh orange juice, and a cinnamon stick. You can even try to use our Organic Clear NuStevia Extract for that added sweetness. 

3. Whether You Call it Stuffing or Dressing, Don’t Eat it From a Box

Pre-made stuffings are packed full of chemicals and, you guessed it, sugar! Think outside the dressing box this year, and knock grandpa’s golf socks off with homemade dressing. Try Martha’s Prune and sausage stuffing, if you think your crowd would like sweet and savory.

4. Shake or Stir with Stevia

If your family gatherings involve alcohol, eliminate the added sugar, and skip the sugar-based drink mixes. One of the most popular cocktails, the gin and tonic, contains 32 grams (8 teaspoons) per serving! Beer and wine are good low sugar choices. But, if you want to serve something a little more festive, branch out into our stevia-sweetened cocktails.

Try our Orange Creamsicle Crush, or check out our fall cocktail recipe collection to learn how to make a Pumpkin Martini, Chai Swizzle, or Bourbon Chai drink. For the non-alcoholic crowd, Sugarless NuStevia Lemonade is sure to please.

5. Don't Fall For The Marshmallow Conspiracy

Here’s the truth: marshmallows and sweet potato casserole might be your great-great aunt Margaret’s recipe, but she didn’t come up with it on her own. Do you know where the recipe originally came from? You’re all smart potatoes; you can probably figure it out.

Making marshmallows at home can be a very time-consuming and sticky process, as anyone who’s tried it can tell you. In the pilgrims' time, (or maybe just a little after) marshmallows were mostly reserved for upper class families, with a kitchen staff to clean the sugary mess. Then someone figured out how to make marshmallows in bulk. Suddenly, marshmallows were available to everyone. And, to encourage everyone to use them to their daily lives, a cookbook was distributed.

Enter the sweet potato and marshmallow casserole. That’s right, your traditional Thanksgiving casserole hasn’t been passed down from grandmother to granddaughter, but from marshmallow mass manufacturer to you.

A marshmallow laden sweet potato casserole is at least 20 grams (5 teaspoons) of sugar per serving. The same serving of sweet potatoes, plain, has 6 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) of sugar.

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet. Did you know there's a way to bake them to make them even sweeter? Check out our hack for making the sweetest sweet potatoes you've ever had - without sugar with our Baked Sweet Potato Recipe. Don’t invite marshmallows to dinner this Thanksgiving.

Create some new traditions for your Thanksgiving dinner this year by reducing the sugar on your plate. Let us know how you do!