The Ultimate Weight Watchers Holiday Guide 2026 (Free Printable)

Sticking with Weight Watchers from Thanksgiving to New Year’s is hard. Parties, holiday baking, family dinners, and leftovers that sit on the counter for a week.

Can You Stay on Track With WW Through the Holidays?

Yes. You can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner for about 11 Points, Christmas dinner for about 13, and a New Year’s party spread for about 9 (plus pizza toppings) when you plan ahead and build your plate around zero point foods. This guide gives you all three menus with current WW Points, a holiday foods list, low point recipes, and a free printable bundle.

Originally published November 2018. Updated October 2026 for current WW Points.

How to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Between parties, events, baking, family get-togethers, and stress, healthy eating and exercise often fall to the bottom of your priorities. This year, put yourself on the list. Use these WW tips, menus, and recipes to make your holiday healthier.

Research shows the average American gains about 1 pound between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Plan ahead and make a few healthier swaps, and you don’t have to be one of them.

Weight Watchers works well during the holiday season because no foods are off limits. Eat what you love, watch your portions, track it, and you can keep losing or at least maintain.

Points change. Tap the WW link in each recipe card to check the current Points in your app.

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Weight Watchers Holiday Recipes With Low Points

Making healthier holiday recipes makes a real difference in how you end the holiday season. High fat, high calorie dishes can put you over your daily Points and eat into your weekly Points fast.

Did you know a typical piece of pecan pie is 23 Points? Yikes, that’s almost a whole day’s worth of Points from one dessert! (I love pecan pie.) Swap it for my crustless pumpkin pie at 1 Point for a quarter of the pie, and you’re back within your Points with room to spare.

Choose these WW Thanksgiving recipes and Christmas and New Year’s favorites to make healthier versions of the foods you love.

Weight Watchers Holiday Appetizer Recipes

All of these appetizers are low in Points and high in satisfaction.

Weight Watchers Veggie Ranch Dip: 0 Points. Serve it with a big platter of zero point vegetables.

Creamy Cauliflower Dip: Just 4 ingredients. Tap the WW link in the recipe card for Points.

Healthy Ham Roll Ups: An easy party appetizer you can make the night before. Points are in the recipe card.

Weight Watchers Thanksgiving & Christmas Main Dish Recipes

Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Turkey Breast with Gravy: 2 Points per serving. It cooks in the slow cooker, which saves room in the oven for everything else.

WW Cranberry & Orange Glazed Ham: 6 Points per 3 1/2 oz serving. A delicious ham with citrus flavor.

Instant Pot Whole Lemon Chicken: Breast meat without the skin is 0 Points. A bright lemon flavor, and it cooks in your Instant Pot.

WW Holiday Side Dish Recipes

WW Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes: 1 Point per 1/2 cup. All the flavor, a lot fewer Points.

WW Green Bean Casserole: 4 Points per cup. A Weight Watchers twist on the classic.

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce: 0 Points when you make it with Splenda. It cooks in 1 minute.

WW Mashed Sweet Potatoes: 1 Point per 1/2 cup without loads of butter and syrup.

Garlic Sweet Potato Mash: 2 Points per serving.

Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes: 1 Point per serving.

WW Apple Broccoli Salad: 2 Points per serving.

Spinach Salad with Pears, Almonds, and Cranberries: 6 Points per salad. A pretty salad to start your meal.

WW Holiday Dessert Recipes

WW Pumpkin Fluff: 4 Points per serving. This classic WW recipe (oldie but goodie) is delicious. My kids request this every year as one of their holiday favorites.

Weight Watchers Crustless Pumpkin Pie: 1 Point for 1/4 of the pie, plus it’s so good! I’ve made this a bunch of times and it’s one of the most popular recipes on The Holy Mess.

Cranberry Vanilla Mini Trifles: 8 Points each. Pretty enough for Christmas dinner.

WW Apple Crisp: 2 Points per serving.

Low Point Weight Watchers Cheesecake: 1 Point per slice.

WW Creamy Lime Dessert: 4 Points per serving. Cool, creamy, and easy to make.

WW Chocolate Espresso Mousse Shots: 3 Points per shot. I love shot glass desserts because you can try a small taste.

Cool Whip Cookies: 3 Points per cookie.

Baking for Christmas? Get my 20 best Weight Watchers Christmas cookie recipes.

WW Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Menus

Here are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s menus with current WW Points. Use them as a general guide. Track what you actually eat and adjust as needed.

Eat a low point, high protein breakfast and have a zero point snack (like fruit or WW bean soup) before the big meal. Keep scrolling for more tips for the big day.

Download the free WW Healthy Holiday Cheat Sheet Bundle (above) for printable copies of all three menus.

Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Menu (11 Points)

Want more options? See my full WW Thanksgiving menu with Points.

• Lemon Herb Turkey Breast with Gravy, 1 serving: 2 Points
• WW Green Bean Casserole, 1 cup: 4 Points
• Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce (made with Splenda): 0 Points
• Corn, 1/2 cup: 0 Points
• Dinner roll made with 2 Ingredient Dough: 3 Points
• WW Mashed Sweet Potatoes, 1/2 cup: 1 Point
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie, 1/4 pie: 1 Point

Total: 11 Points

WW Christmas Menu (13 Points)

• Ham, cooked, lean, 3 oz: 2 Points
• WW Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes, 1/2 cup: 1 Point
• Apple Broccoli Salad, 1 serving: 2 Points
• Roasted Butternut Squash: 0 Points
• Vegetable Medley: 0 Points
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts: 0 Points
• Cranberry Vanilla Mini Trifle: 8 Points

Total: 13 Points

Weight Watchers New Year’s Menu (9 Points)

• Shrimp, 3 oz: 0 Points
• King crab legs, 3 oz: 0 Points
• Cocktail sauce, 2 Tbsp: 1 Point
• Black-eyed peas, 1/2 cup: 0 Points
• Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes: 1 Point
• Veggie Ranch Dip with vegetables: 0 Points
• 2 Ingredient Pizza, 1 slice crust: 3 Points (toppings extra)
• Creamy Lime Dessert: 4 Points

Total: 9 Points plus pizza toppings

24 Tips & Strategies for Healthy Holiday Eating

Holidays don’t have to be about overeating. Use these tips to stay on track.

1. Eat something healthy before you go to a family event, like a Weight Watchers zero point banana souffle or a hearty bowl of zero point bean soup.
2. Drink a glass of water before you leave, and one every hour of the party.
3. Stand or sit as far away from the snacks or buffet table as possible.
4. Load up on zero point vegetables.
5. At special events, focus on the relationships. Talk to people.
6. When you sit down to eat, load up on vegetables first, then fruit, then protein, then carbs and treats.
7. Make a plan. As much as possible, plan for what you will eat at parties, events, and big holiday meals.
8. Use a smaller plate.
9. Ask to have food wrapped to go if you are getting full.
10. As you start to get full, ask yourself, “Am I still enjoying this?”
11. Say “no thanks” to taking home leftovers.
12. Only splurge on the foods you really love.
13. Slow down. Take a deep breath before you eat and savor each bite.
14. Keep your hands busy with a glass of water. Suggest playing a game instead of snacks as the center of attention.
15. Go for a walk.
16. Bring a WW-friendly dish.
17. Does holiday baking do you in? Bake less. Keep baked goods in the freezer or out of sight.
18. Add 100 extra steps to every day during the holiday season.
19. Eat slowly. Put your fork down between bites.
20. Write down what you eat, even if it means you go over your points.
21. Let go of guilt! If you overindulge, guilt serves no purpose.
22. Get more sleep. It’s harder to make good choices when you are tired.
23. Only eat while sitting down.
24. Reserve holiday splurges for a few special occasions. The rest of the time, stick to your routine.

Want more healthy eating strategies? Check out these 43 tips from Weight Watchers members for healthy holidays and every day.

WW Holiday Foods List With Points

Here are the Points for common holiday foods, from the WW app, fall 2026. Package labels and your own app are the most accurate, and Points can change with new WW plans.

The free printable bundle (above) has a copy of this list.

Main Dish

• Turkey breast, skinless, 3 oz: 0 Points
• Turkey gravy, canned, 1/4 cup: 1 Point
• Ham, lean, cooked, 3 oz: 2 Points
• Beef brisket, cooked, fat trimmed, lean, 4 oz: 5 Points

Sides

• Corn, 1/2 cup: 0 Points
• Raw, roasted, or cooked non-starchy vegetables: 0 Points
• Green bean casserole, 1 cup: 7 Points
• Mashed potatoes with whole milk and butter, 1/2 cup: 2 Points
• Stuffing from mix, prepared, 1/2 cup: 3 Points
• Cornbread, 1 piece: 8 Points
• Macaroni and cheese, homemade, 1 cup: 15 Points

Fats

• Salted butter, 1 tsp: 2 Points
• Mixed nuts, oil roasted, salted, 1/4 cup: 6 Points
• Olives, 6 large: 1 Point

Desserts

• Apple pie, 1 slice (1/8 pie): 17 Points
• Pecan pie, 1 slice (1/8 pie): 23 Points
• Dark chocolate cake, 1 piece: 22 Points
• Christmas sugar cookie, no frosting: 7 Points
• Cheesecake, 1 piece: 21 Points
• Whipped cream, fresh, 1 Tbsp: 2 Points

WW Holiday Guide FAQ

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More Helpful WW Links for You

• 350+ Weight Watchers Zero Point Foods for 2026
• Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Recipes: Full Menu With Points
• Weight Watchers 7 Day Basic Meal Plan (with free printable)
• Weight Watchers 3 Day Zero Point Meal Plan (with free printable)
• Weight Watchers Coffee Hacks
• Healthy Trader Joe’s Shopping List
• Weight Watchers Walmart Shopping List