Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Recipes: Full Menu With Points

Originally published September 2020. Updated October 2026 with current Points and zero point foods.

Yes, you can enjoy Thanksgiving on Weight Watchers and still stay on track. In 2026, much of the Thanksgiving table is already zero points: skinless turkey breast, plain mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans and fresh cranberries. That leaves your daily and weekly Points for the foods you only get once a year, like pie.

As someone who is maintaining a 100+ pound weight loss with WW (and at goal and Lifetime), I know the holiday season isn’t easy. I also know that with a bit of careful planning, you can make it work. Below you’ll find a full Weight Watchers Thanksgiving menu with Points, our lighter recipes with photos, a make-ahead timeline and a free printable plan.

Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Menu With Points

Here’s a full Thanksgiving menu with our lighter recipes. Points are per serving on the current WW plan. For the most accurate number, tap the WW link in each recipe card. On a phone or iPad with the WW app, it opens the recipe right in your app so you can track it.

Course	Recipe	WW Points	Make ahead?
Main	Skinless turkey breast, 3 oz	0	Day of
Main	Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Turkey Breast with Gravy	2	Day of (slow cooker)
Side	Plain mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup	0	Day of
Side	Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes	1	Day of
Side	Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Pecans	3	Day of
Side	One Minute Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce	0	Up to 3 days
Side	Green beans or corn, plain	0	Day of
Salad	Corn, Pea and Green Bean Salad	3	1 day
Bread	2 Ingredient Dough Rolls	3	Day of
Dessert	Crustless Pumpkin Pie	1 per slice	1 day
Dessert	Pumpkin Fluff	4	1 day
Dessert	Apple Crisp	2	Day of
Dessert	Low Point Cheesecake	1 per slice	1 day

Zero Point Thanksgiving Foods (2026)

These Thanksgiving favorites are zero points on the current WW plan, in the serving sizes from the 350+ WW zero point foods list:

• Turkey breast, skinless, 3 oz (dark meat skinless is zero too)
• Potatoes, mashed plain or roasted without oil, 1/2 cup
• Sweet potatoes
• Corn, 1/2 cup
• Green beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots and most other non-starchy vegetables
• Fresh cranberries, apples and other fruit
• Pumpkin
• Eggs and plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Members on the WW diabetes plan or the WW for Menopause plan have their own zero point lists, so potatoes, corn and fruit may count for you. Butter, gravy, sugar and marshmallows added to these foods always count. Canned turkey gravy is 1 Point for 1/4 cup.

Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Recipes With Points

These are our lighter Thanksgiving recipes, all with photos. Click any recipe for the full card with ingredients and a link to track it in the WW app.

Turkey and Main Dishes

Slow Cooker Lemon Herb Turkey Breast with Gravy (2 Points per serving) Set it in the slow cooker in the morning and the oven stays free for sides. The gravy is made right in the pot.

Plain roasted turkey breast without the skin is zero points. Dark meat without the skin is zero too, so take the skin off and fill your plate.

Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes (1 Point per serving) Sweet potatoes are zero points on their own, so this side is mostly free. Crispy edges, no marshmallows needed.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Pecans (3 Points per serving) A holiday side that looks fancy and takes one sheet pan. The pecans are where the points are.

Garlic Sweet Potato Mash (2 Points per serving) is another way to get the sweet potato flavor without the casserole. Plain mashed potatoes are zero points for a 1/2 cup serving. Mash them with a little broth instead of butter and cream.

Sides and Salads

Corn, Pea and Green Bean Salad (3 Points per serving) A reader recipe that’s easy to make the day before.

Apple Broccoli Salad (2 Points per serving) Crunchy, sweet and a nice break from all the warm dishes on the table.

One Minute Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce (0 Points per serving) takes one minute under pressure. Canned cranberry sauce is high in sugar, so this is an easy swap. For more ideas, see our 12 Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes.

Rolls

2 Ingredient Dough Rolls (3 Points per serving) Self-rising flour and Greek yogurt make a soft dough you can shape into dinner rolls. Much lower in points than a bakery roll.

Desserts

Crustless Pumpkin Pie (1 Point per slice, 4 Points for the whole pie) is one of the most popular recipes on our site. It’s the middle of the pumpkin pie without the crust. Watch me make it:

Pumpkin Fluff (4 Points per serving) This gets requested at every holiday dinner. No baking, and it’s ready in minutes.

Apple Crisp (2 Points per serving) Warm apple crisp from oatmeal packets and diet soda. Put it in the oven when you sit down to eat and it’s ready for dessert.

Low Point Cheesecake (1 Point per slice) A creamy no-fuss cheesecake that fits easily into your day.

Cranberry Vanilla Mini Trifles (8 Points per serving) Pretty layers in a clear glass. These look like you worked much harder than you did.

Pumpkin Muffins (4 Points per serving) take 10 minutes and make a great Thanksgiving breakfast. Watch how easy they are:

2 Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake (6 Points per serving) needs just a cake mix and a can of pineapple.

Leftovers

Turkey Noodle Soup (3 Points per serving) Use your leftover turkey and homemade broth for a big pot of soup the day after.

Instant Pot White Turkey Chili (0 Points per serving) is another great way to use up turkey, and it’s dump and go.

Lighter Swaps for Thanksgiving Classics

Classic dish	Our lighter swap	Why it helps
Pecan or pumpkin pie with crust	Crustless Pumpkin Pie	1 Point a slice
Bakery dinner rolls	2 Ingredient Dough Rolls	3 Points each
Candied sweet potato casserole	Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes	Sweet potatoes are zero points
Mashed potatoes with butter and cream	Plain mashed potatoes with broth	Zero points for 1/2 cup
Apple pie	Apple Crisp	2 Points a serving
Turkey sandwiches on Friday	Turkey Noodle Soup	3 Points a bowl

How to Enjoy Thanksgiving on Weight Watchers

Here are the strategies I’ve used for years to enjoy the day and still keep my weight loss.

• Use your weekly Points. Plan to use some of your weekly Points on Thanksgiving. WW also rolls up to 4 unused daily Points into your weekly Points automatically, so a few lighter days that week give you extra room.
• Eat breakfast. I like a healthy breakfast with protein (such as eggs and vegetables) on Thanksgiving morning. Don’t go into the big meal starving.
• Keep track of BLTs. Those Bites, Licks and Tastes while cooking add up. Some years I found I ate more points on the days before Thanksgiving (when I was making desserts and sides) or the days after (hello, leftovers!). This can all work into your plan, but be sure to count it.
• Choose what to splurge on. Before I eat anything, I look around the table and decide to focus on the foods I really enjoy and perhaps are only available at Thanksgiving. I can eat cheese and crackers anytime so I skip those, but I make sure to splurge on sweet potato pie, which I only get at Thanksgiving time.
• Fill your plate with zero point foods first. Start with vegetables like salad, green beans and roasted Brussels sprouts. Add turkey breast. Then in the space that’s left, enjoy some higher-calorie favorites.
• Sit and savor it. Sometimes we are so distracted by the get-together or the work of serving that we don’t sit down and enjoy what we are eating.
• Remember your why. I pray before the meal and ask God to bless my food choices to honor Him and the body He gave me.
• Focus on the blessings. Thanksgiving is about gathering with the people you love and celebrating the abundance of blessings you have received. Yes, food is part of it, but it doesn’t need to be all of it.

Why Stick With Your WW Goals Over the Holidays?

Do you even need to worry about points on Thanksgiving? After all, it’s just one day of the year.

I believe, yes. People email me all the time and ask me, “Sara, why do I keep playing around with the same few pounds but not making weight loss progress?” I remind them that whether you are keeping track of points or not, your body sure is. This includes weekend overeating, night-time overeating and yes, holiday overeating.

I would hate for you to overeat at Thanksgiving, keep going into Christmas, and after New Year’s be 10 pounds heavier than you are now. I’ve made that painful mistake too many times to count. Focus on maintaining your weight if weight loss is unrealistic, but don’t forget about your goals entirely.

The goal isn’t to become better at starting over. You want to build a way of eating that works on vacation, during holidays, and in everyday life.

Thanksgiving Make-Ahead Timeline

1. 3 days before: Make the cranberry sauce. Bake pumpkin muffins and freeze them for Thanksgiving breakfast. Chop your vegetables.
2. 1 day before: Bake the crustless pumpkin pie and the cheesecake so they can chill. Mix the pumpkin fluff and the corn, pea and green bean salad.
3. Thanksgiving morning: Start the turkey breast in the slow cooker. Eat a protein breakfast.
4. An hour before dinner: Roast the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts and shape the 2 ingredient dough rolls.
5. When you sit down to eat: Put the apple crisp in the oven so it’s warm for dessert.

Weight Watchers Thanksgiving FAQ

More Weight Watchers Holiday Help

• 350+ Weight Watchers Zero Point Foods for 2026 with a free printable list
• 12 Healthy Thanksgiving Side Dishes
• 7 Thanksgiving Dinner Table Prayers
• Weight Watchers Zero Point Meal Plan for the days after Thanksgiving