When most people think of Thanksgiving dinner, they probably think of turkey and all of the different side dishes. Many of these side dishes also include meat or meat products, making Thanksgiving an often difficult holiday for vegans to enjoy.
However, there is no reason why vegans shouldn’t get to enjoy delicious food at Thanksgiving! There are just as many delicious vegan dishes that you can choose from for the holiday and you can eat just as much and just as heartily as any meat eater would.
In this article, we will list 15 irresistible vegan Thanksgiving recipes that you can try this year. All of these recipes are delicious and are sure to be a big hit with the entire family.
We’ve picked a variety of Thanksgiving staples and new ideas, as well as some mains, starters, and desserts.
Starting with a dessert might not be the natural order of things at dinner, but it’s Thanksgiving, so we’re allowed! Apple’s are closely associated with fall and Thanksgiving and apple crumble is one of those comfort foods that we love to eat at this time of the year.
It’s best made with baking apples and you will need to bake these first for around 15 minutes before seasoning them with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
The crumble topping is made from ingredients such as almond flour, all-purpose flour, oats, and coconut oil. When baked, it’s best served with vegan vanilla ice cream.
Pasta is a great and versatile dish that becomes the focus of a main meal but can also be served as a side dish. It’s easy to make and doesn’t take too much time, yet is always tasty and is always a hit with family and friends.
This pasta is served with a delicious butternut squash sauce that you can easily make by hand. Butternut squash is a great fall vegetable and you’ll see that it will feature several times in this list!
Stuffing is one of the most traditional Thanksgiving side dishes and just because you’re not having a turkey doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on the stuffing! Many people like to use meat products in their stuffing as well, but this recipe is completely vegan.
The main ingredient is bread, but this is seasoned with onion, celery, sage, thyme, and garlic. The stuffing is brought together thanks to vegan butter and vegetable stock.
The recipe works best with firm bread so if your bread is a little soft, firm it up in the fridge first.
Stuffed peppers and mushrooms are common vegan dishes, but as this is Thanksgiving, we decided to include a stuffed squash recipe instead. The squash in question is acorn squash and this is the ideal size for a stuffed dish.
The squash is stuffed with a couscous filling that is mixed with vegan tempeh bacon, leeks, carrot, mushrooms, chickpeas, and pecans.
Portobello mushrooms can be a little divisive but we love them and this recipe makes great use of them and seasons them perfectly. Although this isn’t a traditional Thanksgiving dish, your vegan guests are sure to love it if they give it a try.
The portobello caps are topped with a sauce made from tamari, oregano, plant-based mayo, garlic, and vinegar.
These flavors all combine together to bring out the best of the mushrooms and make for a delicious dish.
Sweet potatoes are another traditional fall ingredient and most Thanksgiving dinner tables will feature sweet potatoes in some manner.
This sweet potato makes for the perfect side dish and is quick and easy to make, leaving you plenty of time to concentrate on your other side dishes.
The sweet potatoes are cooked in maple syrup and thyme to add more fall flavors than we can count. You can serve the sweet potatoes whole or slice them up so that people can take as much or as little as they want.
Bowls have become very popular in home cooking in recent years so why not try a vegan bowl for Thanksgiving? This bowl has everything you need for a delicious Thanksgiving dish and is just bursting with fall flavors.
Included in the bowl is carrot, acorn squash, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and mashed creamer potatoes, and the whole dish is topped with a delicious vegan gravy. You can also add chopped pecans and cranberry sauce if you wish.
Of all the fruits and vegetables associated with Thanksgiving and fall, none is more closely associated with the season than pumpkin.
Pumpkins are everywhere as decorations and food, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to indulge in a hearty pumpkin soup.
This pumpkin soup is especially creamy as it uses coconut cream instead of coconut milk. As well as the pumpkin itself, the soup is also flavored with ginger, thyme, garlic, and cayenne pepper.
We love this soup because it can also be frozen, so you can prepare ahead of time.
This vegan meatloaf is Southern-style and has a delicious smoky flavor that will keep you coming back for more this Thanksgiving.
The meatloaf itself is made from chickpeas, black beans, and rolled oats and is then seasoned with a variety of ingredients to get that smoky Southern taste.
Who doesn’t love a delicious casserole at Thanksgiving? This is the first of two casserole dishes we’ve included on this list and this one includes the traditional Thanksgiving side dish of sweet potatoes.
The casserole features layers of sweet potatoes mixed with a layer of oats, pecans, walnuts, and seasonings. You will need to prepare the two layers separately and then bake before eating.
This is our second casserole and it’s very different from the first! The main part of the casserole is based around green beans and these are mixed with shallots and mushrooms to make a healthy and delicious casserole.
The topping of the casserole is an onion one but it’s given some substance with the addition of flour and panko bread crumbs. When baked together, the casserole and topping combine perfectly.
No Thanksgiving meal is complete without mac and cheese and this is true even with vegan dinners! Mac and cheese is a staple dish in many families across the country and it’s one that can still factor into a vegan diet.
The key to making the ‘cheese’ in this vegan mac and cheese taste good is Sauerkraut and nutritional yeast and although this might sound strange, believe us, it works! We love this mac and cheese and can see it becoming a favorite around the year.
No list of Thanksgiving dishes would be complete without a pumpkin pie. For many people, pumpkin pie is the quintessential Thanksgiving dish and this recipe offers a delicious vegan take on the classic.
Although the filling relies on pumpkin, it’s the spices that really make this pie. Don’t be afraid to add as much spice as you like to get the best flavors.
Pithiviers are French pies and they make for a great side dish or snack. The exterior of the pies is made from vegan puff pastry which you can either make yourself or buy in a store.
For the filling, you can choose your favorite fall vegetables such as pumpkin, butternut squash, or sweet potato. These little pies take around 30 minutes to cook and then they’re good to go.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we listed 15 irresistible vegan Thanksgiving recipes for you to try this year. We picked a variety of recipes that cover the more traditional Thanksgiving dishes as well as some more interesting and modern choices.
Some of the recipes work well as mains whereas others are side dishes, and we also included a couple of desserts for you to choose from.
We hope that whatever recipes you decide to try this Thanksgiving, you enjoy them and find them as delicious as we did!
Hi, I’m Eve Mason and I’ve been a vegan since almost five years now.I can honestly say that veganism has changed my life for the better.The past few years I’ve been on a quest to find affordable vegan friendly food.Fortunately, meat-free alternatives have now become available in most supermarkets, which has made my life a lot easier.
I love cooking at home, but for those who don’t like cooking at all, there are more and more restaurants that offer vegan options as well nowadays.
I hope you enjoy my website and have fun preparing your own homemade vegan meals.
