Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
Check out these delicious vegan Thanksgiving recipes! This time of year can also be a time where those of us who eat a plant- based diet feel a little left out with all the meats, cheese and other animal products. After years of having a vegan family member in my house, I became inspired to get creative with new family recipes to have on our table that everyone including carnivores will love. I hope that you will enjoy them as much as we do!
Here is our favorite plant based Thanksgiving Menu which includes a wonderful vegetarian thanksgiving main dish recipe and lots of vegetarian thanksgiving sides!
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
Here is a collection of delicious vegetarian recipes!
Holiday Fruit Compote
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Onions & Walnuts
Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes
Caramelized Onion Gravy
Cranberry, Wild Rice, Cornbread and Sourdough Dressing
Denise’s Famous Holiday Nut Loaf (this can also be a vegan thanksgiving loaf)
Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
These vegetarian thanksgiving recipes can be vegan or can easily have cheese or eggs added. You choose your preference!
Holiday Fruit Compote
Fresh cranberries, pears and a little bit of spice and it turns the ordinary cranberry side into something fresh and different!
Makes 6 servings.
2 cup cranberries
1 chopped pear, unpeeled
1 chopped apple, unpeeled
1 1/2 cup apple cider
1/3 cup maple syrup
Add fruit, cider and sugar to a small sauce pan. Simmer until fruit is soft. Refrigerate and let the flavor meld until serving.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Onions & Walnuts
Roasting these Brussels sprouts gives them a sweetness that everyone will love!
Makes 4 or 5 servings.
1 bag fresh Brussels sprouts
1/2 medium onion sliced
1/2 cup nuts chopped
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss Brussels sprouts in olive oil and place in a shallow pan. After 5 minutes toss around and add onions. Roast about 10 more minutes and then add the nuts. Heat about 5 more minutes until nuts are toasted and vegetables are caramelized.
Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes
Rosemary provide a delicious flavor to potatoes but you can also substitute thyme for it also. You can make mashed potatoes vegan by using plant milk, Earth Balance margarine and vegetable broth.
6-8 servings
2-3 garlic
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 pounds potatoes
1/3 Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup plant based milk
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small pan, roast garlic until translucent and soft. (I roast mine when I roast the Brussels sprouts). In a large stock pot, add four inches of water. Heat to boiling. Peel and chop potatoes. Cook until potatoes are soft. Drain almost all of the water. Mash potatoes until soft at the same time as the peeled garlic. Add Smart Balance, salt, pepper and milk. Mash it all up until smooth. Mix in the fresh, chopped garlic at the very end.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Gravy
Who said that you have to bake a turkey and use its fats and juice to make a yummy, creamy gravy is mistaken, for everyone who is sensitive to fructans, this caramelized onion gravy is not for you. However, check out my post on a Thanksgiving with low fodmap recipes!
Caramelized Onion Gravy
Brewer’s yeast is a great source of vitamin B12 and provides a nutty, savory flavor to this gravy but it is optional.
4-6 servings
1 medium onion chopped onion
1/3 cup Earth Balance margarine
2 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
4 cups vegetable stock
(a drop of soy sauce to make browner if desired)
1/2 tablespoon Brewer’s yeast if desired
Salt and pepper to taste
In an iron skillet over medium heat, melt the margarine and saute the onions until they begin to caramelize. Turn own low and add the flour and make a roux. Let flour slightly brown and add seasonings. Turn up to medium heat and with a whisk slowly add enough broth til the gravy begins to lightly bubble and is at the desired thickness.
Cranberry, Wild Rice, Cornbread and Sourdough Dressing
Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, this lightened vegetarian Thanksgiving stuffing is light and fluffy! My original recipe called for 2 beaten eggs and to make it vegan used a binder of 1 tablespoon ground flax seed and 2 1/2 teaspoon water per egg or use Namaste Egg Replacer
Makes 8 servings of dressing
1/2 pan of a 8 by 8 pan of cornbread (I made just a half a recipe in a 6 inch skillet & I use the recipe from my Farm Fresh Nutrition Cookbook.
2 cups bread cubes from some sourdough bread
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 stalk celery chopped
1/2-1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1teaspoon fresh snipped sage
2 tablespoon ground flax
5 teaspoon water (or vegetable broth)
1-1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3-1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the inside of a casserole dish with olive oil. In a large bowl, crumble cornbread, add cubed bread crumbs, cooked wild rice, onions, celery, seasonings and cranberries.
Mix well and ground flax, water/vegetable broth, melted Earth Balance and enough vegetable broth for desired moistness. Add to the dressing to the casserole pan with add the lid to the top (or add foil if you do not have and bake about 35 minutes. You can take the lid off the last 5 minutes if you would like the dressing a little bit crisp.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Main Dish
For years, I was on the search for the most delicious vegetarian Thanksgiving protein dishes. When I couldn’t find one, I created my famous holiday nut loaf (at least in my family anyway).
Holiday Nut Loaf
My original recipe called for eggs but check out the vegan variations above that can be done to make this delicious nut loaf vegan. I have worked on this recipe for years to perfect it and it is a well-loved holiday recipe at my house! If you have been looking for the perfect vegetarian Thanksgiving protein dish, you may have found it!
Here is how all these recipes look together! What a pretty, tasty and delicious plate!
Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
So many dessert recipes for the holiday feature eggs and dairy, these recipe ideas can be made entirely planted based!
In addition to my vegan dessert recipes, you may also enjoy this vegan pumpkin pie recipe.
More Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
If you are looking for more vegan holiday recipes, here are few more tasty ideas that I created for some low fodmap Thanksgiving menus!
Here are some additional vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes.
Tips to make Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes a little healthier!
Looking for some ways to make your plant based Thanksgiving even more tasty and nutritious? I have put together my top eleven ways!
1. Make half of your meal fruits and vegetables. The simpler the sides and main is, the healthier that they are!
2. Purchase as much fresh and local food as possible!
3. I use Earth Balance in place of butter in my recipes, it is vegan & it tastes delicious.
4. If you are going out to eat, load up on vegetables, fruit and plant proteins. Don’t over-do it with the food portions.
5. Cut back on salty foods by using herbs and spices, vinegar and citrus juice. I find the more natural and fresher the ingredients, the more flavorful.
6. If you are going out to a family member or friends house, ask what you can bring and double up on a couple of healthy menu items to bring!
7. Talk a long walk before or after dinner.
8. Remember to eat your small portions during your normal mealtime throughout the day and not skipping fueling your body so you won’t be overly hungry for your celebration meal.
9. Savor and eat mindfully! Enjoy every bite!
10. Remember that the celebration is really about gratitude and those who you love.
11. Watch your portions. It’s not the food, it is how much you are eating.
Enjoy Your Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
Have a wonderful celebration with your collection of vegan thanksgiving recipes! We have so much that we can be grateful for and one of the things that I am thankful for is my good health so taking good care of myself and my family is important even when I am celebrating!
If you are looking for additional vegetarian recipes, you may enjoy some of these!
I hope some of these ideas help you stay healthier also! As a registered dietitian nutritionist in Asheville, I love to provide support to help you eat healthy over the holiday season. You can find out more about our Fresh Approach to Health Programs here Online nutritionist – Vine Ripe Nutrition . I hope that you enjoy our plant based thanksgiving traditions!
