26 Great Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes (2024)

When I started this blog in 2017, I had no idea that it would become what it is today. Then, as now, my biggest concerns have been pursuing delicious flavor, and making easy vegan “ugly food” or vegan comfort food. I want to thank you for supporting Ugly Vegan Kitchen (UVK) along the way. As a way to show my appreciation, I’ve put together this collection of UVK’s best vegan Thanksgiving dinner recipes.

It means so much that you stop by, try recipes, tell other people about the blog, subscribe, share it on socials, and serve UVK recipes to people you love. It’s the highest praise. And it encourages me to continue to develop new vegan recipes and revisit some of the older ones to keep them at their best.

If you’re trying to put together some vegan dinner recipes for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving, maybe this post makes it easier? If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, this is still a tasty collection of vegan fall recipes, including main dishes, side dishes, salads, and soups. They’re all perfect for when there’s a chill in the air.

From Ugly Vegan Kitchen to your kitchen, I bring you some absolutely delicious and savory vegan Thanksgiving dinner recipes! 💚

26 Great Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes (1)

Vegan Thanksgiving Main Dishes

Whether you’re into vegan pot pie, veggie loaves, stuffed veggies or more, UVK’s got you covered with a range of vegan Thanksgiving main dish recipes! Most of the recipes are gluten free or can be easily modified.

Vegan Tofu Pot Pie

Growing up vegetarian always meant one thing at the holidays–tofu pot pie! May this recipe make your celebration as special as ours. And remember, it loves to be drenched in gravy!

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Apples and Walnuts

This delicious gluten free vegan stuffed acorn squash looks fancy, but is easy to execute. And best of all, it can be assembled ahead of time!

Vegan Lentil Loaf with Porcini Mushrooms, Walnuts and Cashews

Part lentil loaf and part nut loaf, this gluten free vegan loaf is the best of all worlds. Flavorful, savory, and stays together.

Stuffed Collard Green Rolls with Smoky Jackfruit and Sweet Potato

These slow cooker vegan stuffed collard green rolls take time to put together, but the pay off is savory, smoky deliciousness. They’re gluten free, incredible with a side of mashed potatoes and freeze well!

Chickpea Millet Loaf

This is a simple, savory chickpea millet loaf with leeks, carrots, celery, almond butter and more. Gluten free and easy. Slice up the leftovers and enjoy on a sandwich.

Vegan Stuffed Shells with Tofu Ricotta, Spinach and Fennel

Garlicky, savory, nut free! These vegan stuffed shells have it all–DIY tofu ricotta, fresh spinach and fennel bulb.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Lentils and Breadcrumbs

A great dish for beginner vegans using common U.S. kitchen staples.

Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Can you have enough vegan Thanksgiving side dish recipes? No. No, you cannot. They might be the best part of the entire meal. More sides, yes please!

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

This is a gluten free, nut free vegan green bean casserole without coconut milk or raw cashews! So what is in it? White beans! Pureed white beans make an unbelievable gravy. Give it a try.

Roasted Beets

These roasted beets offer a nice counterbalance to some of the richer dishes of the holiday season.

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Wild Rice Casserole

Made with raw cashews, this creamy gluten free vegan wild rice casserole is a family favorite.

Slow Cooker Vegan Coconut Collard Greens

Loaded with garlic, ginger, jalapeño, smoked paprika, red miso and coconut cream, these vegan greens are absolutely delicious.

Vegan Shells and Cheese

These vegan cheesy shells are topped with garlic bread crumbs and then, baked to perfection.

Hazelnut Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Rutabaga and Green Apple

Roasted vegetables, fresh apples, a massage kale are topped with a homemade hazelnut vinaigrette. Yum!

Sourdough Stuffing with Spinach, Fennel and Vegan Italian Sausage

An easy vegan stuffing recipe made from scraps of day old sourdough bread.

Brandy Shiitake Mushroom Gravy

If you’re tired of the same old, same old vegan mushroom gravy, it’s time to try this brandy shiitake mushroom gravy.

26 Great Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes (17)

Roasted Coconut-Maple Yams

This recipe is inspired by candied yams, but reduces the amount of sugar and vegan butter used.

Vegan Funeral Potatoes

If you’re going to have vegan funeral potatoes, go all in and top them with cornflakes coated in vegan butter. It’s the perfect crunchy topping for this vegan cheesy potatoes casserole!

Braised Red Cabbage and Carrots

This red cabbage dish requires some patience, but it’s worth the wait. The green apple is really the secret. Now you know the secret, so I guess, less of a secret 😉

Wild Rice Stuffing with Cranberries, Apples and Walnuts

A simple vegan wild rice stuffing recipe! Seriously, you make some rice, stir some ingredients in a bowl, add it all to a baking dish, and bake it. And just like that, you’re done!

Roasted Garlic Gravy

Maybe you aren’t into mushrooms? Well, UVK’s got the vegan gravy for you! The biggest time suck is roasting the garlic in the oven, but the rest is… gravy! 😉

Vegan Tater Tot Casserole with Broccoli and Mushrooms

This vegan tater tot casserole with quinoa, broccoli and mushrooms has a homemade vegan cheese sauce with cashews, nutritional yeast and white miso. It kind of tastes like Cheez Whiz.

Vegan Brussels Sprout Slaw with Cranberries, Apples and Walnuts

This is a Thanksgiving slaw that has such a nice texture–a little crunchy, a little chewy, a little leafy. And it’s all enveloped in a creamy walnut dressing with white miso, lemon juice and absolutely no oil!

Vegan Thanksgiving Soups

Whether you eat soup on Thanksgiving or not, these are some vegan Thanksgiving soup recipes that capture the spirit of the holiday.

Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

This vegan lentil soup recipe is loaded with Thanksgiving flavors–sage, thyme, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes and more. Hearty and savory.

Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

When wild rice and dried wild mushrooms come together, it’s one flavorful brothy soup!

Vegan Pumpkin Soup

This vegan pumpkin soup recipe uses canned pumpkin puree, lots of fresh ginger, and roasted cinnamon-maple sweet potatoes. It’s smells like a Yankee Candle, and hopefully, tastes nothing like one.

French Onion Wild Mushroom Soup

If you’re looking to balance your vegan Thanksgiving menu, this lighter french onion and wild mushroom soup does the trick.

Honorable mentions:

Vegan Cranberry Sauce

Arugula Butternut Squash Salad

Orangy Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Pears and Pumpkin Seeds

Tempeh Marinade with Garlic, Thyme and Hungarian Paprika

Vegan Cheese Ball with Pecans and Cranberries

Vegan Potato Rolls

May these vegan Thanksgiving dinner recipes make your holiday better than ever! And no reason to restrict enjoying them just to the holidays 😊

26 Great Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do vegans celebrate Thanksgiving? ›

"A traditional Thanksgiving menu has lots of options for vegans and vegetarians: green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed or roasted potatoes, and sweet potatoes and yams—it's a carb-loaded feast, and we will happily lick our plates," says Peart.

What does everyone cook for Thanksgiving? ›

Turkey: Roast turkey is the centerpiece of most Thanksgiving meals. It is often seasoned with herbs and spices and served with gravy. Stuffing: Also known as dressing, stuffing is made with bread cubes, onions, celery, herbs, and sometimes sausage or other ingredients. It is often baked inside the turke.

How do you cook a large group for Thanksgiving? ›

Plan Ahead:

Making and freezing a large batch of your favorite recipe ahead of time to have on hand will save you a bunch of time—and cleanup. Keep it simple (you'll have ample opportunity to impress your guests on Thanksgiving) and go for one-pot wonders you can easily reheat, like a hearty stew.

What do vegans eat instead of turkey on Thanksgiving? ›

by Gardein

Other protein-filled vegan options that could replace turkey in your vegan Thanksgiving table are tempeh, tofu and seitan.

Do vegans eat bread and crackers? ›

Yes, bread can and often does contain other ingredients like sugar and molasses (not to mention preservatives and fillers in processed bread), but the majority of those ingredients are also vegan. Generally, most flatbreads, rolls, loaves, bagels, sandwich breads, and crackers don't contain non-vegan ingredients.

What are the top 10 Thanksgiving foods? ›

Top 10 Thanksgiving Dishes
  1. Turkey.
  2. Stuffing/Dressing.
  3. Pumpkin Pie.
  4. Sweet Potato Casserole.
  5. Mashed Potatoes.
  6. Ham.
  7. Green Bean Casserole.
  8. Cranberry Jelly.
Nov 22, 2023

What is the key ingredient to a perfect Thanksgiving Day dinner? ›

I think if we're all honest, we know that Thanksgiving is mostly about the starches. Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, fresh-baked rolls – these are the true heroes of the meal, and there will be a lot of them on the table, which is totally fine.

What is the most popular side dish served at Thanksgiving? ›

What are Americans' favorite Thanksgiving Day dinner side dishes? Most enjoy dressing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, corn casserole, yams, mashed potatoes, and hot rolls. This will vary from home to home, of course, but these are the more traditional.

What is the most important food on a Thanksgiving table? ›

But a few things are guaranteed, no matter where I am or who I'm with: There will be turkey; there will be stuffing; there will be cranberry sauce, gravy, potatoes, and pie.

What two food items were not present at the original Thanksgiving? ›

It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America. There was no gravy either, since the colonists didn't yet have mills to produce flour.

How do you host Thanksgiving for 30 people? ›

Share this story
  1. Organization Is Key. The most important part of hosting a big dinner, like Thanksgiving, is being really organized. ...
  2. Opt for Multiple Make-Ahead Casseroles. ...
  3. Distract With Snacks. ...
  4. Ask Guests to Bring Their Own Wine. ...
  5. Make Punch. ...
  6. Bake Desserts Two Days Early. ...
  7. Attitude Is Everything. ...
  8. Talk About the Food.
Oct 31, 2019

How many sides should a Thanksgiving dinner have? ›

How many dishes should I serve with the turkey? For 4 people, choose 1-2 appetizers and 3 sides. For 8 people, choose 1-3 appetizers and 3 sides. For 16 people, choose 2-3 appetizers and 3 or more sides.

How many potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner? ›

With this guide, all amounts will feed everyone at the table and provide some leftovers. Because leftovers are the best part. Potatoes or sweet potatoes: 5 to 6 ounces per person, which equals about 1 large Yukon Gold or white potato, or half of a large sweet potato.

What do vegans think about Thanksgiving? ›

And while Thanksgiving is supposed to signify gratitude and abundance—the holiday centers around the autumn harvest—for many, it's the opposite. “It's all about eating and the murder of these birds or other animals,” Patty Shenker, a 30-year vegan told the LA Times.

Do vegans eat turkey on Thanksgiving? ›

And no, vegans do not eat chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, or even cheese, though they are often asked. But keeping a vegan happy on Thanksgiving is not difficult. Plenty of traditional dishes are (almost) vegan anyway, and the oven is on for baking special treats.

What is the vegan version of turkey? ›

Burmese Tofu (aka Chickpea Flour Tofu)

For an alternative to turkey that's mild in flavor and can be treated like any other protein, turn to Burmese tofu, which transforms chickpea flour, oil, and water into a sturdy tofu-like dish.

What does Christianity say about vegans? ›

Genesis 1 identifies human beings as uniquely images of God and grants them dominion over other animals, but the end of the chapter prescribes a vegan diet for humans, so this original dominion does not include permission to kill animals for food.

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