An easy to follow vegan Thanksgiving recipes menu like you’ve never seen before. Prep tips, step by step guide and a shopping list to make the perfect meal!
Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
How is it Thanksgiving without a turkey? Ever heard that one before? I have. And then they come over and eat until they need to roll themselves out the door from full belly satisfaction.
What do vegans eat on Thanksgiving instead of turkey?
There are so many things to eat instead of turkey! So many amazingly delicious things. From sides, to main courses, there is no limit to the deliciousness that will fill everyone’s belly.
I am giving you a list of my favorites here, and I am also giving some subs in case you can’t have something in one of these. So basically, you are covered. However, if you do choose to make one of the alternatives, don’t forget to change the shopping list!
What do vegans eat on Thanksgiving?
Here is my list of vegan Thanksgiving recipes that will wow your crown. The important thing here is that you must follow the directions.
I have tips and tricks, things I did to make this easier so that planning, cooking and delivering an out of this world vegan Thanksgiving dinner happens in your house this year. Follow the directions in the recipe card below to plan, prep and serve all the delicious goodies on the big day!
Vegan appetizer recipes
Roasted Carrot White Bean Hummus
Easy to make but with a fancy feel, this roasted carrot hummus is the perfect party appetizer! The flavor is unreal! Serve this with your favorite crackers and the masses won’t be bugging you about the main meal.
If you don’t like carrots, or want another type of vegan appetizer, try one of these:
Vegan side recipes
Smokey Maple Roasted Carrots with Lemon Thyme Drizzle
The perfect easy to throw together side dish that will help bring some calm to the craziness of the season! It’s healthy, packed with flavor and drizzled with a sauce that will make you lick your plate clean. This is an easy add on since you’re already buying carrots for your appetizer.
A creamy, filling low carb recipe without all the added saturated fat and bloated feeling! This vegan scalloped cauliflower needs to be on your holiday list! I love potatoes and all, but this allows you to gorge on the pasta main course all that much more.
Protein Packed Vegan Thanksgiving Stuffing
Crispy on the outside, soft yet not mushy on the inside, perfectly flavored and full of protein! This vegan Thanksgiving stuffing is a flavor bomb like no other! You will never make another stuffing again. Use my favorite bread, or another dense and hearty bread of choice, either way, this is filed with incredible flavors.
Here are some other sides we love, all just as delicious as the ones above:
Vegan main course recipes
Sharp White Mac and Cheese Bake
A normally unhealthy dish gets a whole food based makeover. This vegan sharp white mac and cheese bake is as creamy and delicious as it’s dairy counterpart!
Here are some other main course ideas if you don’t want pasta (but why though? LOL):
- Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers
- Baked Lima Beans
- Vegan Vegetable Lasagna
- Zucchini Ravioli
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Vegan Moussaka
Vegan dessert recipes
Simple Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust
An easy to make super creamy and smooth vegan pumpkin pie all wrapped up in a pecan crust. Plant-based, vegan and refined sugar free. A dream come true! Serve with or without whipped topping. It’s insane!
I have so many great desserts for Thanksgiving, I don’t even know where to start! Here are the top readers favorites:
- Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Baked Apple Crisp
- Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts
- Layered Pumpkin Dessert
- Apple Pecan Pie in a Jar
- Pumpkin Caramel Pie in a Jar
- Cranberry Crumble Oatmeal Bars
Prepping Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
In order to get a whole meal ready with success, you need to prep and be organized. So I am giving you all my tips and tricks to get these recipes ready and out to your guests in the least stressful way possible.
Don’t forget if you use an alternative suggestion, you will need to adjust the shopping list and prep work.
Day before Thanksgiving (you can also break this up into two days):
- Make hummus.
- While you are chopping the veggies for the hummus, chop the veggies for the stuffing and slice the cauliflower for the Scalloped Cauliflower.
- Cut bread into pieces for stuffing and set it on the counter to dry out.
- Make vegan Parmesan. Store in freezer.
- Make Lemon Thyme Sauce.
- Make crispy topping for both the cauliflower and pasta bake. Store in a glass container on the counter.
- Make pie. Cool completely then cover with foil and store on the counter.
Thanksgiving morning:
- Finish the stuffing.
- Make the Smoky Maple Carrots.
- Make the Scalloped Cauliflower. Reuse the dirty blender to make the cheese sauce for the pasta.
- Make the pasta bake.
- Have a glass of wine and enjoy!
What do I do with nosey family members?
You feed them. You will always have people that question your food choices. But I have NEVER had anyone leave my house hungry, even the most skeptical people.
So see below for my complete shopping list, that includes all the instructions on when and how to prepare everything so that you don’t end up throwing the pie against the wall in frustration (there really are better ways to let off steam than wasting pie).
Step by Step Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner with Shopping List
Ingredients
Produce:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 4 medium/large potatoes
- 33 large orange carrots
- 2 medium yellow carrots (you can use all orange carrots or sub 5 baby carrots for the yellow but your cheese sauce won't be white)
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/3 of a medium yellow pepper
- 2 tablespoons shallots , chopped
- 1 small sweet onion
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 5 dates
- 19 teaspoons lemon juice (6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)
- 16 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley , chopped (Italian, flat leaf)
- 6 tablespoons fresh thyme
Canned Goods:
- 1 can cooked white beans (great northern)
- 2 cans cooked chickpeas
- 1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (plus optional 2 cans for coco whip)
Baking and Spices:
- 4 tablespoons sea salt
- 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 3/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 1/4 teaspoons ground mustard seed
- 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 6 tablespoons coconut butter (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, or 1 bag shredded unsweetened coconut to make your own)
- 14 tablespoons coconut palm sugar (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, plus optional 1/4 cup for coco whip)
- 9 tablespoons maple syrup (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
Condiments
- 3 cups veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- 5 3/4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chickpea miso (see notes in pasta recipe on omitting)
Nuts & Seeds:
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 3 1/4 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 5 tablespoons pine nuts (can sub with walnuts)
- 11 tablespoons hemp seeds (1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons)
Breads & Grains:
- 6 pieces dense dinner rolls/bagels/buns (gluten free if needed, I use Ozery Bakery One Buns)
- 10 tablespoons breadcrumbs (gluten free if needed, or 5 slices toasted bread to make your own)
- 24 ounces your favorite pasta (gluten free if needed, not spaghetti style)
- You favorite crackers for hummus appetizer (gluten free if needed)
(Non) Dairy:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew or almond milk
Optional:
- 6 tablespoons olive oil (to saute plus for hummus)
- 4 tablespoons chopped roasted red pepper (optional garnish for hummus)
- 1/4 cup white wine (for stuffing)
- Store bought coco whip if not making your own
Instructions
Day before Thanksgiving (you can also break this up into two days):
- Make hummus. While you are chopping the veggies for the hummus, chop the veggies for the stuffing and slice the cauliflower for the Scalloped Cauliflower.
- Cut bread into pieces for stuffing and set it on the counter to dry out.
- Make vegan Parmesan. Store in freezer.
- Make Lemon Thyme Sauce.
- Make crispy topping for both the cauliflower and pasta bake. Store in a glass container on the counter.
- Make pie. Cool completely then cover with foil and store on the counter.
Thanksgiving morning:
- Finish the stuffing.
- Make the Smoky Maple Carrots.
- Make the Scalloped Cauliflower. Reuse the dirty blender to make the cheese sauce for the pasta.
- Make the pasta bake.
- Have a glass of wine and enjoy!
Notes
- You can adjust this for however many guests you have.
- Nutrition info is calculated using general items and will change based on the brand and type of each item you use.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Emily Kemp says
I’m eyeing up that pumpkin pie and it’s only March haha these all look absolutely delicious!
veggiesdontbite says
Haha! Anytime is good for pie!
Brumby says
I wish people wouldn’t rate a recipe before they make it, it is misleading! Yes it all looks delicious but you can leave a comment without a rating! 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
While I appreciate your insight I feel like others are able to do what they please in regards to comments and ratings. There really is not rule as to what the rating indicates and perhaps for some it indicates what they think of it and the draw overall. I appreciate all of my readers and comments (as long as they are respectful that is).
Alyssa Shibata says
I plan on doing this for Christmas dinner! So excited. I can’t find anywhere how many people this meal plan serves. I’m having 10 people over on Christmas. Do I need to double down on ingredients?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Alyssa! Yes, so sorry I am in the process of converting all my recipes to a new plugin that offers so much more, but unfortunately some of the info did not transfer correctly. Thanks so much for leaving me a note, I went through this post and fixed it for you! Please let me know if you see mistakes in any of the other recipes and I will fix them!
Sarah Newman says
I love this spread, and how helpful that you’ve combined the shopping list and notes on prep! I’ve got my eye on that scalloped cauliflower and baked macaroni for xmas now – looks like an amazing combo!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Sarah!! Yes, I make many of these for Christmas too!