Do you need vegan Thanksgiving food ideas? These simple ideas for foods completely free from animal products will delight everyone, not just vegans invited to Thanksgiving dinner.
What’s Thanksgiving Without Turkey?
Even though I am not a vegan, we eat very little meat on the nutritarian diet. However, we make an exception at Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving turkey recipe, complete with Italian stuffing, is a treat we look forward to every year.
Still, there are times when you may need vegan Thanksgiving food ideas. Perhaps you have recently become a vegan and are facing your first meatless and animal product free Thanksgiving. Someone brings a guest who cannot eat meat. A child is dating a vegan and so on. For those times, the following meatless dishes will appeal to your vegan guests.
Let’s Skip Tofu Turkeys and Lentil Burgers, Please
First, let’s get one thing straight about vegan Thanksgiving ideas: skip the lentil loaf, fake meat burgers, and tofu turkeys. No one is fooled into thinking it’s meat and the vegan in your life is probably sick of textured vegetable protein burgers and lentil loaf.
There are so many myths surrounding veganism and vegetarianism. You do not need to eat protein at every meal to be healthy. That goes for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores (what most people eat). The carnivores in your life – cats, probably – need meat at every meal. People? No, they don’t.
To welcome your vegan guests, you can:
- Make several meatless, dairy, and egg-free side dishes
- Ensure there’s plenty of animal-products free options
- Ask that they bring their favorite dish to contribute to the meal
Vegan Thanksgiving Food Ideas
Do not feel obligated to serve a fake tofu turkey or a big plant protein burger. Instead, consider offering numerous vegan side dishes to allow your guest to choose what she wishes to eat.
Vegans eat all vegetables, fruits, nuts, and plant-based products. They do not eat dairy products of any kind; avoid butter, milk, and cream-based dishes.
The following selection of vegan recipes and vegan Thanksgiving food ideas is so good that your non-vegan guests will clamor for more. Make these recipes for everyone. They are so tasty, your non-vegan guests will ask for the recipes.
Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas: Soup or Salad
- Vegan roasted cauliflower and parsnip soup with caramelized onions and apples: Rich, thick and creamy soup thanks to the coconut milk-based broth. Uses seasonal ingredients that are easy to find at any supermarket.
- Creamy corn chowder: A comfort food classic.
- Spinach, apple, and walnut salad: This beautiful salad looks as lovely as it tastes!
- Roasted apple salad with candied pecans: The taste of fall in every mouthful. A lovely starter salad recipe for your Thanksgiving table.
- Apple cabbage slaw: My own recipe. Make a vegan mayonnaise instead of using store-bought mayo which is made with eggs.
Main Dish Ideas for a Vegan Thanksgiving
- Vegan butternut squash mac and cheese with sage: I’m eyeing this one for my own Friday meatless meals (we do meatless meals on Fridays for religious observance). This looks absolutely fantastic and my pantry is brimming with butternut squash.
- Butternut squash lasagna roll-ups: Butternut squash brings all the flavors of the season to the table. Although lasagna may not seem like Thanksgiving, this hearty meal offers a great main course.
- Potato and portobello mushroom pilaf: Potatoes and thick slices of mushroom fill the hungriest guests.
- Butternut squash soup: My own recipe.
- Butternut squash risotto: Another meatless favorite!
Don’t forget dessert!
- Vegan pumpkin pie recipe – Serve with a cup of spiced orange herbal tea and enjoy the classic dessert, vegan-style.
Resources: Vegan Thanksgiving Cookbooks
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Vegan Thanksgiving food ideas offer plenty of choices and dishes that all can enjoy. Serve these along with classic side dishes such as sweet potatoes, green beans, and mashed potatoes (hold the butter and milk for your vegan friends) and enjoy.
