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

What is a good alternative Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Alternatives could be:
  • Baked Stuffed Shrimp dinner or any seafood, saffron herbed rice, seasonal vegetables.
  • Beef Crown Rib Roast dinner with Potatoes Gratin Dauphinoise and asparagus.
  • Roast Leg of Lamb with wine, lemon, garlic, and rosemary, Brussel sprouts, wild rice.
Nov 5, 2023

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 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 do vegans eat instead of turkey on Thanksgiving? ›

Here are some popular options:
  • Stuffed Acorn Squash: - Roast acorn squash halves and fill them with a flavorful stuffing made with grains, nuts, dried fruits, and herbs.
  • Vegan Roast: - Many brands offer pre-made vegan roasts made from plant-based ingredients like seitan, tofu, or tempeh. ...
  • Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:
Nov 17, 2021

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.

What religion follows a vegan diet? ›

Pure vegetarianism or veganism is Indic in origin and is still practiced in India by some adherents of Dharmic religions such as Jainism and in the case of Hinduism, lacto-vegetarianism with the additional abstention of pungent or fetid vegetables.

How many vegans quit and eat meat? ›

If you recently decided that being vegan isn't for you, you probably have questions about how to reintroduce meat. Fortunately, you're not alone. Research shows that 84 percent of people return to eating meat. And with delicious crispy chicken, buttery steaks and juicy baby back ribs, we can see why!

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.

What are the 10 traditional Thanksgiving foods? ›

Here are our favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes that are delicious and easy to make.
  • Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serves: Up to 4 people. ...
  • Stuffing. ...
  • Green Bean Casserole. ...
  • Sweet Potato Casserole. ...
  • Baked Corn. ...
  • Mac and cheese. ...
  • Peas & Water Chestnuts. ...
  • Fresh Rolls.
Oct 28, 2021

How do you make Thanksgiving unique? ›

Different Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving
  1. Have a Mini-giving. This one is inspired by my daughter's love of ASMR and mini cooking videos. ...
  2. Go themed. ...
  3. Declare a spending embargo. ...
  4. Throw a co*cktail party. ...
  5. Make it a potluck. ...
  6. Go out to a really fancy meal. ...
  7. Spend the day hunting your food. ...
  8. Be intentional with your photos.
Nov 20, 2020

What time do people eat Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Twenty-nine percent like to chow down between 4-5 p.m., and 14 percent sit down to dinner between 5-7 p.m. Another 12 percent turn Thanksgiving "dinner" into lunch by eating between 12-1 p.m., and even fewer people, 4 percent, say they prefer to eat at 8 p.m. or later. It all depends on the plans you have for the day.

What is the most popular alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving? ›

Roast pork goes very well all of the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. For anyone who doesn't go for poultry it's a perfect substitute. If it's a big enough gathering you could even have both. What are some alternatives to having turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?

What can I use instead of turkey for Thanksgiving cheap? ›

Here are our best budget alternatives so you can still enjoy Thanksgiving, without the hefty price tag!
  • Swap your turkey for a rotisserie chicken. ...
  • The free turkey program. ...
  • Get fancy with Cornish game hens. ...
  • Opt for turkey cuts. ...
  • Butterball roast. ...
  • Tofu. ...
  • Whole roasted cauliflower.
Oct 11, 2023

How do you simplify Thanksgiving dinner? ›

These tips, tricks and timesavers can be a Thanksgiving host's saving grace.
  1. Pick the menu early. Don't leave menu planning and shopping to the last minute. ...
  2. Brine your bird. ...
  3. Start prep work a few days before Thanksgiving. ...
  4. Serve batched co*cktails. ...
  5. Create simple centerpieces.
Nov 1, 2023

What is the least favorite side dish for Thanksgiving? ›

And the least favorite side dish for Americans on Thanksgiving is -- green bean casserole. 31.4 percent of people surveyed do not like it.

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