I’ve been having vegan Thanksgiving feasts my whole life. Being raised vegetarian we never had the typical American Thanksgiving.
So of course, there were no turkeys at our Thanksgiving–though before I was born my dad did get a live turkey to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast before bringing her to a sanctuary to live out her life.
Instead of the typical dairy and meat laden holiday table, my family developed a tradition incorporating the staples of the Native American diet into our meal.
The Iroquois grew three main crops, known as the “three sisters,” that harmoniously grow together and provide a balanced diet. These crops are beans, corn, and squash. This tradition resonated with my family as we lived in Illinois which was Iroquois land and we are three sisters ourselves.
Every year we make a point to include beans, corn, and squash in some form in our meal.
While I haven’t yet published all my family’s Thanksgiving dishes onto the blog, I do have a great collection that include some of these ingredients into the meal!
The Three Sisters:
For the squash we typically make our family favorite Butternut Squash Almond Bisque, some years we make my Vegan Sweet Potato Rolls with canned pumpkin for double the squash!
For the corn, we often make a salad with corn, radishes, and parsley dressed in a zippy mustard vinaigrette. Last year we made a southwestern corn pudding.
I love incorporating beans into seitan for a Thanksgiving centerpiece! It makes a hearty main dish to serve and impress both ourselves and guests.
Other Dishes to Include:
Is it even Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes and gravy? I didn’t think so! ?
I certainly have a lot more vegan Thanksgiving recipes to make for my blog, and hope to add to this list! Think, green bean casserole, roasted brussels sprouts, gravy, apple pie, pumpkin pie.. the list goes on and on!
I hope you find this vegan Thanksgiving round up helpful in planning your plant based holiday feast! If you have any questions or recipe requests, please drop them in the comments below!
WANT MORE DELICIOUS VEGAN RECIPES?
SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL NEWSLETTER & FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND PINTEREST!
Vegan Thanksgiving Appetizers
Before serving your Thanksgiving feast, consider having one or more of these appetizers for people to nibble on! Because who isn't always running a bit behind schedule on Thanksgiving Day!
These cheesy broccoli fritters make a great appetizer, plus they're as veggie-filled as they are indulgent tasting! Make the vegan smoky red pepper buffalo cheddar dip in advance and prep your broccoli ahead of time so that you can quickly whip these up!
Because nothing says party like a cheese plate! Try this easy creamy almond cheese!
Add to your vegan cheese plate with this smoky chipotle cheese spread!
If you want to go to the next level, and plan a few days in advance, try culturing your own vegan cheese with this homemade cultured cashew cream cheese!
This delicious roasted jalapeño and cilantro hummus might not be a typical thanksgiving appetizer, but hummus is great because it can be made in advance and put out whenever your guests arrive!
Vegan Thanksgiving Soups
Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without a soup course--at least not at my house! Enjoy one of these delicious fall soups as the first course of your meal!
This mouth watering butternut squash almond bisque is perfect for fall. The butternut squash shines in this pumpkin-spice scented soup. This easy recipe is a staple on my family's Thanksgiving menu!
Sweet corn velouté is made vegan! Lightened up from the traditional rich velouté this makes the perfect creamy soup!
This mildly oniony, creamy and silky smooth potato-leek soup is the perfect comfort food. It's ready in just over 30 minutes of mostly hands off time and only needs 12 mostly pantry friendly ingredients. It's a rich tasting and flavorful naturally gluten free soup that would be great for your Thanksgiving table.
This is another creamy soup and a great option for a Thanksgiving soup course! Carrots, onions, and garlic are roasted until sweet and caramelized, then blended to perfection with tomatoes and coconut milk.
Vegan Thanksgiving Bread Basket
Thanksgiving isn't complete without some bread at the table! I love to make fresh homemade rolls to accompany our family's Thanksgiving meal. Choose one of these breads to make for your feast!
These soft whole wheat dinner rolls are made with 100% whole wheat flour and bake up so pillowy and tender. They soak up soups perfectly and are delicious buttered up!
Beautifully orange-hued, soft and tender dinner rolls are made with mashed sweet potatoes. We've made them a for a few Thanksgivings and I can't get enough of these soft rolls!
These pillowy soft vegan milk bread buns use the Japanese method of tangzhong to create the most beautiful and delicious rolls. The tangzhong helps keep the rolls fresher for longer, so you could even get away with making these rolls in advance and warming them up in the oven on Thanksgiving day.
Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Everyone's favorite part of Thanksgiving! The sides! Well, I happen to love all parts of the meal, but here are some vegetable filled sides you could serve at your holiday feast!
This creamy vegan mushroom gravy is built with so much flavor from caramelized onion and mushrooms. It's easy to make and can be made in advance, so ideal for holiday meal planning! For a gluten free gravy, use GF all purpose blend or substitute arrowroot or other starch.
This French inspired potato and zucchini bake is a great side dish for Thanksgiving. It's creamy and delicious!
We always enjoy some roasted vegetables as a Thanksgiving side, it's light and nutritious and won't fill you up too much for enjoying everything the dinner has to offer!
This delicious kale salad, tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, kidney beans, and a roasted garlic tahini dressing makes a flavorful side!
A creamy and cheesy vegan eggplant casserole. The perfect accompaniment for a cozy Thanksgiving meal.
If you've gotta have Mac and Cheese at your Thanksgiving meal this roasted garlic and sweet potato mac and cheese is a great option!
Vegan Thanksgiving Main Dishes
We all want a "main event" when it comes to our Thanksgiving feasts. Eating vegan doesn't mean you can't have a centerpiece dish! Consider some of these recipes for a hearty, protein-filled Thanksgiving main.
A hearty homemade seitan roast stuffed with delicious savory chestnut white wine risotto makes for the perfect holiday feast centerpiece.
These vegan chicken seitan cutlets are easy to make and can be enjoyed as cutlets. Bread them, or grill them, or pan fry and smother in plenty of gravy to enjoy as a Thanksgiving main dish!
These vegan chickpea-based meatballs are a great main dish if you're looking for something that can be served gluten free. Best of all they come with their own gravy (aka roasted red pepper sauce)!
Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts
Thanksgiving dessert says pie to me! At least one pie is needed for all Thanksgiving spreads!
Step one to great Thanksgiving pies is to make your own pie dough! It's all about the technique but my easy recipe is straight forward to follow and makes a super flaky and crisp crust!
We always make this vegan chocolate bourbon pecan pie for our Thanksgiving dessert spread! It's chocolatey, maple scented pie with toasty pecans & notes of bourbon.
I know I said Thanksgiving was about the pies, but would anyone really complain if you set out these homemade apple cider donuts?! No. No, they wouldn't!
This spiced chai cake might not be traditional Thanksgiving fare, but it's filled with warming spices that are just lovely on a chilly day!
Gonna subtly drop these into my Thanksgiving list because if you're not going to make them for dessert you need them to make them for Thanksgiving breakfast!
