Here’s your premier source for vegan Thanksgiving recipes and menus to create a memorable dinner—suitable for any vegetarian guests as well! Create mix-and match vegan Thanksgiving menus from the following recipes, from soup to dessert, complete with vegan stuffings and main dishes—all the holiday traditions you adore, updated for a compassionate plant-based feast. Shown above, Butternut Squash With Whole Wheat, Wild Rice, & Onion Stuffing; photo by Hannah Kaminsky.

For even more recipes and menus for vegan Thanksgiving and other major holidays, see Nava’s book, Vegan Holiday Kitchen). Enjoy, and share the blessings! Would you like these choices narrowed down a bit? Here’s a link to our absolute favorite vegan Thanksgiving recipes. 

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

SOUPS AND BREADS
Thanksgiving dinner is a big meal, and for some, serving soup might not seem necessary. But if you’re having extra guests and want to stretch the central part of the meal, a warming soup can be a nice first course. Consider serving one of these lighter seasonal soups that feature sweet potatoes squashes, and corn with a homemade quick bread, then taking a break (a brisk walk is always nice!) before settling in for the main meal.

• Sweet Potato Soup
• Squash, Sweet Potato, and Corn Chowder
• Creamy Golden Potato-Squash Soup
• Curried Pear and Squash Soup
• Chunky Sweet Potato Bisque
• Green Chili Cornbread
• Sweet Potato-Spelt Biscuits
• Coconut Butternut Squash Soup with a Garnish of Greens
• Pumpkin Peanut Soup
• Chunky Sweet Potato Bisque (pictured below)

MAIN DISH OPTIONS
Everyone wants to know—what do vegans like to eat as the main dish for Thanksgiving? What do we think of Tofurky? (Answer: not our personal choice, but we have no problem with it if that’s what vegans want. Holidays are about nostalgia and familiar fare, and it’s certainly a more compassionate choice than the bird). We like to focus on the ingredients that were actually celebrated at the first Thanksgiving—beans, corn, and squash. Stuffed squash dishes are our absolute favorite! And sometimes we go a bit further afield from the traditional holiday ingredients with other classic holiday favorites, our vegan versions of shepherd’s pie and pot pie, listed below. If you’d like to see our absolute favorites, see VegKitchen’s Best Vegan Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes.

• Butternut Squash With Whole Wheat, Wild Rice, & Onion Stuffing
• Butternut Squash and Mixed Mushroom Lasagna
• Rice and Pecan-Stuffed Squash
• Creamy Pasta and Butternut Squash Casserole
• Winter Squash Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes and Peas
• “Three Sisters” Stew (pictured below)
• Pueblo Corn Pie
• Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Mushroom Lasagna
• Quick Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
• Black Bean and Zucchini Tortilla Casserole
• Cranberry Stuffed Delicata Squash (From our friends at Oh My Veggies)
• Hearty Vegetable Pot Pie
• Tempeh Stew with Wine and Shiitake Mushrooms
• Tempeh Stew with Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
• Thanksgiving Torte (with wild rice, mushrooms, and nuts)
• Sweet Potato and Edamame Shepherd’s Pie

VEGAN STUFFINGS
Is there anyone who doesn’t love stuffing? But as crave-worthy as it is, it seems like it’s not the kind of thing anyone thinks to make for any occasion other than holidays. So don’t forget this tasty and comforting side dish when planning your vegan Thanksgiving dinner!

• Walnut-Apple Stuffing
• Old-Fashioned Potato-Bread Stuffing
• Sourdough Stuffing with Pine Nuts and Raisins
• Cranberry-Pear Wild Rice Stuffing (pictured below)
• Vegetable Bread Pudding
• Bread Stuffing Casserole
• Our Six Favorite Vegan Stuffings

SEASONAL SALADS
Salad isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when planning a vegan Thanksgiving meal; but we’re of the mind that a salad—even a simple one—is an essential part of any occasion. Here we feature salads with seasonal ingredients—jicama, wild rice, cranberries, kale, greens, nuts—making them a perfect fit for your holiday table.

• Jicama Coleslaw
• Jicama Salad with Oranges and Watercress
• Jerusalem Artichoke Salad with Greens and Herbs
• Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts
• Kale and Delicata Squash Salad (From our friends at Oh My Veggies)
• Cranberry Slaw
• Massaged Kale Salad with Cranberries and Cashews
• Cranberry Kale Salad
• Mixed Greens with Apples, Carrots, and Pickled Beets
• Quinoa Salad with Fennel and Cranberries
• Spinach, Orange, and Red Cabbage Salad (pictured below)
• Pear and Toasted Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

SIDE DISHES
Back in the day, vegetarians and vegans at the Thanksgiving table pretty much relied on side dishes; and they weren’t even that great. Things like plain mashed potatoes (we needed to hold the gravy) and overcooked green beans. Today, side dishes are an essential part of the Thanksgiving table. Our top three side dish veggies are brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and corn. And we’ve even got a vegan green bean casserole for you, too. If you’d like a curated list of our favorites, here are 10 favorite vegan Thanksgiving side dishes.

• Wine-Glazed Brussels Sprouts
• Chard with Brussels Sprouts and Red Peppers
• Maple-Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberry Wild Rice
• Baked Sweet Potatoes and Apples
• White Bean Scalloped Potatoes
• Maple and Tarragon Sweet Potatoes
• Contemporary Candied Yams
• Mouthwatering Mashed Potatoes with Groovy Onion Gravy 
• Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
• Rosemary Roasted Carrots (From our friends at Oh My Veggies)
• Festive Kale with Fennel, Cranberries, and Walnuts
• Scalloped Corn
• Corn Pudding
• Glazed Baked Onions
• VegKitchen’s Six Favorite Brussel Sprout Sides
• Vegan Green Bean Casserole
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Balsamic Glaze (pictured below)

SAUCES
This short and sweet category brings you the essentials—a delicious mushroom gravy, and three variations on cranberry sauce.

• Easy Mushroom Gravy (great for mashed or smashed potatoes)
• Cranberry-Apple Relish
• Cranberry Chutney
• Cranberry-Orange Sauce (pictured below)

DESSERTS
By the time you finish Thanksgiving dinner, even if it’s all vegan, healthy fare, chances are that you’re really full. So you don’t need a lot of desserts, just one or two good ones. Pumpkin pie is so easy to make in a vegan version, and for many, that’s a must-have. But we’ve also got some other alternatives, including fruit cobblers and even a pumpkin ice cream, to end your compassionate holiday meal on a sweet note!

• Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
• Vegan Praline Pecan Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free)
• Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
• Pumpkin Bread Pudding
• Vegan Maple Pumpkin Parfaits (From our friends at Oh My Veggies)
• Apple-Walnut Cobbler (wheat-free)
• Pear and Apple Crumble
• Vegan Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding (From our friends at Oh My Veggies)
• Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
• Cranberry-Walnut Pie with Nutty Wheat Pie Crust
• Low-to-No Sugar Desserts
• Our Eight Favorite Cranberry Desserts
• Easy Vegan Pumpkin or Squash Pie (pictured below)

• Here are more tips for keeping a vegan Thanksgiving and making the Holidays and Special Occasions healthy!
• Too busy? Here’s a Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner in Less Than an Hour
• Enjoy 6 Vegan Stuffings for Thanksgiving and Beyond