Every year, somebody at the table isn’t eating the turkey. That somebody is me.
I’m vegetarian rather than vegan, which means I’ve spent a lot of Novembers being handed a plate of sides while the host apologizes.
It’s a kind thing to do and also completely unnecessary at this point, because vegan Thanksgiving food has gotten VERY good.
Not “good considering” good.
Actually GOOOD.
PIN FOR LATER 📌
The kind of delicious recipes that have someone (me) going back for seconds… and maybe thirds.
So here are 41 vegan Thanksgiving recipes, sorted so you can build a full menu rather than scrolling past forty desserts to find one main.
There are proper centerpiece dishes, the sides that everyone fights over anyway, a few make-ahead options for anyone hosting, and gluten-free vegan picks for the tables that need them.
Vegan Thanksgiving Mains
The centerpiece is the part everyone worries about, and it’s the part that’s improved most. Vegan recipes for Thanksgiving dinner don’t have to mean a sad plate of sides pushed around while everyone else carves. These are mains substantial enough to sit in the middle of the table and get carved themselves, from a flaky Wellington to a proper roast.
1. Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner (Vegan)
A sheet-pan Thanksgiving is perfect for small gatherings or anyone craving a low-effort, high-reward meal. You still get all the comforting flavors, just with far less chaos in the kitchen.
2. Savory Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash
Stuffed butternut squash is one of those dishes that feels impressive but approachable, hearty, seasonal, and packed with texture. It makes a beautiful vegan main that doesn’t feel like a compromise.
3. Vegan Mushroom Wellington
A plant-based Wellington always feels like the moment everyone leans in, and this one delivers with a flaky crust and a rich, savory mushroom filling. It’s a stunning main for anyone who wants a little drama on the Thanksgiving table.
4. Vegan Butternut Galette with Apples, Shallots & Black Pepper Crust
A rustic galette always feels a little fancy without trying, and the combo of butternut squash, apples, and herbs brings a cozy fall moment to the table. It’s the perfect plant-based centerpiece for anyone who loves savory-sweet flavor.
5. Vegan Thanksgiving Lentil Stromboli
A golden, braided Stromboli filled with seasoned lentils and herbs brings a fun, unexpected twist to the holiday spread. It’s a great choice if you want something easy to slice and serve without feeling overly traditional.
6. Vegan Turkey Roast
This plant-based roast brings classic holiday vibes with its golden exterior and savory stuffing center. It slices beautifully and makes a great anchor for the rest of the plate.
Tofu and Tempeh Mains
Tofu Thanksgiving recipes get a bad reputation from people who have only ever had it boiled. Pressed, marinated, and roasted until the edges go golden, it holds its own next to anything else on the table. Tempeh does the same job with more texture and a nuttier flavor.
7. Thanksgiving Baked Tempeh
This baked tempeh brings serious “holiday roast” energy thanks to its deep seasoning and golden edges. Add generous spoonfuls of gravy and you’ve got a plant-based main that’s satisfying in a quiet, grounded way.
8. Crispy Holiday Tofu
Panko-crusted tofu baked until golden, seasoned with poultry seasoning and fresh thyme so it tastes like the holidays without any of the turkey. No pressing, no marinating, no deep frying, and it’s on the table in thirty minutes. Serve it over mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy. Swap in gluten-free panko, and it works for that table too.
9. Tofu Turkey (Vegan Holiday Roast)
A proper stuffed centerpiece, made from blended tofu and chickpea flour wrapped around a core of stuffing, basted in balsamic and baked until the outside browns. Ten ingredients, no seitan, and naturally gluten-free. Serves eight, and it slices like a loaf so everyone gets a piece with stuffing in the middle.
10. Baked Tofu with Pecan Leek Stuffing and Vegan Gravy
A whole block of tofu marinated in herby broth, wrapped in rice paper to give it a crisp golden skin, then baked on a bed of pecan and leek stuffing. The rice paper trick is the clever bit, and it genuinely works. Main, side, and gravy all come out of one dish, and the marinating broth becomes the gravy, so nothing is wasted.
Starters and Appetizers
Thanksgiving runs late. Something needs to be out on the table while the main event finishes, or people start eating the bread rolls meant for dinner. These are light enough not to ruin anyone’s appetite, mostly.
11. Easy Sweet Potato Soup
This creamy sweet potato soup feels like a warm hug on a chilly November afternoon, silky, comforting, and surprisingly simple. Pair it with crusty bread and you have the kind of starter everyone actually remembers.
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12. Vegan Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
Four ingredients: vegan cream cheese, chives, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans, rolled into a ball and coated in more of the same. Fifteen minutes of work plus an hour chilling, and you can make it up to three days ahead. Serves sixteen, so it comfortably covers a full table while the oven is busy elsewhere.
13. White Bean Pumpkin Hummus
Ten minutes, one food processor, and a dip that tastes far more considered than the effort suggests. White beans and pumpkin blended with tahini, lemon, and warm spices, then finished with garlic and sage crisped in olive oil. The sage is the part that makes it, so don’t skip it. Gluten-free, and it keeps for up to a week.
14. Classic Italian Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
Button mushrooms filled with garlicky Italian breadcrumbs, vegan parmesan, and the chopped mushroom stems, then baked for twenty minutes. Twenty-five minutes start to finish, and they’re usually the first thing to disappear off the table. The filling doubles as an emergency stuffing if you’ve run short.
15. Mac and Cheese Bites
These crispy mac and cheese bites deliver all the nostalgia with zero dairy — ideal for snacking while everyone’s waiting on the main meal. They’re fun, crowd-friendly, and the kind of appetizer that disappears in minutes.
Vegan Thanksgiving Sides
Sides are where a Thanksgiving table is actually won, and they’re the easiest part to veganize. Most of the classics were nearly there already. These side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner cover the ones people fight over, plus a few fresher options to cut through everything rich.
16. Vegan Coleslaw
Vegan coleslaw adds a crisp, refreshing bite that balances out all the richer dishes on the table. It’s simple, bright, and exactly what you want when you need a fresh moment on your plate.
17. Vegan Collard Greens
These collards are slow-simmered, savory, and full of that cozy Thanksgiving depth — without relying on meat for flavor. They make the perfect supporting side for pretty much everything else on the menu.
18. Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
Thin-sliced russets layered with a creamy sauce built from vegan butter, cream cheese, and thyme, baked until the top goes crisp. Serves eight and can be baked the day before, then reheated for thirty minutes. One commenter took it to a work potluck, and nobody realized it was vegan, which is the highest compliment this category has.
19. Roasted Root Vegetables with Carrot Top Chimichurri
If you want something colorful and earthy, roasted root veggies drizzled with a bright, herby chimichurri make the whole plate pop. It’s a fresh twist on classic Thanksgiving sides (and honestly, it tastes good with everything).
20. Vegan Stuffing
This rustic stuffing is packed with toasted bread, sautéed greens, and bright pops of cranberry for balance. It’s the kind of side that feels homemade in the best possible way—warm, aromatic, and deeply cozy.
Sauces and Gravies
A plate without gravy is just a collection of vegetables sitting next to each other. These are the sauces that tie everything together, all of them dairy-free and none of them tasting like a compromise. Make extra cranberry sauce, because it’s the one that disappears.
21. Mushroom Gravy
A good gravy ties the whole meal together, and this mushroom version brings depth, warmth, and that slow-simmered flavor you crave at Thanksgiving. It’s rich, glossy, and delicious on literally everything.
22. Cranberry Sauce
A bright, tangy cranberry sauce instantly elevates the whole Thanksgiving plate, and this vegan version proves you don’t need butter to get that glossy, just-sweet-enough finish. It’s the kind of simple side that quietly steals the show.
23. Easy Vegan Turkey Gravy
Ten minutes, no chopping, and entirely from pantry staples. A butter and flour roux loosened with no-chicken bouillon, then seasoned with thyme, herbes de Provence, tamari and nutritional yeast for that savory depth. Freezes for months, which means one less thing to make on the day. One reader tested it against a shop-bought vegan gravy packet and said it wasn’t close.
Casseroles and Bakes
Everyone needs at least one dish that goes in the oven and requires nothing further. Thanksgiving casserole recipes are the answer to a crowded hob and a short attention span, and most of these can be assembled the night before. Make ahead, bake on the day, take the credit.
24. Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
This cozy shepherd’s pie layers hearty lentils and veggies under a silky sweet potato topping, comforting, filling, and exactly what you want when the weather turns cold. It’s a crowd-pleaser even for the non-vegans at the table.
Silky sweet potatoes topped with a crunchy, nutty crumble make this casserole a standout on any Thanksgiving table. It’s sweet, savory, and just rich enough to feel celebratory without being heavy.
26. Vegan Pot Pie Casserole
A proper double-crust pot pie, flaky top and bottom, filled with potato, mixed vegetables, and a thyme-scented gravy. Serves eight and reheats better than almost anything else on the table, so the leftovers are a genuine bonus rather than an obligation. Vegan chicken is optional, and chickpeas do the job just as well.
27. Vegan Chicken & Biscuits Casserole
A savory stew of carrots, celery and seitan under fluffy vegan drop biscuits, baked until the top browns and the filling bubbles. Nutritional yeast and poultry seasoning do the heavy lifting on flavor, and drop biscuits mean no rolling or cutting. You can make the stew up to three days ahead, though the biscuit dough should be mixed fresh.
Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts
Dessert is where a vegan Thanksgiving usually gets nervous, and it really doesn’t need to. Pie without eggs or butter is a solved problem at this point, and half of these don’t even need the oven, which matters when yours is fully booked from noon onward. There are easy vegan Thanksgiving dessert recipes here for anyone short on time, a couple of proper showstoppers for the table, and several that are gluten-free as well as plant-based.
28. Vegan Pecan Pie
Pecan pie is the dessert people assume can’t be veganized, and this one proves them wrong. Gluten-free too, sweetened with maple and brown sugar instead of corn syrup. Best part: you can make it a month ahead and freeze it.
29. Easy Vegan Apple Muffins
One bowl, seven core ingredients, and no egg replacer needed. The chopped apple and demerara sugar scattered on top give them that bakery-counter look for about thirty seconds of extra effort. Nearly 75 reviews at almost five stars, and there’s a gluten-free swap in the recipe notes.
30. Baked Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
Most vegan cheesecakes are raw, and this one is baked, which gives it the texture of pumpkin pie with a tangy cheesecake edge. Cashews and coconut yogurt do the creamy work, and the almond-pecan crust tastes uncannily like graham crackers. Gluten-free and paleo, and better made a day or two ahead.
31. Easy Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Fudgy, flourless, and sweetened with dates rather than sugar, with a pumpkin swirl on top you can drag into fall leaf shapes with a toothpick. Almond flour and melted dark chocolate keep them dense. Gluten-free and oil-free, and they freeze for months.
32. Vegan Sweet Potato Pie with Meringue
Silken tofu makes the filling velvety without a trace of coconut, and the torched eggless meringue on top tastes like marshmallow fluff. It’s the showiest dessert on this list and the one people will photograph. You’ll need a blowtorch for the topping, so check your drawer before committing.
33. No-Bake Pecan Pie Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Seven ingredients, no oven, and thirty minutes start to finish. An oat and pecan base under a salted date caramel, sweetened entirely with dates and no corn syrup anywhere. This is the one to make when the oven is fully booked, which on Thanksgiving it will be.
34. Pumpkin Pie Truffles (Vegan, Paleo, No-Bake)
Blend, roll, chill, dip in chocolate. Seven ingredients, no oven, and they taste like pumpkin pie in a two-bite package. Handy for a dessert table where people are already too full for a slice of anything. They keep in the fridge for two weeks, so this is one you can make well ahead.
35. Apple Crisp
All the cinnamon-spiced baked apple of a pie with none of the pastry, which is the entire point. A brown sugar oat topping goes over sliced Granny Smiths and bakes for forty-five minutes while you deal with everything else. Serve warm with vegan ice cream. A commenter swapped in 1:1 gluten-free flour and froze it successfully, so it’s flexible too.
Leftovers
The day after is arguably the best part. These turn whatever survived into something you’d choose to eat rather than something you’re getting through out of obligation.
36. Vegan Thanksgiving Wraps
If you love a good “leftovers but make it chic” moment, these wraps bundle sweet potatoes, chickpeas, greens, and herbs into the perfect handheld bite. They’re fresh, colorful, and surprisingly satisfying for a lighter main or next-day lunch.
37. Vegetarian Meatloaf and Cranberry Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich
Crumbled vegan meatloaf, cranberry sauce, soft vegan cheese and herbs between buttered bread, grilled until the outside crisps. Eight minutes, no recooking, and nothing needed from the shop except bread. The tang of the cheese against the sweet cranberry is what makes it work.
38. Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza
Leftover gravy as the sauce, then vegan turkey, dollops of mashed potato, and spoonfuls of cranberry across the top. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, and by all accounts, it does. Makes eight slices, and you can make the dough up to three days ahead or use a shop-bought base to cut it to fifteen minutes.
39. Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Fries
Homemade oven fries piled with chopped roast, stuffing, mushroom gravy, spoonfuls of cranberry, and fresh thyme. Poutine logic applied to Thanksgiving, and it works exactly as well as that sounds. Serves six, and the toppings are entirely up to whatever survived the day.
40. Thanksgiving Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes
Leftover mash bound with flax egg, shaped into patties, then rolled in breadcrumbs made from toasted leftover stuffing. Baked rather than fried, so no spitting oil, and they come out with a crisp shell and a soft middle. Makes ten, and gravy or cranberry on top finishes them.
41. Vegan Thanksgiving Leftover Burger
Grilled leftover roast on a bun with cranberry sauce underneath, a fried mashed potato croquette stacked on top, and gravy over the lot. Twelve minutes. The mash-into-hashbrown step is what lifts it above a reheated plate, though you can skip it and just pile everything into a sandwich in about a minute.
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