The Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Menu that Your Whole Family Will Love
Thanksgiving, the holiday meant to bring everyone together over a meal, is one that often ends up creating more friction than family fun when the subject of politics or food choices comes up. The only thing more polarizing than the current scene in Washington or who you support for 2020 is announcing to your host that you’re vegan.
We have the solution for anyone with particular dietary restrictions who can’t tuck into your aunt’s stuffing (made with chicken broth and eggs), your parents' roast turkey or Grandma’s apple pie (butter overload!). Eating plant-based or vegan during the holidays can make you feel like you’re missing out on some of the sweetest moments—and not in the mood for celebration.
But that's where we come in. In order to prevent you from becoming the sad vegan sitting over a plate of green beans and crescent rolls—Pillsbury's finest are, in fact, vegan—and skipping the storebought cranberry sauce (which usually contains gelatin), read this! We enlisted vegan chef JD Raymundo of The Little Almond to help you show up to Thanksgiving Dinner with delicious plant-based food that appeals to non-vegans and vegans alike.
If you’re expecting a cartoonish slippery tofu “turkey,” get ready to be delighted. These recipes will allow you to impress your fellow guests with a sprawling feast of a vegan Wellington, pumpkin cornbread, mashed potatoes, gravy and Hasselback butternut squash.
If that wasn’t enough, treat your fam to an appetizer with the cashew-crusted herb & garlic cheeseball and an apple cider mimosa. Top it off with a baked apple dessert. All vegan, and all amazingly delicious. Because after all, holiday traditions are also about creating new traditions. These recipes let you combine the best of both!
Post publishing editors' note: The New York Times just ran a story on Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes and we want to link to them so you have all the great ideas to choose from in one place!
Main - Vegan Wellington
Ingredients
| 1 | Sheet Vegan Puff Pastry | 1/2 | Tsp Dried Rosemary |
| 2 | Tbsp Grounds Flax Seeds | 8 | oz Button Mushrooms, minced |
| 5 | Tbsp Water | 2 | Tbsp Tamari Sauce, (soy sauce works as well) |
| 2 | Tbsp Preferred cooking oil | 1 | 15oz Can of Black Beans, drained and rinse |
| 1 | Cup Onion, diced | 1 | Cup Walnuts |
| 2 | Small Carrots, diced | 3/4 | Cup Breadcrumbs |
| 2 | Stalks Celery, diced | 2 | Tbsp Tomato Paste |
| 4 | Cloves Garlic, minced | 1/2 | Tsp Salt |
| 1 | Tsp Dried Thyme | 1/4 | Tsp Pepper |
| 1 | Tsp Dried Sage | 1 | Tbsp Vegan Butter, melted |
Directions
1 | Preheat oven to 400F. If your puff pastry is frozen, take it out now to thaw it out. Stir in your ground flax and water in small bowl, set aside. |
2 | Heat your oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add your onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 7-8 minutes or until they’ve softened. |
3 | Add the garlic, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Sauté for 1 minute until aromatic. |
4 | Add your mushrooms and cook for 6-7 minutes. Add your tamari and cook for an additional 1 minute. Set aside to cool. |
5 | In a large bowl, add your drained and rinsed black beans. Mash your beans with either a fork or masher. It’s okay if there are still some whole beans left. |
6 | Add your walnuts to a food processor, and pulse until you get a fine crumble texture. |
7 | Add your sauté mixture, walnut crumble, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, salt, and pepper to the large bowl with mashed black beans. Using either your hands or a rubber spatula, mix until well combined. Taste if you need to add any more salt or pepper. |
8 | Roll out your puff pastry into a rough rectangle of about 12x14 inches over some parchment paper. |
9 | Transfer your filling mixture over a separate piece of parchment paper and form it into a log. Transfer it over to the middle of your puff pastry. You can always reshape the log once it’s on the puff pastry. Take the sides; length wise and one at a time gently wrap it over your filling. Gently press the puff pastry together to seal it. Now do the same thing with both ends of your wellington. |
10 | Roll your wellington over so that the seams are facedown and transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. |
11 | Brush some melted vegan butter over it and using a sharp knife cut some diagonal slits going both ways to create a criss cross design. |
12 | Bake it in the oven for 30-33 minutes or until the outside is a beautiful golden brown color. Let it set aside for about 10 minutes before cutting into it. |
13 | Serve with some gravy, cranberry sauce, and/or your favorite sides. Enjoy! |
Sides - Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients - Garlic Mashed Potatoes
| 5 | Russet Potatoes, peeled | 1 | Tsp Garlic Powder |
| 1/2 | Cup Non-Dairy Milk, unsweetened | Salt and Pepper, to taste | |
| 1/4 | Cup Vegan Butter |
Ingredients - Mushroom Gravy
| 1 | Medium Onion, diced | 2 | Tbsp Tamari |
| 8 | oz Cremeni Mushrooms, chopped | 2 | Tbsp All-Purpose Flour |
| 3 | Tbsp Vegan Butter | 1 | Tbsp Miso Paste |
| 1 | Cup Vegetable Broth | Salt and Pepper, to taste |
Directions
1 | Chop your peeled potatoes into cubes, as even as possible. In a large pot cover potatoes in cold water for about 10 minutes to remove any starches. Drain and cover with water again, bring to a boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl. |
2 | Mash your potatoes using a masher. If you have a ricer you can use that as well. Add in your non-dairy milk, vegan butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until vegan butter has fully melted and everything is well incorporated. Taste for any seasonings. |
3 | To make the gravy, sauté the onions over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for an additional 8 minutes. |
4 | Add the tamari, flour, miso paste, salt, and pepper and stir until everything is well combined. Bring heat down to low and let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes. The longer you simmer it, the thicker your gravy will be. |
5 | Transfer your gravy mixture to a blender and blend on high until combined and smooth. Taste for any seasonings. |
6 | Serve mashed potatoes and gravy together, and enjoy! |
Sides - Pumpkin Cornbread
*This recipe makes 9 squares. If you need more, you can double up on the ingredients.
Ingredients
| 3/4 | Cup Soy Milk, unsweetened | 1/4 | Tsp All-Spice (optional) |
| 1 | Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar | Pinch of Nutmeg | |
| 1/2 | Cup All Purpose Flour | 1/4 | Tsp Salt |
| 1 | Cup Cornmeal, fine or medium | 1/2 | Cup Pumpkin Puree |
| 1½ | Tsp Baking Powder | 2 | Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted |
| 1/4 | Tsp Baking Soda | 1/4 | Cup Brown Sugar |
| 1/2 | Tsp Ground Cinnamon |
Directions
1 | Preheat your oven to 350F and line an 8x8 baking pan with oil and parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix in your soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle and create vegan buttermilk. |
2 | In a medium sized bowl, combine your flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and spices until evenly mixed. |
3 | In a large bowl, whisk in your pumpkin puree, coconut oil, brown sugar, and vegan buttermilk until well combined. |
4 | Add your dry ingredients to the wet, and using a rubber spatula fold ingredients together until well combined. |
5 | Transfer the mixture to your baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you poke the middle. Let it cool for 10 minutes before removing your cornbread from the pan and transferring it over to a wire rack to finish cooling. |
6 | Cut evenly into squares and serve with some vegan butter. |
Sides - Hasselback Butternut Squash with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
| 1 | Large Butternut Squash | 1/4 | Cup Maple Syrup |
| 1 | 1 Tbsp Olive Oil | 1/4 | Cup Vegan Butter |
| 1 | Tsp Salt | 2 | Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar |
| 1/2 | Tsp Pepper | 1 | Sprig of Rosemary |
Directions
1 | Preheat oven to 425F. Cut your squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Peel the skin and any white flesh. You should be peeling until you reach a nice orange color. |
2 | Rub both halves with olive oil, including the flat sides. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer squash to a baking tray large enough to hold both halves. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Until it just begins to soften. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. |
3 | While the squash is cooling, prepare your maple glaze. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add in your maple syrup, vegan butter, apple cider vinegar, and 1 sprig of rosemary. Cook for 6-8 Minutes stirring occasionally. You’ll know your glaze is ready when it coats the back of your spoon. Remove from heat. |
4 | Back to the squash! Once the squash has cooled, carefully transfer over to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut straight down width wise, creating thin slices. Be careful not to cut all the way through. A good tip is you can place two skewers to both sides of the squash to prevent your knife from cutting all the way through! It’s not the end of the world if any slices pop off or break, just keep going and do your best, it will still turn out great. |
5 | Brush on your maple glaze over your squash and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, taking it our every 10 minutes to re-glaze it. |
6 | Serve with some crushed pecans, dried cranberries, and the rest of your glaze. |
Dessert - Baked Apples
* This makes four servings; if you need more, you can double or triple the ingredients as needed.
Ingredients
| 4 | Large Apples | 1/4 | Tsp Ground Nutmeg |
| 1/2 | Cup Brown Sugar | 4 | Tbsp Vegan Butter |
| 1/2 | Cup Chopped Pecans | 4 | Tsp Vanilla Extract |
| 1/2 | Tsp Ground Cinnamon | 1 | Cup Hot Water |
Directions
1 | Preheat your oven to 350F. |
2 | In a medium sized bowl, mix your brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. |
3 | Using a melon baller or a tsp, scoop out the core of the apple. Be careful not to scoop through to the bottom. Feel free to scoop a bit more of the flesh on the sides so you have more room for the filling! |
4 | Fill each apple to the very top with your brown sugar mixture. Pour 1 tsp of vanilla extract in each apple and add a tablespoon of vegan butter on top of each apple. |
5 | Transfer apples into a baking dish and carefully pour the hot water into the dish. This will keep the apples from drying out in the oven. |
6 | Bake apples in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until soft and tender. |
7 | Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with some vegan ice cream or your favorite toppings! |
Hors D'oeuvres - Cashew-Crusted Herb & Garlic Cheeseball
Ingredients
| 1 | Cup Raw Cashews | 1/4 | Tsp salt |
| 1 | Tbsp Lemon Juice | 1/2 | Tsp Dried Parsley |
| 3 | Tbsp Nutritional Yeast | 1/2 | Tsp Dried Basil |
| 2 | Tbsp Coconut Oil | 1/4 | Tsp Dried Thyme |
| 2 | Tsp Miso Paste | 1/4 | Cup Roasted Cashews, roughly chopped |
| 2-3 | Cloves of Garlic |
Directions
1 | You can soak your cashews in cold water overnight. If you are pressed for time soak it in some boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Once they’re soft, drain your cashews. |
2 | In a food processor, add your cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, coconut oil, miso paste, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides down as needed. Once mixture is smooth, add in your parsley, basil, and thyme, blend until they’re combined and evenly mixed in. |
3 | Line a small bowl with saran wrap, and transfer cheese mixture into the bowl. Gather the sides of the saran wrap and twist it together to form a ball. Don’t worry about making it into a perfect ball right now. |
4 | Place in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and unwrap. Your cheeseball should be firm. At this point you can carefully shape your cheeseball if you need to. |
5 | Carefully press the chopped cashews into your cheeseball, until the outside is covered. Serve with some crackers and chopped veggie sticks. |
Cocktail - Apple Cider Mimosa
Ingredients
| 1 | 750ml Bottle of Dry Sparkling Wine | Fresh Apple Slices | |
| 1 | Litre of Apple Cider | Cinnamon Sticks | |
| 1/4 | Cup Cinnamon Whisky |
Directions
1 | In a pitcher, add your dry sparkling wine and apple cider. Stir in your cinnamon whisky. Feel free to taste and see if you want to add a splash more of cinnamon whisky. |
2 | Garnish with some apple slices and cinnamon sticks. Serve right away and enjoy! |