53 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes and No Jokes About Tofurkey
Serving up an entire menu of vegan Thanksgiving recipes is an intimidating feat, especially when there’s a crowd to impress. But have no fear, no one will miss butter or cream (or whisper, “Where’s the turkey?”) when they’re scarfing down our best vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
Start with this pro tip for stellar vegan Thanksgiving side dishes: Make a big batch of creamy cashew sauce, then let it be the foundation for lots of your Thanksgiving meal. Not only can it be the base for soups and salads, but it also adds flavor (and silky-smooth texture) to any squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes you roast. (And would it be great in a green bean casserole? We sure think so.)
While you could easily make a whole vegan Thanksgiving menu from sides and appetizers, you might want a showstopping vegan main dish to take the center of the table. Whether it’s coconut-braised cabbage with lots of chickpeas or this giant platter of brussels sprouts nasi goreng, your main course will be even more flavorful than turkey.
Of course, Thanksgiving desserts also deserve your attention. These Salted Chocolate Tahini Bliss Balls are the ideal bite for when you’re stuffed to the brim. And you can bake this Lemon Pistachio Loaf a couple days ahead of the holiday.
If you’re still not sold on a fully vegan Thanksgiving, also check out our best vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes—totally meatless but with a lot of cream and butter involved.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by JoJo Li1/53Sticky-Spicy Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness2/53Cranberry-Orange Chutney
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman3/53Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks4/53Potato-Tomato Gratin With Horseradish
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Micah Morton7/53Brussels Sprouts Nasi Goreng
Meera Sodha’s take on the beloved Indonesian dish nasi goreng uses shredded brussels sprouts two ways: Some are sautéed and incorporated into the rice mixture, while others are marinated and added on top for crunch and zing. Don’t skip the kecap manis—the syrupy Indonesian soy sauce is what gives nasi goreng its caramelization and depth.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Micah Morton10/53Turmeric and Coconut-Braised Cabbage With Chickpeas
Cabbage has emerged as the hero of weeknight pantry cooking. Inexpensive and infinitely versatile, with an impressively long shelf life, one head of cabbage goes a long way. In this recipe, half of a cabbage is caramelized before being bathed in a turmeric-accented coconut milk and cooked until meltingly tender and sweet.
Alex Lau11/53Roasted Butternut Squash
Check out our roasted veggie matrix to learn how to roast everything from acorn squash to brussels sprouts.
13/53Roasted Squash and Cauliflower With Cashew Tonnato
Tonnato is a creamy Italian sauce that combines from-scratch mayo with preserved tuna, lemon juice, and anchovies, and is classically spooned over thinly sliced veal. This one is different. It gets creaminess from cashews instead of eggs, and, along with the dukkah spice mix, will gussy up any tray of roasted vegetables you make.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime15/53Tofu With Rice and Miso-Maple Dressing
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman16/53Butternut Squash and Green Bean Stew
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski17/53Roasted Winter Squash with Kale Pipian
Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon19/53Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman20/53Creamy Cashew Udon With Crispy Mushrooms
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime23/53Coconut Tofu Stir-Fry
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime24/53Sweet Potatoes With Maple Tahini
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio26/53Roasted Squash Salad With Crispy Chickpeas
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio28/53Grilled Mushrooms and Root Vegetables
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio30/53Spiced Pecans
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio32/53Sesame Crème
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman33/53Roasted Carrots and Chickpeas With Herby Cashew Cream
Photo by Oriana Koren, food styling by Lillian Kang, prop styling by Jillian Knox34/53Bitter Greens With Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman35/53Marinated Peppers With Basil and Garlic
Photograph by Frank Frances, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Sophia Pappas36/53Crunchy Greens With Fat Choy Ranch
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen37/53Coconut-Chocolate Mousse
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio38/53Winter Squash Bharta
Photograph by Jessica Pettway, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio39/53Pumpkin Hot Sauce
Gentl & Hyers40/53Chocolate-Avocado Pudding
Leave it to cool-kid mecca Gjusta in Venice, CA, to create a produce-based, low-sugar, vegan-friendly, “good”-fat-filled, crowd-pleasing chocolate pudding recipe. That would also be completely acceptable to eat for breakfast. Learn how to make this recipe and more in our online cooking class with Sur la Table.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Leng41/53Twice-Roasted Squash With Vanilla, Maple, and Chile
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng42/53Kale Salad With Pecan Vinaigrette
Photograph by Frank Frances, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Sophia Pappas45/53Salt-and-Pepper Cauliflower
Photograph by Frank Frances, food styling by Lillian Chou, prop styling by Sophia Pappas46/53Bok Choy With Brown Sauce and Crispy Garlic
Alex Lau48/53Spiced Cranberry Apple Relish
Use Granny Smith apples for this amped up alternative to regular cranberry sauce. They have lots of pectin, which helps the relish reach its signature jiggly texture.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott49/53Lemon-Pistachio Loaf
This cake is rich, moist, and buttery thanks to plenty of olive oil. Make it a couple days ahead of time so it’s one less thing to worry about on Thanksgiving day.
Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli51/53Pomegranate-Parsley Tabbouleh
Pomegranate seeds bring bright, acidic bites of crunch to this herby, lemony salad.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Beth Pakradooni52/53Three-Minute Red Wine Vinaigrette
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Molly Baz, prop styling by Emily Eisen53/53Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls