Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

From vegan scalloped potatoes to vegan mushroom gravy, we have veganized some of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes for a vegan-friendly holiday everyone will love!

Most Popular

The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce

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This is our go-to recipe for homemade cranberry sauce. It's simple (just five ingredients!), is lightly sweet without being too sugary and has just the right amount of zesty flavor from orange peel. Plus, it's so easy--it goes from stove to table in just 20 minutes!
By Carolyn Casner

Roasted Brussels Sprout & Butternut Squash Salad

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Serve this hearty and healthy fall salad with roasted pork tenderloin, chicken or salmon, or with your Thanksgiving meal. All of the vegetables are roasted on the same pan, so this recipe is easy to prep, and it tastes great warm or at room temperature so it's perfect for holiday buffet tables and potlucks. Cranberries add a sweet-tart edge, while the maple-tahini dressing provides depth.
By Julia Levy

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

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Now everyone can enjoy classic Thanksgiving favorites, like this dairy-free green bean casserole. We make a homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup using almond milk for the creamy base that's combined with fresh green beans. Top it off with classic french-fried onions (we have a vegan recipe for that, too!) for a side dish everyone will devour.
By Hilary Meyer

Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots

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Roasting carrots in the oven brings out their sweetness, which is enhanced further with a tangy balsamic and maple glaze. Serve them straight-up for an easy weeknight side dish or garnish with chopped hazelnuts for holiday meals and dinner parties.
By Marianne Williams

Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

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Skip the roasting in this butternut squash soup recipe and let your slow cooker do the work instead. Just load up all the ingredients into the crock pot, set it and forget it for an easy, healthy dinner or packable lunches.
By Carolyn Casner

No-Sugar-Added Cranberry Sauce

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Most cranberry sauce recipes add tons of sugar to mask the tart taste of the cranberries. In this simple cranberry sauce, we lighten things up by skipping the sugar and opting for a healthier combination of dates and apple cider which adds just enough sweetness without overpowering the cranberry flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Steamed Butternut Squash

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Butternut squash steams quickly, making this a great cooking technique to enjoy this fall vegetable as a weeknight side dish. For extra flavor, toss the steamed butternut squash with salt, pepper and a little bit of olive oil, butter or Parmesan cheese after cooking.
By Carolyn Casner

Fresh Apple Squares

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One batch of dough does double duty as both the crust and streusel topping to make one of the easiest desserts around.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

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Learn how to roast squash in this healthy recipe adapted from Alice Waters. Look for squash varieties, including buttercup, kabocha or hubbard, at your farmers' market and try them in this tasty side dish.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Persian-Style Butternut Squash Soup

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Stock up your Iranian-inspired spice cabinet to brighten up a simple butternut squash soup for your Thanksgiving feast.
By Naz Deravian

Chile-Lime Peanuts

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These spicy nuts were inspired by ones sold by street vendors across Mexico. If you can only find salted peanuts, omit the added salt. Add the maximum amount of cayenne pepper if you want an extra hit of spice.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cranberry-Prosecco Cocktail

A splash of cranberry juice in sparkling wine and a garnish of cranberries and rosemary sprigs makes an exceptionally festive party-ready cocktail that's easy to make, too.
By Carolyn Casner
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Inspiration and Ideas

Cinnamon Baked Pumpkin
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Baked pumpkin is a fun twist on tradition. A sprinkle of cinnamon is a delicious nod to the usual pie and transforms the squash into an enchanting side dish recipe.
Cranberry Salad
This colorful and healthy cranberry salad will brighten up any Thanksgiving spread. It's sweet but not overly so, with juicy oranges, crunchy walnuts and crisp celery and apples. It's easy to make and can be prepped ahead--plus, you can use fresh or frozen cranberries, which extends the season of this salad. We call for Honeycrisp apples, but Gala or Fuji would also work well. Serve this cranberry salad with your Thanksgiving turkey, of course, or try it with chicken or pork any time of year.
Sautéed Butternut Squash
Curried Cashews
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These curried cashews are impossibly addictive--every time we made them in the Test Kitchen they disappeared in a flash. If you use salted cashews, omit the added salt.

All Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

Apple Crisp with Cranberries

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Sticking to its food-waste mission, L.A. Kitchen created this dessert to work with almost any fruit you have on hand. We've done it here with pears and apples, but you can use berries or even tropical fruits instead. The addition of dried fruit adds a concentrated hit of flavor you won't get from fresh alone.
By Theresa Farthing

Vegan Cornbread Stuffing

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Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, now this classic side dish is available to everyone. We love the deep flavor of cornbread in this entirely plant-based recipe. Our secret to getting that traditional flavor without chicken broth or turkey stock is adding in poultry seasoning—despite the name, there is no poultry in it!
By Carolyn Casner

Moroccan Chickpea-Stuffed Acorn Squash

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Think of this healthy vegetarian side dish recipe as a meatless tagine served in a squash bowl. Kabocha, sweet dumpling or carnival squash make good alternatives to acorn squash. To make this side a hearty vegetarian meal, serve 2 halves each.
By Raghavan Iyer

Apple Cider-Mezcal Margarita

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This fall version of a margarita features apple cider and mezcal, a liquor made from agave much like tequila. Like a classic margarita, this one blends sweet and sour flavors with a hint of cinnamon and orange from triple sec.
By Carolyn Casner

Cranberry Relish

Take a detour from traditional cranberry sauce and try this recipe that combines fresh cranberries with sweet dates, sage and orange. You can make this no-cook cranberry relish in less than a minute in the food processor. It's a divine accompaniment to roast turkey and perfect on a turkey sandwich as well.
By Tara Mataraza Desmond

Orange & Avocado Salad

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This colorful salad would be a welcome addition to a Mexican-inspired meal.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vegan French-Fried Onions

Oven-frying lightly battered onion slices produces the kind of crispy onion rings we all love, but with less fat and fewer calories. Plus, we use almond milk to make this crispy onion topping dairy-free and vegan--perfect for topping a vegan green bean casserole!
By Hilary Meyer

Carob Molasses Cake (Sfouf b' Debs)

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With all due respect to baklava, we've found a new favorite Lebanese dessert. This rich, moist cake is sweetened with carob molasses and has a hit of anise. We may or may not have fought over it in the Test Kitchen.
By Kamal Mouzawak

Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

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Vinegar is the key to making this sautéed kale recipe special. Look for vinegar that's cloudy--it likely still has some of the mother in the bottle and will give you a sweet acidity rather than a harsh bite. Organic apple cider vinegar is usually your best bet. For the most eye-catching version of this side, use different colored varieties of kale.
By Summer Miller

Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

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These scalloped potatoes are surprisingly rich and creamy even though they're made with no dairy (milk, butter or cheese)--vegan comfort food at its best. We use almond milk, herbs and spices to make a flavorful sauce and finish the dish with a crunchy almond topping. This makes a satisfying side dish if you're cooking for dairy-free or vegan diets.
By Hilary Meyer

Slow-Cooked Sweet and Sour Cabbage

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The combination of cloves, cabbage and cider vinegar gives this slow-cooker cabbage recipe its sweet-and-sour flavor. Don't skip the apples-the hit of natural sweetness is worth the time it takes to core and chop them.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Butternut Squash

Simple roasted butternut squash--just tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper--makes a classic fall side dish. This recipe is delicious with roasted meats, or toss the roasted squash into pasta or salad.
By Carolyn Casner

Apple, Fig & Brussels Sprouts Salad

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Salad dressing made from sweet and mellow white balsamic vinegar balances out the assertive greens and Brussels sprouts in this healthy winter salad. If you have one handy, a small mandoline makes it easy to slice the Brussels and apple. To make it a dinner salad, top with shrimp or chicken.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Simple Green Salad with Citronette

Frisée and radicchio are both assertive, slightly bitter greens that add color and texture to any salad. Match them with mellower-flavored greens, such as red leaf lettuce, baby spinach or even Boston lettuce.
By Lidia Bastianich

Hot Cider with Apple Brandy & Spices

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A natural, cloudy apple cider is delicious for this exotically spicy and aromatic winter warmer, but if you desire a sparkling-clear drink, apple juice can be substituted. Calvados, which is a French apple brandy, adds richness. If you wish to omit it, just add more cider or juice.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Hot Cider with Brandy

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Brew up a batch of warm apple cider with ease in this no-sugar-added drink recipe. The hot toddy stays warm and party-ready in your crock pot all night long.
By Devon O'Brien

Christmas Cider

Chai tea and fruit juices make this festive hot drink a must-serve at your next holiday gathering.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

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Thai spices and creamy coconut milk distinguish this version from traditional butternut squash soup. Curry paste is a convenient way to add complex flavor, but if you want to make sure this soup is vegan or if you are allergic to shellfish, check the ingredient list carefully--some brands contain shellfish.
By Carolyn Casner

Roasted Delicata Squash & Onions

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Roasting intensifies delicata squash's flavor. Seasoned with rosemary and maple, this recipe's great with pork or turkey.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon-Dill Green Beans

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This lemon and dill vinaigrette is a natural complement to green beans. It's also great tossed with steamed asparagus or drizzled over sliced fresh tomatoes. To make this recipe serve 10, multiply all the ingredients by 2 1/2: Use 2 1/2 pounds green beans, 3 tablespoons dill, 2 1/2 tablespoons each shallot, oil and lemon juice, 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Curried Butternut Squash Dip

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This healthy squash dip recipe, spiced with curry and made creamy with the addition of coconut milk, is a delicious alternative to hummus. You can also use other types of winter squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash in this dip. Serve with crisp raw vegetables or toasted pitas for dipping.
By Mary Cleaver

Overnight Oatmeal

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Here is an easy way to serve a crowd a hearty breakfast before facing the elements for a day of winter sports. You can assemble it in the slow cooker in the evening and wake up to a bowl of hot, nourishing oatmeal. The slow cooker eliminates the need for constant stirring and ensures an exceptionally creamy consistency. It is important to use steel-cut oats; old-fashioned oats become too soft during slow-cooking.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Curried Pumpkin Soup with Tamarind Onions

Punchy flavors borrowed from Sri Lankan-style curries make this curried pumpkin soup a palate-awakening starter. The tamarind onion garnish, adapted from Chef Sam Fore in Lexington, Kentucky, is a showstopping condiment. If you have any left over, they'll make your next-day turkey sandwiches sing!
By Stacey Ballis

Steamed Green Beans with Rosemary-Garlic Vinaigrette & Fried Shallots

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Here's a new way to delight your green-bean-loving guests. The genius of this easy green bean recipe is in the dressing, which is made with savory oil that has also been used to fry shallots and garlic.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD
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