Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Find healthy, delicious vegan Thanksgiving side dish recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Steamed Butternut Squash

Rating: Unrated
1
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 EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sautéed Butternut Squash

Sautéeing butternut squash in olive oil quickly yields perfectly cooked results and slighly caramelizes the squash for extra flavor. This recipe makes a delicious vegetable side dish to pair with roasted meats.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon-Herb Roasted Beets

Rating: Unrated
5
We love how roasting brings out the sweet flavor of beets. Golden beets look especially pretty when tossed with the fresh herb and lemon seasoning mix, but any type of beets will work in this recipe. If you're a lemon lover, be sure to add the squeeze of fresh lemon juice after the beets are roasted.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Oven-Roasted Squash with Garlic & Parsley

Rating: Unrated
6
Winter squash becomes tender and sweeter when roasted--a delicious side for a holiday dinner. Look for interesting squash like kabocha or hubbard at your farmers' market and try them in this recipe. Recipe adapted from Alice Waters.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts

Roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts make a great quick and easy side dish for dinner, or you can twist it into a breakfast hash served with an egg on top. Either way, with its super-easy prep, you'll come back to these roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts again and again.
By Jasmine Smith

Orange & Avocado Salad

Rating: Unrated
5
This colorful salad would be a welcome addition to a Mexican-inspired meal.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Rating: Unrated
1
Roasting carrots 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

Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

Rating: Unrated
2
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

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Whir cauliflower into a creamy low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes. This easy recipe gets a kick of flavor from garlic-infused olive oil, making it a dairy-free (and vegan) vegetable side dish.
By Carolyn Casner

Apple, Fig & Brussels Sprouts Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
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

Warm Red Cabbage Salad

Rating: Unrated
5
In this quick German-inspired side dish, red cabbage is cooked until just tender and combined with sweet apples, caraway and a tangy vinaigrette. Serve with roasted pork loin or turkey kielbasa.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooked Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Rating: Unrated
1
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

Inspiration and Ideas

Roasted Delicata Squash & Onions

Roasted Delicata Squash & Onions

Rating: Unrated
8
Roasting intensifies delicata squash's flavor. Seasoned with rosemary and maple, this recipe's great with pork or turkey.
Roasted Brussels Sprout & Butternut Squash Salad

Roasted Brussels Sprout & Butternut Squash Salad

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.
Lemon-Dill Green Beans

Lemon-Dill Green Beans

Rating: Unrated
4
Butternut & Barley Pilaf

Butternut & Barley Pilaf

Rating: Unrated
5
Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasted Butternut Squash

Rating: Unrated
1
Butternut Squash and Quinoa Pilaf

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Pilaf

Pear & Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts

Rating: Unrated
1

This pear and arugula salad recipe is topped with homemade candied walnuts, which are incredibly easy to make in the oven. For a touch of heat, add a pinch of ground chipotle or cayenne to the walnuts before baking.

All Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

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 Eataly and Lidia Bastianich

Pear-Quinoa Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Quinoa is a quick-cooking whole grain with a slightly nutty flavor--a perfect partner for pears and walnuts in this fresh-tasting salad recipe. The flavor is best when the salad is at room temperature or cold. Refrigerate the salad for at least 15 minutes before serving.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Vegetable Antipasto

Rating: Unrated
3
A zesty vinaigrette makes these roasted Brussels sprouts, fennel, carrots and beets pop. If you can't find small carrots, halve larger ones crosswise then quarter lengthwise. Serve this vegetable antipasto as a side dish or appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Garlicky Green Beans

Rating: Unrated
6
We cook then cool the beans in advance so they can be heated up and seasoned moments before the meal. If you don't like tarragon, substitute dill or leave it out completely.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit & Cranberries

Rating: Unrated
2
Grapefruit juice is the base for the tangy vinaigrette on this salad studded with grapefruit segments and dried cranberries. It serves 12 as a starter or about 6 if you'd like a large portion per person.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Barley & Wild Rice Pilaf with Pomegranate Seeds

Rating: Unrated
3
This pilaf melds the chewy texture of barley and wild rice with the richness of toasted pine nuts and the sweet-sour crunch of pomegranate seeds. The elegant dish is perfect for entertaining.
By Kitty Morse

Farro with Pistachios & Herbs

Rating: Unrated
1
Here we stir fresh parsley and crunchy pistachios into farro for a simple side dish. Serve this simple grain right in the same dish with a rich stew. The nutty flavors of farro and pistachios are the perfect complement to the rich broth of the stew.
By Peggy Knickerbocker

Fennel & Orange Salad with Toasted Pistachios

Rating: Unrated
2
For this elegant salad, sweet-tasting fennel bulbs are thinly sliced and tossed with salty toasted pistachios, sweet oranges and tangy lime juice. Jícama or radishes add another layer of texture and earthy flavor.
By Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Shallots

Rating: Unrated
2
This easy side dish combines the natural sweetness of caramelized shallots with the earthiness of Brussels sprouts, a fall favorite.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Carrot & Radish Slaw with Pickled Onions

Cutting vegetables into long thin strips--a technique called julienning--rather than shredding them gives this healthy slaw recipe a marvelous, crisp texture. You can cut the vegetables by hand, but a mandoline will save you a lot of time. If your radishes still have the greens attached, reserve them and use as a garnish.
By Anna Thomas

Brassica Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Chef Jennifer Jasinski has this healthy recipe for Brussels sprout, cauliflower and radicchio salad on the menu at her restaurant Rioja for fall and winter. The balance of roasted vegetables alongside the tang of the oranges and the chewy sweetness from the apricots is a crowd-pleaser.
By Jennifer Jasinski

Green Beans with Caramelized Red Onions

For an attractive presentation, trim the stem ends of the beans, leaving the pointed ends intact. Most fresh beans today do not require stringing, as the fibrous string has been bred out of them.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Red Wine Braised Roots

Rating: Unrated
1
Braised root vegetables, rich with red wine, mushrooms and thyme, make a fabulous vegetarian entree or side dish. Enjoy alongside roast chicken or turkey. If you're serving it as an entree, be sure to have plenty of whole-grain bread to soak up the sauce.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Red & White Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Bitter, sweet and peppery flavors marry well in this confetti-like salad of wintery fruit and vegetables.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Steamed Green Beans with Rosemary-Garlic Vinaigrette & Fried Shallots

Rating: Unrated
1
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 Killeen

Kale Salad with Preserved Lemon & Walnuts

Rating: Unrated
3
In this kale salad recipe, we massage dressing into the kale leaves until they're tender and coated with flavor. Topped with bold Mediterranean flavors--olives, walnuts and preserved lemons--this healthy salad is as delicious as it is nutritious. Look for preserved lemons at specialty-foods shops or online at surlatable.com. Or, to make your own, see the recipe on eatingwell.com.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Potato & Sweet Potato Torte

Rating: Unrated
4
Layers of potatoes and sweet potatoes meld into an impressive vegetable “cake” that forms a golden crust during baking. Serve as a vegetarian centerpiece or with roast poultry or pork.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baked Butternut Squash

Baked butternut squash has a caramelized flavor, which is delicious if you use the cooked squash in soups and sauces. It's simple to bake a butternut squash; just cut it in half and roast it in the oven.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Romaine, Red Onion & Orange Salad

Sweet oranges and sharp red onion perk up romaine lettuce in this colorful salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mixed Lettuce, Fennel & Orange Salad with Black Olive Vinaigrette

Rating: Unrated
2
This colorful salad offers a symphony of flavors and textures. Savory black olives, sweet orange slices and crisp, licorice-flavored fennel balance the slightly bitter tastes of chicory, radicchio and Belgian endive.
By Stephanie Browner

Roasted Squash with Garlic, Lime & Chile

Cumin, garlic, lime and a jalapeño pepper spice up this roasted butternut squash recipe. If you like the consistent look of squash rounds, look for a long-necked butternut or use just the necks from a couple, reserving the bulbous bottoms for another use, such as for healthy muffins or soup.
By Molly Stevens

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

In this healthy mashed potato recipe, we use “no-chicken” broth instead of milk, cream or butter to make full-flavored, vegan mashed potatoes. Regular reduced-sodium chicken broth can be used as a substitute.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Mashed Squash with Caramelized Onions

A touch of sherry vinegar brightens up this healthy mashed squash recipe. Buttercup squash will give it a bright orange color but any 3-pound winter squash, such as butternut or acorn, can be used in its place.
By Molly Stevens

Garlicky Wilted Greens

Both kale and Swiss chard can be strong tasting but we've balanced out the flavor in this side dish by cooking them with garlic and tossing them in a vinegar, Dijon mustard and basil mixture.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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