Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

This German braised red cabbage recipe is delicious—and tastes even better the next day after the flavors mingle. Loganberry preserves and red currant jelly are more traditional in this dish, but can be harder to find—cranberry sauce makes an excellent substitute.

Stuffed acorn squash is one of those recipes that can easily take center stage as a plant-based holiday entree or be served as a colorful side dish.

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.

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.

Sautéed onions, garlic powder and red pepper add plenty of flavor to canned green beans to make an easy and economical side for your Thanksgiving table or any other dinner.

This salad was one of the favorites chosen from over 1,000 salad recipes for our 30th anniversary issue. In 2004, Deborah Madison waxed poetic about winter ingredients, particularly nuts. “In the chill air of winter, nuts move up to center stage as do their warming, substantial, golden oils--so good with winter salad greens and vegetables, such as shaved fennel, all of which are likely to end up in a salad together,” she says. Madison suggested using a mix of lettuces that balance each other here--a mild, tender variety, such as Boston, with a more intense and sturdy green, such as escarole, for instance.

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.

The Instant Pot makes quick work of cooking up these vegan black-eyed peas. Fresh and dried spices and onion lend rich flavor to this simple bean dish.

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.

Reader Jennifer Sanders contributed this salad, which offers a wealth of color and texture, as well as antioxidants.

You don't have to be a vegan to appreciate this easy holiday side dish. These vegan mashed potatoes have plenty of flavor thanks to sweet caramelized onions and the magic of nutritional yeast, which adds rich depth of flavor while keeping these mashed potatoes dairy-free.

Braised greens are one of the easiest and most nutritious side dishes ever. And when you top them with crispy fried mushrooms, they're downright irresistible. Salting the mushrooms helps pull out their water, so they'll fry up crispy. When it's time to get dinner on the table, give them a quick reheat and they're good as new.

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!