Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Whole roasted carrots make quite a statement on the dinner table when they're topped with a port wine-and-fig dressing. In this recipe, we like dried Calimyrna figs because they're a tad less sweet than Mission figs and taste slightly nutty as well.

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.

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.

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.

Bitter, sweet and peppery flavors marry well in this confetti-like salad of wintery fruit and vegetables.

Crunchy fennel and celery are combined with grapes in this delicious salad recipe.

Roasted carrots, red potatoes and shallots are a terrific accompaniment to any roast meat or poultry dish. For a vegetarian supper, serve over Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Quinoa, butternut squash, and almonds combine to make this hearty vegetarian side dish. It's perfect for a family dinner or to delight your vegan friends on Thanksgiving.

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.

Winter squash contributes a rich, full flavor to a simple barley pilaf. Gremolata, an Italian mixture of parsley, lemon zest and garlic, gives the dish a lively finish. The pilaf is an excellent accompaniment to chicken and pork, but would stand on its own with the addition of Parmesan.

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.

Flecks of sweet red pepper and spinach add festive flair to the classic mushroom and barley combo. You can use either convenient quick-cooking barley or pearl barley, but note that the amount of liquid and the cooking times will vary.

Seasoned with spices inspired by chai tea, this slow-cooker apple butter can be slathered on your favorite toast, served with a fall cheese plate or stirred into yogurt.