50 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes Your Friends Wish You'd Make (2024)

Why make plain ole' stuffing and cranberry sauce when you can turn the Thanksgiving classics into bite-sized poppers with a side of zesty dip?

Get the recipe from Beard and Bonnet.

Serve these to start and everyone will be saying, "oh, you fancy."

Get the recipe from Oh My Veggies.

It's infused with hard cider, so obviously it's going to be good.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, florets only, trimmed small
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 cup Angry orchard Crisp Apple hard cider
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a heavy bottom skillet until smoking. Add cauliflower in one layer and do not shake. Wait until the cauliflower has begun to brown before shaking the skillet. Add garlic, rosemary, and black pepper and shake vigorously for a few seconds. Deglaze the pan with the hard cider and allow the liquid to evaporate.

Remove pan from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Shake to mix together and adjust seasoning with salt and lemon. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Kevin Gillespie, Angry Orchard

Those tortilla chips you have in the cupboard are practically begging to be dipped into this dairy-free, gluten-free masterpiece.

Get the recipe from The Healthy Apple.

The vegan version of your favorite chip dip, ready to serve before kickoff.

Get the recipe at My Whole Food Life.

Forget the flavorless bag loaded with salt and grease. These homestyle salt and vinegar "chips" taste better and are ready to serve in less than 20 minutes.

Get the recipe from The Healthy Apple.

Skip over celery sticks and serve these as an appetizer instead. Your guests will be grateful, we promise.

Ingredients:
2 strips (2 inches long) orange zest
3⁄4 teaspoon ground turmeric
11⁄2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon bulletproof brain octane oil (or coconut oil)
1 tablespoon high-quality olive oil
Sea salt
3 large fennel bulbs (21⁄2 pounds total), trimmed (fronds minced and reserved for garnish), cored, and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Very thinly sliver the orange zest. Place half of the orange zest in a large bowl and add the turmeric, fennel seeds, thyme, oils, and sea salt to taste. Add the sliced fennel, toss to coat, and spread out on the baking sheet. Bake, tossing once halfway through, until the fennel is tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining orange zest, lemon juice, and minced fennel fronds. Add to the baked fennel and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Reprinted from Bulletproof: The Cookbook by Dave Asprey. Copyright (c) 2015 by Dave Asprey. By permission of Rodale Books. Available wherever books are sold.

Now you just have to decide whether to make them mini-sized for an appetizer, or as part of the main meal.

Ingredients:
2 large yams
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon miso paste
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 peeled garlic clove
1 teaspoon chunk peeled ginger

Add-Ons:
2 cups cooked black beans
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped purple cabbage

Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash and scrub the yams then slice them in half lengthwise and bake with the cut-side down for 45 to 60 minutes, or until they are bubbling and tender all the way through (test with a fork). Mash a little space into each of them so you have a place to put the toppings.

To make the gravy, blend all the ingredients until smooth. If it's too thin, add more tahini. If it's too thick, add more water or apple cider vinegar.

Top off the yams with the beans, green onions and cabbage, then drizzle with the gravy.

Recipe courtesy of Emily von Euw, author of the Rawsome Vegan Cookbook

Three ingredients and a bit of seasoning—that's all you need for this festive finger-food recipe.

Get the recipe from The Healthy Apple.

Why should butternut squash get all the glory when its cousin, acorn squash, is just as (if not more) tasty?

Get the recipe from Oh My Veggies.

A hit of Tabasco sauce gives this creamy sauce the subtle flavor boost everyone's sure to notice—and enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 cups carrots, peeled and diced (about 2 lbs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water, or enough to just cover carrots
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tangerine or orange marmalade
1 to 2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 to 4 drops Tabasco sauce
Juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon shallot powder (or onion powder)
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 sprigs cilantro, half chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

Simmer the carrots in salted water until soft, about 10 minutes; drain, reserving liquid. In a blender, combine carrots with olive oil and marmalade until smooth, adding reserved cooking liquid until desired consistency is reached. Season with cumin, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Add the orange juice, shallot powder, and nutmeg. Mix with the chopped cilantro, then return to the pot to serve warm or place in the refrigerator to chill.

If serving hot, add diced tomatoes to the soup and reheat. If serving cold, put the soup in bowls and decorate with diced tomatoes. Garnish with a cilantro leaf.

Recipe courtesy of Fig & Olive: The Cuisine of the French Riviera

It doesn't get much better than a set-it-and-forget-it meal when it's involved with Thanksgiving.

Get the recipe from Peanut Butter Fingers.

A perfect starter recipe to warm up for the main meal.

Ingredients:

RAW SOUR CREAM
1 cup cashews (soaked and rinsed)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

DRESSING
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
pinch cayenne

SALAD
1 head cauliflower
1/2 cup finely chopped soaked cashews
6 dates
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1 tablespoon cacao nibs

To prepare sour cream: Blend all ingredients together.

Soak dates in advance, about two to three hours, drain, pit and finely chop. Then mix all ingredients together, dress the salad, and add a dollop of raw sour cream.

Recipe courtesy of Xavier Bonnafous of Southern Pressed Juicery

If you're going to serve a salad, it might as well be a super one (you know, filled with superfoods). This one does the title justice.

Get the recipe from The Healthy Apple.

Make this salad two to three days in advance and you'll have something to serve while the rest of your to-do list gets tackled.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cans (15-ounce each) black beans, drained and rinsed
4 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Ground black pepper (to taste, optional)
4 cups water
2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium orange bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 bag (10-ounces) frozen corn, thawed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Combine lime juice, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Slowly add oil, whisking constantly. Set aside.

Combine beans, vinegar, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.

Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add quinoa. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat to cool for 15 to 30 minutes and set aside.

Place quinoa in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add bell peppers, corn, cilantro, bean mixture, and dressing; toss gently to blend.

Recipe courtesy of Autumn Calabrese, author of FIXATE

You only need about 20 minutes to pull together this colorful salad that everyone will want a photo of (seriously, pretty food makes for the best Instagrams).

Get the recipe from QVC.

Add capers, lemon, and hazelnut to the mix for a combo no one will be expecting. Pro tip: Add fried sage leaves for another layer of flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hazelnuts
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1/4 cup capers, well-drained
1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed and shredded
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 1/2 tablespoons
Sea salt and freshly round black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a pie plate or baking sheet, toast hazelnuts until the skins blister, about 15 minutes. Transfer nuts to a clean kitchen towel and let cool, then rub to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.

In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the olive is hot, but not smoking, add the capers (be careful as they may splatter). Sauté the capers for about one minute, or until they start opening like little flower buds.

Add the Brussels sprouts and hazelnuts to the pan and stir to coal with the oil and caper mixture. Pour in lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the sprouts are tender but still a little crisp. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Pamela Salzman

With pomegranates, pumpkin seeds, and butternut squash on your plate, you've got a triple-threat of superfoods. Look at you, being all healthy.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or chopped pecans
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or unrefined melted coconut oil + 1 teaspoon olive oil for pumpkin seeds
1 3-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾ -inch dice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces mixed baby greens
½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds

DRESSING
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh pomegranate juice (or orange juice)
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons minced shallot
2 teaspoons maple syrup
6-7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the pumpkin seeds in a skillet and toast over low heat until lightly browned. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Remove from heat and set aside.

Toss the squash with thyme and olive oil or coconut oil and place on 2 baking sheets. Season with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once until tender and caramelized.

For the dressing, combine lemon juice, pomegranate juice, shallot, maple syrup, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified.

Place salad greens on a platter and toss with enough dressing to coat lightly. Separately drizzle the butternut squash with some dressing and add to the greens. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds. Taste for salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of Pamela Salzman

Fresh cranberries just need a hit of cinnamon, vanilla and grated orange to really ramp up the flavor. Bonus: You can make it up to a week in advance and still hold all the goodness in.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon McCormick ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel (optional)
1/2 teaspoon McCormick pure vanilla extract

Mix sugar and water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add cranberries, cinnamon, and orange peel; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries burst and sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.

It's great when you serve it fresh, but just wait until the day after Thanksgiving—flavor explosion. That is, if there are any leftovers.

Get the recipe from QVC.