8 Vegan-Friendly Recipes to Bring to Your Thanksgiving Gathering

​Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and one of the most difficult things about being a vegan is these types of large gatherings that focus on food. Unless your friends and family are vegan as well or are willing to accommodate to your plant-based lifestyle, your best bet is to bring a dish that you’ll not only love to eat, but one that’s also great for sharing to show your loved ones how delicious vegan food is. This is, of course, unless you decide to host a fully vegan Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving!

Here are some of our favourite vegan-friendly dishes for the holiday, from sides to dessert. With these dishes, you’re bound to enjoy a memorable Thanksgiving!

Mushroom Gravy

First things first: you simply cannot have a Thanksgiving meal without gravy. It’s the perfect savoury glue that holds all the dishes together. And the good news is that you absolutely do not need meat products to create a delicious gravy. The secret? Mushrooms! Try this recipe for a gravy you’d be happy to smother over your entire plate. 

https://www.staceyhomemaker.com/vegan-mushroom-gravy/

Biscuits

Biscuits are really just a vehicle for gravy—but don’t get us wrong: we love biscuits. Biscuits are one of those recipes that are a little more finicky, prone to overmixing and reliant on a good fat to ensure maximum flakiness. Luckily, there are a number of terrific vegan substitutes for butter that makes baking biscuits a breeze. 

https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-damn-vegan-biscuits/

Butternut Squash Soup

A great butternut squash soup is always a classic hit. The creaminess of the soup in this recipe comes from the full-fat coconut milk. With its hint of ginger and cloves, it’s the perfect remedy for a traditional heavy or overindulgent meal. 

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/vegan-butternut-squash-soup

Mushroom Wellington

There’s something exceptionally decadent about a wellington, and though it may sound like an intimidating recipe, wellingtons are actually easy to make. This recipe from Delicious Everyday calls for vegan puff pastry, which means that all you really need to cook is the mouthwatering mushroom filling. 

https://www.deliciouseveryday.com/mushroom-wellington/

Lentil Loaf

Let this lentil loaf be the star of your Thanksgiving gathering. Using lentil as the main ingredient for this recipe, the legumes are transformed into a warm and hearty comfort food, and also a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving spread.

https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-lentil-nut-meatloaf/

Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta

You can’t go wrong with pasta, and we think this pumpkin alfredo pasta is great for all holidays—or even for a regular Tuesday when you feel like a big bowl of pasta. While this recipe is not a vegan one, there are many ways to substitute the cream and cheese for which it requires. Try using vegan butter for the base, full-fat coconut milk in place of the cream, and nutritional yeast for the parmesan.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/pumpkin-alfredo-pasta-recipe-4172022

Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

There’s something undeniably “autumn” about a carrot cake (even though the Easter season has mostly bogarted the recipe). This veganized carrot cake features a “cream cheese” frosting that’s made from coconut milk and vegan butter, as well as orange zest for a nice balance that helps cut through the usual heaviness of a cream cheese frosting.

https://www.foodnetwork.ca/baking/blog/ultimate-vegan-carrot-cake-orange-cream-cheese-frosting/

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

What’s Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? This version veganizes the Thanksgiving classic and opts for a pecan crust as opposed to a pie crust. With that said, if you prefer the usual pie crust, you can sub the butter in any pie crust recipe with a mix of vegan butter and shortening.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a28449365/vegan-pumpkin-pie-recipe/

With so many great recipes to choose from, we’re certain that your non-vegan friends won’t miss meat at all. From all of us at Planted Meals, we wish you and your loved ones a happy, memorable, and safe Thanksgiving!

What are some of your must-have Thanksgiving dishes? Let us know in the comments