Stuffing your holiday with plant-powered goodness

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. during Thanksgiving—that’s one-sixth of all turkeys sold each year.

This year, let’s set a new table.

With this guide, you’ll have everything you need for a vibrant, festive vegan holiday that everyone can savor.

QUICK NAVIGATION

Tofurky Roast with mashed potatoes, green beans, and brussels sprouts / Source

Shopping Guide / Cookbooks / Recipes

1. Shopping guide

The following options are perfect for the vegan Thanksgiving dinner table.

Quick section summary:

What are the best vegan alternatives for traditional holiday roasts?

There are various choices to suit various tastes. Before purchasing, check the label for common animal-derived ingredients like whey protein, eggs, honey, or gelatin.

Meat alternatives for Thanksgiving

Keep the traditions, switch up the ingredients.

We’re in the golden age of vegan food—just about any holiday favorite can be made with plant-based alternatives that are easy to find in most well-stocked stores.

Check the refrigerated section for these vegan meats, and swing by the freezer aisle for festive roasts, which are often sold frozen.

Vegan turkey alternatives

  • Gardein
    Turk'y Roast
    Savory Stuffed Turk’y
    Lightly Breaded Turk'y Cutlets

Vegan ham alternatives

Vegan holiday roasts

Vegan seafood alternatives

  • Atlantic Natural Foods
    Tuno
  • Gardein
    Fishless Fillets
    Mini Crab Cakes
Dairy-Free Milk

Refrigerated plant-based dairy section at a grocery store / Source

Dairy-free alternatives

Thanksgiving is all about tradition, but there's no reason your dairy can't have a makeover. Enter the world of vegan dairy alternatives, where creamy delights and rich flavors take center stage without any of the conventional baggage.

Whether pouring nut milk into your pumpkin pie batter or using buttery spreads to elevate those dinner rolls, these options ensure your feast remains indulgent and satisfying. The versatility of egg replacers in baking will save the day, while a luscious vegan egg nog and velvety whipped cream will make your dessert table the star of the show.

Here's what you need to know.

Dairy-Free Egg Nog

You'll spot vegan eggnog brands in two places: alongside their dairy-based counterparts in the refrigerated section of the grocery stores, and in aseptic packaging with other shelf-stable milk.

Vegan Egg Nog Brands

  • Almond Breeze
    Nog (Almond Milk)
  • Silk
    Nog (Soy Milk)

Vegan Eggnog recipe from Figgy and Sprout / Source

Vegan Egg Nog Recipes

Finding vegan eggnog in stores is pretty easy these days, but making homemade versions can be immensely satisfying.

These recipes use spices, fruit, and nuts to create that familiar custard-like texture and authentic taste of traditional eggnog.

Here are recipes to try:

Vegan Whipped Cream

If your family traditions are anything like mine, pumpkin pie always made an appearance on the Thanksgiving table. My mother would serve generous slices of our favorite pie with — and this is my favorite part — mounds and mounds of whipped cream. It was dessert, perfected.

In my family, we favored the whipped cream that came in those blue plastic tubs. Any chance I got, I would grab the biggest spoon possible and eat as many mouthfuls as I could. To this day whipped cream remains one of my favorite foods.

I stopped eating dairy-based whipped cream when I went vegan, and at that time there wasn’t a vegan version that had the same thick, luscious creaminess of my childhood favorite. That was, until now.

CocoWhip - Vegan Whipped Cream - Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

So Delicious Dairy-Free CocoWhip is everything that is right and good about whipped cream. It’s thick and creamy, so it reminds me of the dairy whipped cream of my childhood. And nope, I’m not even being paid to say that. I just love the stuff, and I think you will too. Look for it at health foods and natural grocers in the freezer section. You’ll defrost the whipped cream in your fridge for a few hours before you use it.

But even frozen — yeah I tried it — it is superb.

Shopping Guide / Cookbooks / Recipes

2. Vegan holiday cookbooks

Whether you’re looking for vegan recipes for a special occasion or for everyday cooking you can find what you're looking for right here on Your Daily Vegan. There is an extensive library of vegan books from which to choose. 

And if you don't find what you need there, check the library of vegan recipes.

Quick section summary:

Is palm oil vegan?

Palm oil is a common ingredient in vegan butter. While it’s technically a vegan product, ethical, environmental, and humanitarian issues surround its production. Some brands have taken steps to use responsibly-sourced oil, but not all.

Cookbooks Perfect for the Holiday

Cover for the book, Crafting Seitan
Cover for the book Field Roast: Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share, and Savor.
Cover for the book Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking. Featuring a selection of fruits and vegetables, some cut open in half, some not, on top of a weathered green wooden surface.
A cover for the book Crossroads. Features a stone wear plate with ravioli.
Cover for the book Veganomicon, dark green background with a light green V with an orange banner across the cover with the title over top

Shopping Guide / Cookbooks / Recipes

3. Vegan Thanksgiving recipes

Ready for cooking inspiration? These recipes will surely satisfy you.

Vegan butter from Vegan Heaven

Vegan butter from Spabettie

Plant butter from The Cheeky Chickpea

Vegan butter from The Hidden Veggies

Butter substitute from Fork & Beans

Vegan butter from A Virtual Vegan

Vegan butter from Loving it Vegan

Butter from Nora Cooks

Butter from Simple Vegan Blog

Recipes to try

  1. Vegan Butter
    Vegan Heaven
  1. Pantry-staple vegan butter
    Spabettie
  1. Plant-based butter
    The Cheeky Chickpea
  1. The Best Vegan Butter
    The Hidden Veggies
  1. Butter Substitute
    Fork and Beans
  1. Easy Butter
    A Virtual Vegan
  1. Homemade Butter
    Loving it Vegan
  1. Vegan Butter
    Nora Cooks
  1. Vegan Butter
    Simple Vegan Blog

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

Whether you are a chef in the kitchen or you’ve never boiled water before, choosing the perfect holiday menu can be a challenge.

With three different full menus, this guide contains a vast selection of the very best vegan recipes special enough for any holiday table.

How to Plan a Vegan Thanksgiving Meal

This guide contains more than one hundred and fifty delicious recipes perfect for any vegan holiday table.

There are three full menus — vegan, gluten-free vegan, and raw vegan — each featuring recipes for appetizers, main dishes, sides, sauces & gravy, bread & rolls, and decadent desserts.

Browse, scroll, or select from the categories below to plan your meal.

Vegan Menu
Gluten-Free Menu
Raw Vegan Menu

Vegan Menu

These vegan recipes are perfect for holiday gatherings.

Spinach Artichoke Cups Recipe from Vegan Huggs - Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Cups / Photo: Vegan Huggs

Vegan Thanksgiving Appetizers

Vegan Gravy Recipe from Yup, It's Vegan - Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe - Your Daily Vegan

Vegan Gravy / Photo: Yup, It's Vegan

Vegan Thanksgiving Sauces & Gravies

A scone sitting on a piece of parchment paper with a tin of scones behind it and fresh rosemary and black pepper strewn about.

Tomato Rosemary & Black Pepper Scones / Photo: Your Daily Vegan

Vegan Thanksgiving Breads & Biscuits

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe from My Darling Vegan - Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake / Photo: My Darling Vegan

Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts

Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving Menu

These recipes are suitable for vegans with intolerances or sensitivities to gluten (or anyone, really).

Grain-Free Everything Cracker Recipe from Fork and Beans - Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

Grain-Free Everything Crackers / Photo: Fork and Beans

Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving Appetizers

Lentil Meatloaf Muffins / Photo: Veggies Save the Day

Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving Main Dishes

Cornbread Stuffing / Photo: Minimalist Baker

Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Easy Vegan Gravy Recipe from Veggies Save The Day - Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

Easy Vegan Gravy / Photo: Veggies Save the Day

Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving Sauces & Gravies

The Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Guide | Your Daily Vegan

Pumpkin Pie Parfaits / Photo: Minimalist Baker

Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts

Raw Vegan Thanksgiving Menu

Theses recipes are suitable for vegans who follow a raw diet.

Pear Squash Puree with Ph ecan & Rosemary Recipe from Rawmazing - Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

Pear Squash Purée with Pecan & Rosemary / Photo: Rawmazing

Raw Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dishes

The Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Guide | Your Daily Vegan

Cranberry Raspberry Relish / Photo: Fork & Beans

Raw Vegan Thanksgiving Sauces & Gravies

Apple Pie with Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel / Photo: Blissful Basil

Raw Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts

The Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Guide - Your Daily Vegan

Truth in advertising

I am committed to providing accurate information to the vegan community. This work used the following extensively researched and cited sources listed here to ensure transparency and reliability.

Please contact me if you find something wrong.

Photo Credits

Product photos via manufacturers.
Recipe photos via recipe authors. Used with written permission.

Share
Pin56
Reddit
Tweet95
151 Shares
Published On: 19 November 2014Last Updated: 14 November 2024

This guide has been read 3,728 times, neat!

Share
Pin56
Reddit
Tweet95
151 Shares