Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes (Every Single Thing You Need)

Stuffed Faux Turki Roast

If you want a real-deal vegan Thanksgiving roast to set in the middle of the table, this is it. It’s a herby seitan and chickpea roast filled with bread stuffing and seasoned with rosemary, thyme and garlic, tender with a little chew and so yummy. It’s also pretty forgiving to make, so don’t let the fancy look scare you off. Put it on your nicest platter, carve it at the table for the “oohs” and “ahhs,” and pass the gravy (obviously).

Seitan Roast Stuffed With Shiitakes And Leeks

A reader favorite since 2011, with so many great reviews from people who make it every year. A tender, savory seitan roast stuffed with garlicky, meaty shiitakes, lots of sweet leeks and toasty breadcrumbs, so every slice has that filling right in the middle. It bakes up with a gorgeous browned skin that tastes as good as it looks.

Baked Tofu Turki

This started out as a 30-minute weeknight dinner, but everyone made it for Thanksgiving last year, and I get it. Golden slabs of savory baked tofu basted in herbs, with a great chew. The full recipe comes with its own mushroom gravy and cranberry arugula salad, but you’re probably making a whole spread anyway, so just make the tofu as your main. Double it. Triple it. It’s so easy!

Sorta Classic Pot Pie

Creamy, herby gravy full of carrots, peas, celery, onion and chewy seitan, tucked under a golden crust. Thyme and sage give it that pot pie flavor, and a simple olive oil béchamel makes the filling silky and rich. Sorta classic, because I can never leave anything alone, but it tastes just like the pot pie you grew up with. I usually make two for the holidays because they tend to disappear fast.

Mushroom Stout Pie With Potato Biscuits

Meaty mushrooms simmered in dark, malty stout until the gravy is thick and rich, then topped with fluffy potato biscuits that soak it up from underneath. Kidney beans make it hearty, cremini and porcini give the gravy a deep mushroomy flavor, and there’s plenty of thyme and rosemary. It’s like something you’d order at a cozy pub, but it fits right in on the holiday table.

Chickpea Cutlets

When I came up with this recipe nearly 20 years ago, I wasn’t thinking about Thanksgiving. But here we are, and I love it. Chickpea cutlets have become a holiday tradition, and you all make them year after year. Mashed chickpeas, vital wheat gluten and breadcrumbs are seasoned with thyme, sage and paprika, then shaped and pan-fried until lightly crisp outside and chewy in the middle, just begging to be smothered in gravy and dunked in mashed potatoes. Don’t forget the steak knives.

Chick’n Tofu Cutlets

These chickeny cutlets are crunchy, savory and seriously addictive, with a tender middle and that cozy, herby sage and thyme flavor. The coating is gluten-free, so everyone at the table gets a cutlet, and they’re so easy to make you’ll want a double batch. And to add to the delicious madness, they soak up every sauce on your plate and somehow stay crunchy. I’m obsessed with the texture!

The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes EVER

These are the fluffiest mashed potatoes of your life, and completely worth the time it takes to whip them. Russets get whipped with silky cashew cream and a little refined coconut oil for that buttery flavor, until they’re light and so very creamy. Make a crater in the middle for gravy and pile them high. There are roasted red pepper, pesto and garlic versions too. The title says EVER and I stand by it.

Mac & Shews

Mac and cheese at Thanksgiving is non-negotiable in a lot of families, and this one has been a reader favorite for over 15 years. Shells or macaroni get baked in a super creamy cashew sauce with a toasty roux and a secret ingredient: sauerkraut, which gives it that sharp, tangy, cheddary bite. Rich, cheesy and baked until bubbly at the edges. Not in the mood to bake? Here are more vegan mac and cheese recipes to choose from.

Baked Apples with Sweet Potato Filling & Candied Pecans

Baked apples and sweet potatoes, two holiday necessities in one gorgeous side dish. Tender baked apples get filled with creamy, gingery sweet potato and piled with crunchy candied pecans, sweet and savory all at once. They’re so pretty lined up on a platter, and everyone gets their own.

Carrot Tzimmes

Never had tzimmes? It’s the carrot side dish your holiday table has been missing. Carrots roast in one pan with apricots and raisins until they’re tender and sticky, with a buttery glaze of orange, maple and brown sugar. Fresh ginger, cinnamon and plenty of black pepper give it a warm, spicy kick. It’s a Jewish holiday staple, and it looks right at home next to the stuffing. If you already know tzimmes, well, you’re probably already peeling the carrots.

Orange-Scented Cranberry Sauce

Technically, cranberry sauce is a condiment (or a sauce, like the name says), but I’m putting it under sides because there’s nowhere else to put it, and Thanksgiving dinner needs that bright, tart-sweet bite. We all know it makes the meal. This one takes four ingredients, one pot and about ten minutes at the stove. The cranberries pop and burst in fresh orange juice until they cook down into a thick, jammy sauce, with plenty of whole berries left for juicy little bites.

Caramelized Onion Miso Gravy

Silky, savory and caramelly, like French onion soup turned into gravy. Onions cook low and slow until they’re deep amber and super sweet, then get blended with pungent red miso. The miso brings that roasty, fermented flavor gravy usually gets from pan drippings. Make a big batch, because you’ll be pouring it on everything.

Easy Mushroom Gravy

This is the brown mushroom gravy everyone expects to see on the table, and it never disappoints. Cremini mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, sage and a splash of white wine simmer down into something rich, savory and super duper mushroomy. It takes about 30 minutes, so you can make it while the stuffing bakes and it’s ready right when you need it.

Mushroom Cream Gravy

For a creamy, peppery country-style mushroom gravy, this is the one. Cremini get browned until they’re meaty and juicy, then simmered in cashew cream until it’s thick enough to spoon, with a squeeze of lemon for a little zing. There’s no roux to fuss with, since the cashews do all the thickening.

White Bean Gravy

Looking for a creamy, hearty gravy that’s also nut-free? This one is for you! I love this gravy because the navy beans blend up so thick and velvety, and sautéed onion, garlic and a little tamari give it tons of flavor. It’s loaded with sage, thyme and lots of black pepper, rich, herby and so comforting, and it makes enough to feed a crowd.

Kale Caesar With Brussels Sprout Croutons

Brussels sprouts are a Thanksgiving must, and here they get roasted and tossed onto a big kale Caesar as croutons. The creamy, garlicky, lemony cashew dressing has Dijon and a little nori for that briny Caesar flavor, and it gets massaged right into the kale so it’s tender but still crunchy. A fresh, bright bowl of greens next to all the cozy carbs.

Juicy Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Thick, juicy portobellos roast with olive oil, salt and pepper until they’re browned in spots and dripping with juice. Slice them on an angle and they look like a carved roast, with charred edges and tender, supple middles. Toss thyme or rosemary over them while they roast for a little holiday fragrance. They’re especially good alongside your roast, piled onto a forkful with gravy.

Sweet Potato and Blood Orange Salad

Sweet potatoes are at their peak and the first blood oranges are showing up, so this salad catches both. Roasted sweet potatoes and ruby orange segments get piled over greens with red onion, fresh mint and toasted pine nuts, then drizzled with a tangy, creamy mustard dressing that’s sharp enough to stand up to the sweet potatoes. Bright, juicy and so pretty on the table.

Green Goddess Couscous Salad with Kale And Apples

Your plate can use something fresh and tart alongside all the stuffing, potatoes and gravy. Fluffy couscous and baby kale get tossed with crisp green apples and a herby green goddess dressing made with parsley, chives, basil and thyme. The couscous soaks up all that dressing, making this especially good next to anything saucy. Swap in quinoa to make it gluten-free.

Garlicky Sautéed Kale With Tahini

When the oven is packed, this one happens on the stovetop in five minutes. The secret is thinly sliced garlic, which turns golden and crunchy in olive oil before the kale goes in. Then it’s drizzled with a creamy, lemony tahini sauce, and you’ll have extra for the week. One pan, and there’s luscious greens for your plate.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Someone always shows up hungry three hours before dinner. This warm, creamy, cheesy dip is made right on the stovetop in one saucepan, so it doesn’t fight the roast for oven space. Navy beans and cashews make it thick and scoopable, and nutritional yeast and lemon give it that cheesy tang. Put it out with crackers and veggies so nobody bugs you about when dinner’s ready, or set it out with everything else. Nobody is going to argue with spinach artichoke dip.

Vegetarian Chopped Liver

For Thanksgiving, let’s call this vegan foie gras. Or pâté, if you’re feeling less French. Toasted walnuts, caramelized shallots, browned cremini and lentils get pureed with a splash of sherry and thyme until rich, chunky and spreadable. Woodsy, earthy and screaming Thanksgiving. It tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead and spread it on crackers before the big meal.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

If you’re a mushroom person, this soup is your reward for making it through the year. It’s silky and luxe, and you get there with very little effort: just garlic, thyme, a splash of white wine and a whole lot of cremini, and cashew cream. Save a few mushroom slices for the top, add a drizzle of truffle oil if you’re feeling fancy. This is definitely a soup to dip your rolls in.

Butternut Bisque With a Coconut Swirl

You need squash on the Thanksgiving table, and this soup is an easy way to get it there. No peeling required: roast the squash until it’s soft and sweet, scoop it out, then simmer it with ginger, white wine, red pepper flakes, maple and lime. It’s cozy, a little spicy and bright, with a coconut milk swirl to make it look so very pretty.

Sweet Potato Soup With Ginger & Vanilla

Sweet potatoes, fresh ginger, a little maple and lime, this soup would be great on its own. It’s creamy, sweet and gingery, with a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat. Then a whole vanilla bean gets pureed right in, and somehow it takes everything even further, making the sweet potatoes taste sweeter and warmer, the way the holidays should feel.

Acorn Squash and Pear Soup

This one has been on the PPK since 2008, so you know it’s a keeper. Acorn squash and sweet pears simmer with ginger and Chinese five spice, which should replace pumpkin spice as the official flavor of fall. I said it. Then it gets half pureed, so you get something creamy and something brothy in every spoonful, with aduki beans throughout. Pile sesame shiitakes on top and you’ve got a bowl that tastes like an orchard in November.

Challah

I always make challah for Thanksgiving, so you should too. It’s golden, soft and a little sweet, with some sweet potato in the dough that makes it rich and tender like brioche. (It doesn’t taste like sweet potato at all, though. Is that good or bad?) A shiny maple wash makes it so pretty, with or without seeds. This is a fun one to tear into at the table.

Potato Poppyseed Rolls

Squishy, pillowy potato rolls with poppy seeds on top. Mashed potato goes right into the dough, so they’re soft and fluffy with a little heft, because there’s never enough potato on the Thanksgiving table! The recipe has directions for making them into smaller dinner rolls, which you should absolutely do here.

Fluffy Biscuits

Fluffy, buttery bliss! The recipe walks you through tall, golden biscuits with tender, flaky layers, but if you’re feeling lazy, scoop them into drop biscuits instead. A simple drop biscuit never hurt anyone. Either way, pile them in a basket under a dish towel and watch them disappear.

Jalapeño Onion Skillet Cornbread

If your spread could use a little kick, this is it. Soft, sweet onions and little bursts of jalapeño heat go on top, and the bottom crust picks up all the oniony, peppery flavor left in the hot skillet. It has just the right amount of sweetness, sunny but not cakey, and bringing the skillet to the table is very Little House on the Prairie.

Sweet Potato Pie with Three-Nut Topping

I’ve made this pie every November for over twenty years. The sweet potato filling is silky, creamy and custardy, with warm spices, and on top, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds turn into a sticky praline with maple and brown sugar. The three nuts are crucial, don’t ask questions. Just bake this and see!

Aquafaba Pumpkin Pie

This one is the lightest, fluffiest pumpkin pie you’ll ever make, airy and almost mousse-like, and it’s gingery, warmly spiced and super pumpkiny. The aquafaba goes straight from the can into the blender with everything else, with no whipping, no parbaking and no separate bowls. Just one blender, one crust and into the oven.

Pecan Pie

Pecans resting in sweet suspension in a caramel custard. The filling is gooey, rich and almost butterscotchy from the maple and brown sugar, and the pecans on top get toasty and crunchy in the oven, so every forkful is a little sticky and a little crunchy. There’s a secret ingredient in the filling too. NO ONE WILL KNOW. With over 200 comments, it’s the pecan pie that won’t let you down.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

If you’re a cheesecake person, this is your Thanksgiving dessert. The cashew base is rich, dense and super creamy, with that little bit of tang you want in a cheesecake, plus lots of pumpkin, warm autumn spices and a little orange zest. It’s baked a graham cracker crust and gets a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping. I served it at my restaurants every fall, and it became so popular I started in August.

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

Just because it’s pumpkin season doesn’t mean you get to ignore chocolate. This loaf is dense, moist and super chocolatey, with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and a little nutmeg and clove underneath, plus pockets of melty dark chocolate throughout. It’s one of the most popular baking recipes on the PPK, with over 300 comments, and it’s perfect for the chocolate people at the table. Slice it up and set it out next to the pies.