Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather your loved ones and spread joy. However, the holiday produces a lot of waste, and while we’re not suggesting that you do away with your annual Thanksgiving dinner, there are some small changes that you can implement to make the affair a bit kinder to the planet, like cutting back on meat.
To give you some plant-based inspo for your Thanksgiving feast, here are eight vegan recipes, including sides, mains and desserts.
Vegan Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh cranberries
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, maple syrup, water, orange zest and salt. Bring to a summer, stirring often.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the cranberries burst and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Enjoy!
Adapted from Loveandlemons.com
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, more for drizzling
- 1 ¼ cup almond milk, more if necessary
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh sage leaves
Crumble topping
- ⅔ cup whole rolled oats
- ½ cup pecans, more for garnish
- ½ cup walnuts, more for garnish
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil
- Use a fork to poke a few holes into the sweet potatoes. Place on the baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 60 minutes.
- Make the crumble topping: In a food processor, place the oats, pecans, walnuts, garlic, maple syrup, olive oil, thyme, rosemary and salt and pulse until just combined. Remove and set aside.
- Scoop the cooked sweet potato flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor. Add the olive oil, almond milk, ginger, salt and pepper and process to combine. Spread the mixture into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with the crumble topping, additional nuts, and sage. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is browned and crisp.
Adapted from Loveandlemons.com
Vegan Shephard’s Pie
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
- 500g shiitake mushrooms, torn into large pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 parsnips, diced in small pieces
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon while miso paste
- ½ bottle red wine
- 1 cup dry green lentils
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- Salt
- Black pepper
For the mashed potatoes:
- 1.5kgs of potatoes, peeled and halved
- Salt
- ¼ cups olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
- 6 tablespoon vegan butter
- ¼ cups roughly chopped parsley
- Black pepper
Instructions
To make the filling:
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sear until deeply brown, and then remove from the skillet. Lower heat and add remaining oil. Add onion, celery, parsnips,and butternut squash. Cook until it starts to become well browned, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes. Stir in the miso paste and immediately deglaze with the wine, and cook for one more minute. Add the mushrooms back in and stir in the lentils. Sprinkle everything with flour and stir.
- Cook everything for one more minute and then add the vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are al dente, about 15 minutes.
For the mashed potatoes and serving:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. In a large pot, cover the potatoes with water and season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until totally soft, around 15 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and thyme. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, for about one minute. Discard the thyme and pour the oil over the potatoes. Add butter and stir until completely combined and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread evenly over the vegetable filling and bake until there is very little liquid visible and mashed potatoes are golden, for about 35 minutes. Garnish with parsley and thyme before serving.
Adapted from Delish.com
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- Florets from 1 small head of cauliflower
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 2 cups of arugula
- ½ cup cooked lentils
- Lemon wedges, for squeezing and serving
- ½ cup tahini sauce
- ¼ cup picked onions
- ¼ cup pine nuts or sliced almonds
- 4 dried apricots or dates, diced
- ¼ cup chopped olives
- Microgreens (optional)
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the cauliflower florets with drizzles of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned around the edges.
- In a medium bowl, toss the arugula and roasted cauliflower with a drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Spread onto a platter and drizzle ⅓ of the tahini sauce on top. Sprinkle on the lentils, the pickled onions, nuts, apricots and olives. Drizzle with the remaining tahini dressing (or as much as you like) and top with microgreens, if using. Season to taste and serve.
Adapted from Loveandlemons.com
Vegan Mac n Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 5 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ black pepper
- 550g macaroni
- Breadcrumbs for topping
Instructions
- Put the vegan in a pot and let it melt. Then add the flour and stir.
- Pour in the coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Whisk out the lumps. Keep whisking until it starts to boil and then thicken.
- Remove it from the heat and add in the dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and whisk in.
- Separately, prepare your macaroni and then add to sauce.
- Transfer the macaroni and sauce to a baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs on the mac and cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy.
Adapted from Lovingitvegan.com
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 can pumpkin puree (around 425g)
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 recipe vegan pie crust (this can be store-bought or you can follow this recipe)
- Vegan whipped cream (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prepare the pie crust if needed and place on a 23cm pie plate.
- In a blender, add the canned pumpkin, coconut cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt and cornstarch and blend until smooth. You can also whisk it in a bowl until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the pie plate lined with the pie crust. Spread the mixture evenly. Place the second pie crust on the pie.
- Bake in the oven for one hour. Let the pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes then cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least four hours or overnight.
- Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!
Adapted from Noracooks.com
Vegan Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe vegan pie crust
- 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons sorghum flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 220°C.
- Prepare the pie crusts and lay down on a 23cm pie plate.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples and lemon juice.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples and toss the mixture until all the apples are coated.
- Place the apple mixture in the pie shell, including any of the juices that may have accumulated.
- Place the second pie crust on top.
- Use a knife to cut a series of slits in the top of the pie crust for the steam to escape.
- Brush the crust with almond milk and sprinkle with the cane sugar.
- Place the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 175°C and continue baking for another 45-50 minutes. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and the apples are soft (insert a knife in one of the slits to test).
- Cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
Adapted from Allergyfreealaska.com
Vegan Spiced Pumpkin Latte
Ingredients
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons sweetener
- ½ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup hot coffee or 1 double shot espresso
- Ground nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk, pumpkin puree, sweetener, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is warmed.
- Pour hot coffee or espresso into a mug, then top with pumpkin-spiced mixture. Top with freshly grated nutmeg if desired.
Adapted from Minimalistbaker.com
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