50 Vegetarian and Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

Over fifty, vegan or vegetarian, plant based, natural recipes even meat lovers will love! 

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is just next week! The holidays have truly arrived. Last week we stopped into Orchard Supply Hardware and were stopped in our tracks the moment we stepped foot inside. It's like the North Pole in there with gorgeous Christmas trees and lights all over the place. While my daughter and I were thrilled to look around and pick out some new Christmas tree ornaments, we still have another holiday to celebrate first. Thanksgiving deserves attention too! While we should be thankful for our blessings every day, Thanksgiving is a good reminder of the importance of gratitude. 

One of the questions I get asked most this time of year is, "What do vegetarians eat on Thanksgiving?" The question often comes with a slightly worried tone from a host who is considerate enough to think of his or her vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving guests. They imagine their veggie guests will either leave starving or nibbling a bit of salad. The truth is, there is a lot of delicious food vegetarians and vegans eat on Thanksgiving. Most of us are more than happy to load up our plates with the traditional Thanksgiving sides and skip the turkey. I mean, even most heavy meat eaters have some veggies at Thanksgiving, right? Mashed potatoes, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, oh my! 

If you're looking for even more plant based Thanksgiving ideas, you've come to the right place. I'd much rather eat a vegducken (butternut squash stuffed with veggies) thank a turducken (three birds stuffed inside each other).  But I won't judge if you've got to have that bird too. I've rounded up over 50 recipes from Thanksgiving appetizers, to main dishes, to natural vegan desserts. While these Thanksgiving recipes are all vegetarian (no meat), most are also vegan or easy to make vegan be omitting cheese. Do you have any other fabulous Thanksgiving recipes to add to the list? Let me know in the comments! Happy holidays! 

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Appetizers

Sweet Potato Hummus and Veggies  (vegan)

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites (vegan option)

Sweet Potato Rounds with Goat Cheese from Ciao Florentina

Stuffed Mushroom Caps from Pooja's Cookery

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Salad Recipes

Persimmon and Apple Salad  (vegetarian)

Pear, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Vinaigrette (vegetarian)

Vegan Ancient Grain Salad from The View From Great Island

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Nuts from The View From Great Island

Roasted Radish and Brussels Sprouts Salad from Veggie Inspired

Autumn Quinoa Sweet Potato Arugula Salad from The Kitchen Girl (vegan, gf)

Apple Farro Salad from Lively Table (vegan, gf)

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes

Lentil Vegetable Shepherd's Pie (vegan)

Brussels Sprouts Mac & Cheese (vegetarian)

White Bean Mash with Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash (vegetarian)

Curried Pumpkin Lentil Soup (vegan)

Mushroom Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash (vegan, gf)

Pumpkin and Chard Lasagna (vegetarian)

Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese and Dried Cranberries from Platings and Parings

Roasted Delicata Squash, Kale, and Leeks with Farro from Blossom to Stem

Sweet & Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash from Vegan Huggs (vegan, gf)

Vegan Beet Wellington from Yup, it's Vegan

Brown Butter Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage from The Girl on Bloor (vegetarian)

Delicata Squash with Thanksgiving Stuffing from Healthy Seasonal Recipes (vegetarian)

Butternut Squash Vegducken from Epicurious

(Almost) Classic Chickpea Vegan Meatloaf from Connoisseurus Veg (vegan)

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Sweet Potato and Tempeh by Gerry Speirs for LightLife (vegan)
Easy Pumpkin Bread Rolls from Lauren Caris Cooks (vegan)
Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel from Vegan Huggs (vegan)
Easy Sheet Pan Oven Roasted Root Vegetables from She Loves Biscotti (vegan)
I can't Belive it's Vegan! Green Bean Cassrole from The Kitchen Girl (vegan)
Slightly Sweet Cranberry Sauce from Trial and Eater (vegan)
Healthy Hasselback Baked Sweet Potatoes by Melanie Cooks (vegan)
Cinnamon Apple Yam Bake with Pecans from Savory Tooth (vegetarian)
Kale & Leek Quinoa Stuffing Skillet from Girl Adulting (vegetarian)
Paleo Baked Pumpkin Fries from Oh, the things we'll make (vegan, gf, paleo)
Epic Winter Veggie Gratin from Peas and Crayons (vegetarian)
Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk and Ginger from The Little Pine
Spiral Vegetable Tart from Bunsen Burner Bakery (vegan, gf)
Walnut and Kale Quinoa Stuffing from Healthy Seasonal Recipes  (vegan, gf)
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Basil Pesto from Hapa Nom Nom (vegetarian)
Vegetarian Savory Herb Gravy from Watch Learn Eat (vegetarian, gf)

Natural Vegetarian and/or Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts

Vegan Frozen Cranberry Cheesecake Slice (vegan, gf)

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake (vegan)

Mini Pumpkin Pies (vegetarian)

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Sauce from A Virtual Vegan (Vegan)

Pumpkin Spice Nice Cream from Plantiful Plates (Vegan)

Persimmon Pie from Forest and Fauna (Paleo and Vegan)
Vegan Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls from Lauren Caris Cooks
Best-Ever Healthy Apple Crisp from Healthy Liv (vegan)
Mom's Amazing Vegan and Gluten Free Apple Pie from Allergy Free Alaska
Guilt-Free Pecan Pie Cookies from Allergy Free Alaska
Caramel Apple Galette from The fit Cookie (vegan, gf)
Raw White Chocolate and Pumpkin Cheesecake from Downshiftology (vegan, gf)