Thankful for a Plant-Based Thanksgiving
Tired of the same ol’ turkey song-and-dance? With a boring bird, uninspired, gray sides, and soupy sweet potatoes? Well spice it up this year with some better-for-you, oh-so-inspired, plant-based options that even meat eaters will love!
We’ve curated a thoughtful collection of traditional Thanksgiving favorites, but with a vegan twist. Give one or all of these recipes a try and let us know how your updated and upgraded Thanksgiving dinner turned out!
The main event; the “turkey” – after reading through countless reviews, articles, and blogs, we’ve settled on our winner for the best tasting and most authentic vegetarian option for the Thanksgiving turkey. Quorn’s Meatless Roast has proven to have superior texture, taste, and aroma when it comes to looking and even actually tasting like a traditional turkey. It’s beautifully golden, and light color really reminds you of a conventional turkey dinner, and it is equally as satisfying and filling, but completely plant-based and vegan friendly. Try a new tradition this year with this new vegetarian favorite.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes Brulee – we’ve never seen a sexier, sweet potato side dish in all our life! You will absolutely fall in love with this new take on an old favorite. What we love about this one is that you can make it with conventional milk or butter, or swap in nut milk and vegan butter to make a vegan-friendly version. You’ll definitely go back for seconds on this one.
Easy Vegan Mushroom Gravy – this quick and easy recipe from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken will give you all that rich, umami flavor you want to dress up your holiday plate, but without the meat! If you’re in a pinch and don’t feel like cooking, Primal Kitchen also offers a ready to serve version of this (made with cashew butter, yum!), straight from the jar.
Vegan Cornbread Stuffing – this is my absolute favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal; the BREAD of course. This one is simple and traditional, but packed with tons of flavor and textures that will satisfy your stuffing craving. You can make your own vegan cornbread ahead of time, or make it even easier on yourself by using a dairy free/vegan store bought loaf of cornbread from your local natural foods store.
Healthy, Vegan Green Bean Casserole – this used to be my go-to as a kid; I just loved the creamy sauce surrounding each delightful green bean and that crunchy, oniony topping. This plant-based version elevates the dish to a whole new level. We’re excited to add this to our recipe rolodex moving forward and for years to come.
Dessert, Dessert, and more Dessert! Let’s be honest, the dessert is often the real star of the show, and what everyone most looks forward to at the end of a special meal. We have a robust collection of vegan and dairy free desserts on our Coconut Cloud site that are sure to tickle your fancy, no matter what you’re into (fruit based, chocolate, pumpkin and more!). One of our top favs is the No Bake Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake. 2 words; “no”, “bake” – need we say more?! If you want to give the oven a break this Thanksgiving holiday, this is the recipe for you. If you want to stick to a more traditional format, we also have a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Pie Bars that are shareable and oh-so-adorable.
We’re full already just staring at these amazing recipes and plant-based delights. We hope you jazz up your Thanksgiving table this year; not just with friends and family dear to your heart, but also with a few of these vegan recipes. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!