Thanksgiving dinner as a vegetarian doesn't have to be all about the sides! Whether you're looking for a light side dish or traditional comfort food casseroles, you're sure to find a vegetarian-friendly Thanksgiving recipe here.
Whether you eat meatless yourself or you're cooking for vegetarians this year, there are a lot of options that you can serve at Thanksgiving dinner. This post includes a lot of classic recipes alongside some new recipe ideas.
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How to make Thanksgiving recipes vegetarian
Thankfully, most traditional Thanksgiving recipes are vegetarian-friendly with a few simple swaps. If you already have a favorite recipe but you want to make it vegetarian-friendly, I have some tips for how to make recipes meatless.
- Meats: Ground beef or sausage can be replaced with Impossible beef or other meatless crumbles at a 1:1 ratio. I find that Beyond and Impossible have the most realistic flavors.
- Turkey: Field Roast, Quorn, Trader Joe's, and Gardien all make meatless "turkey roasts". Find these in the frozen aisle at most major grocery stoers.
- Broth: Casseroles are often made with chicken broth and gravies with beef or turkey broth. These can easily be swapped with vegetable broth.
- Mixes: My family loves making Jiffy cornbread, but their standard mix has lard in it. Thankfully, they also make a vegetarian version of the mix. When in doubt, check the ingredient lists of common casserole mixes, as many of them use animal products where you wouldn't expect it.
If you're looking for vegan options, I'm also sharing several vegan-friendly recipes for those looking for dairy and egg-free options. A lot of the vegetarian recipes on this list are easy to make dairy-free or egg-free.
- Dairy-free: In savory recipes, you can usually use an equal amount of non-dairy milk, butter, or cheese in place of the dairy options. Soy milk, oat milk, and almond milk generally work well in place of cow's milk.
- Egg-free: Egg-free recipes can be tricky to execute without testing a few times first. I recommend choosing egg-free recipes to begin with instead of simply omitting eggs from existing recipes.
Vegetarian main dishes
Panko breaded tofu or lentil loaf make great Thanksgiving mains. You can also buy a Tofurkey roast if you're looking for a quick (but really delicious) main.
Of course, a sides-only Thanksgiving is always a great option but there are so many meatless brands to choose from these days that it's not the only option.
My vegetarian Thanksgiving menu
My Thanksgiving menu includes most of the traditional starchy foods (think white cheddar mac and cheese, sourdough stuffing) with a few less traditional plant-based mains.
You can download my entire menu, along with a grocery shopping list and prep-ahead tips at the link down below.
Need more ideas? Keep scrolling for 30+ vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
Tips for scaling recipes
If you're planning to have a small Thanksgiving gathering, consider cutting recipes in half. You can also freeze most leftovers for later. Most of these recipes include storage tips in the recipe post.
I like to assemble a few sides together and freeze them in containers to have an easy freezer meal on hand when things get hectic in December.
I included a few less traditional vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes like lentil casseroles. These types of recipes are great options if you're planning on a smaller Thanksgiving meal this year.
Whether you're just looking for a side to bring to a small gathering or you're planning the whole day, there's sure to be a recipe in this list to please everyone.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Mains
Tofurkey and lentil loafs are always a good choice, but I have you covered if you're looking for something a little different this year.
Vegetarian Sides
Choose from light veggie-focused sides to comfort food classics like green bean casserole. Vegetarian and vegan recipes included.
Bread & Rolls
Choose from yeast rolls, quick bread or cornbread to complete your Thanksgiving spread.
Vegetarian Appetizers
You can make one of these dips or finger foods a day in advance to put out while the Thanksgiving meal is cooking.
Desserts
Make a batch of cookies or brownies a day in advance to have on hand after the main meal.
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