Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup
Still planning or yet to plan your Thanksgiving meal? Here are a few plant-based, mostly whole food ideas. These recipes are high in fiber and other nutrients. Your body will thank you.
Summary
Load up on the veggies.
pumpkin
Loaves
Ingredient highlights: sweet potato, cannellini beans, tomato paste, walnuts, quinoa flakes or quick oatmeal
Tested? Not yet. I like that all of the ingredients are easy to find, and the inclusion of sweet potato could be genius.
Ingredient highlights: mushrooms, chickpeas, panko bread crumbs, ketchup, barbeque sauce
I recommend reading both ketchup and barbeque sauce labels carefully before buying. These don’t need sugar to be delicious. I buy Primal Kitchen ketchup and barbeque sauce because they are unsweetened and readily available at Whole Foods.
Tested? Yes, we’ve made this. My mom chose this recipe for the meal we made last year. It was a hit.
Stuffing
Ingredient highlights: whole-grain bread, vegetable broth, onion, carrots, celery
What’s great about this recipe? Super simple ingredients if using the oil-free option with veggie broth.
Tested? Yes, it was great with the mushroom gravy. I see that the recipe creator has since added vegan butter or oil to the ingredient list, which appears to be a more recent edit. If you really want to buy vegan butter, go for it, but it’s not required!
There’s probably a jazzier plant-based stuffing recipe out there, but I appreciate the simplicity of this one.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredient highlights: potatoes, plant milk, garlic powder, salt, lemon
What’s great about this recipe? That’s not just the ingredient highlights, that’s all of the ingredients. Simple, whole food ingredients.
Tested? Yes, I’ve made this with red potatoes as well as purple potatoes. If you can find purple potatoes, the color is stunning. I would add fresh chives and maybe even chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Mushroom Gravy
Ingredient highlights: mushrooms, white miso paste, wheat flour
Tested? Yes, we made this last year. Mushroom gravy can be just as flavorful and delicious as non-mushroom gravy AND you get all of the benefits of mushrooms.
Cranberry
cranberries
Ingredient highlights: fresh cranberries, orange, apple, pecans
What’s great about this recipe? It’s not canned, lol. I know the nutrients I’m getting in raw cranberries. Cranberries are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants have anti-inflammatory effects. Read more here. I use monkfruit sugar. I would not make monkfruit sugar a staple of my diet, I prefer maple syrup when needed in a recipe, but for recipes that require the same consistency as cane sugar, monkfruit sugar is a potentially healthier option.
I talked more about maple syrup in this post. I recommend looking for the darkest (often labeled “very dark”) option available, which should be higher in antioxidants.
Tested? Yes, I’ve made this recipe. I love raw cranberry sauce (AKA relish). It’s bright and fresh.
Notes
This recipe does not need anywhere near 1 cup of sugar. Last year I made it with 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar and that was plenty. This year, I am trying 1 tablespoon of monkfruit sugar. I recommend starting with a small amount of sugar and letting it set for 1-2 days in the fridge, per the recipe instructions, before deciding whether or not it needs more sugar. Keep in mind tastebuds change and the more we can reduce our reliance on sugar for food to taste “good,” the better.
I removed the orange peel. Maybe next time I will try the recipe as is, with the peel.
I’m adding the pecans when the dish is ready to be served. I assume the nuts would be soggy if I included them sooner.
Oranges are not yet in season. Local, organic cranberries are in season and available at my local farmer’s market, Union Square Greenmarket, but the oranges at my Whole Foods are coming all the way from South Africa and Australia.
cranberry relish
Ingredient highlights: fresh cranberries, maple syrup, orange zest
What’s great about this recipe? This is a more traditional, cooked sauce. It’s sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar.
Tested? Not yet. I really enjoy the raw version of cranberry sauce, but perhaps we’ll try this version this year and compare the two.
Vegetables
Ingredient highlights: delicata squash, pearl onions, pepitas, kale, apple
Tested? I have not tried this recipe, but I love making delicata squash in my air fryer. I use an oil-free preparation with just the squash and spices. Lightly salted with pepper is delicious. I think this is the air fryer recipe I’ve used for the cooking time. The recipe I’ve linked above does not require an air fryer! The squash is baked in the oven.
Row 7 lodi squash from Whole Foods, delicata squash
Ingredient highlights: beets, orange, lemon, watercress
Tested? I have not tried this recipe, but I like the combination of beets, citrus, and something green.
Ingredient highlights: broccoli, ginger, red pepper flakes, tamari, corn starch
Tested? Yes, we made this last year. This is a Chinese restaurant-style recipe. I liked having a broccoli dish on the table and it was delicious. Like the cranberry relish, I use monkfruit sugar instead of cane sugar.
Ingredient highlights: fresh green beans, fresh garlic, sesame seeds
Tested? I have not tried this recipe, but it may make the menu this year. When I’m at home, I simply steam or briefly boil fresh green beans and top with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt. Maybe some balsamic vinegar, instead of the lemon juice and salt, but I think green beans are also delicious on their own; so keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be fancy. My day-to-day cooking preferences minimal ingredients to let the natural taste of the vegetable shine through.
Salad
Ingredient highlights: raw vegetables
What’s great about this recipe? It may not be traditional, but why not include a salad with your Thanksgiving meal? Raw salads bring their own unique nutrient and hydration benefits, and they don’t require a recipe — use whatever veggies you love or have on hand. AND they’re easy to prep. Here are some interesting salad dressing ideas. My favorite dressing is a ripe avocado, fresh lemon juice and salt, lightly mashed into the salad until the lettuce is coated.
Tested? Yes! My Instagram account, now @theplantpoweredbody was started as @loveandsalads, if that gives you any indication how much I love salad.
red leaf lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, daikon radish, red onion, raw olives, hemp seeds, avocado, lemon juice, sea salt
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredient highlights: flour, pumpkin puree, plant milk, ground flax or cornstarch
What’s great about this recipe? This is a crustless version of pumpkin pie, so it’s all about the pumpkin! It’s also simple to make.
Tested? I think I made this last year, but don’t quote me on that. It’s on my list this year. I love pumpkin, so I have no doubt I’ll enjoy it, and feel great after eating it. Read more about the benefits of pumpkin here. I recommend checking the label on whichever canned pumpkin you buy to make sure it only has one ingredient: pumpkin puree.
Tips
Don’t want to cook? We’ve ordered the vegan Thanksgiving dinner from Whole Foods a couple of times. It’s a great option and I’m thankful they offer it.
Want more Thanksgiving recipe ideas? Check out this site for ideas. For dessert-specific recipes, Chocolate Covered Katie is my go-to.
I store recipes in the Paprika app.
Game of Thrones Thanksgiving meme
Did you try any of these recipes? Do you have suggestions for other delicious plant-based holiday recipes? Let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you a healthy and happy holiday!
Thanks for reading!
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