I thought it was just going to be my husband and me for Thanksgiving this year, but then my sister said she and her partner wanted to come over. And since they were coming, my husband invited one of his buddies. And since we were hosting a gathering, I invited my neighbor Anna and my blogger buddy, Ivonne.
This means that I’m cooking my first ever Thanksgiving this year. What’s worse is that all of our guests, except Ivonne, are omnivores. Oh the pressure! I’m considering lots of recipes and will try several over the next three weeks (my hubby’s looking forward to this!).
Today I’m sharing some of the side dishes I’m considering. The only one I’ve tried so far is the Spiced Coconut Spinach and that’s a definite maybe! It was easy to prepare, healthy and delicious. I want to try more dishes before finalizing my menu, however. So if you have any easy, healthy, delicious and vegan Thanksgiving recipes, feel free to share.
10 Easy Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dishes
1. Spiced Coconut Spinach from 101 Cookbooks
As a plant-based foodie, I’ve got to serve greens at Thanksgiving! This Spiced Coconut Spinach is a great way to dress up the greens for the holiday. I’ve tried this and give it two thumbs up!
2. Blue Hokkaido Pumpkin Stuffed with Mushrooms and “Cream” by Girl Eats Greens
I’ve never heard of a Blue Hokkaido Pumpkin, but if I can find one this dish is gonna grace my Thanksgiving table for sure!
3. Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup by Luminous Vegans
Soup is a welcoming first dish for a chilly Thanksgiving meal and this Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup looks warming and comforting.
4. Pumpkin Bread and Tempeh Stuffing by Vegan Richa
I didn’t think stuffing could get better, but making it with pumpkin bread just may take it to another level. This is a must-try recipe!
5. Maple Pecan Smashed Sweet Potatoes by GMO Free Girl
I used to make my sweet potatoes with marshmallows, but these Maple Pecan Smashed Sweet Potatoes are more enticing and healthier! I won’t be making this recipe this year, however; since Ivonne told me she’s bringing vegan candied sweet potatoes with a secret ingredient (I’m dying to know what it is!). I decided to include the recipe, however; because it looks so good!
6. Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and Walnuts by Once Upon a Chef
This Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and Walnuts is lighter and more fresh that the traditional cream of mushroom soup green bean casserole.
7. Ginger Cranberry Sauce by Healthy Blender Recipes
I love the combo of dried cherries and ginger in this recipe. Just might have to give this one a go!
8. Red Cabbage and Peas with Cumin and Mustard Seeds by Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen
What a great pop of color this Red Cabbage and Peas dish will add to my table! I also love that it’s super quick to put together.
9. Quinoa and Vegetable Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms by Krista Lawhon
Who doesn’t love mushrooms? Actually, I know a couple of people who don’t, but most guests will drool over these stuffed portobello mushrooms.
10. Raw Vegan Mashed Potatoes by Raw Vegan Power
I didn’t think it was possible to make raw mashed potatoes, but it looks like I was wrong! This dish, that I should note is made from cauliflower instead of potatoes, would certainly be healthy.
Here’s a few more delicious recipes suggested by readers!
Blackberry and Fig sweet and Spicy Compote/Chutney by Simply Vegetarian 777
When Sonal told me about this dish, I had to check it out. Yum – this looks amazing!!!
Vegan Stuffed Shells by Eat, Live, Burp
Pasta is my Italian hubby’s favorite food, so I know he’d love these Vegan Stuffed Shells.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Compassionate Tummies
Ivonne is already bringing candied sweet potatoes to the gathering, but if she wasn’t, I’d consider making these Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
Chestnut Stuffing by Vegan Monologue
I love the ease of this recipe!
Honk If You're Vegan 
These all sound so good! Definitely trying the red cabbage and peas.
I love making roasted butternut squash topped with a wild rice pilaf. I’ll dig up the recipe for you. 😉
Your butternut squash with rice pilaf sounds wonderful!!!! If you find the recipe, please do share it! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend! Celeste 🙂
I use this recipe as a base (but also like to add a bit of sage and thyme, and a few diced carrots and/or celery): http://nutritionfor.us/2012/06/skinny-bitch-tuesdays-vegan-rice-pilaf/
As for the butternut squash (after preheating the oven to 425) I cut off the stem, cut it in have (length-wise), scoop out the seeds, line a baking sheet with foil, and drizzle the halves with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, and a little sage. Then, I place the halves face-down on the sheet and bake them for 30-40 minutes (or until done).
Once the squash is ready, I flip it over and spoon the cooked rice mix into the the dip where the seeds used to be, drizzle a little olive oil over the rice, and pop everything back in for about seven minutes to let everything marry, and the rice to crisp a little on top.
After that, you’re good to go. Just place the squash halves on a big plate with a serving spoon and let people scoop rice and squash out of the shells like a dish.
Oh my, that sounds wonderful!!! Thank you so much for sharing, that’s something that even if I don’t make for Thanksgiving that I want to try for sure! Hope you’re having a lovely week! Celeste 🙂
Yet another post of your for me to add to my growing book mark collection. Thanks for posting these recipes Celeste
So glad to be of assistance! 🙂
Wow, I’m an omnivore and I would LOVE this Thanksgiving if you chose any of these dishes! Just a thought, don’t stress over finding a Blue Hokkaido Pumpkin because really, if you used any squash or pie pumpkin you would be just fine with that gorgeous recipe. Best to you on this endeavor!
What a thoughtful comment chica! And I just want to let you know that you’re more than welcome to join us for Thanksgiving – I’d love to have you! I’m guessing, however; that you don’t want to make that commute – hehe! And you’re right, I shouldn’t get stuck on specifics with recipes. I took a cooking class one time and the instructor kept saying, “A great cook knows how to play with food.” I’m still learning how to “experiment” and “play” with my food in the kitchen. Anyway, have a lovely weekend! 🙂
Vegan Richa is awesome. I liked green beans and stuffed mushrooms too.
I am making a grilled radicchio and napa cabbage salad with warm vinegarette dressing and nuts and crumbled feta. It looks beautiful. Vegans can chuck te feta out.
Did you see my blackberry and figs chutney?
Also, a great rice dish never fails.
Another one that my friend does is stuffed jumbo pasta shells baked in white sauce made with soy or coconut milk. Stuff the pasta shells with scrambled tofu or tempeh or the minced soy from the store.. Spice the filling and bake it :). That will be satisfying for the omnivores.
Hugs
Sonal
Hey Sonal! I’ve just been on your site looking for your blackberry and figs chutney and oh my I’ve missed many of your wonderful recipes!! You really are an amazing cook girlfriend!! For some reason, however; I couldn’t find your blackberry and figs chutney. I’d love to check the recipe out, so if you get the chance please send me the link. Thanks so much for all your support chica!! Celeste 🙂
Thanks Celeste :). I greatly appreciate your compliment. Great not sure but love the food..lol :).
Here is the link : http://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/blackberry-and-fig-sweet-and-spicy-compotechutney/
Found it and posted it here! 🙂
They look great, I think your guests will be very lucky 😊 maybe just don’t even provide any meat and see if anyone even notices…?! They’ll be too full of other lovely healthy food 😉
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! I have no intention of serving meat at my Thanksgiving feast, and everyone coming is well aware of this fact. Have a lovely weekend! Celeste 🙂
😉
Love the raw mashed potatoes – but they all sound good!
The raw mashed potatoes do look good, I just don’t get why they didn’t call them “mashed cauliflower” since that’s what they are. Hope you’re having a lovely week! Celeste 🙂
The list sounds delicious. I always like adding a pear or pom dish to the menu and i agree with sonal on the stuffed shells, its incredibly simple to make and very filling. I have a spinach-tofu stuffed shells recipe on the blog, which i served for thanksgiving last year. I am going to post a vegan pot pie recipe soon with acorn squash, chickpeas and greens, that would be a soul-satisfying one pot meal.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! I just checked out your Vegan Stuffed Shells and they look so yummy!! I’ve added them to my possible Thanksgiving dishes – thanks for sharing!! I’m also looking forward to your Vegan Pot Pie recipe. Have a great weekend!! Celeste 🙂
Thank you Celeste. I can’t wait to see your thanksgiving dinner pictures😊
I love the sound of Richa’s stuffing! Best of luck w/ T-day dinner – I have no doubt everything will be wonderful. It’s just me and Kel this year (I have to say, I really prefer this 😉 ) – so I think we’ll have a seitan pot pie for the main. Haven’t worked out the sides (thanks for the ideas!) or dessert yet…
That pumpkin bread stuffing is getting a lot of love from people, so I’m seriously thinking about testing that recipe out. And I hear you about preferring things low key at Thanksgiving. Especially now that I’m vegan, going home for the holidays is stressful for me. I was okay with it being just me and my hubby too. But, I’m happy with the way things turned out. It will be a small gathering of people that I feel comfortable with. Thanks for all your support Annie!! Celeste 🙂
Love these! Thanks for rounding them up! 🙂
Sure Priya! Thanks so much for reading and for all your support chica – I appreciate it!! 🙂
Thanks Celeste! I will be trying a few of these for Thanksgiving. The stuffing sounds amazing!
That stuffing is getting a lot of love on here – I think I’m gonna have to try it!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing these. The green beans with cranberries and walnuts sounds great and the color of the cabbage and peas is beautiful. I think your Thanksgiving will turn out amazing. They won’t be wishing for anything more. Good luck!
Aww – thanks for your support!! I feel like I have to make things “extra” special because I won’t be serving meat, but maybe I’m putting too much pressure on myself. Everything will probably go fine! Celeste 🙂
The cranberries and walnuts on greens is a great idea! I should try to throw those in with carrots, so they’d taste better (I’m a carrot hater, yeah). Thanks for sharing so many different choices!
You hate carrots? Haha – they’re one of my favorite veggies!! My hubby’s not a big fan, however. Thanks for reading and for your support – I really appreciate it! 🙂
The colours are delicious,so is the food 🙂
Thanks for all your support Adam – I appreciate it!! 🙂
I have been away on Holiday & look how many posts, I HAVE MISSED. X 10 great, tasty recipes for me to try too! Mmmmmm
. X
Welcome back Sophie!! I’ve missed you girlfriend! 🙂
🙂 thanks, sweety! x
One day I am going to surprise my boyfriend and make him a feast made for a vegan king. 🙂 Happy Saturday!
You’ve got to do that girlfriend – he’ll love it!!! 🙂
We don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia, but after seeing all those brilliant recipes, I might just become an honorary citizen of the USA just for the occasion!
Who says you need to be an American to pig out???? Have a great weekend Steven! 🙂
Great, great roundup! Thanks, 😀
Thanks Fae!! I always appreciate your comments girlfriend! Celeste 🙂
Good luck with your dinner! These dishes sound fabulous, Id love to go to a dinner where they were served! I will also definitely try the spiced coconut spinach!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! Both my husband and I really liked the spiced coconut spinach, so I bet you’ll love it too! 🙂
These sound good! Thanks!
As a fellow vegan I understand the challenge of feeding friends and family over the holidays. But don’t worry – they’re family and friends! A great strategy is to use variety and quantity to both highlight and overcome the “lack” of a turkey or ham centerpiece. With the items above you’ll have a table filled with bowls to pass around, and plates filled with deliciousness – a real feast! Pumpkin pies and pecan pies are both possible vegan, and great cream substitutes can be made with chilled full-fat coconut milk (let the cream rise to the top and whip it).
Thanks for the support!! I like your idea of variety and quantity, that way I’ll have something that everyone can enjoy. I’ve done the coconut milk whipped cream – that stuff is amazing!!! Celeste 🙂
What a great list! I think my favorite is the Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and Walnuts. I’m also a huge roasted Brussels sprouts fan, especially with roasted butternut squash cubes and cranberries for color. I’m sure your food is going to be wonderful and everyone is going to have an amazing time. 🙂
Aww – thanks for the support Cowgirl! The green bean dish sounds really good to me too. 🙂
Thank you for sharing these ideas!!! I will definitely try something.
Oh please do, and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
🙂
I’ve always wished we had Thanksgiving in Australia so I have another excuse for lots of food 😛 These look great, I’ll be trying some out for Christmas 🙂
Well I guess you’ll just have to visit the states for Thanksgiving one of these days! Of course, very few people host vegan Thanksgiving celebrations!!! 🙂
These all look SO good! Love how beautiful and colourful that red cabbage dish looks! 🙂
I think you will really impress on Thanksgiving, Celeste! Too many delicious options to choose from.
I hope I impress Sophia!! Thanks for the vote of confidence. I did make some amazing cherry cranberry sauce yesterday. I’ll post the recipe soon! 🙂
Cool! Sounds yummy!
Vegan comfort food and desserts seem to be a great way to introduce people to Vegan food! Plus, who gets upset over free food anyway. 😉 I personally love anything with pumpkin, squash or sweet potato. But these all look so good, I’d have a hard time deciding what to make! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
I’ve got vegan desserts down, so I know I’ll get them with that. But, I’ve never made vegan Thanksgiving food (whatever that is!) before. Still, I’m sure you’re right and no one will get upset over having to eat vegan if it’s free. Thanks for your support!! 🙂
These look so great and full of color! Yum!
Thanks so much for reading and your comment – I appreciate it! 🙂
Aw, thanks for including me in this awesome roundup! There’s so much good stuff here that I just want to reach through the screen and shovel it all into my mouth. That compote is so unique and I can imagine eating it with everything!
I’m delighted to include you here Ketty – your soup looks wonderful!! I’m starting to get excited about Thanksgiving. My hope is that I can help my friends and family to see how good vegan food can be. Celeste 🙂
Thanks for including my sweet potatoes! These dishes all look amazing. Good luck with hosting your first Thanksgiving!!!
I’m happy to include your sweet potatoes – they look wonderful!! And thanks for the support, I really appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
Yum! I also enjoy a small side of vegan chestnut stuffing. I have my own recipe (very simple) on my site. These look great- I”m going to attempt the mushroom-quinoa recipe this year.
Your chestnut stuffing looks so good that I added it to my list!!! 🙂
Yay! I hope you try it and love it!
What time will all this be ready? Lol. Thanks for sharing these recipes!
Hehe – whenever you get here I’m sure there will be plenty to enjoy! 🙂
I love being a Vegan! I started off being a vegetarian at the age of 17 (because my Dad decided to have a discussion about chickens at the dinner, the rest is history! Lol once my children were grown and on their own I became a Vegan and love it. Honk honk!
I love being vegan too!!! I never imagined that I’d ever go vegan or that I’d love it so much, but I do. Honk, honk!!! 🙂
Really glad that my girlfriend, a meat-eating foodie, follows your blog and wants to cook some of your recipes. Things are hopefully shifting…
I love every follower I have Michael, but I especially love my meat-eating foodie followers!!! I try very hard not to preach, but if I can convince even one omnivore to think more deeply about what they’re eating then my blog is a success. I’m so happy your girlfriend follows my blog and I seriously hope things are shifting! Thanks for all of your comments and support – I really appreciate it! Celeste 🙂
I don’t now how I missed this one! Thanks for posting my pumpkin – and for giving me more ideas for Thanksgiving! 🙂
Your recipe sounds soooooo good!! Thank you for sharing it! 🙂
Here in South Africa we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in November, but certainly it’s tradition to have the big feast on Christmas Day – sadly with people sitting happily with a turkey carcass centre table more often than not, for those who can afford it.
These recipes look lovely and are great ways to truly celebrate. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment – I appreciate it! 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing this – I really appreciate it!! 🙂