Looking for a perfect vegan Thanksgiving dinner? Look no further than these recipes, from sides to desserts!
Tomorrow is the big day and we all have pies to either prepare or eat, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet! We had a Friendsgiving this past Sunday and I have to say, it was kind of my favorite. Being surrounded by some of our favorite friends and eating lots of good food and drinking wine with them was pretty much the best. A lot of our friends here (almost all of them) work in news, like my husband, so they all have to work on the actual holiday. After a few texts and a little bit of ‘who is bringing the mashed potatoes?’, we threw together a Friendsgiving with minimal planning and lots of food. I can’t tell you how happy it made me to cook a big meal, invite them all over and spend a whole evening with some of the best people around. I was going to cook a typical Thanksgiving meal a week early for my husband and I anyway, so sharing it with dear friends just made our new tradition even sweeter! Seriously, if you are thinking about throwing a Friendsgiving next year, just go ahead and do it.
Now, onto the recipes! I wanted to use tried and true recipes that I knew weren’t going to fail me and avoiding the risk of testing out new recipes on a big meal like this one. All of these were fairly easy, stuck close to their traditional counterpart and were already vegan or easily vegan-ized with a few ingredient swaps. I will say, as much as I wanted to make the rolls homemade, I was just afraid of having too many irons in the fire and losing my mind. So, in the end, we went with store bought dinner rolls (but, these would be perfect if you go the homemade route!) and one of our friends brought over the mashed potatoes. I could have done it all, but was glad I didn’t after the whole thing was said and done! If there is any lesson I learned in hosting Friendsgiving, it’s to let other help, even if you’re stubborn. Trying to ‘do it all’ would have been possible, but I probably would have been cranky, stressed out and hangry in the process. Let others do a little lifting and take the extra help, you won’t regret it!
Drinks: We had everyone bring beer/wine and kept things pretty simple!
Appetizers: Some of our guests brought an amazing dip and crackers, so again, this is a good thing to outsource.
Green bean casserole: I used this recipe from The Faux Martha and made a few swaps. I swapped the heavy cream for unsweetened almond milk and let the sauce part cook for a bit longer to thicken up a bit. I also swapped out the butter for olive oil and it turned out perfectly!
Roasted brussels sprouts: I’ve used my friend Liz’s recipe for these the last 2 years and they never fail! I also used a cheat and got the sprouts pre sliced from Trader Joe’s, but whole would do just fine too, if you aren’t feeling pressed for time like I was.
Whole grain stuffing: This one took a lot of research! Last year I did extensive research into stuffing, trying to find one that didn’t lean too heavily on celery (my husband hates it) and wasn’t too stuffing like (I don’t love stuffing). This recipe from A Couple Cooks has been a hit and has quite possibly made a stuffing lover out of me.
Mashed Potatoes: Brought by friends, but I know this olive oil mashed potato recipe was a contender for me before I knew someone else was bringing them!
Pumpkin Pie: If you need a tutorial on making the perfect coconut oil pie crust for pumpkin pie Traci’s post on making vegan pie crust was a life saver for me! I used the filling recipe from my own post and everyone loved it. I wouldn’t look any further for the best vegan pumpkin pie!
Chocolate Pecan Tart: This was a hit! I currently only have a few pieces left in my fridge and can’t wait to sneak a piece after dinner. If you are looking for something to serve all your guests, this is it. I had all of the ingredients on hand and had to keep myself from slicing into it before guests arrived. Tessa knows vegan/gluten free desserts and this is no exception!
That’s it! I hope this helps if you are looking for one last recipe for your perfect vegan Thanksgiving dinner. Go forth, eat carbs and drink wine! (Also, don’t our friends have the cutest baby?!)
Ashlae says
I’ve been searching and searching and searching for a good green bean casserole and I’m so happy to know Mel’s can be veganized with ease. <3 Happy Thanksgiving, lady!
Tessa | Salted Plains says
Friendsgiving really is the best. Yours sounds like it was one delicious feast!! I’m so glad the tart was well received! Have a good week, friend! xo
Heart of a Baker says
Thank you sweet friend! I just want to do it all the time now!