vegan Thanksgiving recipes

Butternut squash is one of my favorite foods, as it's so versatile, delicious, and healthy. It's often just part of a dish with many flavors, but I also enjoy it on its own, as mashed butternut squash with a few added ingredients.

As much as I love butternut squash, it can be a headache to cut and peel it. Fortunately, this mashed butternut squash recipe doesn't require any peeling or cubing! After three slices (plus spooning out the seeds), the squash goes in the oven and then the flesh gets easily scraped away from the skin.

Toss out that store-bought frozen vegan lasagna. Scrap all the other vegan lasagna recipes you've tried. Yes, this vegan lasagna recipe is that good.

Before we get to the recipe, I need to mention that the flavor of a good lasagna is highly dependent on the sauce you use. So if you don't make your own, I strongly recommend that you use a high-quality sauce, like Rao's or the Silver Palate. (Although these brands are pretty expensive, I can often find one or the other on sale at Whole Foods, and I stock up when I see them).

My favorite food is pretty much any kind of roasted vegetable. Roasted vegetables are so easy to prepare, they're healthy, and they taste amazing. When Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas come around, I like to give my roasted vegetables a little something extra.

The carrots in this recipe get some added flair with a glaze made from vegan butter, maple syrup, and lemon juice, and a cashew-tahini sauce with a delicious blend of spices. Rainbow carrots add a colorful wow factor (but plain orange carrots work too!)

Maybe you're a new vegan wondering what you can cook for your first vegan Thanksgiving. Maybe you're hosting a vegan for Thanksgiving and wondering "what do vegans eat for Thanksgiving?" Or maybe you've been vegan for a while, but you need some new recipes for this holiday that features mostly traditional dishes.

Whatever your vegan Thanksgiving needs, I've compiled a complete menu of recipes to make your holiday meal a success for everyone! There are no compromises in these Thanksgiving dishes. I promise, no one will miss the meat, dairy, or eggs in any of these recipes. Whether you're planning a fully vegan meal, or just incorporating some vegan options for a few of your guests, these dishes are sure to be loved by all. (And if you're not vegan, but came here searching for recipes to serve for a vegan, thank you!)

Back when I was first teaching myself to cook, in my late teens, one of my favorite dishes to cook was a butternut squash casserole with goat cheese. It was simple, but delicious. Today, my version of butternut squash casserole has morphed into something a little more complex, and 100% vegan. But it's the most delicious version of it that I've ever made. To get to this masterpiece, I took some inspiration from this Epicurious (non-vegan) recipe, and this recipe from Oh She Glows.

This butternut squash casserole recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or you can make it any time. It works as a side dish, but it's also great as a main course.

You've planned your entire Thanksgiving feast. But did you plan on what you and your family are going to snack on while Thanksgiving dinner's being prepared? In years past, we've snacked on my delicious spinach & artichoke dip. This year, I'm adding vegan cranberry and cashew goat cheese crostini! (This recipe is also a great option for holiday parties.)

The most time-consuming portion of these crostini is the cranberry sauce, but that can be made ahead. (You could also double or triple up the cranberry recipe and serve the cranberry sauce along with Thanksgiving dinner). Then, when you're ready to serve, you can just toast the baguettes for 4 minutes under the broiler, and assemble the crostini!

Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts of all time. The tangy apples, sweet brown sugar and cinnamon, combined with a crumbly, crunchy oat topping make the perfect companion to my non-dairy vanilla ice cream.

Today I live in Miami, where it's warm year-round. But when the calendar reads October, I start daydreaming of picking apples at the apple orchard and taking hayrides in the crisp fall air. And, of course, making apple crisp.

I started making lentil loaf for Thanksgiving two years ago. Over time I've rotated ingredients and measurements to turn it into what I think is the perfect vegan loaf recipe!

This loaf is the most-requested holiday dish I've ever made. Vegans and meat-eaters alike devour it and come back for seconds and thirds. I'm sure your family will love it as well!

This recipe combines all the best flavors of Thanksgiving into one dish: cranberries, apples, savory buttery stuffing, and acorn squash. The flavors are so great together, no one will miss the turkey at your vegan Thanksgiving!

Stuffing (or dressing, or filling, depending on where you live) is one of those Thanksgiving staples that everyone loves. I've made vegan stuffing for many years now without "stuffing" it into anything. But this year I decided I wanted to make this holiday recipe live up to its name, so I'm stuffing it into roasted acorn squash. Acorn squash is a perfect fall food for stuffing, and its small size means each person can have their own half-squash "bowl." This vegan stuffing recipe is also amazing on its own, so if you'd rather not make the squash, feel free to skip it!

Thanksgiving (or Christmas) just isn't the same without a creamy, crunchy, delicious green bean casserole. Can we just call November 1 the official start of green bean casserole season? Obviously, the classic version isn't vegan, but we can easily transform it!

I prefer this vegan version because I like everything as fresh as possible. Creating my own cashew cream sauce and using fresh mushrooms instead of using a canned mushroom soup makes a difference you can taste in the flavor. Green bean casserole used to be a "meh" dish for me, but now it's become a favorite!