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 way to prepare pretty much any kind of vegetable, from sweet potatoes to bell peppers, is roasting. 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.

This roasted carrots recipe gets 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!) This is the perfect side dish for the holidays or any special occasion.

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.

It's made with butternut squash, kale, leeks, and pecans, and tossed in a creamy sauce made of cashews. It could be described as comfort food, but it gets points for nutrition, too. This recipe has lots of vitamins A and C, plus 8 grams of protein per serving. To get to this masterpiece, I took some inspiration from this Epicurious (non-vegan) recipe, and this recipe from Oh She Glows.

You've planned your entire Thanksgiving feast. But now you're in need of the perfect appetizer for you and your family to snack on while Thanksgiving dinner's being prepared. Don't worry!

In years past, we've snacked on my delicious spinach & artichoke dip. This year, I'm adding a new menu item to the holiday appetizer list: vegan cranberry and cashew goat cheese crostini! (This recipe is also a great option for holiday parties.)

Crostini (an Italian word meaning "little toasts") share some traits with their better-known antipasto cousin, bruschetta. Both are finger foods made from toasted bread slices with various toppings. However, bruschetta traditionally uses larger slices of bread (from a loaf of Italian bread, for example). Crostini are made with smaller bread slices, typically from baguettes. Crostini are also toasted in the oven on a baking tray, while bruschetta is usually grilled over a fire.

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 the perfect fall dessert: apple crisp.

This lentil loaf is my most requested holiday recipe, ever. It's tender, hearty, full of flavor, and keeps both vegans and meat eaters coming back for seconds. Although it makes a great Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner centerpiece, this vegan meatloaf is also a great meal any time of year!

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!

The addition of apples and dried cranberries to this stuffing adds a touch of sweetness. And we're using vegan butter and veggie broth for their rich, savory flavors. Flax eggs hold everything together in this eggless stuffing. Sweet apples like Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apples work best in this recipe. Tart apples like Granny Smith will likely add a little too much flavor for most people's taste.

Thanksgiving dinner just isn't the same without a creamy, crunchy, delicious green bean casserole. Obviously, the traditional 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 canned cream of 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 of the holiday season!

This recipe came about by accident after I found a vegan sour cream on sale at the grocery store and I was trying to figure out what to do with it. Many trials and variations later, I've arrived at the perfect vegan version of this classic favorite!

Personally, I really love the creaminess and flavor of Yukon gold potatoes for this side dish. However, if you want a more traditional texture, feel free to use regular baking (Russet) potatoes.