Vegan and Vegetarian Thanksgiving Options, Ideas, and Recipes

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, Thanksgiving can be kind of a bummer. But it doesn't have to be. There are plenty of delicious dishes to be made. So whether you're a vegan/vegetarian, or you're having vegan and/or vegetarian guests over for Thanksgiving this year, and have no idea what to make for them, here are some great vegan and vegetarian options for Thanksgiving dinner.

TURKEY/MAIN COURSE OPTIONS:
Obviously, turkey is out of the question for vegans and vegetarians, but there are other options that are quite good. If you want to do something close to turkey that doesn't require too much preparing, consider getting a Tofurky turkey. The Tofurky brand is a creation of Turtle Island Foods, Inc. While there are all kinds of Tofurky products--which are fake meat products made with soy--one of their specialties is a Tofurky roast for Thanksgiving. Made to mimic real turkey, the roast comes stuffed with wild rice and bread crumbs, is vegan, and I think it's actually really delicious. You can also buy a vegan gravy to accompany it. They sell Tofurky products at most health food grocery stores. There's more information on it here: Tofurky products

Of course, if you would rather make the meatless turkey yourself, here is a great recipe for a turkey made out of tofu and stuffing: tofu turkey

That's not to say you have to make or buy a fake turkey for your vegan/vegetarian guests. You could also make a completely different main course, such as stuffed peppers. Stuffed peppers are delicious, hearty, healthy, and easy to make vegetarian. Check out some of these great recipes for them: vegetarian stuffed peppers
vegetarian stuffed peppers
quinoa stuffed peppers
Note that these recipes all call for cheese, rendering them non-vegan. However, while not as good as real cheese, you can buy fake vegan cheese and use that instead. Also, nutritional yeast is a delicious and healthy cheese substitute. Here is a great example of how to make a vegan cheese sauce with nutritional yeast: nutritional yeast cheese sauce

Another great main course idea for vegans and vegetarians is a casserole of some sort. This harvest casserole is a hearty fall casserole that can be enjoyed by vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike: harvest casserole
And this recipe for a vegetarian shepherd's pie comes with the title "Meat Eating Husbands Love This Shepard's pie": vegetarian shepards pie
And I know the phrase "lentil loaf" strikes fear in the hearts of people everywhere, but speaking from firsthand experience, there's no need to be afraid. Lentil loaf is actually pretty good. Unless you don't like lentils. Then you should definitely skip it. But if you or your vegan/vegetarian guests like lentils, here's a good recipe for a lentil loaf: lentil loaf

SIDE DISH OPTIONS:
So no Thanksgiving is really complete without mashed potatoes, right? At least I've always thought so. Even vegans deserve the smooth, creamy deliciousness of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. Luckily, making them vegan isn't difficult at all. Simply replace the milk you use with soy milk, rice milk, or some other kind of non-dairy milk, and replace the butter with a vegan soy-based margarine. (Be very careful to make sure that sugar has not been added to the non-dairy milk; even plain soy milk is usually sweetened, so you have to make sure to get the unsweetened kind.) Adding vegetable broth is another way to add flavor and smooth texture without dairy. And you can always add some nutritional yeast for the yummy, cheesy flavor.

And of course, mashed potatoes are just not complete without gravy. Here is a quite well-liked recipe for vegan gravy: vegan gravy

As for stuffing, this page is a great source not only for vegan stuffing recipes, but for how to use the stuffing and what good vegan ingredients you should choose: vegan stuffing

DESSERT OPTIONS:
And what Thanksgiving meal is complete without pumpkin pie? Even if you're not a great baker, you should have no problem whipping up this easy to make vegan pumpkin pie: tofu pumpkin pie Just be sure that the pie crust you buy is vegan too--check the ingredients first.
You can always make your own vegan pie crust using this recipe, which also has a great, delicious-sounding recipe for pumpkin pie filling: vegan pie crust

So if you're having vegan/vegetarian guests for Thanksgiving, remember, they don't have to subsist on salad and cranberry sauce. And if you're vegan/vegetarian, you still deserve to have an awesome meal on Thanksgiving. Try some of these great recipes for a delicious vegan feast this year.