While I still have at least four new celebration-worthy recipes in the works and I promise to release them well ahead of 24th of November, I dedicate this round-up post to all of my readers whose thoughts are turning towards the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration. Similarily to Christmas, or any large family celebration for that matter, it’s not always easy being vegan at a Thanksgiving table, but it’s totally worth it. Whether you are celebrating on your own turf, and therefore make the rules, or turning up to someone else’s house, it is good to be prepared.

Hopefully everyone around the table will be welcomning and respectful of your choice not to eat animal products, but even if you are not that lucky, having banging vegan food will make you feel more included and will maybe covince those who remain unaccepting or even hostile towards veganism that vegan food is just food. It provides just as much sustenance and enjoyment as any food and can certainly be just as delicious as anything non vegan. Here are some dishes that will make you vegan Thanksgiving experience delicious.

Centerpieces

A table centerpiece is always the biggest challange when it comes to a festive table that is free from animal prodcuts. There is a range of possibilities here, but my personal go to is puff pastry wrapped Vegan Wellington featuring smoky & savoury interior surrounded by a layer of fragrant mushroom duxelles. It’s not quick to make but it’s not that complicated to make either. Plus, you can (and should – they get better for it) make the gravy, the duxelles and the beet log in advance, wrap them in pastry and bake on the day. If you are after less labour-intensive one, why not try Giant Vegan Sausage Roll instead – it may sound unconventional a touch, but it really isn’t.

If neither of these options appeals, how about any of the following dishes instead? They feature a range of fillings and a multitude of flavours and textures. If you are not planning to celebrate in a large crowd, but still want to mark the occasion somehow, these individual Thanksgiving Pithiviers would be my choice.

Mains

If you are after something less like a conventional ‘meat’ & two veg meal, how about making a big casserole style dish and inviting everyone to dig in?

Or if Thanksgiving meal prepping is giving you the creeps, how about a communal meal whereby you rope all of your fellow diners to make the meal with you!?!? After all, everyone gotta eat, right? That sort of labour division is very easily achieved when making all sorts of dumplings, for example. We did that with friends once for Christmas and it was so much fun – making over 200 pierogi together while chatting and sipping mulled wine was even more memorable than the meal itself – possibly because the quality of your dumpling making seems to deteriorate the more wine you drink 😉

Sides

You can never go wrong with preparing a bunch of delicious sides and combining them with each other for a true flavour and texture explosion. There are so many options, it’s hard not to get all giddy and indecisive. I have three more delicous sides up my sleeve in the next week or so, but in the meantime here is a bunch you may like the look of.

Salads

You do want something green and crunchy in amongst all that rich food that you’ll be indulging in, but it does not need to be boring. Here are some of my favourites…

Pies

If you are after a traditional pie to end the meal on, here is a bunch of recipes you may want to check out. Pecan pie and apple pie are my personal favourites and I could have them at any time of the year…

Other sharing desserts

If pies aren’t your thing – who even are you!? – then perhaps a tart, a tray of luxurious brownies or a a tiramisu might be more up your street? Here some of my personal favourites…

Individual desserts

If you aren’t a keen baker, or perhaps are celebrating in a small group, an individual dessert may be more appropriate.

Snacks

I’m pretty sure that you are not very likely to need any snacks, but here are a few ideas just in case…

I hope you will enjoy this simple round-up and that it will spark some Thanksgiving meal ideas for you and if you have any questions about any of these recipes, contact me on Instagram or Facebook or leave a comment under the recipe and I will get back to you as soon as I can.