16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (2024)

Every year, turkey tends to take center stage at the Thanksgiving table, but it's important to serve a selection of plant-based options as well. Our best vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes boast a little something for everyone, and they incorporate ingredients like winter squash, grains, and all kinds of seasonal vegetables.Some are traditional and others are quite modern, but each is more delicious than the next. So embrace the spirit of the holiday and add a few of these options to your menu this year.

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love

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Red Onions Stuffed with Parsley Breadcrumbs

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (1)

Instead of packing your stuffing inside of a turkey, consider adding it to the hollowed out cavities of tender roasted red onions. They slice like butter and the moist stuffing is flavored very simply with fresh lemon and parsley.

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Butternut-Squash Roast with Pistachio Yogurt and Grain Relish

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (2)

Seasonal butternut squash doesn't always get the love it deserves during the holidays. This squash is roasted to perfection, served over a bed of creamy pistachio yogurt, and topped with a warm marinated farro and pomegranate mixture.

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Green-Bean Casserole with Chestnuts and Buttered Breadcrumbs

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (3)

Seasonal chestnuts are an elegant addition to this Thanksgiving must-have. A mix of meaty mushrooms makes what the traditional side dish worthy of a larger space at the table. It's perfectly rich and creamy and gets a bright finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

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Honeynut Squash, Leek, and Brie Gratin

For the ultimate comfort food, make this delectable gratin. The meatless dish is filled with hearty honeynut squash and lasagna noodles that make it a perfect side for the holiday.

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Acorn Squash with Mixed-Grain Stuffing

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If there was a vegetarian main course designed specifically for Thanksgiving, this would be it. The hues of ruby red pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley, slivered almonds, and bright orange squash resemble the colors of the falling autumn leaves.

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Cauliflower, Red Onion, and Chestnut Tart

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (6)

This stunning tart—with its crimped edges and textured vegetable filling—is just the thing for vegetarians on Thanksgiving. It feels special and indulgent, the way a main course should on feast day, with plenty of might from vegetables and nuts to satisfy.

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Mushroom-Eggplant Lasagna

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (7)

Who doesn't love lasagna? For vegetarians, this silky layered pasta dish is the ultimate main course for a special meal. Bonus: You can assemble the entire lasagna up to a day in advance, then bake just before the holiday dinner.

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Vegetarian Collard Greens

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Here's a way to achieve the flavor of Southern-style collard greens without meat. Simply simmer the greens in water with a Parmesan rind. The cheese adds a depth of flavor and saltiness to this dark green vegetable that everyone will enjoy.

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Mushroom-Gruyère Tart

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (9)

Wild mushrooms and nutty Gruyère cheese create a creamy filling with plenty of rich flavors in this vegetarian tart. Tahini is the secret ingredient —it adds richness to the classic tart dough.

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Broccoli-and-Potato Samosa Pie

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This crowd-friendly take on the popular Indian samosa is baked not fried. The smashed-potato filling of our vegetarian slab pie is studded with bits of snappy broccoli, plus taste-bud-tinging coriander, cumin, and mustard seeds.

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Creamed-Spinach Gratin

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This is a classic, crowd-pleasing steakhouse side that's vegetarian-friendly. Transform easy creamed spinach into an even more delicious casserole by topping the mixture with a golden brown panko breadcrumbs and bake until bubbling.

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Barley Risotto with Mushrooms and Dill

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (12)

With its creamy consistency and rich flavor, risotto is one of the ultimate comfort foods. Here, we've added fresh dill for brightness and a variety of meaty mushrooms for texture and umami.

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Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (13)

Indulge in this mouthwatering, meat-free version of the traditional British comfort food. French green lentils and sliced cremini mushrooms create a hearty filling that warms the soul.

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Roasted Squash with Shallots, Grapes, and Sage

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Here's a Thanksgiving main that truly tastes as good as it looks. The filling inside these roasted acorn squash is simple yet inspired. A blend of black and red grapes, shallot, fresh sage leaves, and cooked whole grains (we used barley) are mixed together to fill this favorite fall vegetable.

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Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Leeks

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Vegan or not, everyone at the table will love this flavorful stuffing. Crusty sourdough bread is a much more exciting choice than country white; leeks add a mild onion flavor and become silky when baked.

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24 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes That Will Delight Everyone at Your Table

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Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco Sauce

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Thick slices of golden roasted cauliflower make a spectacular vegetarian entrée when paired with smoky romesco sauce, which is made with red bell peppers, almonds, garlic, tomato paste, and Spanish smoked paprika.

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16 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes Your Meat-Free Guests Will Love (2024)

FAQs

What are alternatives for Thanksgiving dinner? ›

Think: pumpkin risotto, crab-stuffed mushrooms, mashed potato pancakes, and cauliflower steak. Looking to skip the traditional main course? No problem! Try a tender roast beef or a chicken fried turkey recipe instead!

What are 4 commonly consumed foods at Thanksgiving other than turkey? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

What is the most popular vegetarian alternative to turkey at Christmas? ›

Nut Roast. The most popular Christmas meal for vegetarians and vegans is the nut roast. This typically describes a mixture of nuts, breadcrumbs, leeks, onions, broth and either oil or butter.

Does God want me to be a vegetarian? ›

And it was so. In this passage, God prescribes a plant-based diet not just for humans, but for all land-based non-human animals. Christian vegetarians and vegans point out that it was this creation—where all creatures ate plants—that God then declared "very good" in verse 31.

How do vegetarians survive without meat? ›

Eat beans, pulses, eggs and other sources of protein

Pulses are particularly important for people who don't get protein by eating meat, fish or dairy products. Other non-dairy sources of protein include eggs and meat alternatives, such as tofu, mycoprotein (such as Quorn), textured vegetable protein and tempeh.

What is a vegetarian that eats chicken and turkey? ›

A pollotarian diet focuses on whole, plant-based foods with the inclusion of poultry in moderation. As it's rich in high-fiber, plant-based foods and reduces red meat and pork intake, it may benefit heart health, aid weight loss, and protect against type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

What is healthier than turkey for Thanksgiving? ›

8 Healthy Thanksgiving Alternatives: Salmon, Pork Tenderloin, Eggplant Parmesan, Tofurky, and More. Find helpful content on common health and medical conditions. Explore wellness and self-care topics for your physical and mental well-being.

What is an alternative bird to turkey for Thanksgiving? ›

As for cooking methods, duck, pheasant and goose can roast in the oven just like you would a turkey. The fattier duck and geese should be slow-roasted so the fat renders and you get a crispy skin. A quick reminder: Just like all poultry, make sure your bird reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

What is the name of the vegetarian turkey? ›

Tofurky is the brand name of an American vegan turkey replacement (also known as a meat analogue, or, more specifically, tofurkey) made from a blend of wheat protein and organic tofu.

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