Flying by the seat of your pants is all well and good, and it's something I do all too often, but for a stress-free Thanksgiving, a little organization goes a long way. That's where my Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Menu & Shopping List comes in!
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We've all been there. Arriving at the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving, not really knowing what we are going to make, and buying so much more than we actually need out of sheer desperation and a total lack of planning.
Enter my Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Menu! It comes with all of the recipes, a handy printable shopping list, a full and clear time-line for the day, plus tips for making and prepping most of it in advance, which all goes towards making your vegan Thanksgiving so much more pleasant and stress-free.
So relax, arm yourself with my menu, step-by-step guide (and some wine), and your vegan Thanksgiving will be a complete breeze!
Printable recipes, plan & shopping list
Click the button below to get your own free printable Thanksgiving Dinner Menu.
Here's what's included:
- My Vegan Thanksgiving meal plan
- Instructions for how to prep the recipes up to three days ahead
- A timeline showing when to start cooking everything on the day
- A full shopping list with checkboxes and space to add any extras you need
And here are all of the included recipe links in case you want to look at them/print them individually:
- Creamy Vegan Garlic Onion Dip
- Cranberry Pecan Brussels Sprout Salad
- Meatloaf with Gravy
- Roast Stuffed Pumpkin
- Roasted Potatoes
- Vegan Cranberry Sauce
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Note that this Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner will comfortably feed four to five hungry people with plenty of leftovers. Any more than that and you will need to double the roast potatoes and possibly the meatloaf but read my notes there before you make a decision. Everything else should still work out ok for up to about 8 people.
Ok, so there we go. Your vegan Thanksgiving is taken care of. Everything is planned. You just need to print it out and make it.
Here are the recipes included in this meal:
Appetizers
This Creamy Vegan Garlic Onion Dip recipe makes a nice sized bowl full. About 2 heaping cups in total. It can be made up to 2 days in advance. On the shopping list I have included tortilla chips for dipping along with optional crunchy crudités. Celery, carrot sticks, bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, all work well.
This very festive Cranberry Pecan Brussels Sprout Salad makes a great appetizer or side, and unlike salads with lettuce, it doesn't go limp and soggy when made ahead. You can prepare it all the day before and even mix it with the dressing. Just be sure to leave out the nuts until just before serving so they retain their crunch. Leftovers are great for a couple of days.
Entrees
You can get about 8 thick slices out of this Vegan Meatloaf. It will usually comfortably feed 4-5 adults but as the Roast Stuffed Pumpkin below is also part of the menu, it can stretch a bit further in this meal because you wont need quite so much. It can be made up to a couple of days ahead. Just wrap up well and stow away in the fridge.
Leftovers reheat really well and are also awesome thinly sliced in sandwiches so if you feel the need to double the recipe don't be worried about ending up with too much. There should be enough gravy for everyone but if you like lots it might be worth doubling it to be safe.
Remember to adjust the shopping list if you do decide to double anything.
This Roast Stuffed Pumpkin makes such a lovely centrepiece! You don't have to use a pumpkin. Any squash will do, but so the filling fits nicely, one around 8 inches in diameter will be best.
Sides
These Crispy Roasted Potatoes have had such great feedback since I published them. This recipe feeds 4 - 5. Any more and you will need to double it. Be sure to adjust the ingredients list accordingly if you do. The recipe is an oil-free one, but instructions are included for using oil too if that's what you prefer.
This Vegan Cranberry Sauce adds a punch of bright colour to your plate and cuts through the rich food really well creating a great balance. It keeps really well for several days in the fridge (or months in the freezer) so you can make it well in advance.
Vegetables
When it comes to the veggies, I am all for simple and unadulterated. There is a lot going on elsewhere so simple steamed veggies on the side are just perfect. I usually buy whatever looks good at the greengrocer. It could be peas, Brussels sprouts, beans, carrots, broccoli, cabbage (red cabbage looks particularly festive), kale, rapini. Just whatever you fancy and whatever everyone likes. 2 varieties, 3 at the most should be plenty. I have added a note on the shopping list so you don't forget them.
Dessert
This Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Sauce is really decadent and will feed 8 people easily. It needs a couple of hours in the fridge after baking so is best made the day before. The caramel sauce only takes a few minutes to make but can be made up to a week before. The sauce is best served warm over the pie. I love serving this pie with dairy-free vanilla ice-cream but squirty vegan whipped cream or whipped coconut cream is also good with it.
And again in case you missed it:
Click the button below to get your own free printable Thanksgiving Dinner Menu.
Here's what's included:
- My Vegan Thanksgiving meal plan
- Instructions for how to prep the recipes up to three days ahead
- A timeline showing when to start cooking everything on the day
- A full shopping list with checkboxes and space to add any extras you need
And here are all of the included recipe links in case you want to look at them/print them individually:
Recipe
Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Menu
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
Produce
- 1 head & 5 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion , golf ball size
- 5 medium onions
- 1 shallot , or small onion
- 1 pomegranate , optional for the salad
- 2 large oranges
- 600g / 5 heaping cups Brussels sprouts
- 326g / 8½ oz / 0.6lb mushrooms , white, crimini or baby portobellos
- 900g / 2lb potatoes , ideally russet, yukon gold or maris piper
- 1 medium pumpkin (around 8 inches across) , or any other roundish squash
- 1 large handful spinach
- 680g / 24oz / 3.5 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 3 inch sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 vegetables of choice (for sides) , to be steamed
- A selection of raw veggies to serve with the garlic onion dip , optional, you can just use tortilla chips to make life easier
Refrigerated / Frozen Items
- 349g / 12.3 oz silken tofu
- 2 teaspoons sweet white miso , nice to have but not essential. It can be omitted
- 60mls / ¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- vegan whipped cream or vanilla ice cream , to serve with the pumpkin pie
Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruit
- 110g / 1 heaping cup pecan nuts
- 180g / 1½ cup dried cranberries
- 140g / 1 heaping cup walnut pieces
- 4 tablespoons ground flax seed
Canned/Jar/Packet Goods
- 1 can (around 400mls) full fat coconut milk , MUST be full fat
- 450g / 2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons tahini , or other smooth nut butter
- 80mls / ⅓ cup aquafaba , liquid from a can of chickpeas / or oil
- 1 or 2 large bags of tortilla chips
Herbs & Spices
- 3 teaspoons salt , + more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper , + more to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 4 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
Pantry items
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 110g / ½ cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 250g / 1¼ cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar , or lemon juice
- 150 mls / ½ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup dried red lentils
- ½ cup dried green lentils
- 300g / 2.5 cups all purpose flour (or whoelwheat) ,This is to make the pie crust and also includes ½ cup for the meatloaf. If you are gluten-free you will need to make/buy a gluten-free pastry case for the pie and you won't need this flour. For the meatloaf sub oat or rice flour.
- 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons arrowroot powder , or cornstarch (cornflour if in the UK)
- 480mls / 2 cups mushroom broth , or other strongly flavoured veggie broth
- 3 tablespoons semolina , or corn meal (be sure to use corn meal if you are gluten free)
- 100g / ½ cup uncooked rice , any kind but brown or wild gives the best texture
- 120g / ½ cup + 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil
- ½ medium loaf bread , a few days old is best
- 80 mls / ⅓ cup red wine or port (or orange juice for alcohol free)
INSTRUCTIONS
3 DAYS BEFORE
- Make the caramel sauce for the pumpkin pie and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Make the Cranberry Sauce and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Cook the lentils for the meatloaf and store in the fridge,
- Make the gravy (you will find the recipe with the meatloaf recipe) and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
2 DAYS BEFORE
- Prepare the meatloaf, fill the tin then wrap in foil or cling wrap and store in the fridge. You will cook it on the day.
- Make the Creamy Vegan Garlic Onion Dip and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
1 DAY BEFORE
- Make the pumpkin pie then refrigerate.
- Cut the top off the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and stringy bits. Wrap up well and store in the fridge.
- Make the Cranberry Pecan Brussels Sprout Salad (reserving the nuts to add when serving to retain the crunch).
- Peel the potatoes, chop them up, and leave in a pan covered with water.
ON THE DAY
Appetizers
- Remove the dip from the fridge shortly before serving. Stir well and arrange with the tortilla chips and crudités.
- Add the nuts to the Brussels Sprout Salad and stir well.
Main Course
- First thing in the morning, cook the rice for the stuffed pumpkin then cool quickly. Prepare the rest of the filling ingredients, mix all together and stuff then put the lid on and wrap tightly in foil.
- Put the pumpkin in the oven on 400°F 3 hours before you want to serve. Remove after 90 minutes as per directions and leave tightly wrapped in it’s foil on the counter.
- Immediately turn the oven down to 370°F and put the meatloaf in the oven and cook for 50 minutes.
- After the meatloaf has been in the oven for about 30 minutes, parboil the potatoes as per the roasted potato directions, then coat with aquafaba and semolina.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven, keeping it tightly wrapped on the counter and turn the oven up to 450*F. Don’t be tempted to peek. Keep it wrapped tightly so it stays warm.
- Roast the potatoes as directed and prepare the vegetables for steaming.
- Start cooking the vegetables in the last 10 – 15 minutes and warm the pre-made gravy through in a pan gently.
- Serve everything and don’t forget the Cranberry Sauce!
Dessert
- Try to remember to let the pie come to room temperature before serving.
- Warm the ready-made caramel sauce very gently in a pan or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before serving.
- Serve with vegan ice-cream or vegan whipped cream
NOTES
- My Vegan Thanksgiving meal plan including all the recipes
- Instructions for how to prep the recipes up to three days ahead
- A timeline showing when to start cooking everything on the day
- A full shopping list with checkboxes and space to add any extras you need
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Nicole says
Wow thanks so much for all the helpful information!! This is my first time making anything like this. I suspect I may have overworked it :( I will definitely try again. PS I made another batch of the gravy tonight..it was delicious with mashed potatoes. Thank you again for your help & for sharing your recipes!!
A Virtual Vegan says
You're so welcome Nicole. I make that gravy all the time too. It goes well with so many things!
Nicole says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I really enjoyed the gravy but have a question about the lentil loaf. The flavor was good but I'm not so sure about the texture. The top and sides are a bit crunchy but the inside is very dough-like. It seems to be fully cooked. I even tried baking the slices longer afterwards but the texture is the same. Any idea why? Or is it supposed to be this way? I think I used whole wheat flour.. would that make a difference? What is the texture like with the other flours? Thanks so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
The meatloaf recipe gets consistently good feedback and I've never had reports of it being doughy before.
Did you weigh the ingredients or use cups? I ask because cups aren't very accurate and it's easy to use way too much or too little of something. Every-time you fill a cup it weighs a different amount so it is absolutely impossible to be totally accurate. If you did use cups, you could have used too much flour and not enough of something else so the balance might have been off.
Overworking it could also have made it doughy. If you mix flour too much it activates the gluten (like when making bread) so it can affect texture.
Also be sure not to use overcooked lentils as they get too mushy and affect the texture.
I hope that helps!
Rosa says
I made the meatloaf and gravy, the Brussels sprouts salad, and the potatoes. All a big hit, especially the gravy! I also did a test run of the meatloaf a couple of days before--didn't chop the ingredients finely enough, but it was still enjoyed by my taste testers, and I found the leftover loaf was delicious crumbled into a leafy green salad.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed everything Rosa. That gravy recipe is so popular it's made it into my cookbook!
Debbie says
I decided the Sunday before Thanksgiving to start eating vegan. I found your post on line for a full Thanksgiving dinner with menu and all. I found this on Monday night and went full fledged to get it all. Then my aunt called to see if i wanted to come to her house for Thanksgiving. I said well I am doing vegan so if you want me to come I'm cooking vegan and I will bring it with me. She thought about it for a bit and I said that I read all the recipes and know she will like it. She agreed.
With that being said, your shopping list was a lifesaver as well as your detailed menus and the Timeline! Oh my goodness! I would not have been able to do all i did without that! Since I was missing a few essentials I made as many as I could on Tuesday night from the 3 and 2 Days Before Timeline. On Wednesday after work I ran to the "hardly a parking space Whole Food" store and squeezed myself in there to get the few but essential ingredients I needed. (Wonderful helpful people working there so since its all "vegan" to me, I didn't know what it was never mind know where to look, they were eager to assist me.) I got out fairly quickly considering the circumstances there.
When I got home I spent the evening playing catch up on my Timeline. Went to bed and got up at 5 to finish.
I enjoyed following the recipes and when i got to my aunt's we threw the pumpkin in the oven and started munching away on the Creamy Vegan Onion Garlic Dip. We loved it with the Organic White corn tortilla chips from Whole Food and we couldn't stop eating it. I'm so glad I found the white miso paste. The 2 of us ate half the dip and forced ourselves to put it away. I messed up with the timing due to my mistakes like thinking it said to cook the pumpkin 3 hours but don't worry I caught that in time since I wouldn't put my Timeline down.
Bottom line we BOTH loved it all. We were full but no feeling of overstuffed gut. (My aunt did a little but she had that before eating and has some health issues.) And cleanup was great with no greasy smelly turkey on the counters!)
I hope you have a full menu with Timeline, shopping list and menus again for Christmas and out soon because I'm flying to Denver to be with my sons and know there will be meat there but I want to introduce a lot of vegan on the table.
YOU ARE MY HERO FOR MAKING MY THANKSGIVING MEAL A SUCCESS. YOU ARE WHAT I'M GRATEFUL FOR!
I wanted to post pics but I'm not on Instagram or any of those really.
A Virtual Vegan says
Oh Debbie, your message has made my day! You actually brought a tear to my eye. This is exactly why I do what I do. It makes me so happy to know that my recipes are a part of peoples lives and help make occasions like Thanksgiving easier and just as enjoyable as they used to be pre-vegan. Being a new vegan and having all of that to buy and make with unfamiliar ingredients was so brave of you, and I am really touched that you trusted my recipes and timeline for a special meal like Thanksgiving. I actually decided this week, after seeing how successful this menu has been both last year and this year, to create a Christmas one too. I'm going to start work on it very soon, so keep an eye out for it in a few weeks. If you use Facebook you can share pictures on my page there, or you can email them to me at mel@avirtualvegan.com I'd love to see and if you are ok with it, I could then share them on my social media. People love to see reader remakes! It makes the recipes seem much more approachable and do-able.
Oh and as you have white miso paste now, you just have to make my mac and cheese! https://avirtualvegan.com/baked-vegan-mac-and-cheese/ ;O)
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by to leave feedback!
Kristi Hesford says
I followed this meal plan with only minimal tweaks for my very first vegan thanksgiving and I thank you for such a wonderful line up! This meal was satisfying and a huge hit with the family!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! That's great Kristi. I'm so pleased everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by to let me know! Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving :O)
Rebeca Villanueva says
This is absolutely amazing!! So well organized too. Everyone loved it. Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm so glad it's helpful!
Laurel says
What about timing if I am just now seeing this? Do I still have time to do it all before tomorrow?
A Virtual Vegan says
It would be a lot of work but I think you could if you did most of the steps from days 3,2 & 1 today. It would probably take you most of the day though. Or just pick some key recipes and don't make it all to make life easier on yourself. You would have to make your own shopping list then though. Good luck if you try and happy thanksgiving!
Elle says
This is perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to not only post the menu and recipes BUT to also post a timeline. My Thanksgiving was totally stress free.
You are appreciated :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much. I'm really glad it's helpful!
Maria says
What a great list of vegan recipes. We all enjoyed it. It's always so hard to know what to make at Thanksgiving when you have vegan guests and you made life easier.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in bonnie Scotland but I'd be more than happy to sit down to this meal.
Choclette says
No planning needed here, I'm coming to you. Who could resist such a perfect Thanksgiving meal? Not me for sure.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I totally get that. Me too most of the time but sometimes life gets in the way and it's nice for someone else to do the hard work!
Chessie says
This all looks so good! I will totally steal your ideas for shmeatloaf + gravy + stuffed pumpkin + Brussels sprout salad.+ crispy potatoes. You're right: with all that going on, steamed green beans will be all the side veggie needed.
Thanks for the shopping list too -- plenty of time to get ready, and now I wish Thanksgiving could be next week!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Chessie! I'm so glad it's helpful for you. Have a lovely Thanksgiving when the time comes!
Linnea says
This was wonderful and thank you for sharing it all! Very much appreciated and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours ????
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm so glad it's helpful!
Jenn says
Thanksgiving is my favorite food holiday!! So many delicious eats! Loving all of the choices here - especially want to try your new Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad - looks so yummy! Thank you so much for including my Cranberry Sauce - I'm thrilled that you love it! It's a staple at all of our winter holiday tables too!
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome. It's become a family favourite here! Got to love Thanksliving! Hope you enjoy the Brussels Sprout Salad!