In honor of National Vegan Day kickin’ off the month, on November 1st, I’ve decided to write about some easy vegan alternatives for Thanksgiving. Vegan Day first occurred on November 1st, 1994, and has been around ever since. It’s a day that this group can come together to celebrate and promote all the benefits of a vegan diet. Even though I’m not vegan, my best friend is, so this article goes out to her! *Hey Ari*
It seems that vegans have a weird reputation in which a lot of people assume that they don’t have many food options, considering they can’t eat the main groups such as meat, fish and dairy. However, contrary to popular belief, their diet doesn’t just consist of salad and water. There is actually a numerous variety of options that vegans have the opportunity to choose from, whether they’re found at the supermarket or made at home. Here are a few tasty Thanksgiving substitutions for all the vegans out there.
Vegan stuffing – https://minimalistbaker.com/simple-vegan-stuffing/
Minimalist Baker has several different vegan options for Thanksgiving, but being that stuffing is my absolute favorite dish, I figured I had to include it. On the plus side, this recipe is so simple and only uses 9 ingredients.
Vegan mashed potatoes – https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-damn-vegan-mashed-potatoes/
These are made basically the same way regular mashed potatoes are, except they use vegan butter. They taste just like the mashed potatoes you may be used to having before you became vegan, so you’re really not missing out on much!
Vegan gravy – https://www.thespruceeats.com/basic-vegetarian-gravy-recipe-3377667
You can’t have mashed potatoes without gravy right?? Most gravy is made by using the fat extract from the meat, but this recipe adds its own flavor by using some seasonings and vegan butter instead. You can even throw in some mushrooms too if you’d like.
Butternut squash mac and cheese – https://simpleveganblog.com/butternut-squash-mac-cheese-vegan-gf/
If you’re looking for a healthy vegan mac and cheese recipe, this is definitely the way to go. It’ll leave your guests saying “Mmmm” and “Oooo” at the dinner table.
Vegan “turkey” roast with stuffing – http://veganyumminess.com/vegan-turkey-roast-with-stuffing/
What’s Thanksgiving without a (fake) turkey? Cooking this dish is obviously a little more work than the other dishes, but it’s most definitely worth it. There are a few different ways to make this roast, so feel free to play around with the recipe.
Vegan pumpkin pie – https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-pumpkin-pie/
Every Thanksgiving dinner table needs a desert dish. This pumpkin pie is so delicious; you’re going to have a hard time believing it’s vegan!
I hope these recipes helped all the vegans out there consider what kind of food you want at the table on Thanksgiving. Enjoy!!