35 Showstopper Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes - Occasionally Eggs

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35 Showstopper Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

Published November 5, 2025

By Alexandra Daum

Like most big holidays, it’s easy to feel a little left out at Thanksgiving when you’re vegetarian. You know, there’s the big turkey main, and you’re sitting there with a plate of mashed potatoes and salad. I’ve done it! But you can still have an exciting, delicious holiday meal without the meat – there are…

Lattice pie on a light stone background.

Like most big holidays, it’s easy to feel a little left out at Thanksgiving when you’re vegetarian. You know, there’s the big turkey main, and you’re sitting there with a plate of mashed potatoes and salad. I’ve done it! But you can still have an exciting, delicious holiday meal without the meat – there are 10 impressive main dishes here, plus sides, salads, and a couple desserts. No pasta in sight!

Jump To:
Thanksgiving Mains
Thanksgiving Sides
Thanksgiving Salads
Thanksgiving Desserts

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Main Dishes

The main is the hardest part, but I’ve been vegetarian for a long time, and this is where I start. A savoury pie is always a good bet but veg classics like nut roasts are great too. Focus on one nice main and then go from there. My go-to recipes for autumn celebrations are the wellington, roasted vegetable pie, and winter nut roast.

Biscuit Topped Vegetarian Pot Pie

A delicious way to combine vegetables and biscuits in one, this savoury biscuit topped vegetarian pot pie makes for a hearty vegan dinner.

1 35

Vegetarian Pot Pie Recipe

Biscuit-topped vegetable pie in a rectangular baking dish, one scoop removed.

Vegan Mushroom and Pumpkin Shepherd’s Pie

This vegan shepherd's pie is a modern, plant based version of the classic – a rich mushroom and lentil base, topped with creamy mashed potato and pumpkin. Total cold weather comfort food.

1

A bowl of shepherd's pie topped with some fresh sage.

Lentil Cottage Pie

A savoury lentil cottage pie, with carrot and lentil filling topped with a creamy mash. Vegan, gluten-free, and just right for cold evenings. This recipe is made without mushrooms.

55

A lentil cottage pie in a rectangular baking dish, with one scoop removed to see the filling under the mashed potatoes.

Winter Nut Roast

Lentil nut roast made with red lentils, mushrooms, onion, winter vegetables, and herbs. This dairy-free roast is ideal for celebration meals.

1 45

Sliced vegan roast on a cutting board with herbs around.

Roasted Vegetable Pie with Puff Pastry

A roasted vegetable pie, made extra easy with (vegan) puff pastry is a great holiday main dish! With pumpkin, cauliflower, and parsnip, it's a seasonal dish that can be made any day of the week.

1

Plates with pieces of puff pastry pie on them.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

A veg-packed alternative, vegetarian sweet potato cottage pie is made with a savoury filling of mushrooms, lentils, herbs, and rich red wine.

1 5

A lentil pie topped with sweet potato mash, one serving removed from the baking dish.

Vegetarian Stuffed Pumpkins

This vegetarian stuffed pumpkin recipe uses smaller winter squashes with edible skin for a perfect holiday dinner. Filled with a flavourful rice and vegetable mixture, this can also be made as one large pumpkin.

1 30

Three rice-stuffed pumpkins on plates.

Mushroom Pot Pie

A fantastic vegetarian main, this mushroom pot pie is made with store-bought puff pastry and a delicious savoury mixed mushroom filling.

55

Mushroom pot pie with a serving on a separate plate.

Vegetarian Wellington

A vegetarian wellington alternative for your holiday table, this butternut squash and mushroom wellington is a real showstopper centerpiece. This can easily be made vegan by using a vegan puff pastry.

5 30

A squash wellington slice on a plate with a wooden chair and lights behind.

Caramelised Onion and Mushroom Pie

A savoury vegan mushroom pie made with butternut squash, puff pastry, and caramelised onions. This is a great vegan main dish for the holidays and beyond.

3 30

Finished wreath on a large plate with greenery and lights around.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Starters

The joy of a big holiday meal is, in my opinion, the wide variety of side dishes that come with it. It’s such a treat to have a plate filled with a big selection of different bits and bobs. I don’t know about you, but for Thanksgiving in the Canadian prairies, dinner rolls are a must-have, so I’ve included two recipes here along with the other sides.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Smooth, silky mashed sweet potatoes, made with roasted sweet potato for the best flavour. This is a base recipe with several add-in options.

40

Close up of swirled pureed sweet potato.

Garlic Green Beans

Sautéed garlic green beans with just five total ingredients. Use fresh or frozen beans for this easy, delicious side dish.

16

A blue and white platter filled with cooked green and yellow beans with garlic.

Coconut Oil Biscuits

With just six ingredients and ready in less than 20 minutes, you can't go wrong with these super-easy coconut oil biscuits. American style, these are fluffy vegan biscuits (scones) made with spelt flour.

20

A stack of four vegan coconut oil biscuits with a blue background.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

These dairy and egg-free pumpkin dinner rolls are made with pumpkin puree for a lightly sweet, soft, and tender roll perfect for autumn.

2 45

Close up of several pumpkin buns.

Vegan Gravy

An easy and inexpensive vegan gravy, made with carrots, celery, onion, thyme, and vegetable broth. No mushrooms or soya sauce are needed for this simple recipe.

1 10

Gravy-topped mashed potatoes with thyme.

Vegetarian Herb Stuffing

A vegetarian stuffing made with whole grain bread, vegetables, and plenty of herbs. Use any type of bread you have on hand for this easy side.

1

Top-down view of a rectangular dish of bread stuffing with a scoop removed.

Mushroom Gravy

This flavour-packed mushroom gravy, made with slowly cooked onions, mushrooms, and stock, is a delicious vegetarian gravy for any occasion.

45

A bowl full of mashed potatoes topped with mushroom gravy.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes (No Milk)

Dairy-free mashed potatoes are so easy to make, using the water the potatoes are cooked in instead of any milk or non-dairy milk drinks. This makes a deliciously creamy mash with no off taste from vegan milks – just potato – and can be altered to suit your tastes.

35

A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes with thyme.

Soft Spelt Rolls

Soft, tender, and delicious, these spelt rolls are made with 100% spelt flour, olive oil, and a touch of honey for a little sweetness.

2 40

Dinner rolls arranged together to show all sides of the buns.

Sun Pastry for Solstice (Tarte Soleil)

A vegan Tarte Soleil, or sun pastry made with puff pastry, filled with thick strained yogurt mixed with roasted garlic. Crisp and savoury.

12 45

Round pull-apart pastry on a plate on green marble.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Salads

A little fresh crunch lightens everything up and adds some more texture to the plate – I love a good seasonal salad on the Thanksgiving table. These are bright salads using what’s in season now, and a special meal isn’t complete without at least one.

Roasted Carrot Salad with Tahini and Lentils

This easy roasted carrot salad is mixed with lentils, greens, & topped with a creamy dairy-free tahini dressing for an easy weeknight dinner great all year.

30

A plate full of roasted carrot salad with lentils, greens, and a tahini dressing on top.

Orange and Red Onion Salad

A Sicilian style orange and red onion salad, this is a very simple, punchy winter salad. You need just oranges, onion, pepper, and olive oil.

15

A platter of thinly sliced oranges and red onions with black pepper.

Pumpkin Salad

This vegan pumpkin salad is packed with seasonal veg like beets and radishes, then topped with a gorgeous creamy tahini dressing – autumn in a bowl.

40

Woman's hands holding the large bowl of salad.

Swiss Chard Salad

A simple swiss chard salad with massaged chard, an easy mustard vinaigrette, and a nice balance of sweet fruit, spicy onion, and rich seeds.

15

A chard salad with sliced nectarine, onion, and sunflower seeds in direct light.

Beet Salad with Spinach and Orange

A vegan winter beet salad with roasted beets, baby spinach, mandarin, pomegranate, and roasted chickpeas. With a zesty balsamic ginger vinaigrette, this makes a fantastic lunch.

40

Spinach salad in a serving bowl with yellow beets, pomegranate, and mandarin pieces.

Vegan Broccoli Salad

A simple vegan broccoli salad with a mix of roasted and raw broccoli, nuts or seeds, fruit, and a lighter vinaigrette to modernise this old school salad.

25

Front/top view of broccoli salad, with roasted florets and julienned stems.

Carrot Apple Salad

A very German side, this carrot apple salad is a cold-weather staple salad in northern and eastern Europe. With mustard, honey, and lemon.

15

A large serving bowl filled with shredded carrot salad.

Winter Kale Salad

A simple kale salad, ideal for getting in some winter raw vegetables. The kale is massaged with a balsamic vinaigrette and the salad is very adaptable.

10

A large serving bowl with a two-colour kale salad topped with dried cranberries and seeds.

Autumn Crunch Apple Salad

A seasonal autumn apple salad filled with sweet apples, spicy greens, and maple hazelnuts, topped with a maple cinnamon vinaigrette.

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Large salad with sliced apples, avocado, nuts, and pomegranate.

Red Cabbage Orange Salad

This vegan red cabbage salad is a great way to include some raw vegetables into a seasonal winter diet and uses orange and pomegranate to add brightness. It's a good thing to make and keep tucked away in the refrigerator when you need something to round out a meal.

10

A shallow bowl of red cabbage salad with orange and pomegranate.

Crispy Lentil, Orange, and Pomegranate Salad

This vegan orange salad is filled with citrus, pomegranate, and crispy roasted lentils and greens. Topped with an orange ginger vinaigrette.

28

A large bowl of salad with lentils, orange and pomegranate.

Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad

This Moroccan-spiced roasted vegetable salad is packed with cold weather comfort foods, like butternut squash, apples, and pomegranate. Vegan, gluten free, and very easy, this is a great weeknight meal.

40

Moroccan spiced quinoa salad with butternut squash, red onion, and apples on pink platter.

Thanksgiving Desserts

Just a couple, but you can’t go wrong with a classic apple pie (this one is honey-sweetened). I almost always make one of these three recipes but sometimes have something smaller, like chocolate orange truffles, or seasonal fruit instead of a big dessert.

Apple Crumble Cake

This dairy free apple crumble cake makes the best of seasonal apples, sweetened with honey and lots of shredded apples. Topped with a little naturally sweetened crumble for a perfect healthier coffee cake.

50

A slice of apple crumble cake with yogurt on top.

Honey Apple Pie

Honey apple pie, with a filling sweetened purely with honey, is a flavourful alternative to traditional apple pie. Made with unpeeled apples.

1 15

Apple pie three-quarters view, with a slice removed to show the filling.

Dairy Free Carrot Cake

A simple dairy-free carrot cake made with spelt flour. Light spiced and topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting, it's irresistible.

55

Dramatically lit slice of carrot cake on a plate.

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About Alexandra Daum

Alexandra Daum is a professional recipe developer, food photographer, and cookbook author. She started sharing carefully tested vegetarian recipes in 2014 and has since published hundreds of recipes with seasonal ingredients and whole grains as the focus. Her work has been featured on CTV, in House & Home and Chatelaine, on popular websites like Buzzfeed and Best Health, and in countless other publications.

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