A Gluten-Free + Vegan Thanksgiving Menu
My family celebrated Thanksgiving early this year since my brother was in town from out of state, and we had the BEST meal together. I had a few people ask me on Instagram to share what I made/ate since I'm vegan, and I loved the idea! I'm not a food blogger or a chef by any means, but I'd love to share more about my meal and hopefully give you some awesome plant-based Thanksgiving inspiration! We kept things ridiculously simple, and it was still absolutely delicious.
Side note: I'm the only one in my family who is gluten-free and/or vegan, so while everybody else still had turkey, several side dishes and desserts overlapped, which is awesome! No meat-eaters complained about my veggie dishes either. :)
I'm really a fan of all the sides when it comes to Thanksgiving, and I don't miss the turkey at all. I really don't do a replacement "main dish" but just fill up my plate with all the things and am still full and totally satisfied after! I'll share some other ideas at the end of this post that would be great main dishes, though!
Here's what I had for Thanksgiving:
Stuffing // Gluten-free stuffing (store-bought at Wegman's, does have eggs) or Gluten-free vegan stuffing (homemade). Stuffing is my FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving by far. It's the only time all year that I eat it, and I look forward to it so much! My mom and I have tried different stuffing versions every year and there honestly has never been one I haven't devoured.
Mashed potatoes // We keep this super simple -- a bunch of Yukon (or red, or whatever potato you like best) potatoes (keep the skins on) boiled and mashed, and the dairy eating folks add their milk/butter, while I add some plain unsweetened almond milk, a little vegan butter, and s/p + garlic powder to mine. You won't notice a difference without the dairy! (Here's the "best damn vegan mashed potatoes" from Minimalist Baker too, if you want a recipe to follow.)
Roasted vegetables // I did a sweet potato (skin on), brussels sprouts (halved), cauliflower (broken up into bite sized pieces), and red onion. Roasted at 350 degrees (since that was what the oven was on for other things!) for about 45 minutes or so, until soft/browned. I eat these basically every day, so it was nothing super unique, but it made for a great side to share with the whole family. (Everyone loved them!) You could also do chickpeas, broccoli, zucchini, butternut squash... the options are endless and everything is awesome roasted, really.
Other veggies // We did simple steamed green beans and corn as additional sides (both just need a little salt and pepper, and maybe a sprinkle of garlic salt!
Gluten-free roll // I had one of these on hand, so I added it to my plate.
Crustless pumpkin pie // This is a great vegan/gluten-free option (recipe here!) that totally satisfies all pumpkin pie cravings without having a weird gf crust taste. (Bonus: it's a great solution for low-carb folks, too!) I topped it with this ice cream.
Homemade slow cooker apple sauce // This is an awesome sweet addition to the Thanksgiving table -- plus, it doesn't take stovetop or oven space to make! No added sugar is an extra bonus.
Other awesome Thanksgiving dish ideas:
Mushroom gravy pie with garlicky kale mashed potatoes // The First Mess has SO MANY delicious plant-based recipes, and this one looks like the perfect Thanksgiving-ish dish.
Stuffed squash with broccoli rabe and quinoa // This would be an awesome, hearty main dish option with all the best flavors of fall!
Vegan green bean casserole // Oh, YUM. Careful though, those yummy fried onions aren't GF, so you'll have to leave those out if gluten isn't your friend.
Warm roasted butternut squash salad // Another great main dish option that's healthy but still hearty and autumn-ish!
1-hour vegan shepherd's pie // I mean, what ISN'T awesome when it's topped with mashed potatoes?!
Vegan pumpkin cheesecake // YES PLEASE.