While many of you in the US are putting the finishing touches on your Thanksgiving plans, many of us Canadians are already starting to think about our December menus. Here are some of my favourite vegan holiday recipes that could suit many holiday meals, or perhaps simply a comforting dinner on a cold night!
See below for my tips on navigating the holidays as a vegan.
Soup & Salad:
Mushroom Millet Soup with Cheezy Garlic Bread
Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup
Holiday Salad with Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette
Main Course:
High Protein Mashed Potatoes (also see my red lentil version on VegNews)
Cranberry, Apricot and Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf
This Ain’t Grandma’s Sweet Potato Casserole
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Rosemary and Garlic
Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond Pecan Parmesan
Dessert!
Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
Serve with Whipped Coconut Cream if you’d like…
Sinless Sticky Toffee Pecan Pudding
Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream
Breakfast:
What to do with leftover pumpkin pie? Meet Vegan Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Casserole!
Baked Apples Stuffed with Cinnamon, Date, Pecan Oatmeal
Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
Gift Ideas:
Slow Cooker Naked Apple Butter
Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter with Hemp, Flax, and Chia or 2-Minute Apple Cinnamon PB
Homemade Pumpkin Butter From Scratch (or from a can)
I’ve received many questions over the years about how to navigate the holidays as a new vegan. The first year I was “coming out” as a vegan, I recall being so anxious about holiday get togethers! It was the first time I was seeing many family members and I was nervous about explaining it to everyone. Thankfully, I anticipated it to be much worse in my own mind than it actually was, but that isn’t to say that I didn’t have my fair share of critics, comments, and questions too.
Here are some of my tips for navigating holiday dinners as a vegan:
1. If you will be eating at a family members house, let them know well in advance that you eat a vegan diet so there aren’t any surprises on the day of. Don’t be afraid to explain it clearly as it’s not unusual for someone to think a vegan still eats butter or eggs. It’s also helpful to remind them what you DO eat! Often people can assume that vegans have a super restrictive diet, so it’s helpful to let them know all the foods that you do eat – vegetables, fruit, legumes, beans, grains, nuts/seeds, oils, soy, herbs/spices, etc or remind them of foods that are naturally vegan.
2. After letting the hosts know, offer to bring a couple vegan dishes so they don’t feel like they have to scramble to find vegan recipes. A couple good options are the lentil loaf and the Cranberry, Apricot and Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf. For the lentil loaf, I suggest slightly undercooking it the first time if you plan on reheating it in the oven just before serving (so it doesn’t dry out). If you are traveling from afar, offer to help prepare a couple vegan dishes the day before. This again would be helpful to plan out before you arrive.
3. What if you are hosting the meal as a new vegan? When I hosted my first vegan Thanksgiving back in 2010, I let my guests know that the meal would be 100% vegan – and of course delicious! If you don’t want any animal products at your meal, make this clear in advance or you might find Uncle Ted showing up with his turkey the morning of.
4. Challenge some of your open-minded guests to “veganize” one of their favourite recipes and bring it to the dinner. Make this into a competition for the “best vegan dish” at your holiday meal and award a prize to the winner each year! How fun would this be?
5. What to do about naysayers? There will always be naysayers, comments, or questions about why you eat a vegan diet – and it’s good to be able to explain it to others in a few words. Just like they tell entrepreneurs to be able to describe their business in a single sentence, it’s important to be able to communicate why you are a vegan. Plan for these questions and you won’t be thrown off by them at the dinner table. If you are feeling really uncomfortable or cornered by a critic, you can always suggest that you discuss it after the meal. It’s easy to feel outnumbered as a vegan around the holidays, so I like to keep my sense of humour. Crack a joke right or sarcasm right back to a naysayer. It doesn’t need to be so serious.
6. A delicious vegan dish can tame even the toughest critic. Win them over with the food. ‘Nough said!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic as well! Do you find it difficult to navigate the holidays as a vegan? What tips would you give to new vegans?
Although I’m not vegan anymore, I am vegetarian and don’t eat animal flesh and so turkey is not happening for me but luckily…it’s just our little family of three. So there’s no one to answer to! Or explain things to. But yes, it’s hard when I’m with people who I don’t know for the first time, I have to start from ground zero and explain things.
This is a great post, Angela! I’ll take one of everything – especially the desserts!
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK but, having seen your beautiful and mouth-watering recipes, I won’t be able to resist preparing a little Thanksgiving feast for my son and I on Thursday. I just know he will love the pumpkin pie brownies :) and as he is the thing I am the most thankful for in the world, it seems very fitting :) xxx
My issues is not the family as a whole, it’s that I know my boyfriend would never be supportive of me making the vegan jump, he has issues with the thought of me going back to being vegetarian (wasn’t for a few years, including when I met him). Sadly he also doesn’t take my current dietary restrictions seriously, and they are medical (Gluten and Dairy!). Any tips for that situtation?
Angela, Everything looks amazing! I want to come over to your house for Thanksgiving.
I think I’ll just come over to your place for Thanksgiving. Your recipes are divine and I love all the creativity you put into them! I’m definitely going to make jars of the pumpkin butter for gifts, perfect idea!
Can I please please please come over for thanksgiving? I will do all the cleaning and won’t make a peep!
Thanks so much for providing these yummy recipes Angela. I do eat meat but I can’t have dairy, gluten or refined sugars cause they mess with me! I dread holidays because sweet things and dairy and gluten filled baked goods are all around me and I find it hard to say no and my body really pays the price. I feel much better now that I’m armed with your delish recipes!
I’ve made your rice pilaf numerous times, and it always comes out great. I’ve also made that gingerbread loaf, and it’s wonderful too!
What a fabulous list + tips! I made your pumpkin brownie pie last year and it was super tasty :) Can’t wait to try more recipes this year!
What is that amazing-looking gravy on the mashed potatoes?
Hey Lauren, It’s a gravy I adapted from Dreena found here: http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6005709
Mmmm it looks so great Angela. I am making the Glazed Lentil Loaf for sure. I also want to make the Apple Sage Field Sausages as you and everyone else say they are so delish. Do you have any tips on how to best prepare them and what to serve along with them, I would like to have them whole. Thanks, ideas are happily taking from others as well.
Last year I made your pumpkin gingerbread, holiday salad and sweet potato casserole and they were ALL huge hits! That is saying a lot since I live in Texas and my whole family is meat and taters kind of people..it usually doesn’t fly with them unless it is fried and covered in butter!
Hi Angela, I am attempting a vegan Christmas this year for my family. I have been a vegetarian for three years but always make a traditional meal for my children and grandchildren and I just eat sides. This year I am going to shake things up….hehehe. Other than the roasted fingerling potatoes with brussel sprouts, could all or most of these recipes be made in advance and frozen?
I say I am “mostly” vegan, for people that want to slap a label on me. I eat vegan, but on Thursday we’ll be making turkey and having meat for the first time in a long time. It felt weird taking the little guy (6 pounds, don’t want infinite leftovers) out of the freezer, but I’d told my husband that I’d do that on major holidays if he came along for the ride…and he’s been a real trooper. Every side dish will be vegan, so I consider it a good compromise.
To make a light joke about my food choices with one of the “where do you get your protein?” people, I’ll say “I decided to cut out the middleman. I get my protein from plants and you get yours from animals that eat plants!” Of course it’s all in the delivery, no judge-y or preachy tones allowed. Always gets a laugh. I usually tell them that I’d of thought they were crazy if they had told me I would one day not eat meat or dairy (this says I was one of you) but I can’t deny that I have never felt better, inside and out…so I decided I could let it go and I haven’t missed it. Well, sometimes cheese… That gets a laugh too.
I love that response, will definitely use that sometime. ;)
:)
This post has made me unbelievably hungry. I’m new to this blog, but I’m so happy that I’ve found it! I have no idea what I’m doing in the kitchen, and it’s nice to have recipes available (with great pics!) that are tried and truly delicious. Thank you, Angela! Happy Thanksgiving!
Emily
www.cozyconnection.wordpress.com
for those who love animals and fashion
I am just in awe of your food and photography! All of it is just beautiful! Thank you!
Totally not a vegan and I’m drooling over these. I don’t even know where to start! The wild rice pilaf is definitely up there…but oh, the soups and deserts! I’m converted.
“Eating animals doesn’t make me happy, so I don’t eat animals.”
This statement normally does the trick.
If they want more information, I direct them to my blog. ;)
I think I just spent an hour reading through these recipes – will definitely be making some of these – yum!
This will be my first Thanksgiving completely vegan. I’ve been a vegetarian for a long time and I’ve been basically transitioning to veganism for like the last two years, but I’m not too worried about this Thanksgiving since I managed to veganize a lot of our family recipes last year. My main non-vegan eating was just pie. I only made one last year (your pumpkin one :) ) but this year I’m aiming for at least five, if not six…we’re kind of crazy pie people. It’s my mom and I that do pretty much all of the cooking, and she’ll be sleeping after a night shift for at least part of the day, so basically all of our side dishes will be prepared by me–and vegan!
I think I’m going to do a stuffed squash as my main dish this year. I’ve had your lentil loaf for the past two years (totally one of my favs), so this year I’m going to switch it up. Ugh, now it just needs to be Thanksgiving already!
Angela, this table looks really great! Thanks for sharing your recipes, the photos are great and the food looks really tasty! Great job.
Although I’m not a vegan or even a vegetarian, plenty of what I cook is one or the other. However, I would never use the word “vegan” to describe anything that I make. A salad can just be a salad without being a vegan salad. I think if you’re worrying about how your family will react, the word “vegan” can be off-putting because it sounds foreign and makes people think of things like tempeh. Fruit and beans and veggies and nuts are all things that most people eat. Just use words that people can relate to.
There are some fantastic tips here, thank you Angela! This is my first Christmas as a vegan. We will be having Christmas dinner at my parent’s house. I’m going to take along my own main instead of turkey (with enough to share) so that I can enjoy all the (vegan) trimmings without my mum having to do anything extra. I can’t wait to browse these recipes for ideas!
Oh that mushroom millet soup is one of my favourite soups ever. It’s so good!
Can’t wait to try out some of these other recipes =)
Way too many delicious recipes to choose from! We don’t have Thanksgiving in Ireland but so many keepers for Christmas!!!
An amazing post Angela. Just beautiful and stunning. My best tip is if you put it out–people eat it, no matter what their diet is!
OMG this is a FANTASTIC post!! The photographs are so very gorgeous. I want to ear everything right now!! YUM!
Damn! I meant EAT everything, not ear. haha Guess all the deliciousness is throwing my typing off. :oP
I made the lentil loaf last night and had it today for Thanksgiving—it was amazing and my non-vegetarian family members enjoyed it as well! Delicious!
I made the sweet potato casserole yesterday and it was the best sweet potato dish I’ve ever made. The lentil loaf was excellent also. As the sole vegan in a house of meat-eaters, it was wonderful to have plenty of beautiful dishes to look forward to on Thanksgiving instead of cobbling together a salad and one or two sides.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 30+ years and a vegan for 2. Your recipes have inspired me to get creative and excited about food again. Thank you!
Hey Julie, Thanks for your lovely comment. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipes! Happy belated Thanksgiving!
Just found your website, due to a friend of mine. She has Candida an is always loking for help in supporting her need to modify her diet to help her get rid of it w/o any of the MD type attitudes that people qlways come up with. I would like to help her if I can. Do you have any suggestions for her that would help her. She is consulting with an hebalist within our church structure, and has been helped in that way. But, since the diet that she must be on is quite restictive of even some of the vegan foods that we both eat, it is quite a challenge to stay on the diet 100% of the time.
I also am a vegan male, widowed, and finding my culinary skills quite rusty to say the least. I have gone to the beans in a heavy way, along with the raw fruits and vegetables, grains and all. But along with my diabetes I have to be very selective of the foods that I consume, since I am trying to combat it with my diet and exercise. I am not on medication for treating just my diet and exercise, as prementioned. I’ve had it a long time, am under a physicians care that goes along with me and helps me as well. It seems to be working, and I am enthused.
I had a slight stoke here about five years ago, did not opt for surgery, and went vegetarian, but, foundout that this was only the beginning. I went through the CHIP program endorsed and conducted by Dr. Hans Diehl out in California. I live in Maine and was helping out in the program at our local church. However, I found out that I needed more than that to keep me motivated, so I became a vegan. I cook my own meals, and help out some times with the vegan cooking programs offered here in my local area. Suffice it to say, I believe that it is working for me, and always looking for more, better, and ideans as to how to bump my knowledge and diet up another notch, to make it give me the help that I need and desire to get my diabetes under control, w/o ever going back to the meds for this desease. They do not help, they only cover it up, and are only treating the symptoms.
Thanks for your website, and see if there is anybody out there that can help me or my friend. Bill Cox – Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing your story! I am emailing you to put you in touch with a friend.
Looks so delish!! Have a question as a fellow vegetarian…..what are your thoughts on all the bad press for brown rice. Am torn because my family and I eat a lot of brown rice, i use brown rice syrup at times to sweeten my kids baked goods or puddings. They love rice noodles, cereal, cakes, teh works. Curious what others think of arsenic issue in brown rice.
Sarah
“Win them over with food” is right! My fiance and I are eating more meatless dishes (we aren’t vegan, just trying to eat healthier over all), and inviting family over for hearty, filling meatless meals or bringing a tasty meatless side to a family gathering is a nice, non-combative response to the family carnivores. It’s hard to keep up the “rabbit food” jokes if they’re munching on yummy, filling meatless dishes.
Lovely pics!! Your vegan holiday dishes look scrumptious :-D
Angela, Thank you! The holidays are a very hard time to be vegan, you’re used to being surrounded with the love and support of your family at this time of year, but on this issue we’re often left in the cold! I got around this by bringing my own vegan dinner to our family Thanksgiving, since the only thing I could eat otherwise was green beans! However, your glazed lentil loaf & sweet potato casserole were big hits! Thanks for all the virtual support & great recipes!
Aw that is so awesome, thanks for letting me know!
I made the pecan pumpkin brownie pie and everybody loved it. I never told them it was vegan!
Im happy it was enjoyed Jackie!
I’m not vegan but I’m responsible for organizing a lot of work get-togethers and I make an effort to serve food everyone can eat, so we usually have a lot of vegetarian/vegan offerings. My tip for new vegans is please give your host/ess feedback! If there is something at an event that you can eat and that you enjoy, say something about it! Sometimes clueless non-vegans need a little encouragement and feedback to know if we’re on the right track or if that vegan squash soup is a terrible idea. :-)
I made your sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving and everyone (none of us are vegans) raved about it! Even I was amazed. I doubt I will ever make it the “old” way again, with eggs and all the other stuff. Yours was just too good! And easy, so thanks. I am enjoying gradually trying out your recipes. The ones I have tried have been delish. Going to try the red lentil/kale soup soon!
Im so glad to hear that Julie!
Hi Angela! I really enjoy looking at all the recipes on your website and trying them. There have been days when I live off your recipes. :)
I would like to become more confident making up my own recipes. Salads and veggie dishes are easy, but I don’t have a lot of knowledge about baking (cookies, cakes, etc.) and I don’t know what ingredients to use and how much. Would you make a post with your tips and instructions on how to make up your own recipes, particularly baked goods? That would be great!
Wow, how did I not find your blog until now? I LOVE your taste in food! I will need to bookmark so many of your recipes! I am a new almost-vegan (and new vegetarian in general!) and definitely looking to build my recipe stash! I might have to make the mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, and maybe even the pecan dessert to contribute to my omnivore family’s dinner…. BTW I blog about my new lifestyle and will definitely link to your recipes if I make any of them if that’s okay!
And to the Texans, I’m an army wife and stationed here for awhile. I love Texas a lot, but I know what you all mean about them adoring meat and butter!! I went along with family to a very rustic Texas BBQ place (for quality time!) and the guy working there looked at me like I had 10 heads when I politely declined a free sample of meat due to being vegetarian, LOL!
I really enjoyed this page and I gave credit to you on my blog. I have a lot of trouble dealing with holidays and I am a struggling Vegetarian. My family is less than supportive and I am over whelmed with stress from sept until about jan 15..due to the various birthdays AND holidays all lumped together.
Hi! Thanks so much for this master post! I’m not feeling quite as overwhelmed and anxious. We’ll be doing a ‘everyone brings something to the table’, but none of it will be vegan, so I’ll be bringing several dishes (and I like to give homemade cookies and such as gifts as well), that I want others to enjoy as well. I’m feeling very nervous and uncomfortable about it, but now I’m seeing all of these great options and am more confident it’ll all work out :)
So follow up question: I generally make my own stuff to eat, and EVERYONE asks me about it and this actually makes me really upset, singled out, and uncomfortable, but can’t think of a good way to get everyone to BACK OFF. I DON’T want people asking about my food, I DON’T like being singled out like that… short of bursting into tears in frustration or eating in a corner by myself how do I make it STOP?
These recipes are wonderful and they are so many! Whoever says that vegan diet is limitted must be crazy :) Thank you!