What’s Thanksgiving without the generous spread of food on the table?
While Thanksgiving meals are traditionally associated with turkey and meat pies, you can also add a plant-based twist to your recipe to shake things up. At the same time, everyone can enjoy the satisfyingly delicious benefits of eating plant-based meals. Win-win!
Today, we’re sharing plant-based Thanksgiving recipe ideas that you can cook up this coming holiday season.
Plant-Based Sides and Appetizers
Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian, we have different Thanksgiving recipes that will fulfill anybody’s plant-based diet needs. To start, here are a few appetizers that will increase your appetite and prepare you for the main meal:
- Vegan Chili - Accomplish this vegan recipe in 3 easy steps. Simply drizzle your vegetables in oil and spices, cook, and then mix. You can also replace the olive oil in this recipe with pumpkin oil to add another layer of flavour.
- Lentil Salad - While this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, it makes for a well-balanced taste that makes you want to get another serving.
- Curried Soup - Turn the pumpkin meat of your Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations into a delicious soup. You can also garnish your soup with Styrian pumpkin seeds to add a crunchy texture.
Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes for the Main Course
Tired of the conventional plant-based turkey that you’ve been preparing every year for your plant-based dinners? Don’t worry, here’s a list of unconventional but delectable vegan-based Thanksgiving recipes. These will surely surprise and delight your guests as they sit down for the main course.
- Vegan Pumpkin Ramen - Although ramen isn’t traditionally served during Thanksgiving, it's a perfect dish for the cool autumn weather. What makes this dish even more amazing is that even without the meat stock for the soup base, you can still enjoy the rich depth of flavour.
- Vegan Pot Pie - Who says pot pies are exclusively meat-based? Here’s a recipe that converts the must-have Thanksgiving dish into a wholesome plant-based meal that everyone will love.
- Vegan Mac & Cheese - From kids to adults, everyone associates mac and cheese with the ideas of comfort and home. This recipe adds a nutritional twist by turning it into a plant-based dinner. Plus, you can use pumpkin seed butter to increase the dish's health benefits further.
Plant-Based Desserts
No holiday meal is complete without desserts. And these set of recipes not only satisfy your sweet tooth cravings, but they’re also healthy as they’re completely plant based. Enjoy dessert without the guilt!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake - Retire your pumpkin pie and instead try out this pumpkin cheesecake recipe that gets your tastebuds drooling just by the smell of it. Plus, this recipe doesn’t call for refined sugar, so guests with restrictive diets can also have a bite of this scrumptious dessert.
- Parfait - Want something cool and light after a hearty meal? Then, use this parfait recipe. It's cool on your mouth and light on your stomach, allowing you to feel full without the heaviness.
- Peanut Butter Cups - If you and your guests are big fans of peanut butter cups, then you’ll be in for a treat with this vegan recipe. By adding Styrian pumpkin seeds to the recipe, you experience all the benefits while enjoying a finger-licking dessert.
Plant-Based Drinks Recipes for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a special occasion. As such, it requires drinks that are made especially for your holiday celebrations. So, here are 3 plant-based drinks that go beyond your typical pumpkin spice latte.
- Pumpkin Frappuccino - This coffee-based recipe can serve both as a snack and drink as its thick, creamy consistency almost matches that of an ice cream smoothy.
- Green Smoothie - If you want something refreshing, on the other hand, this green smoothie is packed with superfoods that will make you fall in love with the first sip. Plus, you can add plant-based protein powder for the added health benefits.
- Bourbon Smoothie - For your adult guests, you can serve them this bourbon-based drink that will make them keep coming back for more.
Thanksgiving meals don’t have to be limited to traditional dishes. You can add plant-based Thanksgiving recipes to enjoy healthy, unconventional dinner meals this holiday.
Looking for more plant-based foods in Vancouver?
At Nutrika, we curate a range of nutritious plant-based food products for a fresher and more sustainable diet. Learn more about our tasty snacks, natural oils, and nutritious powders to see what works for you.