Recipes

89 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes for a Meatless Holiday

No meat? No problem. No turkeys were harmed in the making of this vegetarian Thanksgiving.
Image may contain Plant Animal Seafood Food Sea Life Lobster Dish Meal and Vegetable
Christopher Testani

We just can’t hide behind the turkey any longer—it’s the vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes that are often the lowest-effort, highest-reward dishes on the Thanksgiving table. With this list of meat-free recipes in your back pocket, you’ll be veggie-fying your Thanksgiving side dishes and main dishes in no time.

Who says the entrée has to be a bird anyway? This cranberry-studded tahdig or this drool-worthy skillet mushroom lasagna are worthy of a starring role at your Thanksgiving dinner. And sides are a no-brainer for vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving recipes. We have enough mashed potato recipes (creamy, garlicky, or crispety) to appease any meat eater—no turkey gravy necessary. Besides, no one will complain as long as there are enough heavenly pull-apart dinner rolls to go around (yes, bread totally counts as a side in our book).

So if you’re wondering how to pull off a totally satisfying meatless Thanksgiving meal, look no further—these recipes will help pave the way to a delicious (and beautiful!) turkey-free Thanksgiving menu.

  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant and Platter
    Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    1/89

    Tahdig With Cranberries and Herbs

    This tahdig is dressed up with cranberries and woody herbs for a Thanksgiving-y, festive feel.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Bean Green Bean Meal and Dish
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Leng
    2/89

    Green Beans and Mushrooms With Crispy Shallots

    When Thanksgiving demands green bean casserole but your jam-packed oven has other plans, opt for this buttery stovetop version.

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  • Brussels Sprouts With Cranberry Mostarda
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime
    5/89

    Brussels Sprouts With Cranberry Mostarda

    Cranberry mostarda isn’t as sweet as cranberry sauce, it’s got some fire from mustard seeds—and you’ll want it on allll the roasted vegetables this winter.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Produce Dish Meal Vegetable Lentil and Bean
    Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    6/89

    Winter Squash Bharta

    Bharta is a Bangladeshi style of seasoned meat or mashed vegetables usually served at room temperature alongside hot steamed rice.

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  • Stuffing Biscuits recipe
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng
    7/89

    Stuffing Biscuits

    We gave biscuits the Thanksgiving treatment by packing these with classic stuffing flavors like sage, rosemary, fennel seed, and scallion.

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  • Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressing recipe
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng
    8/89

    Bitter Greens With Cranberry Dressing

    Your Thanksgiving spread doesn’t just need a salad—it needs THIS salad with a bright, tart-sweet cranberry dressing.

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  • Corn and Hominy Pudding recipe
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng
    11/89

    Corn and Hominy Pudding

    This extra-savory take on the Southern classic might be our favorite excuse to buy corn out of season.

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  • Asian Pear Salad With PeanutLime Dressing
    Photograph by Jenny Huang, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Martha Bernabe
    12/89

    Asian Pear Salad With Peanut-Lime Dressing

    This sweet-tart salad gets its satisfying crisp-crunchy texture from floral Asian pears and nutty raw cauliflower.

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  • Sweet Potato Tian recipe
    Photograph by Jenny Huang, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Martha Bernabe
    13/89

    Sweet Potato Tian

    Thin rounds baked until tender and crispy-edged in a warming five-spice brown butter sauce might just be our new favorite way to serve sweet potatoes.

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  • 14/89

    Pull-Apart Sour Cream and Chive Rolls

    These melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls from Claire Saffitz are even more tender and pillowy than the classic Parker House rolls.

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  • Image may contain Food Pizza Meal and Dish
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D’mytrek Brown
    17/89

    Coconut Brussels Sprouts Gratin

    Don’t be surprised if this creamy, coconutty vegan gratin outperforms some of the heavier traditional Thanksgiving sides. 

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  • This image may contain Human Person Confectionery Food and Sweets
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    18/89

    Spinach and Feta Tarte Soleil

    The most impressive appetizer to “casually” pull out of the oven when your friends come over (and it also happens to make a nice Thanksgiving snack for while the turkey rests—just sayin').

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  • Image may contain Food and Bread
    Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    21/89

    Brown Butter and Sage Parathas

    Flaky, nutty, buttery paratha you can prep ahead.

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  • This image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    22/89

    Greens Gratin With All the Cheese

    Here's a fun party trick: Ask your friends to guess how many pounds of greens went into this supremely cheesy gratin. Three huge bunches of kale (and/or chard) get drowned in garlic- and rosemary-infused cream, then blanketed in cheddar cheese and panko and sent into a hot oven, where they sizzle and shrink. 

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  • Cacio e Pepe Rösti recipe
    Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng
    23/89

    Cacio e Pepe Rösti

    All the peppery, cheesy pleasure of the Roman classic in crispy, sliceable potato form.

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  • RicePilafwithLemonyBrownButterMushrooms
    Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks
    24/89

    Rice Pilaf With Lemony Brown-Butter Mushrooms

    Fresh herbs, loads of noodles, and a glorious amount of brown butter make this mushroom-packed rice pilaf main course-worthy.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant Vegetable and Nut
    Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    27/89

    Crispy Potatoes With Bay and Scallions

    This recipe is based on a traditional dish of the Ohlone tribe indigenous to California’s East Bay.

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  • Leeks with Pine Nut Salsa Verde
    Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    28/89

    Glazed Leeks With Pine Nut Salsa Verde

    When cooked until tender, doused in a chile-honey-vinegar sauce, and finished with a nutty, herby salsa verde, humble leeks transform into the in-demand side that no one saw coming.

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  • Making Perfect Sides Brussels Sprouts
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
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    Brussels Sprouts With Pistachios and Lime

    These roasted whole brussels sprouts get so crispy you’ll worry they’re burnt (they’re not!). Then toss ’em in a date molasses–brown butter glaze.

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  • Coconut Creamed Greens
    Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
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    Coconut Creamed Greens

    These greens are impossible to stop eating. A sauce of coconut milk, a hot chile, and spices create a full range of bitter, sweet, and tingling flavors.

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  • A big kale and lentil salad in a serving bowl with torn olives and strips of lemon peel.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro
    35/89

    Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad

    Here’s the answer to your question: “What can I make on Sunday night that will taste great for my desk lunch on Wednesday?”

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  • Charred Sweet Potatoes With Hot Honey Butter and Lime
    Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
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    Charred Sweet Potatoes With Hot Honey Butter and Lime

    When you mix hot sauce with butter, it turns into a spicy, creamy spread that’s perfect for melting atop burnished sweet potato halves, bringing them to life.

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  • Cheesy Cabbage Gratin
    Photo by Marcus Nilsson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    37/89

    Cheesy Cabbage Gratin

    Every editor who claimed this cheesy gratin would be “too much!” ended up going back for seconds and thirds. We think you’ll do the same.

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  • Fancy cranberry sauce
    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    38/89

    Fancy Jellied Cranberry Sauce

    We have a thing for canned cranberry sauce, so we dreamed up a sauce as sliceable and jiggly and fun, with deep fruit flavor and a pretty topping.

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  • A platter of creamed spinach with red peppers in a tofu cream sauce.
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    39/89

    Vegan Creamed Spinach

    No cream cheese, heavy cream, or sour cream in this Healthyish take on classic creamed spinach. But—surprise!—there's tofu.

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  • This image may contain Food and Plant
    Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli
    40/89

    Sweet Potatoes With Tahini Butter

    No marshmallows here! Steaming offers extreme speed and high hydration, which means that the sweet potatoes will be done quickly and stay moist.

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  • Baking dish of mac and cheese with crispy panko topping with one serving scooped out.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    41/89

    BA’s Best Mac and Cheese

    This homemade mac and cheese is our Platonic ideal: It is deeply cheesy and creamy and has a crunchy crust. Plus, it doubles easily for a crowd.

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  • A baking dish of green bean casserole topped with French's fried onions and sprigs of thyme.
    Alex Lau
    42/89

    Best-Ever Green Bean Casserole

    Go high-low this year with fresh green beans and mushrooms, Parmesan béchamel, and plenty of store-bought fried onions.

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  • This image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant and Platter
    Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    49/89

    Burnished Potato Nuggets

    Behold, your new standard for roasted potatoes: puck-size oven fries with creamy insides and unimaginably crunchy exteriors.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Vegetable Dish Meal and Spinach
    Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
    50/89

    Roasted Beets with Sesame and Marjoram

    Prettiest when not piled too high; divide the salad over two platters and put one at each end of the table.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant and Pizza
    Alex Lau
    53/89

    Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

    Brown butter and rosemary are the ultimate, timeless pairing for sweet potatoes. Making your own breadcrumbs from sourdough bread shoots this recipe into all-star status, but using store-bought in a pinch is perfectly fine too.

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  • Image may contain Plant Furniture Dining Table Table Food Vegetable and Meal
    Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    54/89

    Broccoli Caesar

    You've never met a better, brighter riff on the classic Caesar than this raw broccoli twist.

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  • Image may contain Blade Weapon Knife Weaponry and Food
    Christopher Testani
    61/89

    Salt-and-Vinegar Rösti

    We transformed the regular hands-on skillet method to a very hands-off oven technique.

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  • This image may contain Food Dish Meal Plant and Pizza
    Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Andy Baraghani
    62/89

    Butternut Squash Baked Pasta

    The assignment: A satisfying, creamy, crave-worthy baked pasta that would still be delicious without (most of) the cheese. Nailed it!

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  • Image may contain Food Meal Dish and Plant
    Christopher Testani
    69/89

    Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes with Paprika

    We wish we could take credit for this double-dairy, paprika-dusted masterpiece of a mash, but we can’t. The dish is courtesy of Dr. Andrew Stanek, father to BA's own Amiel Stanek.

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  • Gratin of potatoes shingled and topped with melted Gruyere and Parmesan in a casserole dish on a wooden surface.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    70/89

    Classic Potato Gratin

    When simmering the cream, make sure it’s over gentle heat (if it over-reduces, it will break).

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  • Image may contain Food Bread and Bun
    75/89

    Dilly Rolls

    Yeasted doughs might seem daunting to novice bakers, but these rolls are very simple to make.

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  • Bowl of roasted brussels sprouts atop a red napkin.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    76/89

    Roasted Brussels Sprouts

    This is your mainstay recipe for perfect roasted brussels sprouts. 

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  • Bowl of spinach artichoke dip surrounded by crudite and potato chips on a beige surface.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
    77/89

    Spinach Artichoke Dip

    Make spinach artichoke dip for a crowd! Make it for a party for one! But definitely make it. This version won’t disappoint.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Clothing Long Sleeve Sleeve and Apparel
    Alex Lau
    78/89

    Tempura Green Beans with Mushroom Salt and Shallot Dip

    When you get right down to it, very few people actually really and truly want a green bean casserole. Lacy fried green beans with an addictive shallot dip? That’s another story, and a great way to use up any leftover beans.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Plant Platter and Fruit
    Ture Lillegraven
    79/89

    Squash with Dates and Thyme

    The sweetness of the acorn squash, dates, and coconut oil in this simple roast is balanced by the garlic and woodsy herbs.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Bowl Fruit and Citrus Fruit
    Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski
    80/89

    Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

    With this brussels sprouts recipe, get straight to the good stuff: those sweet, bright green, tender-crisp leaves.

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