18 Vegan Recipes for a Terrific Turkey-Free Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

What is a vegan alternative to turkey for Thanksgiving? ›

Burmese Tofu (aka Chickpea Flour Tofu)

For an alternative to turkey that's mild in flavor and can be treated like any other protein, turn to Burmese tofu, which transforms chickpea flour, oil, and water into a sturdy tofu-like dish.

This vegan turkey is made from shaved tofu perfectly seasoned with sage and onion seasoning. It takes only 15 minutes to make, and has all the flavors and textures you've come to expect from a traditional turkey dinner (but no turkey!). Super meaty, juicy, and tender but also some irresistibly crispy edges.

Seasonal vegetables like squash, beets, and mushrooms are key to making vegan-friendly dishes that are festive for Thanksgiving. Add quinoa, nuts, and beans (like chickpeas or lentils) to create satisfying entrées that everyone at the table will want to try.

Roasted Whole Chicken

“Each of these can be seasoned to your taste and roasted in the oven, resulting in wonderful aroma and delicious meat,” says Palumbo. Both chicken and turkey are lean proteins, especially if you avoid dark meat.

Provides Protein

Moreover, most store-bought tofurkey has just as much protein as turkey bird meat. As a result, Plant based Turkey is a healthy alternative to animal protein sources. For added benefits, you can eat Plant based Turkey with other fruits and vegetables to add a variety of proteins to your diet.

Soy protein

Soy is most commonly sold as mince, cutlets, or balls. As with tofu, marinades and spice mixtures can be added to produce virtually any aroma or flavor. This makes soy ideal for vegetarian burgers, meatballs, cutlets, bolognese sauce, or chilli sin carne.

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals. This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors.

Rotisserie or roasted chicken

If you want to stay in the bird family, a good fallback is chicken. From both a nutritional and textural standpoint, it's an excellent sub for turkey. That's to say that it tastes like turkey—and any foodie or chef will tell you the differences between the two is astronomical.

What can I put in my turkey if I don't stuff it? ›

Onion, celery and carrot: These chopped vegetables are placed inside the cavity. These help to add flavor and also keep the turkey moist as they steam. Other vegetables you can use are squashes or peppers. Seasonings & Herbs: Salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and sage.

Other protein-filled vegan options that could replace turkey in your vegan Thanksgiving table are tempeh, tofu and seitan. Choose one of these plant-based turkey alternatives, or combine more than one in your table, complimenting with veggies, rice, salads, or any other plant-based whole foods ingredients you want.

In particular, Jainism, the Indian faith that originated in north India sometime between 5th-7th Century BCE, predating even Buddhism, comes closest to the modern-day vegan principles of avoiding animal products.

Nut Roast. The most popular Christmas meal for vegetarians and vegans is the nut roast. This typically describes a mixture of nuts, breadcrumbs, leeks, onions, broth and either oil or butter. However, this recipe is malleable and offers the opportunity for many alterations according to personal preference.

Turkish dishes are often vegan or vegetarian to start with, so finding something at most restaurants will be quite easy if you know what to look for. Things to try include: Imam Bayildi. Lentil Kofte.