How to Host The Best Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Be a GREAT host!

How to Host The Best Vegetarian Thanksgiving – from appetizers, to side dishes, including gravy and cranberry sauce, to main dishes and desserts. Everything you need to serve The Best Vegetarian Thanksgiving.

Whether you need the full menu, or simply some dishes to serve to vegetarian guests who are attending with meat eating guests, everyone will love these menu options.

And, of course, these menu options will be great at any holiday gathering like Christmas or Easter.

What does a vegetarian eat?

When I became a vegetarian (more than 30 years ago!) people would ask me what I ate for Thanksgiving.

It was really a foreign concept, that people wouldn’t eat the turkey. I would answer simply that I just didn’t eat the turkey, but I ate everything else.

Now, that answer is a little simplistic. I don’t want stuffing that’s been cooked inside the bird.

Or stuffing that’s been made with chicken stock. And, neither do your vegetarian guests.

But, with a few easy tweaks, you can have delicious vegetarian offerings.

Everyone can enjoy vegetarian food

And, the nice thing about it is that your meat eating guests can partake of all the vegetarian offerings as well.

My mom says she can’t even tell that there’s no meat in things like my stuffing.

Part of the appeal of Thanksgiving is the variety and sheer amount of delicious foods offered on the Thanksgiving table.

So, in keeping with that, I bring you tons of great recipes and offerings!

Be a Good Guest

Some “polite” guest habits may not be as considerate as they seem.

• Arriving early: It may feel punctual, but arriving early can catch a host mid-prep or unready. Aim to arrive at—or just after—the invited time.
• Bringing wine without knowing the host’s taste: Wine is a common hostess gift, but not everyone drinks it, and many have strong preferences. If you’re unsure, choose something more personal or a neutral option.
• Washing dishes after the host declines help: Pushing past a polite “no, thank you” can feel intrusive and disrupt the evening. Respect their boundaries and show appreciation in other ways.
• Offering unsolicited feedback: Comments like “next time you should…” are often meant kindly but can come across as critical. Unless the host asks, keep suggestions to yourself.
• Insisting on contributing to the menu: If it’s not a potluck, offer once—then accept the answer. Extra dishes can complicate the host’s plans. Let them lead; it’s their event.

Hosting norms are highly personal and cultural, so these aren’t one-size-fits-all rules. Timing, helping, and expectations vary by relationship, setting, and culture.

I’d love to hear your thoughts—what would you add, and what etiquette gray areas have you encountered as a host or guest? 

A few tips

If you’re making a turkey, please be sure not to cross contaminate the rest of the food by using the same utensil on the turkey or in the turkey gravy or stuffing and then into the vegetarian stuffing.

Besides keeping your vegetarian items meat-free, not using the same utensils in multiple dishes will help with food safety and will help keep everything bacteria free.

Keep in mind, as well, that these dishes can be incorporated into a regular thanksgiving menu.

I usually make a turkey and turkey gravy, and then the rest of the dishes are veg-friendly. So, I can eat everything. And those who eat turkey can still enjoy the full offerings.

And, like I said, my mom (who eats meat) tells me she doesn’t even miss the meat stuffing (and a bonus I don’t have to worry about salmonella in the stuffing).

Many of these dishes are either already vegan, or they can easily be made vegan. Take a look at the list and if you have vegan guests, keep them in mind as well.

And, here’s my time saving, sanity saving tip: if you run out of broth or bouillon, mix up a batch of my Vegetable Broth Mix in an instant! It’ll save you lots of headaches!

Cranberry Sauce

• Roasted cranberry sauce
• Cranberry sauce with cherries and red onions

Stuffing

• Vegetarian Stuffing
• Crock pot vegetarian stuffing
• Zucchini stuffing casserole

Gravy

• Vegetarian gravy recipe
• Country gravy mix
• Creamy mushroom sauce

Potatoes

• Mashed potatoes
• Mashed potato casserole
• Savory mashed potato puffs
• Twice baked potatoes
• Veggies baked in apricot thyme sauce
• Skinny potato and onion bake
• Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin

Vegetable side dishes

• Oven roasted vegetables
• Air Fryer Roasted Green Beans
• Maple roasted carrots
• roasted sweet potatoes
• Creamed spinach gratin
• Butternut squash gratin casserole
• Cucumber and onion salad
• Garlic Parmesan cauliflower
• Chipotle maple sweet potatoes
• Roasted green beans
• Carrot orzo
• Cranberry pecan broccoli salad
• Green bean casserole
• White Bean Arugula Salad with Frico
• Also, be sure to check out my collection of Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Vegetarian main dishes

• Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
• Lentils with winter vegetables
• Baked barley with mushrooms and onions
• Broccoli wild rice casserole
• White bean gratin casserole
• Lentil pot pies
• Vegetarian Pot Pie
• White bean gnocchi
• Orzo Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

Dessert

• The best Pumpkin Pie Recipe
• Pecan Pie
• Sweet Potato Pie
• Cranberry Cheesecake Dream Bars
• Pecan Pie Muffins
• No Bake Peanut Butter Pumpkins are a fun project that you can eat when you’re done making them!
• Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe
• Pumpkin Custards