Last-Minute Quick and Easy Vegan Recipes for Thanksgiving

Super easy, healthy and delicious plant-based dishes, perfect if you’re looking for some last-minute additions to your Thanksgiving menu!

Did Thanksgiving completely sneak up on anyone else this year? After spending two weeks traveling in London for the first half of November (more on that coming soon!), I got back to the US only to realize that Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Just in case you’re in a similar boat, here are a number of super quick and easy recipes that would be a great last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving table!

Shopping List

• Salad mix
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Brussels Spouts
• Chestnuts
• Sweet potatoes
• Dried Cranberries
• Stuffing
• Vegetable stock (I like Better Than Bouillon)
• Pasta (I like Banza’s chickpea pasta)
• Pesto (I like Trader Joe’s vegan pesto)
• Chickpeas
• Olive oil and salt (if you don’t already have them on hand)

Dishes

Salad

For the simplest salad, my lazy hack is to just pick up a fabulous salad mix and just add in some personal extras to liven it up. I love the Taylor’s Farm Chopped Kit from Costco. To that I added some leftover roasted butternut squash, as well as a Salad Mix topping also from Costco), which had extra nuts, seeds and dried cranberries.

Stuffing

I found a vegan and gluten-free stuffing by Bell’s at our local supermarket, but you can use whatever mix you prefer. Just add vegetable stock (I used Better than Boullion’s seasoned vegetable base).

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are always a welcome addition to any table! You can go for regular sweet potatoes, or some adorable Baby Roasters. I just covered them with olive oil and a bit of salt, and roasted for 30mins at 400F until they got all gooey and gorgeous on in the inside.⁣

Carrots and Parsnips

Another super simple dish – just peel and chop your carrots and parsnips, cover with oil, salt, and a dash of maple syrup for extra sweetness, and roast for 30mins at 400F until soft (to save on oven usage, you can roast these at the same time as the sweet potatoes).

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

If you never thought you were a fan of Brussels sprouts, try them again in this recipe! It’s all about the preparation, and when this dish comes out of the oven, with the Brussels all beautifully roasted, you might just think again. Here’s how I prepare this one:

• 1 bag of Brussels sprouts
• 2 tbsp olive oil⁣
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (or however much you desire)⁣
• Salt and pepper, to taste⁣
• Dried cranberries
• Chestnuts, halved⁣

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F⁣.
2. Prep your brussels sprouts by trimming the base, removing the outer leaves, and cutting in half⁣.
3. Place on a sheet-pan, add your olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and roast for about 20mins.⁣
4. Add chestnuts, and then cook for another ~10mins, or until the Brussels sprouts have turned golden.⁣
5. Sprinkle on the cranberries, serve up and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Pesto Pasta

Pasta-ably my fav paste recipe ever, and it’s perfect for this time of year. You can check out the full recipe here, but you basically just need your fav pasta, your fav pesto, a butternut squash and chickpeas⁣.

Apple Crumble

You can’t forget about dessert, and I’m an apple gal all the way. This apple crumble uses healthy, nourishing ingredients, and is such a breeze to throw together. Just prepare it while your mains are cooking, and then bake it while you’re feasting to enjoy as the perfect sweet ending to the meal!

Here’s how I make it (*recipe slightly adapted from Forks and Knives):⁣

• 8 apples⁣
• 2 tbsp cinnamon⁣
• Lemon juice⁣
• 1.5 cups oats⁣
• 1.5 cups oat flour⁣
• ½ cup pure maple/date syrup⁣
• ¼ cup almond butter⁣
• 2 teaspoons baking powder⁣
• ¼ teaspoon salt⁣

1. Broil apple slices, tossed in cinnamon and lemon juice for ~7 minutes or until they soften, (or cook them in a pan on the stove).⁣
2. Mix oats, oat flour, syrup, baking powder and salt in a bowl (I use my hands!) until you get a crumble texture. Use it to cover the apple slices. ⁣
3. Bake for ~20mins until golden.⁣
4. Serve with coconut whip, ice cream or anything else you fancy, and Enjoy!

Time to Eat

And that’s it! This menu gives you a full spread of delicious plant-based dishes, and they’re all so simple to make. I hope it gives you some inspo for your own holiday meal planning. Happy Thanksgiving friends!