Hiya Gorgeous,
It’s official. The holidays are here. And if you haven’t already, it’s a good time to start planning a scrumptious menu packed with vegan Thanksgiving recipes!
This is such a busy time of year for most of us… kitchen headaches are the last thing we need! That’s why I decided to team up with a couple of my favorite chefs—Joy Pierson (one of the masterminds behind the incredible Candle Cafe in NYC) and Chloe Coscarelli (inventive vegan chef and prolific cookbook author)—to help me pull together a manageable, but still show-stopping, vegan Thanksgiving menu.
Need some vegan Thanksgiving recipes for your own festive affair?
Are you prepping for a hungry group at your place, too? Or do you need the perfect side or dessert? Either way, I know you want to wow your friends and fam with healthy, delectable dishes—especially if they tend to be skeptical about plant-based food! Well toots, it’s your lucky day because I’ve got just the thing…
You’re gonna love the Crazy Sexy Thanksgiving Menu I created with Joy and Chloe! It features 9 fabulous salads, soups, sides, mains and desserts that will have your whole crew raving (yup, even the picky folks!). And here’s the best part: All of the vegan Thanksgiving recipes we featured are from Joy’s Vegan Holiday Cooking, Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen and my Crazy Sexy Kitchen, so downloading the meal plan is like getting a free sneak peek at each of these amazing cookbooks!
Here’s a preview of the drool-worthy dishes you’ll get to prep and enjoy:
Make sure to grab your Crazy Sexy Thanksgiving Menu now so you have time to check out the 9 easy, tasty plant-based recipes before the big day rolls around. And don’t forget to take pics of your Thanksgiving spread or behind-the-scenes of you cooking up a storm—post ‘em on Facebook and Instagram and tag me, @crazysexykris, so I can share them with our community!
Once you download your menu and recipes, make your way back here because I’m not done with ya! What can I say? I love you all year ‘round, but I’m feeling especially thankful during this season of gratitude and giving. And I couldn’t think of a better way to show my appreciation than with some bonus tips to help you make it a stress-free holiday.
Hassle-Free Holiday Cooking Tips from Pro Chefs!
I asked Joy and Chloe to share their top tips for simplifying holiday hosting and cooking. These ideas are here to help you dial the holiday stress way down so you can focus on having fun, connecting with your loved ones and enjoying yourself in the kitchen and at the table!
Joy Pierson’s Tip: Get Everyone Involved
Plant-based holidays are all about compassionate indulgence, but they still take planning and coordination. One of the strategies I use to pull off a giant cruelty-free Thanksgiving is including everyone in the preparations. I like to invite the whole family to get involved—not just at the table but in the kitchen, too. Here’s how we make it happen:
- Menu planning starts 2-3 weeks ahead of time. Once it’s complete, I send it to everyone to get them excited and hopefully inspire some offers to help.
- Everyone chips in (including the young ones!) to do most of the prep and cooking before Thanksgiving Day. The whole team brings their almost-done dishes to the big celebration, which makes it fast and easy to get everything on the table!
- The fun starts and ends in the kitchen. Putting the final touches on our meal as a team adds so much fun and satisfaction to the holiday. Our time at the table is the vegan gravy on top!
Chloe Coscarelli’s Tip: It’s All About Food Prep!
Do AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN ahead of time. You should just be reheating and assembling on the day of (there’s no reason to be chopping onions that day). Here’s how to prep my recipes ahead of time and save yourself a ton of work on the big day.
- Golden Gravy: This scrumptious sauce can be made 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.
- Parmesan Roasted Asparagus: The Parmesan Topping can be made 5 days in advance and refrigerated. Make the asparagus the day before, then reheat it in a preheated 400°F (205°C) oven for about 10 minutes. Roasting vegetables brings out their natural sugars, which makes them buttery soft with nice crispy edges. Pro tip: Turn asparagus often to make sure all sides become crisp. Sprinkle with room-temperature Parmesan Topping before serving.
- Italian Meatloaf: You can make this magnificent main 2 days before your meal—just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then, reheat it in the oven on Thanksgiving Day.
- Chocolate Cherry Coffee Cake: Assemble the cake batter and streusel topping in the pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake the cake fresh the next day!
My Tip: Plan for the Big Day and Beyond!
Now that we’ve covered prep work and recruiting extra hands in the kitchen, it’s time to put these strategies to work. It may sound simple, but you’ve gotta write it all down and think ahead. Here’s what I recommend:
- Once you’ve locked your menu, make a shopping list. Take a moment to review the vegan Thanksgiving recipes you plan to use (don’t forget to reference your Crazy Sexy Thanksgiving Menu!). Determine what you already have in your kitchen and make a list of every ingredient you still need to get. It’ll make your trip to the store a breeze… especially during this chaotic time!
- Whip out your calendar and schedule everything. Whether it’s in your planner or Google Calendar, it’s a good idea to schedule time for shopping, meal prep and cooking. Otherwise, other holiday and life activities are going to get in the way, leaving you stressed out on Thanksgiving Day.
- Plan for leftovers from the beginning. Are you really going to feel like cooking in the days following your feast? I know I never do and I’ll also have extra mouths to feed with family staying over. My solution: Doubling some of the recipes so that sandwiches, soups and salads are easy-peasy over the long weekend. Less cooking and fewer dishes means more time to relax. Ahhhhh.
I hope these tips and vegan Thanksgiving recipes take the tension off your plate and give you more time to take care of yourself this month. Don’t forget to download your free menu if you haven’t yet (you’re not gonna believe how scrumptious these recipes are!). Mwah!
Now it’s your turn: What’s your number one holiday cooking tip or favorite recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Peace & pumpkin pie,
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Hi Kris & crew!
I’m super excited to check out your healthy & delicious Thanksgiving recipes – especially your Supah Mashed Potatoes!
Thanks 🙂
Pls send recipes for thanksgiving dinner. Thanks
tHANKS, kRIS!
Great, can’t wait to try these recipes, send them my way.
My cousin and I are planning our Thanksgiving meal. We are so excited to serve several of your recipes. I am making the Pumpkin Bisque! This is my first time discovering your amazing blog. I am sure I will come back to it often. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Kris! I’m looking forward to trying some of these recipes.
I would love the recipes!
Hi sweet Kris! Thank you please send ,me the happy healthy thanksgiving kale salad and other recipes. Love and peace victoria
recipe to die for…..
I’ll share your website with my 4000 email list..
I love your recipes!
HI! I’ve been a vegetarian for 21 years but have just recently eliminated dairy from my diet and am so happy to have found you and your recipes. I have a question about your pumpkin cheesecake, which looks amazing. I’ve never used agar before. Did you boil the powder? Also, I will have to use agar flakes rather than powder. Do I need to boil the flakes first? If so how do I incorporate that step into the process? Thank you so much for your advice.
I did use your recipes for Thanksgiving this year, some were awesome, and some I attempted didn’t do so hot.
The mashed potatoes were great, the golden gravy was awesome, the buttah… not so much was unclear for how long to soak the cashews, soaked until they squished in my fingers, but they still didn’t cream up, more like crunchy peanut butter. Still used the herbs and butter, tasted good.
My cheesecake went squirrely had the consistency of oatmeal, Have to say though the cream cheese icing and cider reduction went on everything was fantastic.
Loved the roasted asparagus. with Parmesan.
Was all I attempted this year. Thanks for the recipes.
I’m a newly minted vegan (only one month in) so this was my first opportunity to cook for others at a shared meal. I made your pumpkin cheesecake and it was PERFECT!
I was sure it was a bust because I overfilled the springform pan so it spilled over the edges while cooking. It also did not set up like I thought it would after baking but I put it in the fridge anyway and hoped for the best.
It set perfectly after refrigeration and once the frosting and reduction was applied it was beautiful!!
My mom is now asking me to make it for Christmas
These recipes sound so good.
Please send for Christmas dinner. Thanks.
Thanks in advance Kris – I live in Fronce but thought I might find a special vegetarian Christmas meal from you
I love your book crazy sexy kitchen
Great suggestions
Looking forward to trying the recipes!
Can’t wait to try these!
Love your recipes.