If you're new to having a vegan Thanksgiving dinner, it can be a bit overwhelming. What can I make? Is it going to feel traditional without turkey? And now with the added challenge of social distancing it's likely that you may not be gathering at all for this holiday. I wanted to help you by creating this guide for a Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner for 2. Whether it be social distancing that's keeping your celebrations small, or you just prefer it that way, this guide will help you design the perfect menu to celebrate this special occasion. Lots of tips are included to make your celebration easy and special.
10 Tips for Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner for 2:
1- Keep it simple. As you won't have many extra hands in the kitchen, it's no fun to overwhelm yourself with piles of work. Part of enjoying the holidays is finding time to relax, so since you're only cooking for two cut the stress and keep it simple. You don't need every single traditional side dish, an extravagant main, or an array of desserts to choose from. Instead choose just your favourite sides and choose recipes that are simple to prepare.
2- Find corners to cut. Along the lines of keeping it simple, don't hesitate to find corners to cut. Feel free to purchase store-bought vegan dishes for your meal. Vegan roasts, prepared cakes or pies, and vegan whipped cream in a can are all be great time savers that can still help you make a special feast. Many vegan restaurants or stores will also be selling pre-made treats. Sometimes it's a treat to buy something you wouldn't cook for yourself.
3- Make ahead. Some dishes are actually better made ahead such as my easy vegan pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. When designing your menu browse the recipes and see which recipes you can prep ahead of time. Spreading out the cooking over two or three days will mean you don't have to spend long in the kitchen on Thanksgiving.
4- Make or buy at least one special treat. Whether it be a homemade vegan cheese, a fancy dessert, or a show stopper main, to make the occasion feel extra special it's nice to have at least one dish you wouldn't find on your usual table.
5- Decorate. To make the occasion feel special, add some decorations. Spruce up your table by adding pumpkins, autumn leaves, fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme sprigs, or other decorations. It can even be as simple as lighting a candle or using some cloth napkins. Even small touches will make this meal feel unique.
6- Relocate. If you always eat your meals in the same location, try changing the location up a bit. If you normally eat in your kitchen or on the couch, try cleaning off your dining table for this special occasion. If you don't have a dinning table (I don't), think of other creative locations you could enjoy your meal that might be fun. For my partners birthday we made a picnic on the living room floor. For our New Year celebration we prepared a feast and served it on our coffee table by the fire place. If it's warm enough it could be lovely to have an outdoor meal, wrap yourself in a blanket if needed. Sometimes all it takes is a new local to make the event feel totally new.
7- Make smaller portions. If there's only two of you, you really don't need a massive tray of scalloped potatoes, or a huge vegan roast. In many instances it might be a good idea to reduce the recipe so you don't prepare way too much food. In any of the recipes on my blog I provide the option to reduce the recipe size by just changing the serving size. See how in this little video.
8- Team work. There's two of you so make use of that. Cooking together can be fun and will give you a fun activity. You can each choose a few dishes to make, or if your teammate doesn't like to cook, you can recruit them for dish duty. Tip: try to clean dishes as you cook so there is less of a mess for after dinner.
9- Pop a bottle. Pop a bottle of champagne, wine, a fancy beer, apple cider, or fizzy water. When preparing for your Thanksgiving dinner don't forget to include a special drink too.
10- Plan an after dinner activity. Plan an activity for after dinner so that the special day continues. Star gazing, watching a great movie, a video game battle, sipping cocktails by the fire, or playing a board game are all fun ideas.
Menu guide for vegan thanksgiving dinner for 2
Now that you have some tips to make this day easy and special, here is a selection of recipes to choose from. I selected the below recipes because they are easy to prepare as well as super delicious, but feel free to swap any of the items out for a store-bought dish or your family favourite version.
Appetizer (optional):
Make a vegan snack board! This can be as simple as a vegan cheese and crackers with some olives, or a flavoured hummus with veggies for dipping. Follow my guide for how to make a vegan snack board but feel free to keep it much simpler since you're only feeding 2 people. I often find that I can put together a pretty great board just by rummaging through my cupboards and fridge.
Side dishes (choose 2):
Easy Vegan Stove Top Stuffing
5-Minute Creamed Corn
Garlic Sautéed Green Beans
The Best (and easiest) Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Creamy Vegan Coconut Potatoes
Lemon Cashew Asparagus
Grilled Butternut Squash(skip the chimichurri if you like)
Creamy Garlic Coconut Mushrooms
Quick Roasted Cauliflower
Agave Glazed Carrots
Sauce it up (choose 1):
Easy Vegan Mushroom Gravy
The Best Easy Vegan Cranberry Sauce
Quick Vegan Onion Gravy
The Main Event (choose 1):
Brown Sugar & Mustard Glazed Tofu
Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash (half the recipe unless you want leftovers)
Almond Rosemary Lemon Crusted Tofu
Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf (half the recipe to make one loaf)
Dessert (choose 1):
Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Easy Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
Soft Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Easy Vegan Caramel Corn (especially great if you're planning to watch a movie)
I hope you found this guide to a vegan Thanksgiving dinner for 2 helpful. I have even more recipe option in my my Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Guide if you want to check that out, but I made a point to include the easiest and best recipes in this post for you.
Bon appetegan and happy holidays!
Sam Turnbull.
Kim Clark says
Thank you Sam.
I have been making your pumpkin pie for a few years now, and it’s a favorite! My husband says he can’t tell the difference from is Mom’s with eggs and cream!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! 🙂
Rose says
Thank You Sam.
I am making the Thanksgivng dinner for two. The stove top stuffing looks delicious, I like making new recipes atleast one each year with a traditional dinner.
I am getting warmed up with the Lemon Meringue Pie
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Enjoy!
Kari says
This is a great 'how to' Sam. I remember my first holiday and having no idea what to do. You've made it really easy for someone who is starting out, or who just wants a step by step guide to eliminate the stress.
Congrats on your engagement too!
Sad you took the ability to leave a website with our name. It was a great way to connect with like-minded people. It's the same reason why I've recommended you many times through my sites.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much!!
As for the website on comments, I didn't even realized that got removed somehow. I think I fixed it. 🙂
LaTrice Mays says
Hi Sam:)
I think I will let hubby and son pick two, and I will cook ahead! Especially with the dessert Yaaaaaaaaa! Kinda picking up small ingredients this week Whew! So I can beat that dreaded S word haha! I hate standing in the kitchen on Tg day.
Sam Turnbull says
amazing, enjoy!!
joe says
Hi Sam
I love your recipes very much cos they are just to my liking.
But as much as I love cooking I am not a food gobbler and as such end up by having freezer stuffed up with left overs. I hate wasting food!
If its not too much trouble for you choose for me a set menu from your extensive list. I got bewildered trying to choose any.
Thanks Sam and God bless you
PS I don.t have any preferences.
Joe
Sam Turnbull says
How about mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans, mushroom gravy, and glazed tofu? 🙂
Sonya Davidson says
Thank you for this nice thanksgiving guide, gives me the wish to hunt down a really good seitan turkey recipe with lots of your cranberry sauce
Sam Turnbull says
Yes!!! I've been working on one for years, and still haven't nailed it. One day...
David Watson says
Hi, Sam!
Well, these days it's just me
My wife passed five years ago, my folks are up in Washington state (I'm in Oklahoma), my sister's in Montana, and everyone else is in the Dallas area...and with COVID-19, nobody's going anywhere anyway. Still, I like to remember the good times and we can always Skype and share a toast, if nothing else.
So, for me, it will be a savory stuffing, a seitan "turkey", gravy (of course), a citrusy cranberry relish, green bean casserole, a chardonnay with dinner and maybe some bubbly for afters, and of COURSE there will be pumpkin pie with mounds of whipped cream!
There will be leftovers, I know, but bake up a loaf of cranberry bread and make "turkey" and stuffing open-faced sandwiches? Oh, yeah!
Now I just need to come up with something special for my kitties! ❤
Sam Turnbull says
That sounds wonderful, David! It's always nice to celebrate with good food 🙂
Sonya Davidson says
Wow your dinner sounds delicious!
Nancy says
What a great list of dishes! I now have my Thanksgiving dinner menu planned. I have been trying to find gluten free vegan dishes and now I have a good list to work with. Even after being vegan for 32 years, new recipes are always appreciated.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Nancy!! And congrats on vegan for 32 years! That's amazing 🙂
Cecilia C. says
What a great 'gift'. Thank you, Sam, for the helpful ideas, and seasonal reading. You really put me in a festive mood, and I really appreciate the smaller portions, especially now during social distancing.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Cecilia! So happy I could help 🙂