Quick Take

When it comes to a plant-based diet for beginners, we know the holiday season can seem challenging. But it doesn't have to be! If you're new to plant-based foods and struggling to come up with a vegan Thanksgiving menu, know this: most of your favorite holiday sides can easily be made vegan...and we're here to show you how with this quick guide.

Before We Begin: Skip the Cooking and Let MamaSezz Provide the Holiday Feast!

Cooking all day is so last year! Order the MamaSezz Holiday Bundle and get ready-made and delicious whole food plant-based Thanksgiving staples, delivered fresh! We do the cooking, you focus on enjoying the season with friends and family. ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY BUNDLE BY 8 PM ET FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH FOR DELIVERY IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING!

Get my holiday bundle now!

Our #1 tip for your vegan Thanksgiving

Move over turkey – it's all about the vegan Thanksgiving sides!

When you ask your average Joe or Josephine what their favorite dish at Thanksgiving is, they rarely say the turkey. Although it is the mascot of the holiday, it pretty much tastes…like turkey…every year. Millennials are especially less likely to handle raw meat, and to be honest, the whole basting/probing/brining thing just seems like more work than it’s worth. So if you're new to a whole food plant-based diet and you're struggling to come up with your vegan Thanksgiving menu, know this: most of your favorite sides are more than halfway there!

Yep, most side dishes are 85 percent vegan anyway, so all you have to do is make a few simple swaps to bring them up to 100 percent. (See, a plant-based diet for beginners doesn't have to be overwhelming!)

We're here to help you get that extra fifteen percent with this quick reference guide below. And all of our tasty suggestions help you make your dishes more whole food as well.  

Plant-Based Diet for Beginners: 10 Super Simple Vegan Thanksgiving Swaps

1. Instead of chicken broth, use veggie broth.
2. Instead of milk, use unsweetened non-dairy milk.
3. Instead of refined sugar, use date sugar or maple syrup.
4. Instead of butter, use cashew cream and nutritional yeast.
5. Instead of heavy cream, use canned coconut milk.
6. Instead of white flour, choose wheat flour, almond flour, or brown rice flour.
7. Instead of white bread in your stuffing, use whole grain bread.
8. Instead of oil or butter, sautee in veggie broth.
9. Instead of cheese use nutritional yeast.
10. Instead of an egg, use a flax egg in your stuffing or baking. 

9 MamaSezz swaps to up the vegan Thanksgiving ante

A plant-based diet for beginners doesn't have to be boring. The simplest way to jazz up your very first vegan Thanksgiving menu? Add some MamaSezz ready-made vegan dishes to the mx. Here are our favorite ways to use MamaSezz in your holiday feast preparations, from the vegan Thanksgiving sides to the main course.

• Instead of sausage in your stuffing, use MamaSezz Breakfast Sausage 
• Instead of gravy, try MamaSezz Hungarian Mushroom Soup (reduce to thicken)
• Instead of Turkey, try MamaSezz Veggie Loaf or Italian Herb Protein strips as your vegan Thanksgiving main.
• Instead of candied sweet potatoes, try MamaSezz Mashed Sweet Potatoes (available in the MamaSezz Holiday Bundle only)
• Instead of canned cranberry, try MamaSezz Cranberry Chutney (available in the MamaSezz Holiday Bundle only)
• Instead of boxed cornbread mix, try MamaSezz Cornbread 
• Instead of an oil based dressing, try MamaSezz Pecan Balsamic oil-free Dressing
• Instead of cholesterol-filled scalloped potatoes, try MamaSezz dairy-free Scalloped Potatoes 
• Instead of a sugary dessert, try MamaSezz refined sugar-free Rice Pudding 

Want Mama's help this holiday? Don't forget to order your MamaSezz Holiday Bundle by Friday, November 19th to get all of these vegan staples in time for your Thanksgiving feast! 

BONUS: Your FREE vegan Thanksgiving recipes and menu

Want to cook but need help planning? Get your FREE whole food plant-based Thanksgiving menu from MamaSezz here!

These simple plant-based recipes are all WFPB, oil-free, gluten-free optional, high fiber, high protein, and out of this world delicious.

Here’s a Sneak Peak of the FREE whole food vegan Thanksgiving menu: 

Apple Sage Stuffing
Vegan Gravy 
Dairy Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes 
Brussels Sprout Salad
Pearled Peas and Onions
Cranberry Sauce 
Pumpkin Pie 

Get your FREE download now. 

Updated 11/10/21

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By Caroline DiNicola Fawley

Caroline is a plant-based chef, recipe designer, and whole food plant-based nutrition educator, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.