7 Easy Ways to Host a Vegan & Gluten Free Thanksgiving

Whether you are Vegan, Vegetarian or you might have guests over who are Plant-based or on a Gluten Free diet, these tips & tricks are design to help you create a smooth, beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving table. 

With so many options available now days it is super easy to be Vegan or Vegetarian! You just need to learn the basics and find out where to buy your products. With a bit of Google search you can also learn easy to make Vegan dishes! YUM 

This article was written by our Vegan chefs and experts with many years of experience. 

Enjoy these top secrets and tips.😉 

1. Choose a Food Theme: 

Don’t go overboard, don’t confuse yourself! Make it easy and fun for you and your guests. Choose a food theme, and make your appetizer, main dish and desserts based on that theme. 

Themes are always fun, and it brings a touch of excitement to the party! Here are few examples: 

🌮Mexican Style 👉Appetizer: Vegan Nachos or Chips and Guacamole. 

To make the Nachos simply purchase Gluten Free Chips from Wholefoods Market or your local grocery stores that might carry a Gluten Free brand. Find good quality Vegan Cheese that are also Gluten Free, we use Miyoko’s . Please NOTE we are not affiliate or PAYED from these brands. We are their loyal customers and we appreciate the good quality and healthy products they offer. 

Chop few fresh tomatoes, onions, parsley, organic canned black beans and simply put everything together. 

Main Dish: Tacos. What you need: Gluten Free Tortilla Bread, the brand we absolutely  LOVE is Siete Foods , they also carry amazing Vegan and GF chips, Vegan GF Shredded Cheese, Mushrooms, Bell Papers, Onions, Vegan GF Sour Cream, we use Kite Hill, Parsley, Salt and paper, refried canned beans, Avocado. 

This one is super easy, jut oil a pan and heat on high then add your onions and sauté till it’s golden, lower the heat to medium now add your mushrooms, bell paper and add in your Salt and paper. Mix everything and cook on medium for about 10 minutes. 

Now you have your main dish, by simply adding your mushroom mixture to the Gluten Free bread, top with parsley and fresh avocado. 

Desserts: Of course you can order our Freshly Baked, delicious Vegan and Gluten Free sweet treats, or if you like baking you can make these quick and easy Mexican Chocolate Truffles. Here’s the recipe we recommend. 

For any other Food Theme, you can choose: 

• Vegan Picnic style 👉 options are; Fruit Salad, Sandwich, Plant-based Ice Cream.
• Vegan Japanese Style 👉 Edamame, Vegan Sushi Roll, Vegan GF Mochi.  
• Vegan Persian Style 👉 Ashe Reshteh, Vegan Ghormeh Sabzi with no meat, extra beans instead and Jasmine Rice, Dates (Khormah) and Chai (Tea) 
• Vegan American Style 👉 French Fries, Vegan Home Made Burgers, Plant-based Ice Cream. 

2. Get to Know Your Guests Likes and Dislikes: 

Some people are picky! They only eat a certain food in a specific way. They also might have food allergies and or sensitivities. So it’s best to speak to your guest and find out about their likes and dislikes, to make everyones life easier! 

Ask them their opinion about a food you are contemplating on, they might be able to give you great ideas. Always be open and honest with your guests! Don’t try to impress them, perfection leads to paralysis.

3.  Always Add Some Fun Side Dishes: 

Side dishes on the table keeps everything interesting and tempting, plus it will make your table look fuller! 

You don’t need to go spending tons of money on unnecessary food that will go to waste. Just simply by adding few grapes, or nuts, a side of fresh berries or figs will make a beautiful fiesta table, and it will be fun for your guest to munch on something while they are waiting for the food.😋

4.  Set the Vegan Section Separately: 

People who choose the Plant-based life style, like to be respected by those around them. 

You can show your Vegan guests extra love by just placing their food in a separate section of the table. They will realize how much you care about them and they get to see the effort you have made by putting together a beautiful special section just for them! 

5.  Create Cute Little Table Labels: 

This is a wonderful idea for any party or occasion! You want your guests to know what they are eating right? Specially when you have Vegan and GF dishes at the table. It’s a fun idea to have mini labels next to each dish, stating the names and allergies, like Tree Nuts, Coconuts, etc … 

6.  Focus of Healthy Dishes: 

Many people think just because it’s Vegan, it’s “Healthy” but that is a false assumption! There are many Vegan options that are incredibly unhealthy, the oil they use, the amount of soy usage in the products, the weird type of flours or artificial flavoring to make the food taste good! Do your best to purchase healthy ingredients, always read the labels and nutritional facts.

Add veggies and salad to your main dish and go easy on the oil if you are cooking! Good healthy oils to use are, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil and Olive Oil. Try to stay away from Vegetable Oil, Sunflower Oil, etc… 

The recommend oils we mentioned above are fully Alkaline and are actually good for the body. (Good Healthy Fats) 

7. Separate the Gluten Free Dishes: 

If you have Gluten Free guest or are offering Gluten Free products always separate those dishes from anything else that contain Gluten! Research has shown that Gluten is in fact airborne and if you are cooking or baking with Gluten it can be transferred to other foods. 

Don’t have the time or interest in cooking? There are many Vegan and Gluten Free restaurants offering delicious dishes for Thanksgiving.

Hop on Google or Yelp and search for Vegan and Gluten Free options near you, call few restaurants and you can easily put together a playful, grab and go meal for your guests 

Hope this article was helpful and you were able to receive new creative ideas from us! 

Don’t forget to share with us on Instagram @ your Thanksgiving table! We would love to see your creativity❤️ 

Blessing & Love, 

Giselle’s Vegan Kitchen