Calling All Dinner Hosts:  5 Ways to Be a Vegan Ally this Thanksgiving

When a vegan is invited to a dinner party, one question always pops up in their mind: Will there be anything for me to eat? Often, along with this question comes anxiety (Is it weird if I ask for the ingredients in their recipes? Should I just bring my own food?). 

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, you can ease this anxiety and be an awesome vegan ally by creating a fun and welcoming event your vegan friends and family members can truly enjoy. You can make the whole meal vegan or, if that’s not possible, here are five easy ways you can be a vegan ally this Thanksgiving:

Check in with the vegans in your life.

What are their favorite Thanksgiving recipes? Make one (or two, or three) for all to enjoy. Showing such thought and care will mean the world to them.  Bonus – you’ll also expose the non-vegans in the group to the joys of plant-based food.

Here are a few of our favorite cruelty-free Thanksgiving recipes. 

Veganize recipes that are easy to make vegan.

For example, replace cow’s milk with plant-based milk. Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Replace dairy butter with vegan butter — when you think about it, with all the delicious vegan options out there these days, it’s easy to veganize just about anything. Look at the recipes you have planned and see if there are easy substitutions you can make. Here are guides for egg substitutes, non-dairy milk and general vegan baking.

Include a vegan-friendly dessert option (vegans love pies too).

Minimalist Baker spotlights 28 delicious vegan Thanksgiving dessert options.

“I love sweets! My partner’s family, who isn’t vegan, had some vegan treats waiting for me at their house so I could enjoy dessert time with them. It filled me with so much warmth and completely made my night.” – Mary Sue 

Label the ingredients in your side dishes.

This is great practice to create a more inclusive meal as many people have food allergies, are lactose intolerant, gluten free, etc. 

Encourage guests to bring vegan side dishes.

Let your guests know you want to create a meal that everyone can enjoy. The added benefit to this (other than making your vegan loved ones happy) is that vegan foods are better for our health, the environment and the animals, so everyone will benefit from a veg-friendly meal. 

Thank you for thinking about the vegans in your life and creating a more compassionate world for all animals.

Share With Us

Which tips resonate with you? What additional tips do you have? Do you have vegan allies in your life who support you? If so, how do they make you feel supported? If you’re not vegan, what actions will you take this Thanksgiving to support the vegans in your life? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.