November 6, 2026

My Favorite Dairy-Free Recipes for Thanksgiving


Make your holiday meal one everyone can enjoy with these dairy free Thanksgiving recipes! From comforting holiday classics to fun fall-inspired dishes, this guide is full of delicious recipes and easy tips for converting your own Thanksgiving favorites to dairy free.

A collage of six images with the words Dairy Free Thanksgiving Recipes in the middle.

Getting the table set for Thanksgiving is no easy task. From the multiple courses, to tablescaping, and sometimes just choosing what to wear planning Thanksgiving might just be a 3-4 day marathon. Add in a food allergy or intolerance and you might just feel lost trying to make something everyone will enjoy.

If you or someone you are lucky enough to share the table with eats dairy free I have rounded up some of the best tips and recipes for keeping your menu deliciously dairy free.

How to make Traditional Recipes Dairy Free

If you are planning to use your traditional recipes but want to make them with dairy free products, here are some of my top swaps when it comes to plant-based alternatives.

Everyday Dairy-Free Swaps

  • Butter– Replace traditional butter with a dairy-free butter alternative, I am partial to Country Crock’s Plant Butter or olive oil.
  • Milk– For a sweet recipe you could probably replace milk with almond milk or coconut milk for more savory recipes I would recommend a soy milk.
  • Buttermilk- You can easily make your own buttermilk with a plant-based milk and vinegar.
  • Sour Cream– I have used Kite Hill sour cream alternative for my 7-Layer dip recipe and found it to be neutral in flavor and consistently available locally.

Dairy-Free Cream and Cheese Alternatives

  • Heavy Cream– Depending on the use I would recommend different heavy cream alternatives.
    • Califia Farms works great for savory recipes
    • Country Crock is my go-to for homemade whipped cream
    • From my personal experience, I would not recommend Silk heavy whipping cream if it can be avoided. In my testing, it produced less whipped volume than other alternatives and had a slight coconut flavor.
  • Whipped Cream– There are two paths here, homemade or store bought.
    • Homemade- If you are looking for an impressive volume of whipped cream with noticeable room temperature stability, I would make homemade whipped cream with Country Crock’s Heavy Cream Alternative.
    • Store bought- A tub of vegan Truwhip can solve every one of your dairy free whipped cream needs.
  • Cream Cheese– For a cream cheese alternative I would recommend Kite Hill’s Plain Cream Cheese. You can bake it, like these Sopapilla cheesecake bars, or mix it into a holiday cheese ball.
  • Shredded Cheese: I do not often reach for a bag of dairy-free shredded cheese but when I do, I prefer VioLife’s just like cheese shreds.

Dairy-Free Baking and Desserts Swaps

Try out the recipe before Thanksgiving

The last thing you want is to discover on Thanksgiving Day that your dairy-free substitutions didn’t work as expected. If you have time, try making your recipe a week or two before the holiday using the substitutes you plan to serve.

Testing ahead gives you a chance to check the flavor, texture, and consistency and make adjustments before the big day.

If you’d rather skip the substitutions and make recipes that have already been tested and intentionally developed without dairy, I’ve got a list for you!

A quick allergy reminder: Always check ingredient labels, even on products marketed as plant based or dairy free. If you’re cooking for someone with a milk allergy, also take precautions to prevent cross-contact with shared utensils, cookware, and preparation surfaces.

Breakfast Recipes for Thanksgiving Day

I am a strong advocate for staring Thanksgiving morning off with something delicious. Just because you will be working to put a full feast together for lunch or dinner does not mean you skip the most important meal of the day.

Here are some of my favorite dairy-free breakfast recipes to make on Thanksgiving morning. I will also note next to the recipes which ones you could make the night before to save yourself some extra work.

Dairy-free hashbrown casserole in a glass baking dish after baking.
A pie server with a cinnamon roll on top above the white baking dish filled with cinnamon rolls.
A white plate with a slice of sausage and bell pepper quiche topped with chive.

Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Appetizers

Once you have handled breakfast, you are going to want to make sure you have some solid snacks for people to enjoy as soon as they arrive at your home. Having a little charcuterie board or a platter of deviled eggs will keep everyone from asking when the meal will be ready.

Some other appetizers I like to make while I am getting the rest of the food ready include:

A white plate with a brown rim topped with air fryer pigs in a blanket.
Classic deviled eggs topped with sliced green onion on a white plate with a brown rim on a tan counter.
A wooden cheese board filled with crackers, apples, nuts, craisins and a vegan holiday cheese ball in the middle.

Dairy Free Bread for Thanksgiving

Oh the love letter I could write to a beautiful piece of bread. After your appetizers have been selected, I would highly suggest a bread recipe to go with your meal. From dairy free to gluten free to traditional rolls and beer bread, you are sure to find a bread that complements your menu.

A close up of the tops of slices of cheddar and onion beer bread in a white towel lined bread basket.
A pile of garlic knots on parchment paper with flour scattered on it possibly.
Gluten-free dairy-free cornbread on a slice of parchment paper with a bowl of honey and a bowl of butter in the corners.

Dairy-Free Side Dishes

This list of side dishes features dairy-free only sides. They may contain meat or eggs so if you are looking for vegan sides simply scroll on down to the next heading.

Personally, I can do without the turkey. I am a sides and pies kinda gal and that’s just the way my Thanksgiving plate goes. Here are a few sides that are sure to hit the spot.

Vegan Side Dishes

A small plate of corn casserole with a wooden spoon on a blue towel.
A close up of a loaded vegan twice baked potato topped with green onion on a cream colored plate.
A white skillet with a wooden spoon scooping vegan boursin pasta from the pan.

Dairy Free Desserts for Thanksgiving

Now is the moment we have all been waiting for, the dessert menu. For the sake of preferences, I have broken this section down into pies, cookies, and other desserts. It is not every dessert recipe on the site, just the ones that complement the Thanksgiving menu.

Additional dairy-free desserts can be found on the dessert page of My Life After Dairy.

Pies for Thanksgiving

Since I am a sides and pies kinda gal, I can honestly say I would take a pie on thanksgiving day over just about any other dessert listed here. It has to do in large part with my obsession with a flaky pie crust that gives a salty buttery flavor to balance out the sweet fillings.

For the pie crust you can opt for a traditional crisco crust or try a vegan all butter crust. Each of these crusts works well for the more traditional pies.

In addition to an excellent pie, you might want to consider having a little whipped cream or homemade ice cream to go on top.

A cream plate with a slice of chess pie topped with dairy-free whipped topping missing a bite with a gold fork in the front.
A slice of chocolate pecan pie on a white plate on a white counter in front of the pie pan with the remaining chocolate pecan pie.
A top down image of a dairy-free apple galette with a slice pulled out to the left and scoops of ice cream on top.

Cookies

After you have your pies handled, you definitely want to consider adding a plate of cookies to your dessert table. Nothing makes a dessert fly off the table like the ability to just grab and go.

If you are looking for a fun cookie to decorate the table with, I highly recommend Lizzy’s Oreo Turkey Cookies.

A white counter with an Oreo turkey cookie stacked on another Oreo looking to the left.
A stack of four magic cookie bars on a white plate with a red rim.
A basket lined with a dish towel and filled with peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
A stack of no-bake chocolate dipped Ritz cookies with one cut on top to show the inside of the vegan cookie.

Other Desserts for Thanksgiving

In addition to pies and cookies, you truly can’t go wrong with a decadent dessert.

A top down of maple Rice Krispie treats on parchment paper with a jug of maple syrup and some cinnamon sticks in the back.
A top down image of a small bowl of peanut butter chocolate oreo truffled in a small green bowl with a white plate of truffles in the back right and a small dish of crushed peanuts to the right.
A small white plate topped with three moist snickerdoodle cookie bars on a tan counter.

More Dairy Free Thanksgiving Resources

If you’re making some or all of your Thanksgiving meal dairy free, these additional resources may help you plan with confidence:

I hope this roundup gives you plenty of ideas and inspiration for making your best dairy-free Thanksgiving meal yet! If you try any of these recipes, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear how they turn out!

You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!

Craving more delicious dairy-free recipes and tips? Definitely sign up for my newsletter below to get the most helpful recipes, tips, and products for your life after dairy.

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Filed Under: Dairy Free Tips, Holiday Baking, Round Up

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