Anyone else had a vegan Thanksgiving with family?

My husband and I went vegan back in January, so tomorrow will be our first Thanksgiving as vegans. Honestly, I was nervous about it, but my family has been amazing.

My grandma is hosting and has been so thoughtful about vegan dishes and substitutes. She even double-checked recipes with me to make sure everything works for us. My aunt also made sure there’d be plenty for us to eat, and my cousin had the idea for everyone to make a side with a vegan version of their usual dish.

We tried some vegan roast recipes, but they weren’t great, so we bought a premade one. Funny enough, my cousin (who isn’t vegan) liked it more than we did! Grandma got vegan milk, butter, and sour cream so she could make vegan-friendly mashed potatoes and yams. She even made vegan desserts, and my aunt adapted her usual candied yams to be vegan too.

I’m bringing cornbread stuffing, roasted veggies, and vegan gravy. I honestly cried at how much effort everyone put into making us feel included. After seeing so many negative stories about holidays and dietary restrictions, I wanted to share something positive.

My family wasn’t always this supportive—at first, there were the usual jokes and pushback. But with time and open conversations, things got better. If your family isn’t understanding yet, give it some time. Change is hard for some people, but it’s possible.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and feels seen and included, no matter their choices!

Your family sounds amazing! I hope your vegan Thanksgiving turns out great!

Wow, you’re lucky. When I went vegetarian as a kid, it was basically ‘cook for yourself’ if I wanted a meatless meal.

This reminds me of this video I found! Sharing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnLaDe9iWs8

This is so heartwarming! Love how supportive your family is.