What could be better than your nearest and dearest friends, festive cocktails, and good food for an easy holiday with no obligations? Here are some ideas for Friendsgiving with appetizers, soups, and main courses with side dish recommendations.
Over the years Friendsgiving has really exploded. The chance to come together with pals in a way that is casual, unique, and fun really appeals.
While routine is hard-wired into Thanksgiving, with friends it’s less rigid. Just sit back and enjoy the best of the season.
After you’ve set the date, decide in a group text what everyone will bring, so that you don’t double up on items. With a little pre-planning you’ll get the most variety of dishes with the least amount of overlap.
Don’t know where to start? Here are some ideas for Friendsgiving that will take you from cocktails to entrées!
Make a signature cocktail
Before guests arrive, prepare beer, wine, and cocktail ingredients. While it isn’t essential, a signature cocktail sets the tone of a gathering.
Cranberry mimosa
Cranberry mimosas are my go-to option. They’re easy to make with cranberry juice, sparkling wine, and a few fresh cranberries at the bottom of the glass.
Vegan eggnog
Nothing says holidays like vegan eggnog. This luxuriously rich drink is made extra velvety by way of raw cashews.
Drink it on its own or add a splash of hard liquor. (Although it isn’t standard, vodka is my preferred option here!)
More cocktail ideas:
Vegan cheeseboard & appetizers
An appetizer that’s easy to prep ahead of time is a vegan cheeseboard or charcuterie. Have it waiting and ready for noshing when guests arrive.
Highlight colorful vegetables with a rainbow fruit and veggie platter.
Or make it a fall-themed cheeseboard with seasonal items like:
- Persimmons
- Roasted delicata squash
- Candied pecans
- Cranberry salsa with cream cheese, apple chutney
- Roasted chestnuts
- Non-dairy cheeses
- Vegan deli meats or pepperoni
- Crackers
- Olive tapenade
- Quick pickled jalapeños
- Pickled red onions
Or start with a warm appetizer!
Here are a few of my favorites for autumnal gatherings:
- Vegan poutine (above)
- Fried vegan shrimp
- Warmed olives
- Fried artichoke hearts
- Fried almond cheese balls
- Fried olives stuffed with vegan feta cheese
Warm up with a filling soup
With appetites whetted, a warm soup keeps well on the stove and makes a delicious placeholder between starters and mains.
Some hearty soups that work well for the season include:
Eye-catching main course options
While a full holiday roast is often the standard choice for Thanksgiving, when it comes to Friendsgiving why not branch out? Anything that feels dinner party-worthy will do the trick.
Consider these entrée ideas for Friendsgiving:
Seitan piccata
Seitan piccata takes only 25 minutes to make. However, that lemon caper sauce screams fancy.
Serve with the mashed potatoes and sautéed kale for a complete meal.
Fried vegan chicken drumsticks
If you were the person who always chose the drumstick in your non-vegan life, re-live it in a compassionate version with a vegan fried chicken drumstick.
Thanks to rice paper, it even has “skin” underneath that crispy, fried exterior.
Serve this kitschy main course with easy vegan gravy and collard greens.
Pot pie
Pot pie feels endlessly cozy & just right for chilly weather. It includes carrots, onions, celery, and peas in a creamy cashew sauce.
For the protein portion of the dish, you can go with seitan in a full-sized vegan chicken pot pie, or chickpeas in an individual mini pot pie.
Serve pot pie with roasted Brussels sprouts and vegan stuffing.
Thanksgiving kebabs
If it’s warm where you live, why not grill out?
Enjoy all of the flavors of your holiday favorites in Thanksgiving skewers. There’s chicken seitan, stuffing, and even sweet potatoes with marshmallows – all in deconstructed form.
Serve with salad with persimmons and orange cranberry sauce.
Air fryer stuffed peppers
Air fryer stuffed peppers skew away from the traditional flavors of Thanksgiving with oregano and basil. However, they still check the box on being star of the show on a dinner plate.
They’re filled with sausage, rice, onions, and garlic in a tomato sauce.
Serve with red wine mushrooms and broccolini.
Vegan risotto
Vegan risotto takes a little bit of babying, but the results are totally worth it.
Arborio rice absorbs the flavors of broth, rosemary, and thyme. It’s dotted with mushrooms & seitan sausage. Then it’s finished with a velvety & full-bodied cashew cream.
For a gluten-free option, simply leave out the seitan. Or replace it with Beyond Meat sausage or white beans.
Serve with fall salad with apples and air fried cauliflower.
Vegan arancini
Vegan arancini never fails to impress! It may be the most ingenious use of leftovers ever.
Cold risotto is formed into a ball and covered with bread crumbs. Then the balls are baked or air fried until crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
A delicious variation is to leave the seitan out of the risotto. Then put a vegan meatball in the center of the arancini.
(Break a thawed Gardein meatball in half. It’s just the right size, and stretches the bag that much further.)
For a gluten-free option, leave out the seitan and use gluten free bread crumbs.
Serve with marinara for dipping, spinach salad, and air fryer asparagus.
Vegan crab cakes
Although they aren’t tricky to make, vegan crab cakes just feel fancy.
The artichoke heart and chickpea cakes are seasoned with Old Bay and finished in a breadcrumb coating. Serve with lemon dill aioli.
I recommend frying vegan crab cakes for optimum results. However, they can also be baked or air fried.
Plus, they freeze well, if you’d like to make them well ahead of your get-together!
Serve with corn chowder and roasted cabbage.
Don’t forget the leftovers
Put aside some reusable containers (or ask your guests to bring some along). That way everyone can take home a taste of each thing. And no one is left trying to eat their way through half a casserole.
Plus, it extends the deliciousness of the day!
Content and photos updated November 16, 2021. Originally published November 20, 2017.
Jennifer Bliss
SOunds like a great time!
That vegan cheese board looks amazing! WOTW!
And that cranberry beverage! So festive!
Cadry
Thanks, Jennifer! It was a picture perfect day. I think vegan cheese boards are beautiful too – so much color! It makes you just want to dig in right away.
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I’m coming to your house next year! I hope you have a spare room!
Cadry
I would love that so much! The next time you’re in Iowa, we’ll have our own Friendsgiving – even if that happens in July.
Bianca Phillips
Yay! We had our Friendsgiving last night! Yours looks fab, esp that turkey from HB! OMG!!! I may need to order one for myself next year. I just got a Tofurky for my big day with the parents this week. Also, that cheese board looks phenom!
Cadry
I know how you love good mail, just like I do, and you can’t beat the arrival of seitan & cheese in the mail from Herbivorous Butcher. I highly recommend getting the pastrami too. We ordered that as well, in addition to the Thanksgiving feast. Can you believe I’ve never tried the original Tofurky roast? I don’t know how I’ve missed it after 10 years of veganism, but somehow I have!
Andrea
We used to do this back in the old days, but now that we live near, and celebrate Thanksgiving with, actual family members, the thought of hosting a second dinner gives me pause. Next year, though, we may do it! Your food choices are similar to what we’ll be having — especially the wild rice and the cranberries.
Cadry
I hear you! Since everyone pitched in and brought things, it didn’t feel like the amount of work was overwhelming for any one person. Plus, a dinner party for six is a pretty doable number. But if you’re already hosting a big family affair, I can see how doing that twice wouldn’t appeal. The Thanksgiving potluck David and I will be attending on the actual holiday with extended family won’t be a vegan event, and so it was really nice to have a Thanksgiving celebration first that was 100% compassionate.
Mandy
That’s kind of a trip…Berenstain looks wrong to me! I remember reading those books as a kid, and oddly enough, in my mind I always thought it was Berenstein Bears! I’ll have to check out Snopes after this 😉 Your post stirred up all sorts of memories and feelings (now I’m craving a binge session of Friends)! But let’s talk about this amazing Friendsgiving, shall we?? Everyone looks so happy and the food…oh, my. Save me a spot at the table next year, ok???? That cheese plate looks incredible – everything does! I love that you mixed caramelized onions into the mashed potatoes! Happy Thanksgiving to you and David! xo
Cadry
Berenstain looks wrong to me too! Before David mentioned it, I absolutely would have said it’s Berenstein. Obviously the only logical conclusion is that there must be a glitch in the alternate timeline. 😉 Haha! You officially have a spot at next year’s table & Willow too, of course! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. 😀
Becky Striepe
This looks like such a nice celebration! I’m loving that champagne cocktail. A little splash of cranberry is all you need!
Cadry
Of course you love the cocktail! It has Becky Striepe written all over it.
Susan
Now I am going to go down a Snopes wormhole for the rest of the afternoon!
This sounds like such a lovely meal. We don’t have any Thanksgiving equivalent here.
Cadry
It’s so funny that you say that, Susan! We had a long conversation that day about whether or not there was an Australian equivalent to Thanksgiving. We were talking about what kinds of things could go on an Australian Thanksgiving-style feast, but pretty much stopped at Vegemite on toast and Fairy bread. In our fictitious version, it will be mostly a toast-based holiday. 😉
Shell
Looks like a fun time was had by all! I love what you did with the cocktails. They seem so light and crisp. All of the dishes look divine! Happy Thanksgiving to you and David!
Cadry
Thanks, Shell! Yes, the cocktails were nice and light – great for a daytime celebration. I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving too!
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe
happy friendsgiving – never heard of the term but I am sure there are many who celebrate this way who still haven’t heard of it – lots of great food and served so beautifully. I love your cheese platter at the start – the almonds with truffle salt sounds wonderful – I have almonds and truffle oil so maybe could do something with them!
Cadry
Thanks, Johanna! It was a really lovely day. I buy Marcona almonds with truffle salt at Trader Joe’s, but of course, that wouldn’t be an option for you. You’re a creative cook, and so I’m sure you could work something out with truffle oil or a pinch of truffle salt.