16 Make-Ahead Vegetarian Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving sides do not have to be a last-day scramble. Every dish in this list is a make-ahead vegetarian Thanksgiving side dish, and most can be finished one to three days before the meal. Pick the ones that fit your table, follow the make-ahead note on each one, and Thanksgiving Day becomes mostly reheating and serving.

The photos in this post are AI-generated illustrations, not the creators’ own photos. Each recipe is linked to the creator’s own recipe page, where you will find the full ingredients and steps.

1. Make-Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

Cream cheese and sour cream keep these mashed potatoes smooth after a night in the fridge, which is exactly where plain reheated mash usually goes wrong. Heidi bakes them in a casserole dish so the top turns golden while the middle stays soft. Make ahead: assemble the casserole, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Set it out for about 20 minutes, then bake as directed.

Inspired by Heidi Larsen: Make-Ahead Cream Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole

2. Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecan Streusel

This one settles the topping argument by using both: gooey marshmallows and a crumbly brown sugar pecan streusel over smooth, spiced sweet potatoes. Make ahead: prepare the filling 1 to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it covered. Keep the topping separate and add it just before baking so it stays crisp, and let a cold dish sit out for 30 minutes before it goes in the oven.

Inspired by Savory Nothings: The Perfect Easy Sweet Potato Casserole

3. Light Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Freya skips the canned soup and builds the sauce from mushrooms instead, so this version tastes lighter than the casserole most of us grew up with. Fine green beans, a mushroom sauce, and a fried onion topping do the rest. Make ahead: assemble everything except the fried onions the day before, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Add the onions on the day so they stay crisp. The mushroom sauce on its own freezes for up to 3 months.

Inspired by Freya of Sweeter Than Oats: A Deliciously Light Vegan Green Bean Casserole

4. Orange-Scented Cranberry Sauce

Four ingredients, one pot, about ten minutes at the stove. Fresh orange juice and zest give this sauce a bright citrus note without burying the cranberries, and some berries stay whole so each spoonful has a bit of bite. Make ahead: cook it a day or two ahead and chill it. It keeps about a week in the fridge, and it freezes for up to 3 months.

Inspired by Isa Chandra of The PPK: Orange-Scented Cranberry Sauce

5. Vegan Cranberry and Apple Stuffing

Toasted bread cubes, sauteed onion, carrot, and celery, diced apple, dried cranberries, and pecans, all moistened with vegetable broth and baked until the top crisps. The apple keeps it from tasting one-note. Make ahead: assemble the stuffing completely in its baking dish a day ahead, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes since the dish starts cold.

Inspired by Regi Pearce of Nuts and Twigs: Vegan Cranberry and Apple Stuffing

6. Easy Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Caramelized onion, cremini mushrooms, flour, and vegetable broth cook down into a rich brown gravy with real depth, no meat stock needed. It takes about 35 minutes and makes enough for a crowd. Make ahead: cool it completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove at a gentle simmer, adding a splash of broth or water to thin it. It also freezes well.

Inspired by Sam of It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken: Easy Vegan Mushroom Gravy

7. Make-Ahead Baked Mac and Cheese

A Southern-style baked mac and cheese with a sharp cheddar sauce and a buttery panko topping, baked just 15 minutes. The trick is undercooking the pasta so it does not turn soft overnight. Make ahead: assemble up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate, but store the breadcrumb topping separately and sprinkle it on just before baking. Give the cold dish a little extra time in the oven.

Inspired by Tiffany of Peanut Blossom: Make Ahead Mac and Cheese

8. Make-Ahead Overnight Yeast Rolls

Soft, buttery dinner rolls from a simple milk, butter, and egg dough, shaped the day before and baked fresh on the holiday. Warm bread on the table makes the whole meal feel more generous. Make ahead: refrigerate the dough for 8 hours or overnight, then shape, rise, and bake on the day. Baked rolls also freeze in zip-top bags and reheat well.

Inspired by Chungah Rhee of Damn Delicious: Make Ahead Yeast Rolls

9. Easy Creamed Corn

No added sugar, no heavy cream, just corn, milk, butter, onion, and garlic, thickened with a little arrowroot and partly blended for body. It comes together in one skillet in about 20 minutes. Make ahead: cook it a day ahead and refrigerate it. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk, and stir in the parmesan only after reheating so the sauce stays smooth.

Inspired by Brittany Mullins of Eating Bird Food: Easy Creamed Corn

10. Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts

Cubed butternut squash and halved Brussels sprouts roast together at high heat with olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, and garlic powder, then get tossed with pecans and dried cranberries. It is the colorful, lighter dish on a table full of casseroles. Make ahead: chop and season the vegetables up to a day in advance, or roast the whole dish a day before and refrigerate it. Reheat at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through.

Inspired by Home Cooks Haven: Easy Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts

11. Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

Whole carrots roasted in a sticky maple, brown sugar, and butter glaze until the edges caramelize. Six ingredients, one baking sheet, about 35 minutes. Make ahead: toss the carrots in the glaze up to 4 hours ahead and keep them chilled, or roast them fully a day early. Reheat in a 350°F oven, which brings back the caramelized edges better than a microwave.

Inspired by Ryan Beck of Chisel and Fork: Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

12. Date Butter Roasted Butternut Squash

Cubed squash coated in a spiced date butter with rosemary and thyme, roasted until golden with slightly crisp edges. The date butter gives it a deep, caramel sweetness without refined sugar doing all the work. Make ahead: make the date butter days ahead, and roast the squash itself a day ahead. Store it sealed in the fridge and reheat in a 400°F oven just until hot.

Inspired by Valentina K. Wein of Cooking on the Weekends: Roasted Butternut Squash with Date Butter

13. Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese and Sage

Roast the squash, scoop out the flesh, mash it with tangy goat cheese and salty pecorino, then bake it again with fresh sage until golden and bubbling. It eats like a lighter version of twice-baked potatoes. Make ahead: roast the squash and mix the filling up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before mealtime for a hot, bubbly finish.

Inspired by Sylvie Shirazi of Gourmande in the Kitchen: Twice Baked Butternut Squash

14. Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries

Wild rice and brown rice simmered in vegetable broth with rosemary and sage, then tossed with dried cranberries. It is naturally vegan and gluten-free, and it gives the table a grain dish that is not stuffing. Make ahead: prepare the pilaf up to 3 days in advance. Reheat it covered with foil at 300°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Inspired by Maddie Augustin of Experience Life: Wild Rice Pilaf

15. Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

Fresh cauliflower, briefly blanched so it holds its shape, folded into a sour cream and sharp white cheddar sauce with smoked paprika and thyme, then baked until the top is deep golden. No canned soup involved. Make ahead: assemble the casserole a day ahead and refrigerate it unbaked, then add 5 to 10 extra minutes to the bake time since it starts cold.

Inspired by Butter and Baggage: Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole with Fresh Cauliflower

16. Easy No-Cook Cranberry Relish

Fresh cranberries, a whole orange, lemon, lime juice, and sugar pulsed in a food processor. No cooking at all, five minutes of work, and a bright, tart contrast to everything rich on the plate. It is a different dish from cooked cranberry sauce, sharper and fresher tasting. Make ahead: make it up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it. It keeps about a week, though it releases juice as it sits, so give it a stir before serving.

Inspired by Julie Clark of Tastes of Lizzy T: Easy Cranberry Relish

Make-ahead game plan

Three days before: make the wild rice pilaf, the mushroom gravy, and the date butter for the squash. Cranberry sauce can go in the fridge now too.

Two days before: assemble the mashed potato casserole and the sweet potato filling, and mix the cranberry relish. Keep toppings separate until baking day.

The day before: assemble the stuffing, the mac and cheese, the green bean casserole (hold the onions), the cauliflower casserole, and the twice-baked squash filling. Refrigerate the yeast roll dough overnight. Roast the butternut squash and Brussels sprouts and the carrots if you want them fully done.

Thanksgiving Day: bake the rolls, the stuffing, and the casseroles, adding extra time for cold dishes. Reheat the pilaf, gravy, corn, and roasted vegetables. Set out the cranberry sauce and relish cold. Add the fried onions, pecan topping, and marshmallows at the last step so they stay crisp.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead can I make Thanksgiving side dishes?

Most of the dishes here can be made 1 to 3 days ahead. Sauces and relishes last longest: cranberry sauce keeps about a week, and the relish keeps up to 2 days at its best. Casseroles are usually assembled 1 to 2 days ahead and baked on the day. Check the make-ahead note on each dish, since the window varies.

Which sides freeze best?

The mushroom gravy freezes well for up to 3 months, and so does the green bean casserole’s mushroom sauce on its own. Mashed potato casserole and yeast rolls also freeze well. Cream-based dishes like creamed corn and the cauliflower casserole do not freeze as happily, since dairy sauces can separate when thawed, so keep those in the fridge instead.

How do I reheat sides without drying them out?

Reheat casseroles covered with foil, and add a splash of milk, broth, or water to loosen sauces. Roasted vegetables do best in a hot oven for a short time, which brings back crisp edges. The microwave works for single portions, but it softens anything that should be crisp, so use the oven when you can.

What if I only have one oven?

Work in order of temperature and patience. Bake the rolls and casseroles first, then hold them covered while the turkey rests. Dishes that reheat at 350°F can share the oven once the turkey comes out. Cold dishes like the cranberry sauce and relish need no oven at all, and the creamed corn reheats on the stove, which frees a rack.

Can I make the whole menu ahead?

Nearly. Every dish in this list has a make-ahead step, and several can be fully finished days early. What still happens on the day is mostly baking, reheating, and adding toppings. If you want the calmest possible Thanksgiving morning, pick three or four dishes from the 3-day and 2-day lists and leave only the rolls and one casserole for the day itself.

Are all of these recipes vegetarian?

Yes. Every recipe linked here is meat-free, and several are fully vegan. One note: check cheese and pastry labels if you are cooking for someone who avoids animal rennet, and use vegetable broth wherever a recipe gives you a choice of stock.

Conclusion

Ahead of time is the whole point of this list. Start with the dishes that keep longest, work through the casseroles the day before, and save Thanksgiving Day for baking and reheating. If you want more make-ahead ideas, our 18 make-ahead vegetarian Thanksgiving appetizers pair well with these sides, and our earlier 14 vegetarian Thanksgiving sides round out the table.