Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner for Under $50! | Budget-Friendly Grocery Haul
Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to cost a fortune! If you're planning a plant-based holiday meal this year, we've put together a budget-friendly vegan Thanksgiving grocery haul that proves you can create a delicious holiday spread without spending hundreds of dollars.
For this shopping trip, we're headed to Wegmans with one goal: put together a Thanksgiving dinner for less than $50. And we did it!
With a plant-based roast, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, dairy-free mac and cheese, cornbread, cranberry sauce, gravy, and dessert, our entire grocery haul came to just $49.60!
Whether you're hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, cooking for a plant-based family, or simply trying to cut back on your holiday grocery bill, this shopping list will give you some inspiration for putting together an affordable holiday meal.
Let's get into it!
Our Vegan Thanksgiving Menu
Here's what's going on the table:
Field Roast Celebration Roast
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Seasoned Green Beans
Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese
Cornbread
Cranberry Sauce
Vegetarian Brown Gravy
Dutch Apple Pie
That's a pretty impressive Thanksgiving spread for under $50!
The Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping List
We purchased everything at our local Wegmans. Prices reflect what we paid during my shopping trip and may vary depending on your location, store, and availability.
1. Main Dish: Field Roast Celebration Roast
Price: $14.99
Every Thanksgiving table needs a centerpiece, and for this meal, we're going with the Field Roast Celebration Roast. This two-pound plant-based roast is a convenient option when you want something special without spending hours preparing a main dish from scratch. It pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes, gravy, and all your favorite Thanksgiving sides.
2. Candied Sweet Potatoes
Price: $3.29
Sweet potatoes are a holiday staple, and we're keeping things simple with Hanover Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Glaze. This is an easy way to add a sweet, familiar side dish to your Thanksgiving menu without purchasing several separate ingredients. Simply prepare according to the package directions.
3. Mashed Potatoes
Price: $2.99
What's Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes? I'm picking up Idahoan Original Mashed Potatoes for this meal. They're quick to prepare and a convenient alternative when you don't have the time to peel, boil, and mash potatoes from scratch. We'll prepare these using plant-based milk and vegan butter to keep them dairy-free.
4. Green Beans
Price: $1.99
We're adding some vegetables to the table with Wegmans Extra Fine Frozen Green Beans.
Frozen vegetables are one of my favorite budget-friendly grocery staples. They're convenient, easy to prepare, and can be stored in the freezer until you're ready to use them. For this Thanksgiving meal, simply season and cook the green beans with a little vegan butter, garlic, black pepper, and your favorite seasonings.
5. Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese
Price: $4.79
You can't have a Thanksgiving spread without mac and cheese! I'm picking up Daiya Deluxe Dairy-Free Cheddar Mac & Cheese. This is a convenient option for anyone who wants to include a cheesy, comforting side dish without using traditional dairy products. It's also a great reminder that you don't have to make every dish from scratch to enjoy a plant-based holiday.
6. Cornbread
Price: $0.79
We're adding cornbread to the menu with a box of Jiffy Vegetarian Corn Muffin Mix. At just 79 cents, this is one of the most affordable items in our entire grocery haul! We'll use applesauce as an egg replacement and plant-based milk and vegan butter to prepare the cornbread. Be sure to check the mix's ingredient label to confirm it meets your vegan requirements.
7. Cranberry Sauce
Price: $1.50
Cranberry sauce is one of those little additions that makes a Thanksgiving plate feel complete. I'm picking up Wegmans Jellied Cranberry Sauce for just $1.50. It's an easy, inexpensive addition that pairs perfectly with the plant-based roast and savory sides.
8. Vegetarian Brown Gravy
Price: $1.50
We need gravy to bring everything together! For this meal, I'm using Simply Organic Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix. This is a convenient option for serving alongside our plant-based roast and mashed potatoes. Simply Organic's Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix is a vegan-friendly alternative to traditional gravy, making it a great addition to our holiday menu.
9. Dessert: Dutch Apple Pie
Price: $7.29
And, of course, we need dessert! I'm picking up Marie Callender's Dutch Apple Pie Ready to Bake Frozen Dessert. Apple pie is a classic holiday dessert, and choosing a ready-to-bake option saves us the additional time and expense of making one from scratch. If you're keeping your entire menu strictly vegan, be sure to check the ingredient label before purchasing.
The Extras: Baking & Cooking Essentials
Now that we have our main dish and sides, there are a few additional ingredients we'll need to prepare everything. These are kitchen staples that will help us pull the entire meal together.
Plant Butter
Price: $4.99
We're picking up Earth Balance Plant Butter Sticks to use throughout our Thanksgiving meal.
We'll use them to prepare our mashed potatoes and cornbread, as well as season our green beans.
Soy milk
Price: $2.99
Soy milk is another versatile ingredient that comes in handy when preparing holiday dishes. We'll use it for our mashed potatoes and cornbread. It's also something you can keep in your refrigerator for everyday cooking and baking.
Applesauce
Price: $2.49
We're also grabbing a jar of Wegmans No Sugar Added Applesauce to use as an egg replacement when making our cornbread. Applesauce is a simple plant-based baking substitute that helps bind ingredients together and adds moisture to baked goods. For this recipe, we'll use it in place of the egg called for in the cornbread preparation.
Our entire Thanksgiving grocery haul came to $49.60, keeping us 40 cents under our $50 budget! Keep in mind that these are the prices we found at our local Wegmans. Your total may be slightly different depending on where you shop, product availability, and store promotions.
Tips for Making Thanksgiving More Affordable
If you're trying to put together an affordable plant-based Thanksgiving, here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Don't feel like you have to make everything from scratch. Convenience foods can be helpful when you're working with a tight budget or limited time. Packaged mashed potatoes, frozen vegetables, gravy mixes, and ready-made sides can make holiday cooking much easier.
2. Shop your pantry first. Before heading to the grocery store, take inventory of what you already have. You may already have flour, seasonings, vegetable broth, sugar, or other ingredients needed to prepare your holiday dishes. Using what you have at home can help you avoid unnecessary purchases.
3. Look for frozen and canned vegetables. Frozen and canned vegetables are convenient options that can help stretch your grocery budget. They also have a longer storage life than many fresh vegetables, which can help reduce food waste.
4. Choose a few special items and keep the rest simple. Your holiday meal doesn't need to include expensive specialty products in every dish. Choose a main dish you enjoy, then build the rest of your menu around affordable grocery staples.
5. Compare prices between grocery stores. Check weekly sales, store brands, and digital coupons before shopping. A few small savings can make a big difference when you're purchasing ingredients for an entire holiday meal.
Watch the Full Vegan Thanksgiving Grocery Haul
Want to see everything we purchased and how we put together this Thanksgiving shopping list? Watch the full grocery haul below!
Get Our Vegan Holiday Table Guide!
Planning your holiday menu? We've got you covered!
The holidays are a great time to bring family and friends together over delicious food, and you don't have to sacrifice your favorite holiday dishes to enjoy a plant-based celebration.
We've put together the Afro-Vegan Society Vegan Holiday Table Guide to help you plan a delicious plant-based holiday menu with recipes and inspiration for your Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings.
Download your copy and start planning your holiday table!
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