Looking for the tastiest vegan Christmas dinner recipes? We’ve got 30+ great ideas!
By Lora O’Brien
Christmas is a joyous time, but it can come with so much stress! There’s the rushing around the department stores, hoping your goddaughter doesn’t already have a Frozen-themed tiara. Then you need to remember to send our cards to your boyfriend’s parents, your niece, your neighbours….
And if you’re making Christmas dinner, you may fret about what to cook for your vegan relatives. Or, if you’re vegan, you’re probably wondering (and dreading) what you’re going to get to be served if you’re going round to someone else’s house this season!
If you’re planning a plant-based, sustainable holiday, you’ll surely be hoping for something worthy of the word ‘feast’ on the table. And guess what? I’ve got some great news: I’ve scoured the net to find the tastiest, most exciting vegan Christmas dinner recipes on the planet.
You can get a ready-made vegan Christmas dinner by following the recipes featured in our main pic here, or just look below for an ‘a la carte’ approach.
30+ Vegan Christmas Dinner Recipes, Sorted!
1. Warming Spice and Veggie Soup
Set the tone for your healthy feast with a hot, aromatic, chunky soup. The best part about this one is that it can be easily made ahead and then frozen until you’re ready to reheat on the big day. That’s one less dish to worry about!
Get the recipe here.
2. Broccoli Cheese Soup
Prefer a creamier broth with your vegan Christmas dinner? This broccoli soup is rich and tasty! It’s also dead easy to make, but looks rather fancy, thanks to the toasted crouton garnish.
Get the recipe here.
3. Christmas Wreath Salad
Salad, boring? Who said salad is boring? Just look at this beauty! Crunchy pistachios, tangy pomegranate seeds and juicy oranges combine with slightly bitter greens to make this gorgeously tempting salad. To make it vegan, substitute the goat cheese with this, and you’re done!
Get the recipe here.
4. Brussel Sprouts Sliders
How did this even happen? Brussel sprouts went from everyone’s most hated veg to one of the trendiest – and tastiest! I guess it’s because we learned to stop cooking them to the point of mushiness and invented the sprout slider. This recipe features tempeh ‘bacon’ and a bit of bite, thanks to the cayenne pepper.
Get the recipe here.
5. Vegetable Wellington
Vegan Christmas dinner recipes must include a wonderful main. And what’s better than a vegan Wellington? It’s packed full of vegetables, pulses and protein-rich cashew nuts. And the best part? This can replace your turkey as the main attraction whilst hosting this holiday season. We’d bet even those who aren’t vegan will be begging for a slice – especially if it’s smothered in vegan gravy!
Get the recipe here.
6. Easy Vegan Stuffing
For some, the stuffing is more enticing than the bird. But if you’re vegan, you won’t want something that was cooked inside a corpse, and this certainly isn’t! This recipe is 100% vegan and is still absolutely delicious! If you can’t eat gluten, there’s also an alternative to make this gluten-free, so it’s a real winner. It’s practically a meal within itself!
Get the recipe here.
7. Seitan Roulade With Cranberries & Mushrooms
Not sure how to pronounce this one? Our editor says it’s say-TAN roo-LAD. It sure looks as fancy as it sounds, whilst remaining 100% vegan-friendly. It’s essentially rosemary-infused stuffing wrapped with wheat gluten around it and baked in the oven. This will have your home smelling delicious, and it can be a dish you proudly serve up to fellow vegans or family members looking to try something other than dry turkey (eww). Not sure where to find seitan? You can buy it online here.
Get the recipe here.
8. Sumac Tofu Steaks
This is a fabulous meat replacement, because the thick tofu ‘steak like’ appearance will also give you a hearty, meaty texture that serves as a filling main dish, whilst keeping it purely vegan this Christmas. The sumac really brings this dish to life, giving the steaks their gorgeous colour, but if you can’t find it, it’s still delish!
Get the recipe here.
9. Stuffed Christmas Tofurkey
Not only is the name of this pure genius, but this is the perfect recipe if you miss your turkey centrepiece at Christmas dinners. It’s very meat-like in its appearance, but it has no meat whatsoever. It’s basically tofu stuffed with veggies! And it goes well with myriad side dishes, too. Caveat? You’re gonna have to buy yourself some Tofurkey first, which you can do here.
Get the recipe here.
10. Cranberry & Pistachio Nut Roast
Thank you, Jamie Oliver, for creating a nut roast that not only looks luxurious and beautiful, but that’s also darn tasty. Nut loaf still carries a bit of a stigma, thanks to nasty ‘instant’ nut loaf mixes from the hippy 60s. But watch faces light up with excitement when they see this homemade version on your Christmas menu! It’s more like a savoury upside-down cake than your standard loaf. It has a creamy mushroom risotto base with a sticky cranberry topping, making it one of my personal favourite vegan Christmas dinner recipes!
Get the recipe here.
11. Vegan Pies with a Cashew Cream Filling
Another one of my vegan Christmas recipes is these vegan cashew cream-filled pies. They’re very simple to make and taste incredible! Inside, you’ll find layers of roasted pureed carrots, creamy leeks, asparagus and puy lentils all merging in a soft, creamy cashew sauce. Are you salivating yet? Because I sure am!
Get the recipe here.
12. Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash
This recipe not only looks wonderful on the table, but it’s super versatile: you can stuff these with anything you like! Think: chestnuts, mushrooms, pomegranate, kale, hazelnuts, chickpeas, brown lentils…you name it! This recipe calls for feta cheese, but frankly, you can easily leave it out, or if you really want to, add a vegan version of the stuff instead. Personally, I would caramelise the pecans, too.
Get the recipe here.
13. Sweet Potato Casserole with Nut Crumble
This may not sound like something you’d usually cook up on Christmas, but trust us, this will be a real hit. It’s warming, it’s filling, it’s sweet and crunchy. Oh, and it contains essential fats from the coconut oil, making this a real contender for staying healthy during this festive season.
Get the recipe here.
14. Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Parsnip & Potato Mash
Vegan Christmas dinner recipes are all about good, hearty plates shared with those you love closely. So a vegan shepherd’s pie is the ultimate dish to serve up! Packed full of pulses and vegetables, this pie is traditional British food at its best. It’s earthy, thanks to the mushrooms and chestnuts, and smoky, thanks to the paprika. And who can resist the crispy potato topping? This won’t last until the end of the meal, we guarantee it.
Get the recipe here.
15. Herbed Cauliflower Gratin
Vegan Christmas dinner recipes must include side dishes, and this is one of the best!
Cauliflower is only recently getting the recognition it deserves. Once known at just a bit of sad boiled veg with little flavour, it’s now at the centre of so many wonderful recipes. And this herbed gratin is a good example!
Get the recipe here.
16. Veggie Tofu Pot-Pie
This pie takes the art of pies to a whole new level. The crust is made with sweet potato, pumpkin seed and biscuit, whilst the inside is bursting with carrots, purple onions, sweet potato and so many more flavours! Sure, it’s not the most dietetic dish, but it’s Christmas, darnit! You can make one big pie to share, or individual ones if you prefer to serve them that way.
Get the recipe here.
17. Jewelled Red Cabbage
This is such a pretty dish! Pomegranate seeds decorate spiced red cabbage and apples. Simple to make – just use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of butter. Done! You’ve got the perfect side dish.
Get the recipe here.
18. Caramelized Onion & Kale Dip
Christmas is all about indulgence, sure. But why not make it as healthy as possible? Especially when food can taste this good! This warm caramelized onion and kale is the perfect dipping food to feed your guests. Serve it up with crudites, some gluten-free crackers or blue corn chips.
Get the recipe here.
19. Salt & Pepper Tofu Triangles
This is one of the best vegan Christmas recipes to serve as an appetiser or as a side dish. With the option of making them slightly cheesy with the addition of nutritional yeast, these will be a real winner on your table this year. Plus, if you have any left over (but we’re pretty confident you won’t) then you can also throw them into your leftover Christmas wraps the next day. Click here for more recipe ideas for leftovers.
Get the recipe here.
20. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Another twice baked recipe, this time with sweet potato, rosemary and sauteed balsamic onions. This recipe does call for cheese, but it’s perfectly fine to replace it with a vegan cheese from brands such as Tofutti. Serve a plate of these up on your table, and not only are they going to bring a pop of colour, but they’re also delicious, too! Definitely a snazzier take on the roast potato.
Get the recipe here.
21. Maple Roast Parsnips Chili
Why not spruce up those parsnips this Christmas and turn a side dish into something altogether a little more exciting? These sweet and sticky parsnips are just brimming with a variety of flavours that not only compliment one another but will taste amazing. It takes mere minutes to prepare, which gives you time to have a sneaky glass of wine. Or two. This is another one of the vegan Christmas recipes that calls for dairy (butter), but you can easily sub in healthier coconut oil instead!
Get the recipe here.
22. Oven Roasted Carrots 2 Ways
These oven roasted carrots take barely any time at all to make and are way tastier than the plate of over boiled carrots you usually find on a Christmas dinner table. And the best part? They come two ways: savoury or sweet (for the latter, sub in maple syrup for the honey, et voila!)
Get the recipe here.
23. Christmas Root Salad
Another one of my favourite vegan Christmas recipes for adding a little life to veggies this holiday season! When you’re vegan or vegetarian, vegetables make up a huge portion of your plate, so it’s vital to vary recipes so you don’t feel like you’re eating the same old thing again and again and again. This dish has celeriac, beetroot, carrots, apple and pomegranate seeds. It’s all tossed with some chopped walnuts, herbs and a citrus-maple dressing.
Get the recipe here.
24. Vegan Goodwill Pie Recipe
Oh my gosh! This is one of those vegan Christmas dinner recipes with sooo much goodness in it! Sweet potatoes, polenta, beetroot, and more! It’s basically a meal in a pie, and it’s one of the best hot pies you could make to please a crowd. And did I mention it’s even better with lashings of gravy?
Get the recipe here.
25. Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
Is it even Christmas if there isn’t a steaming plate of creamy mashed potatoes to share? This recipe manages to make the ‘taters super smooth, without a drop of butter or milk. It’s a definite must-have vegan Christmas dinner staple!
Get the recipe here.
26. Jamie Oliver’s Vegan Gravy
Mr. Oliver is the King of Christmas, having come up with many holiday recipes over the years that have had our mouths watering, and this vegan gravy is no exception. It’s relatively easy to make and it’s got a gorgeous, velvety smooth texture. Poured over mashed potatoes – how could anyone resist? It’s the perfect vegan Christmas dinner recipe for not only taters, but to drizzle over stuffing and vegan meatloafs, too.
Get the recipe here.
27. Christmas Mimosas
Vegan Christmas dinner recipes have to include a few drinks, too! These mimosas not only look stunning on the table, but can easily be made ‘virgin’ – just leave out the booze!
Get the recipe here.
28. Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse
No one wants to fuss over a complicated dessert after cooking an entire Christmas dinner, am I right? So thank goodness for this simple, yet delicious, idea. It’s the perfect vegan Christmas dinner recipe for finishing off a feast, as it’s not all that filling.
Get the recipe here.
29. Vegan and GF Mince Pies
This is one of those vegan Christmas dinner recipes that’s a must-make! Since it’s both vegan and gluten free, it’s the ideal traditional Christmas dessert to serve up. No one could possibly be allergic, and these babies are deliciously packed with all the spicy, citrusy flavours of the season. Plus, if you pack these into a pretty cookie tin, these make for a wonderful homemade gift!
Get the recipe here.
30. Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
Are these festive, or what? When the coffee course rolls around, it’s time to get dipping biscuits! And these choco-peppermint cookies go oh-so-well with a post-dinner tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Get more amazing Christmas cookie recipes here.
Get the recipe here.
31. Sticky Toffee Pudding
A list of vegan Christmas dinner recipes just HAS to include this! It’s pretty much what every British person really waits for at Christmas. Aa hot, rich, sticky toffee pudding! Serve these with some cognac for the perfect end to the perfect dinner.
Get the recipe here.
32. Traditional Christmas Pudding
It just wouldn’t be a proper dinner without a traditional Christmas Pudding, but these are normally made with lashings of butter and quite a few eggs. Not so this recipe from the Mouthwatering Vegan! There are plenty of fruits, nuts and spices in this pud, but not a single animal product. Super boozy too, heh heh!
Get the recipe here.
33. Vegan Eggnog
I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favourite flavours of the season! And thus, also one of my favourite vegan Christmas dinner recipes. Nutmeg, booze and cream combine to form a heavy – but very tasty – concoction! Have yours over ice, or if you’re like me, with a bit of coffee.
Get the recipe here.
What are your favourite vegan Christmas dinner recipes? Anything you could never live without during the season? Let us know in the comments, below.
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Lora O'Brien
Food Editor at Eluxe Magazine
After graduating in Journalism from the University of Greenwich, Lora worked for Sugar and Healing Lifestyles magazines in London before being hired to write about food for Eluxe. She’s recently become a new mom to baby Lulla, and is writing a blog about the experience of being a new mom. See more about Lora here.
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