Top 10 Delicious Vegan Christmas Recipes That Will Stun Your Friends and Family + Survival Tips
Christmas is always a strange time for vegans. It’s a holiday centered around eating lots of meat, and there can be a lot of pressure on us to deliver great-tasting alternatives. Whether you’re cooking for your family or friends, these vegan Christmas recipes below will help you enjoy a delicious meal and wow your diners.
I’ve also included some vegan Christmas survival tips at the bottom to help you get through the holiday in peace.
Top 10 Delicious Vegan Christmas Recipes
So here it is, the very best vegan Christmas recipes. Personally, I love having a vegan Christmas. Each time I get nervous about what people will think of my food, and they always love it. I’m not saying I’ve converted anyone just yet, but I’ve definitely planted a few seeds.
1. The Big BOSH! Christmas Dinner
I love this recipe because it’s an all-in-one solution to a vegan Christmas dinner. If you haven’t heard of BOSH! then where the hell have you been? These two guys are fantastic vegan chefs who have sold millions of cookbooks worldwide and even have their own vegan cooking TV show in the UK.
If you’re looking for a simple way to tackle your Christmas dinner, I highly recommend going for this recipe. It will instruct you on how to make:
- Portobello Mushroom Wellington
- Maple Roasted Root Vegetables
- Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
- Chestnut Cranberry Stuffing Balls
- Wholegrain Mustard Mash
- Perfectly Crisp Roast Potatoes
It’s an absolute winner of a dish and is sure to wow anyone on Christmas Day. It’s some hard work to put together, but when has cooking Christmas Dinner ever been easy?
2. Vegan Nut Roast
An absolute classic that should not be dismissed. You can’t go wrong with a nut roast. For many years it was the staple of a vegetarian’s Christmas Dinner, now it’s been adopted by vegans all over the world.
It’s relatively simple to put together and is packed full of flavor. Make sure you follow the recipe carefully so that it stays nice and moist. You can serve a nut roast with all the usual Christmas Dinner trimmings.
No doubt, you will get some comments probably from an Uncle such as “eurgh nut roast, I can’t eat like a rabbit!”. Well, rabbits eat grass Uncle Lou, and this nut roast is delicious, so who cares what you think!?
3. No “Turkey” Roast
Most vegans miss turkey at Christmas. We don’t miss earring a dead animal, we just miss the taste because it has been a significant part of our lives for all our life. So, there is no issue in replacing a turkey with a meat alternative that tastes just like it.
Enter the Tofurkey. A tofu alternative to a turkey that can be roasted just like a turkey and tastes fantastic! You’ll find many tofurkey roast dinner recipes online with people replicating a traditional turkey dinner but “veganized.”
For me, this is the perfect solution for any vegan trying to hold on to a traditional Christmas Dinner. Let me know how yours goes and what people think of it.
4. Festive Butternut Roast
Not only does this butternut roast taste great, but it’s also an excellent centerpiece for any vegan Christmas dinner table. It looks cool, and I think it’s an attempt to replace a beef tenderloin with the string wrapped around it.
This is basically stuffed butternut. You grab a load of lentils, spinach, nuts, and fresh herbs and stuff it all inside a big butternut squash. Shove it in the oven all tied together, and the result is a delicious butternut roast that can be cut into large slices and dished up with your fave trimmings.
Avoid stuffing it with the same veggies that you will be eating on the side of this dish. You don’t want butternut full of carrot, potato, and parsnips with a side of carrot, potato, and parsnips. That’s just mad! Unless you really like carrots, potatoes, and parsnips.
5. Vegan Potato Dauphinoise Gratin
Before I went vegan, Dauphinoise potatoes were one of my favorite Christmas side dishes. Who doesn’t love carbs and cheese all mixed together? Thankfully some very clever people have managed to create a vegan version, and I couldn’t be happier.
If you’re currently thinking, “what the hell is Dauphinoise potatoes!?” then you’re in for a treat. This is a very naughty dish that is rich and creamy with soft, delicious sliced potatoes. Once you bake it, it goes nice and crispy on top and is just heavenly.
6. Mixed Mushroom Stuffing
The chef master that is Jamie Oliver presents a vegan mixed mushroom stuffing that belongs on any vegan Christmas Dinner table. This is rich in flavor and will complement any vegan Christmas main dish, especially a vegan wellington or roast Tofurky.
The recipe is straightforward to put together and will be one of the most popular dishes on the table. Feel free to get creative with the ingredients. I have made a few different versions that include asparagus and even Brussels sprouts.
7. Thyme & White Bean Pot Pies
Pot pies are a great way to give every person on the table their own little dish, and people generally like the idea. This recipe is made with white beans and is given a rich flavor using a combination of thyme, carrots, and onions.
The crust is very crispy and is delicious when dunked in a nice vegan gravy. You can serve with all your fave trimmings, making it a completely vegan Christmas dinner that everyone will enjoy and talk to their friends about.
8. Vegan New York Cheesecake
Who in their right mind doesn’t like cheesecake? When you go vegan, you may think that cheesecake is a thing of the past, but you would be completely wrong. There are many great vegan cheesecake recipes out there, but this is the best one, in my opinion, from Vanilla Crunch.
The cheesecake is creamy and indulgent, guaranteed to wow everyone at the table and make them reconsider why they would ever need a non-vegan cheesecake. I like to serve with some ice-cream or even some vegan custard if you’re feeling adventurous and extra naughty.
9. Glazed Tofu Roast
For some people, a glazed pork roast is the pinnacle to a great Christmas dinner. For vegans, we have a glazed tofu roast that is just as delicious and cruelty-free. People may turn the nose up at the thought of tofu on Christmas Day, but they will soon change their minds once they take a bite of this bad boy.
The marinade is created by creating a mix of soy sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, and liquid smoke. You then have glaze made from whiskey, orange zest, brown sugar, apricot jam, and smoked salt. This allows the tofu to have that proper glazed flavor and is sure to wow people around the dinner table this year.
10. Mushroom And Chestnut Stuffed Seitan Roast With Gravy
We shouldn’t forget about seitan this Christmas. It is a meat alternative worthy of a place on any vegan Christmas Dinner table this year. Seitan is so versatile, and this is just more proof of that.
This is a slightly tricky recipe to create, but it is entirely worth it for the result. A nice big seitan roast stuffed with delicious mushrooms, nuts, and seeds. If you’re really trying to wow some friends or family this year, please give this recipe a go and let me know how it goes.
Vegan Christmas Cupboard Essentials
For a successful vegan Christmas cooking, make sure you have all the following ready to go in your kitchen cupboard or fridge.
(in no order)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Chickpeas
- Cocoa Powder
- Coconut Milk & Cream
- Coconut Sugar
- Cornflour
- Dried Beans
- Fresh Thyme
- Lentils
- Liquid Smoke
- Maple Syrup
- Mixed Nuts
- Nutritional Yeast
- Plant Milk (soy, almond, cashew, etc.)
- Smoked Salt
- Soy Sauce
- Spices (paprika smoked and unsmoked), cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, oregano, garam masala, ras el hanout, black onion seeds, fennel seeds, and turmeric)
- Vanilla Extract
- Vegan Butter
- Vegan Gravy
- Vegan Pastry
- Vegan White & Red Wine
- Veggie Stock
Ready-Made Vegan Christmas Dishes and Sides
For those that don’t wish to spend their Christmas Day slaving over the cooker, I thought it would be useful to point you in the direction of some ready-made meals and sides.
Mains
- Original Field Roast Grain Meat Co. Hazelnut Cranberry Roast En Croute
- Original Field Roast Grain Meat Co. Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage
- Tofurky Roast Ham Glaze
- Tofurky Roast & Gravy
Sides/Condiments
- Bob's Red Mill Creamy Mashed Instant Potato Mix Flake
- Road’s End Organics Gluten-Free Vegan Savory Herb Gravy Mix
- Califia Farms Seasonal Holiday Nog Almond Milk
- 365 Everyday Value Organic Multigrain Stuffing Mix
- Pacific Foods Organic Mushroom Broth
- Trader Joe’s Coconut Whipped Topping
- Trader Joes’ Riced Cauliflower Stuffing
Desserts
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Banana Bread with Walnuts
- Marie Callendar’s Dutch Apple Pie
- Miss Jones Baking Organic Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
- Raised Vegan Strawberry Pie
Christmas Dinner Survival Tips
As I mentioned at the start of this post, surviving Christmas as a vegan can be difficult. This might sound ridiculous to a non-vegan, but it’s true. We’re often mocked, our food laughed at, attacked with multiple questions, and sometimes even excluded because we’re vegan.
Get Ready for Questions
It’s inevitable. People in your family or friends won’t be able to resist asking you questions about why you’re vegan. Sometimes it’s out of genuine interest, and sometimes it’s to bait you into an argument in which they will just shout over you until the cows (tofurkys?) come home.
In a social situation where you’re sitting at a table with lots of people eating meat, you don’t want to discuss veganism. It makes people feel uncomfortable, and you get labeled the problem, even if you didn’t start the conversation.
I recommend choosing another time to discuss veganism. If someone asks me a question that feels like bait, I simply ask them if we can discuss it at another time. Don’t be surprised to hear someone say, “how do you know if someone is vegan? They’ll tell you!”. This is ironic because, in my experience, it’s always other people that can’t shut up about my veganism.
Alternatively, you could just avoid all of this by not eating around people at all and stay at home to enjoy your Tofurky. That’s your choice.
Be Prepared With Food
I like to make sure I have all my vegan dinners organized well in advance to when I arrive at Christmas Dinner or have people over. For me, showing people how easy and delicious eating vegan can be is a very strong form of advocacy.
People soon get interested in what you are eating and are surprised at how exciting and tasty vegan food can be. Most people think we just eat rabbit food, so when you turn up with a New York Cheesecake, people are quickly intrigued.
Accept That You Are Being “Difficult”
You’re not really being difficult by refusing to eat animals, but accept that some people will see you that way. I’ve been at a dinner table in a restaurant and had a family member apologize to the waiter because I was being “difficult.” You also get people that say, “I’ll take the turkey. I’m normal.” Whatever that means?
Anyway, just accept that you are going to be seen as a problematic guest, and don’t get too upset if someone suggests you are being difficult. Just let it roll off and continue to stay positive.
Don’t Let People Eat All Your Food
By all means, let people try your lovely vegan food, but be careful! Some people want to scoff it all before going back to their several plates of non-vegan food. You only have your vegan food, but they have the whole table. Set the boundary straight away!
I’ve had times where almost all my mushroom wellington was eaten by my Grandfather. Then he went on to eat like ¾ of an entire turkey with all the trimmings. By 6 pm I was starving with nothing but chips for food.
Bring the Goods
If you know people are going to want to eat all your food, then bring extra! Bringing food for others to eat is an excellent form of advocacy. It allows others to sample vegan food and see how good it really is. This helps people realize that they might not need to eat as much meat and dairy as they think.
At Christmas, this may cost you a little extra to bring some tasty vegan treats to your host or provide them for your guests, But, it’s worth it to allow others to experiment with vegan food and see what it’s all about.
Learn How to Explain Why You’re Vegan
One of the most obvious questions you are likely to get is, why are you vegan. Seems like a simple question, but when caught on the spot, it can be challenging to express yourself. Especially if you’re sitting in front of nine non-vegan family members.
The best way is to keep it short and precise. I usually say “for the animals and the impact on the planet.” Like I mentioned, in point one on this list, Christmas dinner is not the time or place for this conversation. So, if it feels like people don’t get it, just move on. Maybe you can talk about it later.
Final Thoughts
A vegan Christmas Dinner can be a delightful experience. All you need is a quality recipe, preparation, and the right mindset. Don’t shy away from Christmas Dinner with your family, instead get yourself organized and blow them away with one or more of the recipes above.
I hope that the information in this will help to ease some nerves and ensure you have a beautiful Christmas with your friends and family. Feel free to leave your comments below and let me know how it goes. Merry Christmas!
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