These Vegan (vegetarian) Christmas dinner recipes are a mix of holiday classics, easy cozy vegan main dishes, vegan sides and starters, along with some popular holiday condiments like vegan cranberry sauce, vegan worcestershire sauce (gf), sage and onion seasoning, and our favorite holiday drink! Let's get to the list.
Sometimes, it's difficult to know what to cook for Christmas if you don't eat meat/dairy (or your guests don't). I've been there, I know what it's like. So if you're in charge of the Christmas feast this year but don't know what to make, here's a few vegan/vegetarian dishes to try that everyone will love!
You probably already have your favorite veggie side dishes like glazed carrots, cauliflower and cheese sauce, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole covered already. So here's a roundup of other fabulous Christmas recipes (many are gluten free as well!). I hope you'll find a few new favorites too!
Table of Contents
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Vegan Appetizers/Starters
The BEST Vegan Sausage Rolls
If I could choose only one appetizer for a holiday party, these vegan sausage rolls are IT! They are sought after and loved by all eaters! Made with a meaty, savory filling of mushrooms and onions and rolled in tender, flaky puff pastry, they are baked to golden crispy perfection. It's everyone's favorite vegan starter for Christmas!
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Vegan Soup & Salad
Here's just two of our favorite, super flavorful and colorful soups and salads. You can find more vegan starters on the blog.
Easy Spicy Cauliflower Curry Soup
This vegan cauliflower rice and mushroom soup is our favorite to serve on Christmas Eve (buffet style). The there's tons of texture and the rich, creamy broth is exploding with savory flavor and just a kiss of heat! This flavorful soup will make your tastebuds sing. Perfect for holiday dinners! Gluten Free
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Shaved Brussels Sprouts Crunch Salad
The most craveable crunchy flavorful Brussels sprouts salad ever! Made with pomegranates, pistachios, and toasted ramen noodles for extra crunch - this salad is a showstopper! Easy to make, this festive winter salad is tossed with the prettiest and most delicious, creamy pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette. Gluten Free
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Vegan Side Dishes
When you first decide to follow a vegan lifestyle, sometimes all there is to eat are the side dishes so they are important!
Fluffy, Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Learn how surprisingly quick & easy it is to make mashed potatoes from scratch. Super fluffy, creamy and flavorful, they are dairy free, gluten free, and vegan. Simple enough for everyday, but fancy enough for holiday dinners!
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How to Make THE BEST Vegan Gravy!
Learn how to make full-flavored mushroom gravy without any drippings and no lumps! This vegan gravy is easy to make, is loaded with holiday flavor, and is make ahead friendly. It's incredible drizzled on everything from vegan turkey and mashed potatoes to homemade biscuits and fries! GF Option
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Crispy Smashed Potatoes
The crispiest smashed potatoes with perfectly golden edges and creamy centers. Everyone loves these easy, smashed potatoes served as an appetizer with dip or as a side dish. Absolutely irresistible drizzled with sour cream, tahini or gravy! Gluten Free
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Crispy Brussels Sprouts Recipe (2 ways)
Easy to make, super flavorful, crispy Brussels sprouts made two ways - oven roasted and deep fried. Perfect served as a vegan appetizer/starter, a side dish for the holidays or a quick and easy weeknight meal. Gluten FreePlus I've included Nana's famous vegan sauce for dipping!
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Soft Vegan Dinner Rolls
These soft, fluffy, buttery dinner rolls are absolutely incredible. They are melt-in-your mouth tender and ridiculously flavorful! The crusty version is a carby bread lovers dream come true served hot out of oven with butter, as a side for dinner, and they make THE BEST DANG hamburger buns ever!
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These soft and fluffy vegan dinner rolls are so easy to make using all purpose refrigerator dough. Make the bread dough up to 14 days in advance, then enjoy freshly baked dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza, pitas, and so much more in no time. It's a foolproof recipe perfect for beginners and seasoned pros alike.
Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Super light and fluffy, these vegan biscuits are melt in your mouth tender and delicious! This easy vegan biscuit recipe is perfect for beginners and home bakers who want to bake from scratch! Excellent on Boxing Day with leftover vegan turkey slathered with gravy!
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Vegan Christmas Dinner (main dishes)
Some of our favorite main dishes during the holidays include savory vegan/vegetarian versions of turkey, Shepherd's pie, cabbage rolls, and pasta dishes. Here's a few of our current favorites:
Vegan Turkey (for Thanksgiving & Christmas Dinner)
This vegan turkey is made from shaved tofu perfectly seasoned with sage and onion seasoning. It takes only 15 minutes to make, and has all the flavors and textures you've come to expect from a traditional turkey dinner (but no turkey!). Super meaty, juicy, and tender but also some irresistibly crispy edges. Everyone in the family loves this shaved vegan holiday roast smothered in vegan turkey gravy. I think you will too!
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Vegan Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce
This vegan lasagna recipe is super luxurious! It's made with rich, red marinara sauce, thick creamy bechamel white sauce, meaty spinach and onion filling, and dairy free mozzarella cheese layered between tender lasagna noodles. Everyone LOVES this delicious vegan lasagna!
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How To Make Vegan Lasagna with a California Twist!
The most incredible vegan lasagna made with spicy Italian sausage, portobello mushrooms and roasted red peppers, dairy free 'goat' cheese sauce, and rich red marinara sauce. This is THE most requested vegan lasagna at our family holiday gatherings - for good reason!
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Easy Vegan Shepherd's Pie
This easy Vegan Shepherd's pie is a layer of hearty vegan mince topped with fluffy, garlic mashed potatoes baked to crispy golden perfection.An incredible vegan version of Gordon Ramsay's classic British Shepherd's pie recipe. Super flavorful, thick, rich, and oh so satisfying. Gluten free to boot!
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Quick and Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta
A simple, super flavorful, vegan creamy mushroom pasta recipe. This luxurious vegan/vegetarian pasta meal comes together in under 30 minutes! It's a healthy, hearty creamy vegan pasta to serve during the week or as a side dish during the holidays - everyone LOVES it! Gluten Free Friendly
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Vegan Desserts
Who can resist a little something sweet after dinner? Here's a few of our favorite vegan (dairy free) holiday desserts that are easy to make, can be made ahead, and the leftovers are delicious for breakfast!
Easy Apple Galette on Puff Pastry
Incredible vegan apple galette made with golden flaky puff pastry and an irresistible Dutch crumble topping. Faster and easier than apple pie, this vegan apple tart is simple enough for Sunday dinner or make it fancy with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream and a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.
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Easiest Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Learn how to make THE BEST, soft and fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls from scratch using refrigerator dough. No equipment, no kneading, and no mess -the perfect recipe for beginners! The refrigerator dough contains no eggs or dairy, takes only 5 minutes to mix, and can be made up to 14 days in advance. These gooey, buttery, brown sugar and cinnamon buns are a necessity for weekend brunches and Christmas morning at our house!
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The Best Vegan Apple Crumble
This vegan apple crumble (crisp) recipe is super delicious and easy to make. It's a combination of cinnamon spiced apples topped with a double helping of crispy oat clusters. It's a long-time family favorite vegan dessert at Christmas.
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Best Vegan Monkey Bread (easy + indulgent)
This vegan monkey bread recipe is seriously delicious! It’s easy and fun to make from scratch using refrigerator dough. The soft and fluffy cinnamon bites are a cross between the gooey, sticky sweet center of a cinnamon roll and a vegan donut hole! Perfect for Sunday brunch or holiday dessert!
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Salted Caramel Millionaire Cookies
The most decadent vegan salted caramel and chocolate ganache shortbread cookies ever! Just like a millionaire shortbread bar, but deconstructed and vegan! These showstoppers are beyond indulgent - and everyone loves these vegan cookies!
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Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Ready in 20 minutes, these vegan peanut butter cups are super delicious and extra crunchy from peanuts and pretzel pieces. This vegan version of Reese's peanut butter cups is easy to make at home! (dairy free, gluten free)Be sure to hide one of two because these super addictive mini peanut butter cups are highly sought after at family get togethers and holiday gatherings!
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Favorite Holiday Cocktail
There are so many pretty and delicious festive drinks out there, and we like to try a new cocktail recipe (or two) every year. My sister and I LOVE this one from Half Baked Harvest!
The Spicy Sweet Grinch Cocktail.
Keeping things festive and fun with Half Baked Harvest's Spicy Sweet Grinch Cocktail.
It’s a touch of sweet and a little bit spicy...perfectly fitting for “the Grinch”.
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It’s a touch of sweet and a little bit spicy...perfectly fitting for “the Grinch”.
Pantry Items
Here's a few pantry items typically in Christmas recipes, but can be difficult to find in some areas. I've also included my recipe for easy cranberry sauce (vegan + gf) in the recipe card below, (not on the blog yet).
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (GF)
Homemade vegan Worcestershire sauce has all the salty, sour, umami flavors with just a kiss of sweetness as the original Worcestershire, but no anchovies (and no gluten)! It's the perfect vegan alternative to Worcestershire sauce adding a ton of flavor to vegan Caesar salad, bloody Mary's, tofu marinades, and sauces like chili, Shepherd's pie, and vegan spaghetti. Gluten Free
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Sage, Onion and Garlic Seasoning Blend
The perfect savory, sage and onion seasoning for holiday side dishes like vegan turkey, sage and onion stuffing, and crispy potatoes. Easy and inexpensive to make, this is the most reached for seasoning blend in our pantry at Christmas.
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Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
This recipe is the best tasting, vegan substitute for heavy cream ever! Trust me, it's easy to make heavy cream at home with no dairy and no additives. Plus it's gluten-free, plant based, freezes well, and is fantastic in soups, stews, vegan desserts and so much more. My husband is obsessed with it in his coffee too!!!
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Healthier Cranberry Sauce (vegan)
Cranberry sauce is a popular side dish (condiment) on the table at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It's easy to make from scratch and tastes way better than canned cranberry sauce. Grab a bag of fresh or frozen cranberries and let's get making the best, low sugar or sugar free cranberry sauce.
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INGREDIENTS
- 12 ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup sugar (or maple syrup)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup orange juice, fresh
- pinch sea salt
Optional
- orange rind or zest
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add cranberries, sugar, water, orange juice, salt, and orange zest/rind to a medium saucepan. Bring up to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low for ~10-15 minutes while the cranberries breakdown and become jammy. Stir as needed.
- Taste and adjust the level of sweetness. Add a tablespoonful of maple syrup at a time to increase sweetness or a splash of apple cider vinegar to bring down the sweetness. Add another pinch of salt to enhance flavors as needed.
- Cranberry sauce will thicken and set further as it cools down. If it's too thick, add more orange juice or water. If it's too thin, put it back on the stove to simmer (no lid).
NOTES
Tart or Sweet?: This recipe as written is semi-sweet tart. To make it sweeter, add more sugar/maple syrup or sub extra orange juice for the water.
Too sweet? Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar: stir, taste, and repeat as needed. Sugar free version: Use maple syrup in place of sugar for a naturally sweetened cranberry sauce. They pop and burst!: If this is your first time making cranberry sauce from scratch, be prepared for the cranberries - they pop and burst while they heat up and breakdown. You may need to place a lid partially over the pot. Thick or berrylicious?: The longer you cook the cranberries, the more they will breakdown and become thicker. So if you like a lighter cranberry sauce with chunks of berries, remove from the heat a little sooner. Make Ahead Friendly: Cranberry sauce can be made a week in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use. You may need to stir in another splash of water or orange juice to correct consistency before serving. Leftovers: Just like my homemade berry jam, leftover cranberry sauce is amazing on toast with peanut butter. It's also delicious in a homemade pop tart made with leftover pieces of pie dough or puff pastry from your apple pie or apple galette.
Too sweet? Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar: stir, taste, and repeat as needed. Sugar free version: Use maple syrup in place of sugar for a naturally sweetened cranberry sauce. They pop and burst!: If this is your first time making cranberry sauce from scratch, be prepared for the cranberries - they pop and burst while they heat up and breakdown. You may need to place a lid partially over the pot. Thick or berrylicious?: The longer you cook the cranberries, the more they will breakdown and become thicker. So if you like a lighter cranberry sauce with chunks of berries, remove from the heat a little sooner. Make Ahead Friendly: Cranberry sauce can be made a week in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use. You may need to stir in another splash of water or orange juice to correct consistency before serving. Leftovers: Just like my homemade berry jam, leftover cranberry sauce is amazing on toast with peanut butter. It's also delicious in a homemade pop tart made with leftover pieces of pie dough or puff pastry from your apple pie or apple galette.
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