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Vegan Christmas Recipes

by Marly

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These vegan Christmas recipes are bursting with delicious holiday flavors. You’ll find everything here from side dishes, salads, main dishes, desserts, and more!

A cranberry-encrusted Lentil Loaf sits on a white plate with cranberries in the background.

Most every year I make a full Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner Menu for our family for Christmas. Yes, it’s a repeat of the same meal from Thanksgiving, but it’s so worth it!

I have enjoyed recreating vegan versions of our favorite classic dishes over the years. You probably know those classics, like seven-layer salad, sweet potato casserole, and more!

I’m sharing my menu with you via these vegan Christmas recipes, including appetizers, sides, desserts, and more.

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Vegan Holiday Appetizers

Your holiday dinner has to start out with something special. That’s why these vegan Christmas starters are perfect for your next get together.

Set out a tray of your favorite veggies with some vegan yogurt ranch dip nearby and everyone will get the day started with a health kick. Sure, you’re going to end this day with pie, but at least you can say you started it healthy!

I love setting out a tray of appetizers with a pitcher of Christmas Punch so people can mingle as I’m doing the finishing touches on the meal.

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Holiday Salads

Your plant-based Christmas is not complete without the perfect salad. It happens to be one of the side dishes I love which is why I gave it a separate category from side dishes. Finding the best salad to serve on Christmas is highly personal. These are some favorites that I’ve served over the years.

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Holiday Side Dishes

Let’s be real. The side dish is where the vegan in all of us really shines! You’ll find a variety of dishes here to complement your entire spread.

I’m from the Midwest which is known for the best side dishes, which is why I filled this section with my favorites. You’ll find everything from stuffing to green bean casserole and more!

For example, our holiday dinner requires some delicious stuffing. I love my mom’s cooking, but her stuffing was really a chore to make and more like a loaf in consistency. It’s rich and dense, but also very flavorful. So, I took all that flavor and turned it into something a little easier to make…and vegan too!

You’ll notice something different about my mashed potatoes. First, I include the skins, because that’s where many of the nutrients come from. Second, I add a little bit of garlic to the mix. Well, I guess there’s a third, because I don’t use dairy in our mashed potatoes. The results? Perfection!

Whenever I have mashed potatoes, I need to have corn. They just seem to go hand-in-hand. That’s one reason I love creating a vegan cheesy corn casserole, loaded with buttery corn and oozing with cheese.

This recipe is golden and something we love to make for our holiday dinner feast. I love sweet potato casserole, but I oftentimes think people serve it way too sweet. So we reduced the amount of sugar and added some crunchy, caramelized nuts to the top as well.

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Vegan Christmas Main Dish

Look, if you want to, there’s no shame in going with a Tofurkey or Field Roast for your holiday dinner. We do this often and we enjoy it!

The Tofurkey has taken a lot of jokes over the years, but they have improved the recipe from those early days. Follow the package directions and you’ll do fine.

Here are some great options if you prefer the homemade route. Now that I’ve got the hang of working with vital wheat gluten, I’m more than happy to make my own vegan Christmas loaf.

I like for people to have options, that’s why I love sharing a couple of main dish options for my guests. For example, there’s my vegan shepherd’s pie, which combines a savory vegetable stew with mounds of mashed potatoes. I mean, we go overboard with the mashed potatoes…which is why it’s SO good! 🙂

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Vegan Bread

I’ve always felt you could determine the quality of a restaurant by the bread they serve. I think the same can be true with a homemade dinner. Serving a delicious homemade bread, such as dinner rolls, next to your meal can transform it into something amazing!

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Vegan Christmas Cookies & Sweets

It’s time to move on to satisfying our sweet tooth. We’ll start with some vegan Christmas cookies and include some traditional holiday sweet treats, too.

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Vegan Christmas Desserts

Here comes my favorite part…vegan desserts!

Whether making a vegan Christmas cake, cheesecake, or cupcakes, these desserts are a go-to favorite for your holiday dessert table. I think we’re all in agreement that we want our dessert table full of gorgeous desserts. That’s why I pulled out all the stops delivering the best recipes you’ll want to share with your family.

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Vegan Christmas Pies

It’s a requirement at our family dinners to serve pie. My favorite is the vegan pecan pie, but then again, a vegan pumpkin pie or chocolate pie is a thing of beauty as well! When it comes to dessert, pies are a go-to favorite around here.

I routinely make my vegan pie dough ahead of time and either freeze it or keep it in the fridge for days. That way, when it comes time to make pies, the task is much easier. Besides, pie dough does better when it’s chilled.

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Bonus Dessert tip: How to Make Vegan Whipped Coconut Cream. This is perfect to have handy to top your vegan pies!

There you have it! My favorite vegan Christmas recipes, with lots of delicious dishes to share with everyone!

A cranberry-encrusted Lentil Loaf sits on a white plate with cranberries in the background.

30+ Vegan Christmas Recipes + Vegan Holiday Lentil Loaf

If you're looking for the best vegan Christmas recipes in one place, look no more! You'll find everything here from vegan stuffing, dinner rolls, vegan turkey roast, and all the desserts you can imagine! In addition, you'll love the flavors in this Holiday Lentil Loaf, topped with cranberries. It has a crispy crust and flavorful cranberry topping. It's all the flavors of the holiday in one loaf!
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 175kcal
Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Lentils
  • ½ cup Quinoa
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 cup Fresh Cranberries
  • 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
  • 3 tablespoons Agave Nectar
  • ½ cup Onions, chopped
  • ½ cup Celery, chopped
  • 4 ½ cups Cornbread Stuffing Mix (See notes)
  • ¼ cup Beet Puree , Optional
  • 1 tablespoon Ground Flax Meal
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Sage
  • 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast Flakes
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 to 3 cups Vegetable Broth

Instructions

  • Note: This recipe uses the same saucepan 3 times. No need to wash between each use.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, quinoa, and water. Bring the contents to a boil and then place a lid on the pan and reduce heat to simmer. Cook this for about 30 to 35 minutes, until all the lentils are tender and the water has been absorbed. 
  • Once the lentil/quinoa mixture is done, pour it into a mixing bowl.
  • Next, in the same saucepan, add the cranberries, orange zest, and agave nectar. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. You'll hear some of the cranberries pop. The goal is to soften the cranberries. 
  • Spray the bottom and sides of a large loaf pan with vegetable spray. Then pour the cranberry mixture into the loaf pan, spreading them equally across the pan.
  • Heat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
  • Using the same saucepan, spray with vegetable spray (or add a drizzle of olive oil) and the chopped onions and celery. Cook over medium heat until the onions and celery are tender. Pour into the same bowl as the lentil/quinoa mixture.
  • Pour the stuffing mix in and beet puree (if using) with the lentil/quinoa mixture and stir until combined.
  • Spoon about 3 cups of this mixture into a food processor and add ground flax seeds, ground sage, nutritional yeast flakes, and olive oil. Pulse until combined. Add vegetable broth, one cup at a time, pulsing in between additions. 
  • Pour the mixture from the food processor into the mixing bowl and stir it into the mixture. Add more vegetable broth and stir until you get a consistency that is soft and spreadable. This should be a moist batter.
  • Pour the lentil loaf batter into the loaf pan, then use a spoon or your hands to mash the contents down, so it's compressed together.
  • Place in the heated oven and bake for 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto your serving dish. If some of the cranberries remain in the bottom of the pan, use a fork or tongs to grab them and place them back on the loaf.
  • Serve warm. Refrigerate up to a week. Freeze for up to a month.

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Notes

I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Savory Herb Stuffing Mix. It’s a 10 oz bag, which roughly translates into about 4 ½ cups. If you’re not able to find this stuffing mix, I have used Pepperidge Farms cornbread stuffing mix too, but I recommend adding additional spices like sage, rosemary, and thyme (a teaspoon each).
You can also add a tablespoon of soy sauce to this recipe if you’d like to add even more savory flavor.
Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 363mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1.6mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

That’s the end of my shopping list for your vegan holiday meal plan. I’m going to love my time in the kitchen over the next several days. I hope you will too! ❤️

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