Vegan Christmas Recipes
by Marly McMillen
These vegan Christmas recipes are bursting with delicious holiday flavors. You’ll find everything here, from side dishes, salads, main dishes, desserts, and more!
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.
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.
Vegan Spinach Pinwheels
These delicious vegan spinach pinwheels make a an easy, cheesy appetizer that’s perfect for a party or even a weeknight occasion or snack.
Vegan Cheese Ball
This tasty Vegan Cheese Ball is made with vegan cheese, spices, and green onions, all blended together and rolled in crunchy toasted pecans.
Gluten-Free Chex Mix
This gluten free Chex Mix is the perfect snack to bring to a party, because it’s salty, crunchy, and delicious for so many diets: from vegan to gluten-free.
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
These stuffed cherry tomatoes make a perfect snack, and they’re also great appetizers for parties. They’re easy to make and delicious!
Stuffed Dates
This stuffed dates recipe is easy to make and a delightfully sweet treat you can make for celebrations or snacks. Date appetizers are perfect party foods for people with allergies because they’re naturally gluten-free, and these are even dairy-free as well.
Vegan Bacon Ricotta Crostini
Vegan Bacon Ricotta Crostini with toasted bread, cashew creamy ricotta, crispy vegan bacon pieces and drizzled with maple syrup.
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.
Tahini Kale Salad With Avocado
This easy kale salad recipe is a nutritious dish to serve at your next plant-based party. It’s so tasty, no one will know it’s healthy, too!
Vegan Wedge Salad
This vegan wedge salad is bursting with fresh and flavorful ingredients like smoked apple bits, tomatoes, and a vegan blue cheese dressing.
Vegan 7-Layer Salad
This vegan 7-layer salad is a makeover of a Midwestern classic. It features layers of greens, veggie bacon, and a creamy dressing on top.
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.
Vegan Broccoli Casserole
This vegan broccoli casserole bakes up tender broccoli and rice smothered in a homemade vegan cheese sauce. It’s a perfect side dish!
Vegan Gravy
Make dinnertime (and breakfast) special with this homemade vegan gravy. Drizzle gravy over mashed potatoes, stuffing, biscuits, and more.
Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes
You’ll love the hearty flavor of these vegan garlic mashed potatoes made with only 5 ingredients! It’s a perfect side dish for any meal.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
This homemade vegan green bean casserole boasts tender green beans in a creamy, cheesy mushroom filling and topped with crispy fried onions.
Easy Vegan Corn Casserole
This easy vegan corn casserole recipe is a cheesy cornbread dish sure to please any crowd. It’s a savory side that goes perfectly with any meal.
Vegan Stuffing
This easy vegan stuffing is quick and delicious. Prepare it the day of your big dinner or make it ahead. It tastes so good, and it’s vegan!
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
This vegan sweet potato casserole uses caramelized pecans to create a crunchy topping over mashed sweet potatoes with tasty spices!
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! 🙂
Vegan Ham
This vegan ham is perfectly seasoned with smoky sweet flavors and topped with a pineapple glaze. Serve it as a loaf or sliced on sandwiches.
Vegan Turkey
This vegan turkey recipe delivers a delicious roast full of flavor and plant-based protein. Serve it for the holidays or any time of year.
Vegan Pot Pie
This vegan pot pie features a buttery crust filled with your favorites, like vegan chicken and vegetables in a creamy gravy-like sauce.
Vegan Chicken
This super-easy Vegan Chicken recipe has fantastic texture and flavor! Serve fillets in a lemon sauce or add it to your veggie stir fry.
Lentil Loaf with Stuffing and Cranberries
You’ll find all the flavors you yearn for in this Holiday Lentil Loaf with Stuffing and Cranberries. It has a crispy crust and flavorful cranberry topping.
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!
Vegan Dinner Rolls
Soft, tender, buttery, these easy vegan dinner rolls are a perfect and easy recipe to add something extra to your next family dinner.
Vegan Breadsticks
Better than Olive Garden! For the best Vegan Breadsticks experience make this recipe to serve alongside your favorite plant-based dinners.
Vegan Sweet Potato Rolls
Make dinner special with these warm, tasty dinner rolls. Vegan Sweet Potato Rolls are butter/dairy-free and delicious with every bite.
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.
Vegan Puppy Chow
This vegan puppy chow, also known as muddy buddies, features crispy cereal coated in peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar. So good!
These Vegan Gingerbread Cookies are dairy-free and delicious. Try pairing these with a glass of your favorite plant-based milk for a perfect winter treat!
Vegan Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
Vegan Chocolate-Covered Pretzels are a tasty, sweet and salty treat. Pretzel Twists are coated in dark chocolate and vegan white chocolate.
These vegan pumpkin cookies are so soft, fluffy, and tender. Topped with vegan cream cheese frosting, you can’t ask for a better cookie!
Vegan Peppermint Bark
This vegan peppermint bark has white and dark chocolate with crushed peppermint on top. It’s a perfect holiday sweet for parties or gifts.
Vegan Peanut Butter Balls
You’ll love these no-bake Vegan Peanut Butter Balls with a creamy, sweet peanut butter center, dipped in smooth, rich dark chocolate!
These Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies will make you push Santa out of the way for more. Tender cookies are full of chocolate and sprinkles!
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.
Vegan Carrot Cake
This moist Vegan Carrot Cake is soft, spiced, and loaded with carrots. It’s an easy cake with a luscious dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
Vegan Coconut Cake
Tantalize your taste buds with our dreamy Vegan Coconut Cake! I love this rich blend of coconut flavors partnered with a luscious cashew cream filling.
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
This vegan chocolate peanut butter cake is made with rich chocolate cake and creamy peanut butter frosting. Ganache on top is so delicious!
Strawberry Chocolate Bars
These strawberry chocolate bars are made with two layers, including chocolate and strawberry cake mixes. These tasty bars are easy to make!
Vegan Christmas Tree Cupcakes
These vegan Christmas tree cupcakes may look difficult, but they’re surprisingly easy to make and fun to eat! It’s a festive dessert!
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
This creamy vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe is a chocolate lover’s delight with an Oreo-infused crust and indulgently delicious filling. Every bite of this rich cheesecake is infused with chocolate, from the chocolate crust to the chocolate filling, and even the chocolate ganache topping.
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.
Dark Chocolate Pie
Indulge in this easy, decadent Dark Chocolate Pie with a rich, creamy ganache filling. Perfect for easy dessert and chocolate lovers alike!
Vegan Pecan Pie
This vegan pecan pie is a vegan version of the classic favorite. You’ll get simple ingredients, easy instructions, and a delicious pecan pie!
Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
Pull out the stops with this vegan peanut butter pie, with classic flavors of chocolate and peanut butter creating an unforgettable pie
Vegan Apple Pie
This gooey vegan apple pie has tender spiced apples baked in a buttery, flaky crust. Includes lattice tips for a bakery-style finish!
Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This amazing Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe is what you want to display on your holiday dessert table. It’s gorgeous, and delicious too!
Vegan Coconut Meringue Pie
This vegan coconut meringue pie is the creamiest pie ever. Because It’s made with coconut milk, every bite is rich, creamy, and delicious. It’s a beautiful and delicious dessert recipe that you’ll love serving at holiday dinners and special occasions.
Bonus Dessert tip: How to Make Vegan Whipped Coconut Cream. This is perfect to have handy to top your vegan pies!
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There you have it! My favorite vegan Christmas recipes, with lots of delicious dishes to share with everyone!
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! ❤️
About the Author
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
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