Planning and organizing a vegan Christmas dinner menu can be an effortless process. All you need is this CelebrationJoy post where we have provided detailed recipes starting from scrumptious appetizers to mouth-watering desserts.
“Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given―when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes.”
― Joan Winmill Brown
While creating a vegan Christmas dinner, many people are under the impression that it will consist of uncooked vegetables/salad with dressing and a variety of foods. Well, we would like to direct your attention to a whole new world of enjoying a meat-free feast with your family and friends.
As you can see, we have listed around 15 recipes for you to choose from. But don’t get alarmed. You don’t have to prepare all of these dishes for your Christmas dinner. You can set a unique dinner for your holiday gathering by building a ‘mix-and-match’ menu from our list of recipes.
VEGAN APPETIZERS
Tomato-basil Crostini
Prep time – 5 mins
Cook time – 5 mins
Serving size – 30
Ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes, chopped, 2 cups
Basil leaves, fresh, ½ cup
Olive oil, 1 tbsp.
Red wine vinegar, 1 tsp.
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients together. Once you add salt and black pepper, do a taste test and adjust the flavors according to your liking. Toss everything together and top crostini with it.
Sweet Potato Wedges
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 25 mins
Serving size – 6
Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes, 2 lbs.
Soy sauce, 2 tbsp.
Rice wine vinegar, 2 tbsp.
Olive oil, 1 tbsp.
Sesame seeds, 1½ tsp.
Sesame oil, ¼ tsp.
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven at 450°F and place a baking sheet in the oven. Wash, peel, and cut sweet potatoes into ¾” thick wedges, and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on top along with olive oil. Use your fingers to toss everything together so that the wedges are properly coated. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, very carefully, and arrange the wedges in a single layer. Place the sheet inside the oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, we’ll prepare the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil together. Once the wedges are ready, serve them with the dipping sauce.
VEGAN SOUP & SALAD
Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time – 5 mins
Cook time – 45 mins
Serving size – 4
Ingredients:
Butternut squash, 28 oz.
Coconut milk, 1½ cups
Vegetable stock, 1 cup
Lime juice, 1 tbsp.
Garlic cloves, chopped, 2
Red onion, chopped, 1
Chili pepper, chopped, 1
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Rosemary sprigs, for garnish
Olive oil, for frying
Directions
Preheat the oven at 425°F. Meanwhile, slice the squash into equal slices and brush them with olive oil. Arrange the slices onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slide the sheet inside the oven and bake the squash slices for at least 20 minutes. Once ready, remove the sheet out of the oven and let the squash slices cool down a bit so you can remove the skin easily. Now take a pot to stir-fry garlic, red onion, and chili pepper in 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Once the onion turns translucent, add salt, cayenne pepper, and vegetable stock in. Mix everything together and then add half the coconut milk in. Let the mixture come up to a boil, and then add the squash slices. With a handheld blender, mash the squash slices properly. Let the mixture turn slightly thick, and add the rest of coconut milk along with lime juice. Mix the soup one more time and do a taste test. At the time of serving, garnish the soup with rosemary sprigs.
Red Cabbage and Apple Salad
Prep time – 15 mins
Cook time – 5 mins
Serving size – 6
Ingredients:
Pomegranate seeds, 2 oz.
Red cabbage, sliced, 3 cups
Beetroot, grated, 2 cups
Walnuts, chopped, ½ cup
Extra-virgin olive oil, 5 tbsp.
Apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp.
Lemon juice, 2 tbsp.
Apples, sliced, 3
Directions
In a serving bowl, combine pomegranate seeds, red cabbage, beetroot, and apples together. In a small bowl, whisk vinegar and lemon juice with olive oil till the dressing emulsifies. Pour the dressing over the salad and garnish with chopped walnuts before serving.
VEGAN SIDE DISHES
Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Prep time – 5 mins
Cook time – 1 hour 15 mins
Serving size – 6
Ingredients for Mashed Potatoes
Rice milk, ½ cup
Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp.
Russet potatoes, peeled and diced, 6
Garlic head, whole, 1
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Chives, chopped, for garnish
Directions for Mashed Potatoes
Preheat the oven at 350°F. Remove the outer papery layer of garlic, and place it head down on a baking sheet. Slide the sheet inside the oven to toast the garlic for 40 minutes. In the meantime, boil the potatoes in a pot of hot salted water for about 20 – 25 minutes. Drain the water out and mash the potatoes through a sieve, and place them in a bowl. Once the roasted garlic is ready, remove the sheet from the oven and let the garlic cool down. Separate the cloves from the head and with the help of a garlic press, mash them into a fine paste; add them to the mashed potatoes bowl. In a pan, warm olive oil with rice milk, and add the garlic potatoes, salt, and black pepper in. Combine everything properly and do a taste test. Right before serving, garnish with chopped chives or scallion greens.
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 30 mins
Serving size – 2 cups
Ingredients for Gravy
Vegetable stock, 4 cups
Olive oil, 2 tbsp.
Red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp.
Plain flour, 2 tbsp.
Brown sugar, 1 tbsp.
Tomato purée, 1 tbsp.
Marmite or Vegemite, 1 tsp.
Onions, chopped, 2
Carrots, chopped, 2
Celery sticks, chopped, 2
Bay leaves, fresh, 2
Thyme sprig, fresh, 1
Directions for Gravy
In a saucepan, sauté onions, carrots, and celery with olive oil. As the onions turn golden brown and the carrots tender, add thyme and bay leaves. Next add brown sugar and cook for another 5 minutes, or until it turns sticky and caramelizes. Slowly stir the flour in as you whisk the mixture properly. Add Marmite, tomato purée, red wine vinegar, and vegetable stock in. Mix everything together and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the gravy for 10 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Once ready, strain the gravy through a sieve and serve.
Grilled Veggie Kebabs with Garlic Avocado Dressing
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 10 mins
Serving size – ¾ cup
Ingredients for Dressing
Egg-free mayonnaise, 4 tbsp.
Chives, fresh, 4 tbsp.
Tarragon, fresh, 2 tbsp.
Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp.
Lemon juice, 2 tbsp.
Water, 2 tbsp.
Apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp.
Garlic clove, 1
Avocado, ½
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 15 mins
Serving size – 2 skewers
Ingredients for Kebabs
Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp.
Mushrooms, 8 – 10
Bell peppers, 2
Red onions, 2
Zucchini, 1
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions for Dressing
In a food processor, mince garlic, tarragon, and chives together. Add the rest of the ingredients and do a taste test to adjust the seasonings. Empty the dressing in a bowl and refrigerate it until serving time.
Directions for Kebabs
Preheat the BBQ grill over medium heat. Chop all the vegetables into bite-size pieces and place them on the skewers. With a plastic brush, coat the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Place the skewers on the grill and cook them for about 15 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes. Once ready, serve the kebabs immediately with the garlic avocado dressing.
Garlic-roasted Carrots
Prep time – 5 mins
Cook time – 60 mins
Serving size – 6
Ingredients
Baby carrots, cut 2″ lengthwise, 2 lbs.
Olive oil, 3 tbsp.
Garlic cloves, minced, 4
Onion, sliced, 1
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven at 375°F and place a parchment paper in a baking dish. In a bowl, drizzle olive oil, salt, and black pepper over onion, garlic, and baby carrots mixture. Coat the vegetables properly and line them in the baking dish. Roast them in the oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until they turn golden brown on the outside. To serve, remove the carrots from the baking dish and onto a serving plate.
VEGAN MAIN COURSE
Mushroom Risotto
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 1 hour
Serving size – 6
Ingredients
Vegetable stock, 8 cups
Onions, chopped, 2 cups
Arborio rice, 1½ cups
Dry white wine, ⅔ cup
White mushrooms, chopped, 10 oz.
Dried porcini mushrooms, ½ oz.
Olive oil, 3 tbsp.
Garlic cloves, minced, 2
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a saucepan, heat vegetable stock on simmer and add the porcini mushrooms to soak for 5 minutes and turn tender. In another saucepan, sauté onions in olive oil until they turn translucent. Remove the porcini mushrooms from the stock and dice them. Next, add the white mushrooms, minced garlic, and porcini mushrooms. Give it a good stir and add the rice. Toast the rice for 5 minutes and then add the dry white wine. Keep stirring the mixture every 2 minutes and let the liquid get absorbed by the rice. Next, add one cup stock at a time into the rice as you stir the mixture every 2 – 3 minutes. Keep cooking the rice until it becomes tender and creamy. Just before serving, do a taste test and season the risotto with salt and black pepper. You can garnish the risotto with chopped cilantro before serving.
Veggie Burgers
Prep time – 45 mins
Cook time – 45 mins
Serving size – 6
Ingredients
White mushrooms, ½ lb.
Brown lentils, 2½ cups
Couscous, cooked, 2 cups
Shelled edamame, steamed, 1 cup
Raisins, ½ cup
Roasted almonds, chopped, ¼ cup
Canola oil, 1½ tbsp.
Lemon juice, 1 tbsp.
Curry powder, 2½ tsp.
Porcini mushroom, ground, 2 tsp.
Burger buns, split and toasted, 6
Salt, to taste
Directions
In a food processor, blend raisins, almonds, mushrooms, edamame, lentils, and 1 cup couscous together into a coarse mixture. In a bowl, dissolve curry powder in lemon juice and add it to the food processor; next goes the ground porcini mushroom. Once a coarse paste is formed, add the remaining 1 cup couscous in along with some salt. Do a taste test and remove the paste from the processor; make 6 burger patties. In a non-stick skillet, heat canola oil and cook the patties on both sides until they turn brown. To serve, place the burger halves on the plates and place the patties on top along with your choice of vegetables (lettuce, onion, etc.).
VEGAN BEVERAGES
Banana-coconut Nog
Prep time – 5 mins
Cook time – 5 mins
Serving size – 2
Ingredients
Coconut milk, 2 cups
Cinnamon powder, 1 tsp.
Sea salt, ¼ tsp.
Dates, pitted, 2
Cinnamon sticks, 2
Banana, ripe, 1
Directions
In a blender, combine coconut milk with dates, cinnamon powder, banana, and dates. Blend until you get a creamy texture. Pour the drink in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving it with cinnamon sticks.
Hazelnut Hot Cocoa
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 5 mins
Serving size – 2
Ingredients
Water, 1⅔ cups
Hazelnuts, ½ cup
Raw cocoa powder, 2½ tsp.
Vanilla extract, 1 tsp.
Almond extract, ¼ tsp.
Dates, pitted, 2
Sea salt, to taste
Coconut whipped cream, for garnish*
Directions
Soak hazelnuts in cold water overnight. At the time of preparing the drink, rinse and drain the hazelnuts and prepare a paste with ⅔ cup water. Soak dates in hot water for a minute and add them to the hazelnut mixture along with cocoa powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sea salt. Add 1 cup water and blend everything together into a fine paste. Using a cheesecloth, strain the mixture properly and pour it into a non-stick pan. Heat the mixture up for a few minutes, not boiling, and pour it into 2 mugs. Garnish with coconut whipped cream and enjoy. * Recipe for coconut whipped cream is given below.
VEGAN DESSERTS
No Flour Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 25 mins
Serving size – 12
Ingredients
Almond butter, ½ cup
Cranberries, chopped, ¼ cup
Chocolate chips, ¼ cup
Coconut sugar, ⅓ cup
Water, 3 tbsp.
Flaxseed, ground, 1 tbsp.
Baking soda, ½ tsp.
Vanilla extract, ½ tsp.
Salt, ½ tsp.
Directions
Preheat the oven at 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk ground flaxseed and water together, and set it aside for at least 5 minutes before using. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine almond butter, vanilla extract, baking soda, coconut sugar, and salt together. Fold chopped cranberries and chocolate chips in. Make small smooth cookie balls with your hands and place them onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for at least 12 – 14 minutes. Remove the cookies out of the oven and let them cool down before serving.
Pecan Crust Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream
Prep time – 15 mins
Cook time – 1 hour
Serving size – 8
Ingredients for Pie Crust
Raw pecans, 2 cups
Rolled oats flour, 1 cup
Brown rice syrup, ¼ cup
Flaxseed, ground, 3 tbsp.
Sugar, 2 tbsp.
Earth Balance butter, melted, 1 tbsp.
Cinnamon, ground, 1 tsp.
Kosher salt, ½ tsp.
Ingredients for Filling
Pumpkin, canned, 2¼ cups
Brown sugar, ½ cup
Almond milk, softened, ¼ cup
Maple syrup, ¼ cup
Arrowroot powder, 3 tbsp.
Earth Balance butter, softened, 1 tbsp.
Vanilla extract, 2 tsp.
Cinnamon, ground, 2 tsp.
Ginger, ground, ½ tsp.
Nutmeg, ½ tsp.
Cloves, ground, a pinch
Directions for Pie Crust
Preheat the oven at 350°F and grease a 9″ pie dish. In a food processor, blend pecans until they start to crumble, but not so much that the mixture turns oily. In a bowl, whisk brown rice syrup with butter and transfer it into the pecan mixture. Combine everything together and transfer the mixture into a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix properly until the dough is ready. Place the dough onto the greased pie dish and using your fingers, smooth it properly to form a crust. Use a fork to prick the base, and place the dish inside the oven for 9 – 11 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
Directions for Filling
First, whisk maple syrup and arrowroot powder together. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk it together to make a smooth mixture. Do a taste test to adjust the seasonings according to your liking.
To bake the pumpkin pie, pour the filling inside the cooled crust. Cover the pie with aluminum foil and bake it inside a 350°F oven for 50 – 55 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down completely before you store it inside the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. At the time of serving, cut the pie into 8 equal pieces. To prepare the coconut whipped cream, pour the liquid out of a can of organic coconut milk to get the cream. Scoop it in a bowl and whip the cream with a handheld blender until it turns creamy and fluffy. You can add a few drops of vanilla extract to sweeten it.
Gingerbread Men
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 1 hour 30 mins
Serving size – 30
Ingredients
Gluten-free pancake mix, 2 cups
Brown sugar, ½ cup
Almond butter, ¼ cup
Earth Balance butter, softened, ¼ cup
Molasses, 3 tbsp.
Baking soda, ½ tsp.
Cinnamon, ground, ½ tsp.
Ginger, ground, ¾ tsp.
Salt, ¼ tsp.
Flax egg (1 tbsp. ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp. water), 1
Directions
In a bowl, whisk flax egg, butter, molasses, almond butter, brown sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and baking soda together. Next add the pancake mix to prepare a smooth, soft dough. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for an hour. Preheat the oven at 350°F. Place a parchment paper on your workstation sprinkled with brown rice flour. Bring the dough out, place it on the parchment paper, and place another parchment paper on top. Roll out the dough to ⅛” thickness and remove the top paper. Use a floured cookie cutter and cut the rolled out dough into gingerbread men shapes. Lift the entire sheet as is, and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Bring the gingerbread men out of the freezer, lift them off the parchment paper with a spatula, and place them onto a baking sheet. Place the sheet inside the oven for 8 – 10 minutes, or until the gingerbread men turn slightly brown. Remove the sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for 5 minutes before you transfer them onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
If you have never prepared a vegan meal before, it is better to get yourself acquainted by the concept of veganism, and the foods that are off-limits. Remember, people who follow this diet are very particular about the type of foods they eat, and the lifestyle they live. Be sure to honor their choice.