Planning a Christmas dinner is already a task that can take a lot of time and effort. Making a vegan Christmas dinner can be overwhelming, as a lot of plant-based products are not as easily available in supermarkets.
I have put together 7 great vegan alternatives for any vegan Christmas dinner that will be easy to make and are also delicious.
I myself am vegan and personally don’t like to cook every aspect of my vegan Christmas dinner from scratch; so I have provided useful alternatives where you can purchase the dishes ready-made online for a reasonable price.
Below are 7 vegan easy-to-make excellent alternatives
BEST VEGAN CHRISTMAS DINNER IDEAS
1. VEGAN WELLINGTON
Now, I know what you’re thinking: what on earth would you put in a wellington to make it vegan? This mushroom and sweet potato wellington with cranberries will be the perfect showstopper for a vegan main event.
The best part about this recipe is that you can purchase the puff pastry sheet ALL READY MADE, so you would only have to make the filling, wrap it up, stick it in the oven and wait for your baked present. You can find this delicious BBC recipe for the Vegan Wellington here.
2. VEGAN CHRISTMAS GINGERBREAD-MEN
This vegan gingerbread recipe is amazing because it is so simple! When it comes to baking, especially around Christmas, you want to do it in the most efficient way possible.
Here you can find the delicous gingerbread recipe.
With this recipe, you’ll need diary-free margarine of course, which you’ll likely be able to use in other dishes in your vegan Christmas dinner (e.g stuffing).
You can also find vegan, ready-made gingerbread men that are waiting to march to your home.
Another option that is a great time saver is a ready-made mix. With this ready-made mix, you simply just have to add:
3. VEGAN STUFFING
Now, in most families, stuffing is everything! No vegan should ever miss out on this, especially because this dish is the easiest to make plant-based.
Most pre-made stuffing mixes are vegan, however, it's always good to double-check. The very popular paxo sage and onion stuffing are vegan, which you can purchase in most of your local supermarkets. Like most stuffing mixes, you just add hot water and plant-based margarine to bind them together in balls (this is optional). The instructions are on the package and easy enough to follow.
With this product, like most Christmas essentials, you want to get in advance.
If you would like to make your vegan stuffing from scratch, I’ve added a link to a stuffing recipe that is easy and delicious.
4. VEGAN PIGS IN A BLANKET
Well, this is a funny one. Sometimes the best part of having vegan dishes and snacks is that everyone gets to have fun with them.
This side dish/snack is not only delicious but SIMPLE to make! The recipe is mostly puff pastry and sausages, plus a few more ingredients.
You will have to whip your vegan margarine back out of the fridge for another appearance.
This simple dish will make a great appetiser or side dish and you can purchase the puff pastry ready made.
5. VEGAN YORKSHIRE PUDDING
The Yorkshire puddings always get a lot of limelight at Christmas. When making vegan Yorkshire puddings, you have three options:
Make them from scratch: Doing this is quite simple as the recipe is very easy.
You can find this amazing simple recipe for beautiful vegan yorkshire puddings here.
With making them from scratch, I've found a great non stick tin on amazon for you to place them in. A tin of 12 should be suffient for most dinner parties.
Buy Ready-made: You can purchase the vegan Yorkshire puddings ready-made to save yourself the hassle. These are particularly hard to find in the UK.
I have attached a link to a lovely vegan Yorkshire pudding business that makes the puddings and sends them out to you on a specific date that you choose. I would advise ordering these in advance and freezing them (these can be frozen up to 6 months in advance, however, this may not be necessary as you can order a few weeks before).
6. VEGAN CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Christmas Puddings are a massive Christmas tradition and, of course, we have a lovely vegan Christmas pudding recipe for you here.
With this recipe, you have the option to make it with plant-based milk or alcohol (sherry, brandy, rum, or ale). You can also make this pudding in advance (keeps up to a month). I would recommend making this 1 week prior and steaming it on the festive day just before serving it.
You can find this declious vegan christmas pudding recipe here
If you would like a baking basin to put the mixture into the mold and hold your pudding.
I have found some really great christmas pudding basins that are also super afforable!. With these basins , they come in a pack of three so you will always have multiply sizes for any other puddings you wish to make in the future.
Now, to help the people that don’t want to make vegan pudding from scratch, you can purchase one ready-made. There are many options available and I have found a lovely one here.
With this option, it would of course save you time, and its a no fuss. You’ll just have to steam the dish before you serve it up.
7. BAILEYS STYLE HOT CHOCOLATE
Hot chocolate on Christmas is lovely and it is also nice to have on a
cosy Christmas Eve. As Baileys have discontinued their vegan line, I have found another deliciously versatile plant-based, cream liquor dirty cow. With this cream liquor, you can also pair it with coffee.
The recipe will be nice and easy and is sure to go down as a treat.
If you were wanting some lovely glasses (glasses you can put hot drinks in), I have found some similar ones here on Amazon.
8. VEGAN CHEESE AND CRACKERS
Now, it is not a party until someone whips out the cheese board; this always goes down so well with guests usually later in the day as a nice snack. This brand offers a vegan cheese board with a wide selection of cheese and will be delivered to you. These cheeses are recommended to be used for up to a month and longer if stored in freezer. I have placed the link here for the vegan cheese board that is afforable ( I would recommend for any larger parties to get two boxes however this a perfect for a normal party size).
Crackers are usually vegan and quite easy to buy at your local shop, the infamous Jacobs Crackers and also Carrs Table are vegan, tasty and reliable options. If you want to step it up a bit and get a selection box, there is an option here where the crackers come in various flavours.
Most cracker selection boxes in shops will have a variety of different crackers and only some of them will be plant-based.
The classic Jacob crackers are vegan and usually go down very well with different toppings.
For a serving platter like this, I have found a similar one on Amazon. This platter would be useful for things like pigs in a blanket, crackers, and general sharing snacks.
I have put the link below , as you can see it comes with a number of cute matching serving utensils , which you will aboustly love!. It is also great for space as it goes back into the main board when its time to either tidy up or carry it around the occasion.
9. VEGAN CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY CAKE
Ok, I know what you are thinking: does this taste as delicious as it looks? This recipe is not only delicious but it’s almost healthy. The ingredients include brown rice, flour and quinoa flour, and of course, cranberries so it is basically like having one of your five a day. This recipe is also nut-free , gluten free and vegan!. Amazing , you can find this recipe linked here.
I have found some of the ingredients listed in this recipe that are usually only available in your local whole foods , you can also use the option to purchase them online.
You can purchase these flours in your local Wholefoods shops or you can purchase them online here: organic rice flour and quiona flour.
If you are not in the baking mood and would like a delicious cake without too much hassle, there is a delicious vegan, nut-free, gluten-free brand that does a delicious chocolate cake mix that you can serve with a lovely cranberry compote and cream or ice-cream to make it more festive.
P.s If you are wondering what cranberry sauce is vegan, most of the brands in your local shop will be vegan and you can add it to your Christmas dinner.
Making a vegan Christmas dinner can be quite the task however there are loads of amazing options to choose from. There is alot to consider when making a Christmas dinner , be sure to check all of the guests allergies and food interences , nowadays they are more common.
You have just learned the 7 must-have vegan christmas dinner ideas for the perfect vegan Christmas dinner.