Getting your tinsel in a tangle over what to eat this Christmas? From meatless starters to dairy-free desserts, our vegan Christmas dinner guide has you covered.
Christmas is a time for indulgence and overeating – why should this be any different when you’re vegan? You can veganise classic festive recipes or ditch tradition altogether and create your own. Thanks to the ever-growing plant-based ranges available at UK supermarkets, celebrating Christmas has never been easier for vegans.
Starters
You can easily enjoy Christmas dinner without pigs in blankets, prawn cocktails and smoked salmon. Meat, fish and egg substitutes are easily accessible, so whatever your preference, you’re sure to find animal-free alternatives. Most traditional starters can be veganised with products such as VBites meat-free mini pork sausages wrapped in Finnebrogue’s naked without the oink unsmoked bacon rashers, as well as Tofurky smoky maple bacon.
Many supermarkets offer vegan-friendly party foods, such as Tesco’s Plant Chef BBQ jackfruit bon bons and Asda’s vegan cocktail sausages. Or you could do away with tradition and experiment with completely new dishes. Why not kickstart your Christmas dinner with vegan sharing platters, wintry soups or veggie-packed samosas?
Main Courses
All too often meat is the centrepiece of holiday meals, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Instead of turkey, tuck into meat-free roasts from Tofurky, Linda McCartney, Cheatin’ or Fry’s.
Why stop at meat substitutes? Being vegan means you’re not bound by the same dish year in, year out. For a memorable main event, feast on a delicious nut roast. Whip up our nut roast recipe or buy one from Tesco, Waitrose or Marks and Spencer if you don’t fancy making it from scratch.
In the mood for a hearty dish? Our mushroom and chestnut wellington recipe is the perfect winter warmer. A scrumptious vegan Christmas pie is also guaranteed to fill you up. With so much choice available, you can treat your tastebuds to a different recipe every year. Who needs meat!
Sides, Sauces and Trimmings
Although most traditional trimmings are veggies, animal-derived ingredients like goose fat and honey are commonly used. Herbs are more than enough to add extra flavour to your veg. Instead of the usual stuffing, try an easy vegan stuffing recipe.
What about sauces? Fortunately, there are endless vegan sauce recipes at your fingertips. Keep it simple with Jamie Oliver’s vegan gravy recipe, or branch out and try yummy cranberry sauces. Whichever you go for, it’ll be bursting with flavour.
Desserts
No Christmas meal is complete without a sumptuous dessert to finish off. Vegan desserts are a piece of cake once you know where to start with them. All the festive favourites can be made vegan, from Christmas cake and pudding to Yule logs and cheesecake.
Get your apron on and create Christmas showstoppers with aquafaba instead of egg, vegan margarine instead of butter and plant-based milk instead of dairy. Our vegan baking guide is a handy resource. If you’re not a baking aficionado, you can find vegan treats in various supermarkets. Look out for Waitrose’s iced fruit cake and Asda’s chocolate torte. Tesco’s Wicked Kitchen range also has several desserts, including their ginger chai cake, red velvet brownie and sticky toffee pudding.
With all these flavourful alternatives on offer, you’re not missing out on anything by going vegan. Before you know it, turkey will be a distant memory!
If you’re not vegan but want to give it a go, sign up to our 31-day pledge today!
