Cooking for vegans? Christmas Recipe Ideas

Are you hosting on Christmas Day this year? If one – or all – of your guests follows a plant-friendly lifestyle, you may need a few ideas regarding what to serve up for dinner. Thankfully, we’ve done some research for you, gathering some of the best recipes from around the Internet to save you a job. Read on for our top picks…

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Jamie Oliver has a delicious-looking vegan centrepiece – a whole roasted cauliflower, full recipe available here.

Also on the link above, you’ll find a few more recipe ideas, including some puddings. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a spot of post-dinner indulgence, after all.

Vegan Wellington

‘Wow family and friends with this mushroom and sweet potato wellington with cranberries.’ states the recipe’s creator, adding that this makes an impressive centrepiece dish in a vegetarian or vegan Christmas spread.’

Find the recipe on the BBC Good Food site – and if you don’t cook it on Christmas Day, it’ll make a great ‘main dish’ on a festive buffet in the run up to December 25 too.

If you’re serving it in place of turkey, plate it up alongside some traditional Christmas veg – including Brussels sprouts and parsnips. You could also make these vegan chestnut and mushroom bon bons, complete with cherry sauce – mmm!

Plant Nut Roast with Apple and Cranberry Compote

Here’s another centrepiece for the Christmas table this year – this nut roast, courtesy of the team at Metro. It looks great and is bound to prove a hit around the dinner table – for vegans and meat-eaters alike. It’s packed with veg, too, including parsnips, swede, sweet potato and a leek.

The Metro’s recipe for ‘smashed Brussels sprouts’ also looks good – just visit the link above to find the full method.

Macadamia Crumble Pots with Roasted Squash

Fancy trying something slightly different? How about these macadamia crumble pots with roasted squash? Chef Jackie Kearney tells the Peta site: “I try to include something seasonal and a bit luxurious in our Christmas dinner, and I think macadamia nuts are a special treat. These individual pots are great to prepare in advance, as they keep really well in the fridge and can even be frozen – giving you plenty more time to spend with your family and friends, which is just how the festive holidays should be!”

…and what about puddings and drinks?

Peta has you covered on the drinks front, thanks to its vegan Christmas spiced eggnog, courtesy of Natasha Corrett, also available here. It contains almond milk, a cinnamon stick, maca powder, grated nutmeg, almond powder, vanilla extract and kuzu.

Vegan Christmas Pudding

Who doesn’t love Christmas pudding?! Now, thanks to the BBC Good Food site and its team, vegans don’t have to miss out on the deliciousness of a traditional, festive pud. The site’s vegan Christmas pudding is linked here and has a five-star rating from those who’ve tried and tested it – give it a go too. The Sainsbury’s site also has 15 ultimate vegan dessert recipes.

Will you be trying any of these dishes? Let us know in the comments below.

Until next time…