Being vegan around the holidays can be pretty intimidating. I’ve been vegan for close to a decade and while I love eating plant-based, creating a vegan holiday meal can be difficult. That’s because many traditional holiday foods are very much not vegan. I’m sure I’m not the only vegan who’s felt the singe of desperation when planning what to bring to a Friendsgiving or thinking about being left out of the holiday festivities altogether. But, I love holiday foods nonetheless, so I had to find a way to stick to my values without completely forgoing the traditions I cared about. It was time to figure out how to veganize the holidays!
Luckily, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to have the best of both worlds. With a little forethought and a change in mindset, you’ll be fully capable of learning how to veganize the holidays too! Vegans everywhere can rejoice because we finally have the means to make quality vegan holiday meals that aren’t rabbit food or pre-packaged junk. So, read on to learn some easy tips to be successful – plus I’ll also share some of my go-to recipes for this time of year!
Easy ways you can veganize the holidays:
Shift your focus.
The most surefire way to fall flat when making vegan holiday meals is trying to replicate a typical carnivorous meal exactly. For instance, it is incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to make a vegan turkey like you would an actual turkey. It’ll typically never live up to expectations and this can be especially true if you’re cooking for non-vegans too. Instead of focusing on exact dishes, shift your focus to something else. Try to determine what about your favorite holiday meals you love most and use that as your inspiration.
Use holiday flavors.
To create something equally enjoyable and satisfying, figure out what flavors remind you of the holidays and go from there. That way you’ll still be included in the holiday spirit! For example, I tend to associate holiday foods with rich and herby flavors – because my favorite holiday dishes include just that. Therefore, I always include a rich and savory gravy or soup and include lots of sage and thyme in my side and main dishes. Figure out what flavors you want to impart for your vegan holiday meal and go from there!
Focus on seasonal produce.
Instead of the main dish being the focus, make seasonal produce take center stage. Seasonal produce is cheaper and gets you into the spirit of the season – without animal products! The holidays are the perfect time to enjoy the season’s bounty, so using seasonal produce would further impart these seasonal flavors into your dishes. Plus, most people already associate things like pumpkins, cranberries, apples, and sweet potatoes with this time of year so you can’t go wrong if you focus on using seasonal produce.
Use accidentally vegan foods.
There are plenty of foods and recipes that weren’t created with the intention of being vegan, yet are! This keeps things familiar without reinventing the wheel – a big help when feeding non-vegans. Plus, it’s not as off-putting for non-vegans as trying to pass off a typically omnivorous dish that’s been veganized. For this, it’s great to lean on pastas, dips like hummus, grain dishes, certain appetizers, or soups.
Keep it simple
Creating an exact replica of a non-vegan holiday meal is hard and intimidating. But, if you keep it simple and put in some forethought you’ll successfully be able to veganize the holidays. Again, the goal isn’t to reinvent the wheel, but there are still a ton of things that can be easily made vegan! There are plenty of vegan recipes that are just as delicious as their non-vegan counterparts.
Be realistic.
Trying to do everything can be overwhelming when you aren’t vegan, so keep things minimal and be realistic to avoid stress and unnecessary comparisons. As long as you’re realistic, you can easily make a delicious and festive meal without missing out on your seasonal favorites. In total, being realistic has been extremely helpful with trying to veganize the holidays in my experience and has led to some great stress-free innovation over the years.
Okay onto the vegan holiday meal inspo!
The recipes listed below are a combination of tried and true favorites as well as what I consider to be classic holiday food, just vegan! After all, being vegan doesn’t mean we have to miss out!
Appetizers and Starters
For appetizers and starters, it’s best to keep things simple while still staying on theme. Seasonal produce can really shine in soups and give a great warming and comforting effect. You also can’t go wrong with dips and cheese boards as there are tons of delicious options for these.
- Potato Leek Soup – This recipe makes a delicious and warming soup that showcases seasonal flavors.
- French Onion Soup – This recipe by The Simple Veganista is delicious!
- Butternut Squash Soup – Love & Lemons has an amazing recipe for this.
- Cranberry Salad – A Virtual Vegan has a great quinoa cranberry salad recipe.
- Caramelized Onion Dip – Ela Vegan has a tasty recipe, but combining a vegan onion dip packet with plain dairy-free yogurt also works well in a pinch!
- Vegan Cheese Board – Throw together your favorite vegan cheeses with crackers and fruit and you have a great cheese board, but I also love this appetizer platter idea from Nutriciously.
Side dishes
Side dishes are an aspect of vegan holiday menu creation where you have a ton of options. Side dishes are typically very easy to make vegan thanks to the amazing butter, broth, and cheese alternatives on the market now. The key to great vegan sides is to not skimp on the seasoning though!
- Mac n Cheese – This recipe from Rabbit and Wolves is so tasty!
- Stuffing – I always make a veganized version of my grandmother’s stuffing recipe that I essentially make from muscle memory, but this recipe from School Night Vegan is very similar and equally delicious.
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts – I love making this recipe from My Heart Beets, it’s perfectly tangy and so delicious.
- Traditional Biscuits – I love this recipe from Nora Cooks.
- Cheesy Breadsticks – This recipe from Plantifully Based is super indulgent and satisfying.
- Brown Butter and Sage Focaccia – This recipe is not only enjoyable on its own but it’s also an amazing accompaniment to soups!
- Mashed Potatoes – I love adding fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary for a more holiday twist, but this classic recipe from Minimalist Baker is a staple.
- Potato Gratin – This recipe from The Pretty Bee is my favorite!
- Roasted Carrots – One Lovely Life has a deliciously sweet recipe.
Main dishes
Main dishes are the hardest part of creating a vegan holiday meal. With animal products taking center stage during this time of year, swapping out for a vegan version can be difficult. So, here I focus most on creativity. Think hearty foods that can stand alone!
- Fried tofu – Making a vegan version of fried chicken is tasty enough to be a main but still accessible enough to not deter meat-eaters like, say, Tofurkey would. This recipe from Sweet Simple Vegan is always a hit.
- Vegan Pot Pie – I’ve been using this recipe from Minimalist Baker for years.
- Lentil Shepherds Pie – I love this one from A Virtual Vegan.
- Pumpkin Stuffed Shells – Any tofu ricotta pasta is a filling main dish, but this Rainbow Plant Life recipe is amazing.
- Black Bean Meatballs – This recipe from Minimalist Baker is the best I’ve ever tried!
- Hearty Lasagna – You can’t go wrong with this recipe from Hummusapien.
- Lentil Stuffed Squash – A lighter yet still hearty main dish idea, this one from Rainbow Plant Life is delicious.
Desserts
Desserts are so easy to make vegan, but I feel like pies and chocolate are holiday must-haves. I’ve also done a cranberry sorbet before and it was a hit and definitely on theme with the holiday season!
- Pumpkin Pie – This recipe by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken is my favorite! I just sub for an all-vegan butter pie crust.
- Apple Pie – Nora Cooks has an amazing recipe for this.
- Cranberry Sorbet – This recipe from The Vegetarian Baker is well-rounded and festive.
- Chocolate Roll Cake – Go Dairy Free has a delicious classic Yule Log recipe.
- Maple Glazed Pumpkin Loaf – This recipe is a great way to enjoy festive flavors if you don’t want to commit to making something intensive. I’ve made this for Friendsgiving brunch before and it was a hit!
With some forethought and practice, you'll easily be able to veganize the holidays too!
A great aspect of being vegan is being shown a whole different perspective and diversity when it comes to food. Although at first it seems hard to be a vegan around the holidays, once you get used to it you realize how much variety and innovation there can be!
I know being vegan can make things a little harder, but I hope these tips and recipe ideas can help you navigate the holidays without feeling left out! Learning to veganize the holidays is definitely a process but once you get the hang of it this will become like second nature. Give yourself grace, give your loved ones grace, and enjoy the holidays as best you can!