Two Vegan Christmas Dinner Menus, from Soup to Sweets

Here are two deliciously seasonal vegan Christmas dinner menus for every course of the meal — from soup to traditional-stye cookies. Traditional Christmas dinners from days of yore wouldn’t have easily lent themselves to veganizing, but much has changed.

A roster of traditional Christmas foods around the globe reads like a veritable Noah’s ark of land, sky, and sea animals, chased down by lots of buttery items.

Fortunately, new traditions for festive holiday dinners have been started by vegans, vegetarians, and the generally health-conscious. Indulging can be easy, delicious, and even good for you.

The offerings at animal-free Christmas meals bear a lot of resemblance to what’s on the Thanksgiving table, with a bit more of a nod to winter produce — hardy roots, squashes, grains, green vegetables and winter fruits.

Scale down your celebration if need be: If you’re scaling down your celebration due to choice or circumstances, most of the recipes can be halved easily. Or just go for it and make the full dish and enjoy leftovers for a couple of days!

Even more ideas: Since vegan Christmas fare is definitely a cousin to Thanksgiving, feel free explore our epic roundup of 75+ vegan Thanksgiving recipes if you want even more ideas. And choose from a vast array of vegan appetizers if you want to serve something to nibble on before the meal.

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Menu #1

Gingered Carrot Soup
Fresh bread or croutons to serve with the soup, optional
Roasted Root Vegetable Salad
Brown & Wild Rice Pilaf-Stuffed Peppers
Glazed Onions and Brussels Sprouts
Sweet and Savory Baked Squash
Christmas Cookies
Fresh fruit as desired (pears, apples, oranges, figs)

Carrot Ginger Soup: A classic carrot-ginger soup is made easier by using baby carrots, eliminating the need for a lot of peeling and chopping. Serve with fresh bread or croutons, if you’d like.

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad: Since they taste just as good at room temperature as they do hot, roots are presented here in an appetizing salad.

Wild and Brown Rice Pilaf-Stuffed Peppers: Brown and wild rice stuffed peppers might just be the perfect vegan (and gluten-free) main dish to serve for holidays and special occasions.

Maple-Glazed Onions and Brussels Sprouts: Slow-baked onions and Brussels sprouts team up for a fantastic cool-weather side dish. Perfect for holidays or as a delicious, everyday way to use up surplus onions.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Leeks & Walnuts: Try this festive side dish of mashed sweet potatoes with leeks and walnuts to dress up the fall and winter holiday table, or any other special occasion.

Vegan Christmas Cookies: I don’t envy anyone having to choose from these 25 recipes! Serve with fresh winter fruit — sliced pears, apples, oranges, figs.

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Menu #2

Coconut Sweet Potato Bisque
Fresh bread or cornbread, optional
Kale Salad with Cashews & Cranberries
Vegan Holiday Pot Roast (with roasted vegetables)
Black Rice with Corn and Cranberries
Vegan Christmas Cookies (25 recipes to choose from)
Fresh fruit as desired (sliced pears, apples, oranges, figs)

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup: Once you’ve got the squash baked, this coconut butternut squash soup comes together quickly. Serve with fresh bread or cornbread, if you’d like.

Jícama and Fennel Salad with Oranges and Herbs: A tasty cool-weather dish using two often-neglected vegetables, this salad gets a lovely citrus lilt from fresh oranges and lime dressing.

“Beefy” Holiday Vegan Pot Roast: A hearty vegan pot roast made with plant-based beefy tips or seitan plus portobello mushrooms and plenty of vegetables, this is a fantastic option for holidays and special occasions.

Forbidden Black Rice with Corn and Cranberries: This black rice pilaf is made colorful with corn, cranberries, and herbs. It’s easy enough for everyday meals and festive enough to serve as a winter holiday side dish.

Vegan Christmas Cookies: As mentioned above, here’s a tough choice of 25 festive cookie recipes to choose from. Serve with seasonal fresh fruit as desired — sliced pears, apples, oranges, and figs, arranged on a platter or cut into a fruit salad.