Our Top Vegan Christmas Recipes for the Festive Season

Read time: 7 mins.

Are you vegan or hosting someone who is this Christmas?  Are you looking for plant-based recipes for Christmas? 

Veganism is on the rise in Britain. Did you know we have roughly 2 million vegans now? In 2021, 500,000 people signed up to the annual Veganuary challenge – double the number in pre-pandemic January 2019!

Before we get to the recipes, did you know that these are reportedly the most disliked but common questions vegans get asked.

• But what DO you eat?
   
• Don’t you miss meat?
   
• Where do you get protein from?
   
• Are you judging me?!

Any sound familiar?!

Now here are our favourite vegan Christmas recipes, hand-picked by us for their ease, taste and popularity.

And if you’re looking to go one step further with your vegan Christmas – check out our vegan Christmas hampers too! UK and internationally delivered with award-winning British artisan vegan treats.

1. Vegan Christmas Breakfast Cookies

Treat yourself or your guests to a tasty healthy breakfast (and these are actually good to have as a snack or when you’re on the go).

The beauty of these is they can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Recipe from The Conscientious Eater.

Oven temp 175’C or gas mark 4. Preheat.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup natural, runny peanut butter
   
• ⅔ cup maple syrup
   
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
   
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
   
• ½ teaspoon sea salt* (omit if using salted peanut butter!)
   
• 2 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free if needed)
   
• ½ cup chopped nuts
   
• ½ cup seeds
   
• ⅔ cup dried fruit (or ⅓ cup dried fruit, ⅓ cup chocolate chips), chopped if large.
   

Method

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, baking soda and, if using, sea salt until smooth.
   

• Add in the rolled oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and optional chocolate chips. Stir everything together well until a sticky dough forms.
   
•  Using a greased ¼ cup measurer and slightly damp hands, form the dough into cookie shapes about ½ inch high and 3 inches in diameter. Place them on your greased baking sheet and continue this process until all the dough has been formed into cookies.
   
• Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool completely so that they hold their shape.
  
  Enjoy!

Looking for Christmas vegan bakes? Why not try these? Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash.

2. Vegan Spiced Orange Christmas Pudding

One of the great things about this delicious vegan pudding is that it can be cooked and stored for up to a month. Then steamed or microwaved to warm through.

This great recipe is from Food and Living Vegan.

This serves 1 so increase the amounts accordingly.

It’s steamed so you only need a saucepan.

Ingredients

• 350g mixed dried fruit to your taste e.g. sultanas, raisins, figs, ginger, cranberries
   

• 100 g chopped dates
   

• 8 Tbsp spiced rum, orange liqueur or almond milk
   

• 85 g plain flour
   

• 40 g chopped nuts
   

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
   

• 1 tsp ground ginger
   

• 1 tsp mixed spice
   

• 1 tsp all spice
   

• 1 tsp cinnamon
   

• 0.50 tsp salt
   

• 75 g coconut sugar or soft brown sugar
   

• 40 g breadcrumbs
   

• 1 tsp baking powder
   

• 3 Tbsp orange marmalade
   

• 100 g dairy free butter
   

• zest and juice of 2 oranges
   

• 100 g grated carrot

Method

• Firstly soak the fruit in a large bowl in the rum for 2-3 hrs or overnight.
   

• Now stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer the dry mix, grated carrot, zest and orange juice, butter and soaked fruit to your mixer.
   

• Mix on a low speed (1 or 2) until just combined.
   

• Grease a pudding bowl basin and fill with the mixture leaving about 2 cm free from the top to allow for rising.
   

• Cover with baking paper and foil and secure well with string.
   

• Place in a saucepan and pour in boiling water halfway up the sides of the basin. Simmer gently for 5 hours, topping up the water when necessary.

Vegan Christmas dessert is sorted! Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash.

3. Vegan Wellington – easy version!

This serves 6.  A lovely main meal at Christmas time.

It looks a lengthy method but it’s simple really!

Recipe from BBC Good Food.

Oven Temp 200’C or gas mark 6. Preheat.

Ingredients

• 90g dried porcini mushrooms
   
• 2 tbsp olive oil
   
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
   
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
   
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
   
• 500g sweet potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
   
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
   
• 1 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus 4 whole leaves
   
• 100g soft white breadcrumbs
   
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (see tip below)
   
• 40g chopped walnuts or pecans
   
• 40g dried cranberries
   
• grating of nutmeg
   
• 2 x 320g sheets dairy-free puff pastry
   
• plain flour, to dust
   
• 3 tbsp plant-based milk
   
• 1 tbsp English mustard or Dijon mustard with a pinch of turmeric

Method

• Put the mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over 500ml boiling water from the kettle. Stir and press them down so they’re well covered, then leave to soak.
   
• Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the onion and chestnut mushrooms until the veg is very soft and the mushrooms look wilted and reduced for about 20 mins.
   
• Stir in the garlic and sweet potatoes, then the rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid, leaving the last of the liquid in the bowl.
   
• Cover and cook for 15 mins until the sweet potatoes are just softened, and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add a splash more water halfway through if the liquid evaporates too quickly.
   
• Remove the lid and stir in the chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, molasses, nuts and cranberries. Season well and sprinkle in the nutmeg. The mixture should be stiff enough to resemble stuffing, but not dry – all the breadcrumbs should be coated and have absorbed some of the liquid. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the pan.
   
• Once cool, unroll one of the puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured non-stick baking sheet or baking tray lined with baking parchment. Whisk the milk and mustard together with a pinch of salt and set aside.
   
• Spoon the cooled filling down the middle of the pastry sheet in a neat line, leaving a 5cm border around the edges. Use the mustard-milk mix to brush the borders, then top with the second pastry sheet.
   
• Press the pastry around the filling to remove any air pockets, then crimp to seal the sides. Trim off any excess pastry with a sharp knife and use a fork or your fingers to make a pattern around the edge of the wellington.
   
• Cut a small steam hole in the top of the middle, then brush the top with the mustard-milk mix. Chill on the sheet or tray for 30 mins. Will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
   
• Remove the wellington from the fridge and brush with more of the mustard-milk mix. Make a pattern into the top of the pastry with a knife or fork, if wished, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden, puffy and crisp – cover with foil if it’s browning too quickly.
   
• Arrange the whole sage leaves on top of the wellington and stick them down with the mustard-milk mix, then return to the oven for 10 mins more.
   
• Leave to rest on a board or platter for 10 mins before cutting into chunky slices to serve

A mushroom wellington can be a festive feast for plant based and meat eaters alike. Photo by cristina.sanvito via Flickr.

4. Beetroot and red onion tarte tatin

A delightful, impressive-looking vegan dish that’s simple to make, another great recipe thanks to BBC Good Food.

Oven temp 200’C or gas mark 6. Preheated.

Ingredients

• 400g beetroot, cut into wedges
   
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
   
• 3 tbsp olive oil
   
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
   
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
   
• 2 star anise
   
• flour, for rolling
   
• 500g block puff pastry ( Jus-Rol do a vegan one)
   
• 1 orange, zested

• peppery green salad, to serve

Method

• In a bowl, toss the beetroot and onion in 2 tbsp of the oil, the vinegar and sugar. Add the star anise and season well.
   
• Heat the rest of the oil in a large, ovenproof non-stick frying pan, then nestle in the veg so that they cover the surface of the pan. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 45 mins.
   

• On a well-floured surface, roll the pastry to a thickness of 0.5cm and cut out a circle the same size as your frying pan. Carefully take the pan out of the oven, remove the foil and wiggle the beets and onion around in the pan to make a compact layer.
   
• Put the pastry on top, tucking it in all around the edges, then return the pan to the oven and bake for 35 mins or until the pastry has puffed up and is a deep golden brown.
  
   
• Slide a palate knife around the edge of the tart, then put a plate on top of the pastry, serving side down. Carefully flip the pan over to turn the tart out onto the plate.
   
• Top with the orange zest and a sprinkle of sea salt, then serve with a peppery salad on the side.
   

Looking to impress vegan friends and family at Christmas? This is the recipe for you. Photo by Emma-Jane Hobden on Unsplash.

So, which one of our top 4 vegan dishes will you be trying this Christmas?
 

Do you have any recipes you can share? We’d love to hear from you.

Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out at Christmas. Make it a vegan Christmas to remember by trying one of these recipes.

And if you’re looking to send vegan Christmas gifts, make sure to check out our British vegan Christmas hampers.