It’s Christmas, y’all. And what better way to celebrate the holiday season then with some bright, colorful and joy-inspiring vegan Christmas recipes. There’s something here for most occasions: brunch with the kooky aunt; lunch with the cousin going through a phase; dinner with the strange newly vegan relative everyone is walking eggshells around.
The point being is that anyone can enjoy this list of vegan Christmas recipes, and anyone can make ’em, too. So delve below and discover a world of plant-based delights that’ll enliven your holiday with all sorts of deliciousness and delectability.
- 1. Coconut-Pecan Snowball Cookies
- 2. Roasted Cherry Tomato & Hummus Pasta
- 3. Easy Vegan Crêpes
- 4. Jackfruit & Lentil Tamales with Chipotle Cashew Crema
- 5. Cinnamon Rice Pudding with Salted Date Caramel
- 6. Braised Golden Beet & Endive Salad with Toasted Coconut
- 7. Moroccan Couscous Tabouli
- 8. Carrot Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates
- 9. Spinach & White Bean Enchiladas with Parsley Cashew Crema
- 10. Valencia Orange Cranberry Sauce
- 11. The BEST Tofu Scrambled Eggs
- 12. Caramel Banana Sweet Corn Grits
- 13. Auntie Anne's Christmas Buns
- Other Vegan Christmas Recipes!
1. Coconut-Pecan Snowball Cookies
Forget all about snowball fights this winter; you’ll be fighting over these coconut and pecan snowball cookies instead! Seriously, these little sugary balls of nutty confectionary are one of those seasonally satisfying treats that’ll have all your holiday guests salivating before they even have a chance to bite into ’em – I had to feature them on this vegan Christmas recipes list, you understand.
They’re essentially just shortbread cookies shaped to the image of a snowball, and then dusted with powered sugar. Imagine.. an igloo of powered snowballs adorning the table Christmas morn’, noon or evening – what better way to set the mood for food then with these lil’ nuggets, right?
2. Roasted Cherry Tomato & Hummus Pasta
Do I even need to explain why this makes the list of vegan Christmas recipes? I mean.. look at the darn thing! Cherry tomatoes are nature’s Christmas lights. Red, orange, yellow galore – once these savory little fruits are thrown onto a baking sheet and roasted, they become tender ornaments bursting with flavor, perfect for decorating any kind of pasta with.
All you gotta’ do for this vegan Christmas recipe is just mix the darn pasta with some hummus and lemon juice and sautéed shallot and spinach. Top with some Violife Just Like Parm, et voilà – it’s Christmas miracle in a bowl, ready to twirl like a sugar plum fairy around your fork.
3. Easy Vegan Crêpes
There’s just something about a crêpe that has that ineffable spirit of good cheer that reflects the feeling of society at large during the holidays. Maybe it’s that impression that crêpes are just lighter, looser, and more luminous pancakes, ready to be stuffed with all sorts of goodies and jams and jumbles of fruits – rather like an edible Christmas stocking.. so that’s why I’m including it on my vegan Christmas recipes list, because it reminds me of warm Christmas breakfasts before opening presents.
4. Jackfruit & Lentil Tamales with Chipotle Cashew Crema
Yes.. tamales! Why have I included this in my vegan Christmas recipes list, you might ask? Aren’t they one of the notoriously most labor intensive foods to make? Exactly! That’s exactly why I’ve included them: you have to make tamales with other people. The labor of love that brings into being a tamale is partly what makes them so satisfying to eat, and partaking in that labor with others is a bonding experience.
Fill masa with jackfruit and lentils, steam, and top with chipotle crema – a delicious treat that’s worth having a bonding experience over, and a worthy addition to this vegan Christmas recipes list, no?
5. Cinnamon Rice Pudding with Salted Date Caramel
Is there anything more quintessential to the holiday season dessert menu than a creamy rice pudding? I think not. People, this rice pudding is THE rice pudding that you’re going to want to make as one of your chosen vegan Christmas recipes. The arborio rice, imbibed with coconut and almond milk, becomes super silky smooth bite. And when topped with a sweet date caramel and fleur-de-sel (fancy name for sea salt flakes), it’s one of the best dessert-y bites.. ever.
6. Braised Golden Beet & Endive Salad with Toasted Coconut
Golden beets are like the natural world’s way of telling you to eat your root vegetables; the things are literally the gold standard of veg. Peel ’em, slice ’em up, and braise them in orange juice to create tender beet filets that you can lay over bitter endive and top with toasted coconut.
This is definitely one of the more unusual salads, and one of those relatively healthy vegan Christmas recipes that few will have ever tried before, but it’s not one to overlook. I mean.. just imagine looking over this on the Christmas day brunch, lunch or dinner table and tell me that isn’t a Christmas-y grub?
7. Moroccan Couscous Tabouli
Perhaps yet another unconventional choice for a vegan Christmas recipes list, but there’s just something about the golden mound of turmeric-spiced couscous with all the green and red veg and toasty harissa chickpeas that I find utterly holiday-emulating.
This is a great side dish to compliment and highlight everything else on the table, and an interesting choice as a pasta (couscous is small pebbled pasta, after all) for those of you searching for a way to round out the menu without delving too far into linguinis and spaghettis and rigatonis and all the .. onis, you know?
8. Carrot Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates
These things are freaking delicious, and also – and I won’t deny it – a lot of freaking work to make. But take a look at these stunning plant-based appetizer and tell me that isn’t something you’d love to have on a platter during the Christmas day festivities? It has everything: carrot bacon wrapped around a sweet caramel-y roast date with tofu ricotta (stuffing) and a spear of pickled jalapeños. It’s simply an experience in flavor that you have to try, and I would highly recommend you earmark this as one of your go-to delicious vegan Christmas dinner recipes – I know that I have!
9. Spinach & White Bean Enchiladas with Parsley Cashew Crema
To me, enchiladas are one of the most delicious things on the planet, and also a pan full of delicious enchiladas on a cold December day inspires in me to hum all the yule tide carols and spring forth holiday glee in the same way as seeing the first snow of the year.
Maybe it’s just me, but these spinach and white bean enchiladas are super Christmas-y, and I’d be thrilled to have ’em for dinner on the day of (I’m my opinion, one of the best vegan Christmas dinner recipes). If you’re looking for a different take on the traditional Christmas fare, have a whole lotta’ these enchiladas this year.
10. Valencia Orange Cranberry Sauce
This is my mom’s recipe – a super simple cranberry sauce infused with Valencia orange. In truth, you can use any kind of orange you want, but just think of the awed look of intrigue on people’s face when you say that this is a cranberry sauce with *Valencia* orange. That in and of itself is worth inclusion in this vegan Christmas recipes list, no?
Well, besides the fancy fruit found in the sauce itself, this cranberry goop is the perfect balance between tart and sweet, smooth and chunky, and deserves a spot on any holiday plate.
11. The BEST Tofu Scrambled Eggs
Breakfast on Christmas day sets the tone for the rest of the day to come, doesn’t it? I always remember sunlit feasts on the day of gift opening, full of delectable goodies and good ol’ fashioned breakfast staples, namely scrambled eggs. Yes, as a vegan, eggs are off the table, but what I put back on the table in its stead are so much better, and that’s this tofu scrambled eggs – whole-heartedly one of the vegan Christmas breakfast recipes that should be an auto-include.
It’s so easy to make, too: pan fry some crumbled tofu with spices, a tiny bit of chickpea flour and coconut yogurt (for that wetness of scrambled eggs), then throw it on some toast with chives or just eat on its own.
12. Caramel Banana Sweet Corn Grits
Grits are one of those classic southern comforts that isn’t going out of style any time soon, so I thoight I’d revamp it a little and make a dessert version! This bowl of sweet corn porridge is sure to get you in the mood for the holidays, as it has all those warm, toasty flavors that’ll make you feel comforted, cozy and satisfied. Creamy banana-flavored grits with pan-fried banana and maple pecans.
13. Auntie Anne’s Christmas Buns
This is a recipe from a beloved family member, Auntie Anne. Every year, she makes dozens of these rolls, freezes them, and then sends them out to all of the family, to be warmed up for Christmas breakfast. They are one of a kind – something to look forward to each year. I wanted to create a vegan version of them so that more people could have access to the goodness and glory that is these tasty buns. Really, It’s no wonder it’s the final installment of this vegan Christmas recipes list – it is Christmas incarnate.
Other Vegan Christmas Recipes!
Vegan Gingerbread Christmas Trifle
Amazing No Chicken Vegan Gravy
I hope that you all enjoyed this list of vegan Christmas recipes, and that it inspires you to make some delicious plant-based food this holiday season. I’m grateful for you all, and I wish you a happy end to 2022, and a bright start to 2023.
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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