How To Make The Ultimate Vegan Christmas Dinner At Home

Whether it's your first Christmas as a vegan or you've been following the plant-based diet for years, there's always room to learn more. Keep on reading if you'd like some useful advice for making this year the most stress-free, tasty vegan Christmas dinner you've ever had. 

Use Seasonal Ingredients

Being conscious of the environment is a vital part of the vegan way of life. This means that vegans often opt for more eco-friendly food options, as well as those that do not contain animal products. Eating seasonal isn't just better for the planet; it's better for us too in terms of taste and nutrition.

Utilising in-season produce is going back to basics of how people used to live, and it's more natural as it doesn't involve genetic modification. Fruit and vegetables in season during December include brussels sprouts, leeks, carrots, pears, potatoes, and cabbage. 

Recipes using seasonal vegetables: 

• Roasted Carrot Salad

• Sprouts & Tempeh Rashers

• Winter Warmer Squash Soup

Veganize Traditional Recipes

Being vegan doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the classic recipes like stuffing, cauliflower cheese, and mince pies. It's easier than ever before to veganize traditional recipes, especially now that there are vegan-friendly foods wherever you look.

When I veganize a dish, I look up a mixture of recipes for the traditional version and then adapt it from there. It often takes practice, as well as a willingness to experiment, but you'll perfect it in the end. Fortunately, you might be able to whip up something impressive before Christmas arrives as there are tonnes of blogs and cookbooks for you to browse that have already veganized many classic recipes.

Veganized classic recipes:

• Heura Wellington
• Tempeh Turkey 

Snacks & Drinks

Christmas day isn't complete without the snacks and drinks! If you're lucky, your favourite tipple or snack food will already be vegan-friendly (whether it's accidentally vegan or intentionally made vegan). However, if you're currently on the hunt for some treats to enjoy throughout the day, you're in luck. I couldn't possibly cover all of the vegan-friendly snacks and drinks to enjoy at Christmas, but I can offer up some advice…

• Load up on fancy, artisan vegan cheeses from brands such as Kinda Co. and I Am Nut Ok. 
• Make your very own luxurious, dairy-free hot chocolate using whipped cream and marshmallows.
• Scour the internet for accidentally-vegan snacks to find in your local supermarket.
• Head to the Barnivore website to find out which alcoholic drinks are vegan-friendly. 

Get Your Household Involved

Even though my mum isn't vegan herself, I find that she has a lot of useful tricks and tips for how to make my vegan meals better. So don't forget to consider reaching out to your family for advice on cooking the perfect animal product-free dinner. You can either take their advice or not - as easy as that! 

Seek Help From Pre-Made Products

Buying pre-made products doesn't make you a cheater! Isn't a turkey technically pre-made anyway? By purchasing a vegan 'turkey' alternative, you're doing the exact same thing, just the vegan version.

Although it's impressive when someone has designed and executed an entire vegan Christmas menu from scratch, it's sometimes not realistic. If you're short for time on the big day, or simply have too many people to cater for, seek help from the many plant-based brands that offer up alternatives such as vegan cheese, vegan cakes and cookies, and so much more. We're spoilt for choice with vegan products this Christmas, and it's only going to get better year after year.

Bake, Bake, & Bake Some More

If you aren't a confident cook, but rather more of a baking aficionado I'd recommend making your Christmas day a sweet-toothed affair. Vegan baking is super easy but can occasionally put people off because eggs and dairy have served as main components in baking for so long (and it can be difficult to ditch tradition). Though I can assure you, anything you can bake, you can also bake vegan!

Vegan Christmas dessert recipes:

• Salted Caramel Stuffed Almond Cookies

• No-Bake Brownies

• Fig & Buckwheat Tart

Find The Perfect Gravy

If the worst were to happen and you accidentally ruined your Christmas dinner, you shouldn't worry too much, because there's nothing that a healthy helping of gravy can't fix! When making vegan gravy from scratch, make sure to use ingredients such as marmite, soy sauce, or dried mushrooms to help create that delicious, umami flavouring that will have your friends and family wondering whether it's vegan or not.