A simple, stress-free guide to creating a festive meal that everyone can enjoy
For many families, Christmas is the biggest food event of the year. It’s traditional to have plates piled high with turkey, smoked ham, pigs in blankets, honey-glazed vegetables and roast potatoes cooked in animal fats. When hosting vegan loved ones, thinking about how to adapt these traditions can feel daunting.
With a bit of planning and a few simple swaps, it’s surprisingly easy to create a Christmas feast that will have everyone at the table coming back for seconds. Adding some plant-based updates to your dinner doesn’t mean abandoning tradition, either. In fact, you may even find some new festive favourites that become part of your annual menu!
In this guide, we’ll show you how to cater to vegan guests so nobody feels left out and hosts can relax.
1. Understand the basics of a vegan diet
Before you start prepping your festive meal, it helps to understand what vegans do and don’t eat.
Vegans avoid all animal products: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey and any other ingredients derived from animals (like gelatin). Vegans do eat just about everything else – it’s more helpful to focus on all the great stuff found in a plant-based diet.
In reality, the difference isn’t all that huge and lots of traditional Christmas foods can be adapted. Some are already plant-based by default, which makes catering to your vegan guests much easier.
2. Speak to your guests
Whether you’re hosting close family or a larger gathering, it’s always best to talk to guests about dietary requirements ahead of the event. Ask if they have favourite recipes they can share with you, if they’d like to help with the preparation and cooking, or if they prefer to bring a dish.
Rest assured that people will appreciate being involved and will want to make things straight-forward for the host. A quick conversation before the event takes away any guesswork and unnecessary stress.
3. Veganise what you can
If you ask us, the sides and trimmings are what make Christmas dinner feel special, and they’re often the easiest to make vegan. That means everyone’s happy and there is no need to prepare two different servings.
Traditional trimmings can be made plant-based with simple swaps:
- Roast potatoes in olive oil or vegetable oil instead of butter or goose fat. Try this Vegan Roast Potatoes recipe by School Night Vegan.
- Use vegetable stock and dairy-free spreads for stuffing, bread sauce and mashed potatoes (you won’t be able to tell the difference – we promise). Try Anna Jones’ Speedy Vegan Stuffing.
- Roast vegetables with herbs and oil instead of honey or butter. Check out The Vegan Larder’s recipe for ‘Honey’ Roasted Parsnips and Carrots.
- A rich vegetable gravy is simple to achieve and if all else fails, many instant gravies in the supermarket are accidentally vegan! Try this Easy Vegan Gravy by The Happy Pear.
There are plant-based versions of Christmas staples such as pigs in blankets widely available in supermarkets, so adding these to your vegan guests’ plates shouldn’t be difficult. For starters and nibbles, vegan cheese boards are easy to come by, and this Vegan Charcuterie Board with Pastrami Roses by Squeaky Bean is a great example of how simple it can be to put an appealing plate together.
4. Prepare a plant-based centrepiece
For hosts who aren’t used to cooking a plant-based dish, the Christmas centrepiece is often the biggest question mark.
A vegan main should feel substantial and not like an afterthought, but don’t worry about getting things absolutely perfect. There are plenty of options to work with and you don’t need to be a professional chef to pull these off!
- Shop-bought centrepieces – Supermarkets such as Asda, Aldi, Tesco and Sainsbury’s offer meat-free ‘turkey’ roasts, nut roasts, vegan wellingtons and festive wreaths.
- Nut roast – A savoury option that provides an opportunity to use seasonal ingredients. Check out this delicious Christmas Nut Roast recipe.
- Stuffed vegetables – Butternut squash and aubergine work particularly well, with plenty of grains, nuts, herbs and cranberries. Here’s a Festive Stuffed Butternut Squash dish you can try.
- Vegan wellingtons – Mushroom wellingtons look impressive and pair beautifully with all the Christmas trimmings. Why not try this Chestnut and Mushroom Wellington?
- Festive pies – Just like wellingtons, pies are versatile centrepieces that work well with the usual sides and trimmings. Many ready-made pastries in supermarkets are vegan too. Check out this Chestnut and Cranberry Pie recipe for inspiration.
There’s no shortage of tried-and-tested vegan Christmas recipes and your guests may even have a few to share with you.
5. Serve a vegan-friendly dessert
Instead of preparing separate options, consider choosing a dessert everyone can share to keep things simple and inclusive.
Vegan creams, ice creams and custards are easy to find at supermarkets, and there is an impressive range of ready-made desserts such as Christmas puddings and trifles too. They taste just as delicious!
Here are some of our favourite show-stopping desserts that all your guests will love:
- Vegan Chocolate Mousse
- Christmas Ring Cake
- Chocolate Christmas Trifle
- Festive Yuletide Log
- Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Christmas Tree Tarts
- Christmas Pud Ice Cream
We hope these tips assure you that catering for vegan relatives doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful. With a little planning, open communication and a few thoughtful swaps, you can create a festive meal that feels welcoming (and indulgent) for everyone at the table.
Most importantly, these efforts show your loved ones that their choices matter. After all, Christmas is about coming together, sharing good food and enjoying each other’s company. Merry Christmas and enjoy your plant-based feast!
