Vegan Christmas Dinner: A Full Menu That Meat-Eaters Will Eat Too
A vegan Christmas dinner works best when you stop trying to copy the turkey and build the meal around a centrepiece that's good on its own terms: a mushroom Wellington, a nut roast, or a store-bought roast like Field Roast's Hazelnut & Cranberry. Everything else on a Christmas table is already vegetables, potatoes and sauce, and almost all of it can be made vegan with simple swaps. Here's a full menu, how to time it, and how to make it work if you're the only one not eating meat.
The centrepiece
Mushroom Wellington. The modern classic. Mushrooms cooked down with garlic, thyme and chestnuts or walnuts, wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Most supermarket puff pastry is made with vegetable fat (check for butter), so it's vegan without trying. It slices like a beef Wellington and is the dish most likely to be eaten by everyone.
Nut roast. A loaf of nuts, lentils, onions, breadcrumbs and herbs. It's the traditional British vegetarian Christmas dish, and while it has a bad reputation, a good one with plenty of herbs and a sticky cranberry topping is excellent.
Store-bought roasts. If you'd rather not cook a centrepiece:
- Field Roast Hazelnut & Cranberry Roast, wrapped in puff pastry; the most "Christmassy" of the store-bought options.
- Field Roast Celebration Roast, stuffed, with gravy.
- Gardein Turk'y Roast, breaded and stuffed; the best pick if someone wants something turkey-like.
- Tofurky Roast, the most widely available.
Our vegan Thanksgiving guide compares these in more detail. Buy early: they sell out in December.
The sides
- Roast potatoes: roast in olive oil or vegetable oil rather than goose or beef fat. Par-boil, rough up the edges, and roast hot. Nobody will know.
- Pigs in blankets: vegan sausages wrapped in smoked tempeh or rice-paper "bacon". Or just serve vegan sausages; they're the side people miss most.
- Stuffing: vegetable stock and oil instead of butter and chicken stock.
- Brussels sprouts: roasted with maple syrup and pecans, or fried with garlic and chestnuts.
- Roast carrots and parsnips: honey-glazed becomes maple-glazed.
- Red cabbage: braised with apple and vinegar; usually vegan already.
- Cauliflower cheese: a vegan cheese sauce or cashew sauce works well here.
- Cranberry sauce: vegan as it comes.
The gravy
Gravy is where a vegan Christmas dinner is won or lost. Make a proper one: brown onions and mushrooms hard, add flour, vegetable stock, a splash of soy sauce and red wine, and simmer. Make it the day before; it improves overnight. Many supermarket gravy granules are vegan too, so check the label.
Dessert
- Christmas pudding and mince pies: many supermarket versions are vegan already, because they use vegetable suet. Check the labels.
- Chocolate torte or mousse: dark chocolate and coconut cream or aquafaba.
- Yule log: vegan versions are easy to buy now.
- Cream and custard: oat- and soy-based versions are widely available.
Timing the day
- Two days before: buy everything, make the cranberry sauce.
- Christmas Eve: make the gravy, prep the vegetables, assemble the Wellington or nut roast and keep it in the fridge.
- Christmas Day: par-boil potatoes in the morning, roast everything in the last 90 minutes, reheat gravy.
If you're the only vegan at the table
- Bring the centrepiece. A Wellington feeds you and becomes something others want to try.
- Ask the host early which sides they'd be happy to make vegan; roast potatoes in oil is a small ask.
- Keep it light at the table. Christmas isn't the time for a debate. Our guide to being vegan at family dinners has more.
The craving moment
Christmas dinner is the meal people say they miss most when they cut meat, and smells are a powerful trigger. If a craving hits, it usually passes in ten to twenty minutes. Our guide to how to stop craving meat covers what to do, and the Spared app is built for that moment: open it instead of the turkey, ride it out, and watch the cravings beaten and animals spared add up.
Planning to keep going after Christmas? Veganuary tips is a good next read.
Common questions
What do vegans eat for Christmas dinner?
A centrepiece like a mushroom Wellington, nut roast or store-bought roast, with roast potatoes in oil, stuffing, vegetables, vegan sausages, gravy and cranberry sauce, then Christmas pudding or a chocolate dessert.
What is a good vegan alternative to turkey at Christmas?
Mushroom Wellington is the most popular homemade option. Store-bought, Field Roast's Hazelnut & Cranberry Roast and Gardein's Turk'y Roast are the best known.
Are mince pies vegan?
Many are, because modern mincemeat uses vegetable suet and many pastries use vegetable fat. Check the label for butter and beef suet.
Is Christmas pudding vegan?
Many supermarket Christmas puddings are vegan, but some contain butter, eggs or beef suet. Check the ingredients.