These Vegan Christmas Dinner Recipes deliver a festive, hearty holiday meal with crowd-pleasing mains!

A vegan Christmas dinner should feel just as indulgent, comforting, and festive as any traditional holiday spread—and these Vegan Christmas Dinner Recipes prove exactly that!

Before You Cook: The Vegan Christmas Dinner Strategy That Saves Your Sanity

Choose One Showstopper + Two Sides + One Sauce + One “Bright Thing”

That’s how you build a balanced plate without turning into a sweaty kitchen ghost.

• Showstopper: The main that gets photographed
• Sides: Comfort + crunch or comfort + color
• Sauce: Gravy or glaze that makes everything feel expensive
• Bright Thing: Lemon, cranberry, pickles, or something acidic to wake up the plate

I’m building that structure into these 5 recipes, so your menu feels complete.

My Vegan Holiday Flavor Rule

If you want “holiday depth” without meat or dairy, you need three things:

• Umami (miso, mushrooms, soy sauce, tomato paste)
• Herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage)
• Acid (lemon, vinegar, cranberry)

Now let’s cook!

Vegan Christmas Dinner Recipes

1. Herb-Studded Lentil Walnut Roast With Cranberry Glaze (The Main Character)

This is the vegan centerpiece that slices beautifully, smells like Christmas, and makes the whole table feel intentional. The texture is hearty but not dry, and the cranberry glaze gives it that holiday shine.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

For The Roast

• Brown or green lentils – 1 cup, rinsed
• Vegetable broth – 2½ cups
• Bay leaf – 1
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Yellow onion – 1 large, finely diced
• Carrots – 2 medium, finely diced
• Celery – 2 stalks, finely diced
• Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
• Mushrooms (cremini or baby bella) – 10 oz, finely chopped
• Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
• Soy sauce – 1½ tbsp
• Miso paste (white or mellow) – 1 tbsp
• Ground flaxseed – 2 tbsp
• Warm water – 6 tbsp (for flax “eggs”)
• Rolled oats – ¾ cup
• Walnuts – 1 cup, toasted and chopped
• Fresh thyme – 2 tsp, chopped
• Fresh rosemary – 1½ tsp, chopped
• Smoked paprika – 1 tsp
• Black pepper – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1½ tsp (adjust after tasting mixture)

For The Cranberry Glaze

• Whole berry cranberry sauce – 1 cup
• Maple syrup – 2 tbsp
• Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
• Dijon mustard – 1 tsp
• Pinch of salt

The “Slice Like A Dream” Method

• Add lentils, broth, and bay leaf to a pot.
• Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer.
• Cook 22–25 minutes until lentils are tender but not mushy.
• Drain any excess liquid. Remove bay leaf.
• Let lentils cool slightly so they don’t steam your roast into softness.

Build The Flavor Base (This Is Where The Roast Gets Its Soul)

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion, carrot, celery. Cook 8–10 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
• Add garlic. Cook 30 seconds.
• Add chopped mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook 8–10 minutes until mushrooms release moisture and it evaporates.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes until it darkens slightly.
• Add soy sauce and miso. Stir until everything looks glossy and rich.

Make Your Binder

• Mix ground flaxseed and warm water in a small bowl.
• Let sit 5 minutes until thick and gel-like.

Combine And Shape

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
• In a big bowl, mix lentils, mushroom mixture, flax gel, oats, walnuts, herbs, paprika, pepper, and salt.
• Mash about one-third of the mixture with a potato masher. This helps it hold together.
• Press mixture firmly into a parchment-lined loaf pan (9×5). Smooth the top.

Bake

• Bake 35 minutes.
• While baking, whisk glaze ingredients in a bowl.
• After 35 minutes, brush glaze over top. Bake 10–15 more minutes.
• Rest Before Slicing
• Let it rest 15 minutes.
• Slicing too soon breaks the loaf and your spirit.

2. Garlic-Roasted Potato Gratin (Vegan, Creamy, And Ridiculously Luxurious)

This is the side dish that makes people forget dairy exists. Creamy, garlicky, golden on top, tender underneath.

Ingredients (Serves 8–10)

• Yukon Gold potatoes – 3 lb, thinly sliced
• Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
• Garlic – 5 cloves, grated or minced
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt – 2 tsp
• Black pepper – 1½ tsp
• Fresh thyme – 2 tsp
• Creamy Sauce
• Raw cashews – 1 cup (soaked in hot water 15 minutes, then drained)
• Unsweetened oat milk – 2 cups
• Nutritional yeast – 3 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Dijon mustard – 1 tsp
• Garlic powder – 1 tsp
• Onion powder – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp

Topping

• Panko – ½ cup
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp
• Fresh parsley – 2 tbsp chopped

The “Golden Top, Creamy Middle” Method

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13 dish.
• Blend cashews, oat milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt until smooth and creamy.
• In a large bowl, toss sliced potatoes and onion with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and minced garlic.
• Layer potatoes into the dish, pressing them snug.
• Pour sauce evenly, then press gently so sauce slips between slices.
• Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes.
• Mix panko with olive oil. Remove foil, sprinkle on top.
• Bake uncovered 25–30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
• Rest 15 minutes before serving. It sets and slices cleanly.

3. Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts And Carrots With Candied Pecans (The Sweet-Savory Side)

This dish gives you caramelization, crunch, and color. It also looks like you hired a food stylist.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

• Brussels sprouts – 2 lb, halved
• Carrots – 4 large, sliced on a diagonal
• Red onion – 1, wedges
• Olive oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt – 1½ tsp
• Black pepper – 1 tsp
• Maple Glaze
• Maple syrup – ¼ cup
• Balsamic vinegar – 1 tbsp
• Dijon – 1 tsp
• Garlic powder – ½ tsp
• Candied Pecans
• Pecans – ¾ cup
• Maple syrup – 1½ tbsp
• Pinch of salt

The “Crisp Edges, Glossy Finish” Method

• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Toss sprouts, carrots, onion with oil, salt, pepper.
• Spread on sheet pan, cut-side down for sprouts. Roast 20 minutes.
• Mix maple glaze.
• Toss veggies with glaze and roast 10–12 more minutes.

For pecans: Toss pecans with maple syrup and salt, spread on a small pan, roast 6–8 minutes.

• Sprinkle pecans over veggies right before serving.

4. Vegan Mushroom Gravy (The Sauce That Makes Everything Taste Like Christmas)

You’re about to pour this on everything like it’s your job.

Ingredients (Makes About 3 Cups)

• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Mushrooms – 12 oz, sliced
• Onion – 1, diced
• Garlic – 3 cloves, minced
• Flour – ¼ cup
• Vegetable broth – 3 cups
• Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
• Miso paste – 1 tsp
• Fresh thyme – 1 tsp
• Black pepper – 1 tsp
• Salt – to taste

The “Silky And Deep” Method

• Heat oil in a pot. Add mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook until browned, 8–10 minutes.
• Add onion, cook 5 minutes. Add garlic 30 seconds.
• Sprinkle flour and stir 1–2 minutes to cook out raw taste.
• Slowly whisk in broth. Don’t dump it all at once.
• Add soy sauce, miso, thyme, pepper. Simmer 8–10 minutes until thick.
• Taste, adjust salt.
• For extra smooth gravy: blend half and return to pot.

5. Cranberry Orange “Bright Thing” Salad (Because Every Plate Needs A Wake-Up Call)

This is the fresh element that keeps the meal from feeling heavy. It’s crisp, tart, sweet, and holiday-perfect.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

• Mixed greens – 6 cups
• Orange segments – 2 oranges
• Fresh cranberries – ¾ cup (or dried if needed)
• Apple – 1, thinly sliced
• Red onion – ¼, thin slices
• Pepitas or walnuts – ½ cup

Dressing

• Olive oil – ¼ cup
• Orange juice – 3 tbsp
• Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp
• Maple syrup – 1 tbsp
• Dijon – 1 tsp
• Salt – ½ tsp
• Pepper – ½ tsp

The “Crisp And Bright” Method

• Whisk dressing in a bowl until glossy.
• Toss greens lightly with half the dressing.
• Add fruit, onion, nuts.
• Drizzle remaining dressing right before serving.

A vegan holiday table doesn’t need to feel like a “special diet” table—it needs to feel like a Christmas table, full stop. These Vegan Christmas Dinner Recipes give you a centerpiece, creamy comfort, caramelized color, proper gravy, and something bright to balance the whole plate.

Cook them once and you’ll stop thinking of vegan Christmas dinner as a workaround and start treating it like what it is: a feast. Keep these 5 Vegan Christmas Dinner Recipes in your pocket, and you’ll host like you’ve been doing it for years!!