Vegan Christmas Dinner Menus (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Christmas Dinner Menus post showcases all my BEST TIPS for a delicious vegan Christmas dinner! You'll find:

• The best vegan appetizers, mains, side dishes, sauces and desserts to make for Christmas.
• Top tips for preparing, cooking and hosting a Christmas dinner.
• Three different vegan Christmas menus, including a super easy menu, an impressive menu and a budget-friendly menu.
• A step-by-step process of how to effortlessly make an easy vegan Christmas dinner from start to finish, including preparation tips.
• All the recipes are gluten-free and refined sugar free.

If you're looking for vegan gift ideas, including homemade edible gifts, vegan cookbooks, kitchen gadgets and vegan food products, be sure to check out my Vegan Gift Guide! You might also want to check out my 30 Best Books Gift Guide!

Tips for cooking and hosting a vegan Christmas dinner

• Make sure to ask in advance what dietary requirements your guests have - if you're unsure, you could send them the recipe you'll be using to make sure they're ok with all the ingredients. If there's a particular part of the meal you're struggling with (eg. dessert), you could always ask them to bring something of their own. For more tips on cooking for people with different dietary requirements, check out this article I wrote for Gluten-Free Heaven magazine.
• Don't feel bad about asking your guests to bring something - if everyone brings a side dish or a dessert, then there's much less pressure on you! Just make sure to co-ordinate who's bringing what, so that everyone doesn't end up bringing the same thing!
• Don't make anything that you'll be making for the first time - it's always best to plan what you want to make and do a trial run first. Not only to make sure you're comfortable with making it, but also to make sure it suits your personal taste preferences.
• When planning your menu, think about your oven space, stove space and how many people you will be serving.
• Try to prepare as much in advance as possible, so check whether some dishes can be prepared ahead of time and make sure you know how best to store and reheat them before serving. I've included this information for each recipe in my round-up of 75 Vegan Christmas Recipes.
• Designate serving plates ahead of time so that you're not rushing around at the last minute looking for serving dishes.
• Set the table as far in advance as you can - this will relieve a lot of last-minute stress on the day!
• Do your grocery shopping as far in advance as possible. Any dry ingredients, tinned ingredients or drinks can be bought weeks before the day. Make sure to buy any fresh ingredients a few days in advance so that you can have the day before free to focus on preparing the food.
• Make a checklist of tasks you need to do on the day so that you don't forget to make/serve something!

You can find a full round-up of all my Christmas recipes here.

Appetizers

You'll want some appetizers for your guests to nibble on, and it's key to choose ones that can be served cold/at room temperature and prepared in advance, as you'll want to save all your time and energy for the main course. For many more appetizer ideas, check out my 16 Vegan Appetizers post.

Candied Nuts: I seriously cannot recommend these enough: they're incredibly moreish, can be prepared days in advance and take less than 10 minutes to make!

Cashew Cheese Ball: It's creamy, tangy and honestly tastes like cheese! It can be made in advance, is perfect for sharing and looks beautiful!

Mushroom Pâté: It's rich and meaty, smooth and silky and super easy to make. The flavour and texture is even better the day after it's made so it's great for making in advance!

Vegan Brie: It's surprisingly similar to the real thing!

Crackers: They're crispy and crunchy, super easy to make and so much better than anything you'll buy at the store. Perfect for eating with dips, pâté or cheese!

Vegan Sausage Rolls: They're crispy and flaky, full of flavour and seriously moreish!

Mains

A vegan main course can be just as hearty and filling as a meat one. Just make sure you make something that contains lots of protein, which will make sure guests are satisfied.

Meatloaf: Made with hearty black beans, earthy walnuts and savoury mushrooms – it’s rich and flavourful and super easy to make! 

Wellington: A seriously hearty and flavourful filling wrapped in a crispy and flaky pastry crust. A seriously satisfying plant-based showstopper!

Fish Pie: Slightly unusual for Christmas, but it's the best comfort food! A fragrant, creamy sauce packed with white beans and veggies, under a blanket of mashed potato.

Christmas Burger: It's rich and satisfying and packed with festive flavours like chestnuts, sage, apples and cranberry sauce! It's also great served with mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes or roast potatoes and gravy!

Carby Sides

For even more side ideas, check out my 32 Vegan Side Dishes post!

Scalloped Potatoes: Super rich and creamy, soft and tender and super comforting - the most indulgent side dish. For a nut-free version of this, check out my Potato Dauphinoise Gratin, which is a very similar recipe that can easily be made nut-free. The Scalloped Potatoes do taste more indulgent, though.

Stuffing: Packed with seasonal flavours like cranberries, chestnuts, apples and sage, you definitely won't miss the meat! You can use any type of bread to make this and it tastes especially good made with cornbread!

Mashed Potatoes: They’re melt-in-your-mouth creamy, soft and fluffy. Blended cashews create the silkiest texture.

Vegetable Sides

Persimmon Salad: It's always nice to have a fresh salad to balance out the richness of the rest of the meal. This one is beautifully colourful, sweet and fruity with a tangy dressing that keeps it light. This Apple Fig Walnut Salad is a good alternative.

Cauliflower Cheese Gratin: The creamy, "cheesy" sauce transforms humble cauliflower and broccoli into something you won't be able to stop eating!

Steamed Mixed Veg: You can use any vegetables you like (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green beans, green peas all work well). Instructions included in the recipe at the bottom of this post.

Sauces

Sauces are essential for making everything else taste better! Both the Meatloaf and Wellington taste particularly good with gravy and cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Sauce: Every bit as flavourful as the shop-bought version, but this version is refined sugar free. An easy make-ahead sauce.

Gravy: Rich, flavourful, full of umami flavour. Can be made ahead and reheated on the day. The gravy recipe can be found within my Vegan Poutine recipe.

Desserts

You can never have enough dessert, and this is just the tip of the iceberg - you'll find many more Christmas dessert ideas in my 75 Vegan Christmas Recipes post and my 28 Vegan Christmas Cookies post.

Strawberry Trifle: Fresh and fruity, and every bit as rich and indulgent as the traditional version.

Yule Log: Moist and fluffy, super indulgent, and coated in a velvety chocolate buttercream made from chestnuts!

Rice Pudding: Rich and creamy, perfectly sweet and subtly spiced. An easy, comforting dessert that can be enjoyed hot or cold! You could stir in some mincemeat for festive flavour.

Mince Pies: They're crispy, flaky, and filled with fruity, fragrant mincemeat! 

Christmas Pudding: Super moist, perfectly spiced and really easy to make. 

Sugar Cookies: Soft and chewy, slightly fluffy and covered in a rich, creamy cashew frosting. A pretty and colourful sweet treat for the festive season! 

Gingerbread Cake: Sweet and fragrant, covered in a delicious “cream cheese” frosting and perfectly spiced. You might also like my Gingerbread Loaf Cake.

Gingerbread Cookies: Crispy yet chewy, fragrantly spiced and super easy to make! My Gingerbread Cookie Bars are an easier alternative.

Chocolate Fudge: Seriously indulgent, perfectly rich and creamy and secretly healthy. An easy no-bake dessert! You might also like my Chocolate Truffles.

Christmas Fruit Cake: Perfectly spiced, seriously moist and covered in the most indulgent buttercream frosting!

Peppermint Brownies: Rich and fudgy, and topped with a melt-in-your-mouth peppermint cream and silky chocolate ganache. 

Lemon Cookies: Soft and chewy, slightly fluffy and perfectly tangy and citrusy. They’re covered in a rich, creamy lemon frosting too! You may alternatively like my Orange Cookies.

Linzer Cookies: Light and tender, melt-in-your-mouth buttery and filled with sweet, sticky jam! 

Vegan Christmas Dinner Menus

Here are some menu suggestions for what dishes you might want to pair together. You can use these as a template and customise them as you wish.

Super Easy Vegan Christmas Dinner Menu

Here's the easiest, most foolproof combination of recipes. They're not all necessarily the quickest ones to make, but the simplest ones that you won't get wrong even if you're a complete beginner!

Appetizer: Candied Nuts or Mushroom Pâté.

Main: Meatloaf.

Carby side: Mashed Potatoes.

Sauces: Cranberry Sauce and Gravy.

Vegetable sides: Persimmon Salad and Steamed Mixed Veg.

Dessert: Rice Pudding.

Impressive Vegan Christmas Dinner Menu

These are the most impressive dishes that are guaranteed to have guests saying "I can't believe it's vegan!"

Appetizers: Cashew Cheese Ball and Crackers.

Main: Wellington.

Carby sides: Scalloped Potatoes and Stuffing.

Sauces: Cranberry Sauce and Gravy.

Vegetable sides: Persimmon Salad and Cauliflower Cheese Gratin.

Dessert: Yule Log, Christmas Fruit Cake or Gingerbread Cake.

Budget-Friendly Vegan Christmas Dinner Menu

These are the most budget-friendly options, but still tasty!

Appetizer: Mushroom Pâté.

Main: Meatloaf.

Carby sides: Potato Dauphinoise Gratin and Stuffing.

Sauces: Cranberry Sauce and Gravy.

Vegetable sides: Steamed Mixed Veg and Cauliflower Cheese Gratin.

Dessert: Rice Pudding or Strawberry Trifle.

If you're looking for vegan gift ideas, including homemade edible gifts, vegan cookbooks, kitchen gadgets and vegan food products, be sure to check out my Vegan Gift Guide! You might also want to check out my 30 Best Books Gift Guide!

And if you're looking for Vegan Christmas Leftovers Ideas, be sure to check out this post!

If you make any of these recipes, I’d really love to see what you come up with! You can show me by tagging a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.