Vegetarian & Vegan Christmas Dinner Ideas

Gone are the days when vegetarians got a sad plate of just the veg whilst everyone else tucked into turkey. Christmas dinner has finally caught up, and now there are brilliant meat-free options that are actually exciting to eat.

Whether you’re fully vegetarian, hosting veggie guests, or just fancy a meat-free Christmas this year, you’ve got loads of proper options. No more “just have extra roast potatoes and stuffing”—we’re talking centrepiece mains that look and taste incredible.

This is your complete guide to vegetarian and vegan Christmas dinners, from show-stopping mains to making sure all the sides are suitable too.

The Brilliant News About Christmas Dinner

Here’s what makes a vegetarian Christmas dinner easier than you’d think: most of the traditional sides are already veggie-friendly (or easily adapted).

Already vegetarian:

• Roast potatoes (if cooked in vegetable oil)
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots and parsnips
• Red cabbage
• Yorkshire puddings (check the recipe)
• Cranberry sauce

Easily veganised:

• Roast potatoes (use oil instead of animal fat)
• All veg (butter can be swapped for vegan spread)
• Gravy (vegetable stock instead of turkey drippings)
• Stuffing (most recipes can use vegan butter)

What you need: A proper main that feels special and festive, not an afterthought.

Vegetarian Christmas Mains

The Classic: Nut Roast

Yes, it gets mocked. Yes, it’s become a bit of a joke. But a properly made nut roast is genuinely delicious, holds together beautifully, and feels festive.

What makes a good nut roast:

• Mix of nuts (walnuts, chestnuts, almonds)
• Grains or breadcrumbs for structure
• Plenty of herbs and seasoning
• Mushrooms for umami
• Bound with egg or vegan alternative

How to serve it: Slice like a loaf, serve with all the traditional trimmings and lots of gravy.

Make ahead tip: Prepare the day before, refrigerate, then just bake on Christmas Day.

Recipe variations:

• Cranberry and walnut
• Mushroom and chestnut
• Herb and cashew
• Roasted vegetable

Mushroom Wellington

This has become the posh vegetarian Christmas option, and for good reason—it’s stunning.

What it is: Mushrooms (often mixed varieties), onions, garlic, and herbs wrapped in puff pastry. Sometimes includes spinach, chestnuts, or a layer of pâté-style filling.

Why it works:

• Looks impressive as hell
• Rich, meaty texture from mushrooms
• Pastry makes everything better
• Serves easily in slices

Buying vs making: M&S, Waitrose, and other supermarkets do excellent ready-made versions (£10-15). Homemade is cheaper but fiddly.

Serving: Cut into thick slices, looks beautiful on the plate with all the veg around it.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Whole roasted squash stuffed with grains, nuts, dried fruit, and herbs. Very Instagram-worthy.

Why it’s brilliant:

• Naturally impressive presentation
• Sweet squash works with festive flavours
• Can be made ahead and reheated
• One squash serves 2-4 depending on size

Popular fillings:

• Quinoa, cranberries, and pecans
• Wild rice, chestnuts, and sage
• Couscous, pomegranate, and walnuts
• Lentils, mushrooms, and thyme

Serving: Either serve whole squash halves, or scoop out portions onto plates.

Vegetable Tart

A proper tart with pastry base, filled with roasted veg, cheese (or vegan alternative), and herbs.

Good veg combinations:

• Caramelised red onion, tomato, and goats’ cheese
• Roasted Mediterranean veg with feta
• Mushroom, leek, and blue cheese
• Butternut squash, sage, and ricotta

Advantages:

• Can be made day before
• Serves at room temperature if needed
• Looks elegant
• Easy to slice and serve

Cauliflower Steak

Thick slices of cauliflower, roasted until caramelised, often with spices or herbs.

Why it works:

• Substantial and filling
• Beautiful when done well
• Naturally gluten-free
• Quick to cook

How to make it special:

• Marinate before roasting
• Add spiced butter or harissa
• Serve with tahini sauce or chimichurri
• Garnish with pomegranate seeds and herbs

One cauliflower serves: About 2-3 people (you get 2-3 steaks per cauliflower).

Plant-Based “Turkey”

Several brands now make convincing turkey alternatives.

Available options:

• Tofurky roast (original, divisive, some love it)
• M&S Plant Kitchen options
• Quorn festive roast
• Various other supermarket versions

Pros:

• Familiar format
• Easy to cook
• Everyone gets similar meal
• Some are genuinely tasty now

Cons:

• Can be expensive
• Very processed
• Not everyone likes fake meat
• Sometimes disappointing texture

Verdict: Worth trying if you want something turkey-shaped, but don’t expect miracles.

Vegan Christmas Mains

All the vegetarian options above can be made vegan by:

• Using vegan puff pastry (most are accidentally vegan anyway)
• Skipping cheese or using vegan alternatives
• Using flax eggs instead of regular eggs in nut roast

Best vegan-specific mains:

Vegan Wellington: Mushroom, lentil, or nut filling in vegan pastry. M&S and Waitrose do good ones.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms: Large mushrooms stuffed with quinoa, nuts, and herbs. Meaty texture, looks special.

Lentil Loaf: Like nut roast but using lentils. Packed with protein, holds together well.

Jackfruit “Roast”: Young jackfruit has a pulled meat texture. Can be seasoned and roasted. Trendy but requires practice.

Making the Sides Vegan

Roast Potatoes

Traditional: Cooked in goose fat Vegan: Use vegetable oil or vegan butter

Honestly? Oil-roasted potatoes can be just as crispy. Use a neutral oil with high smoke point (vegetable, sunflower, or rapeseed).

Gravy

Traditional: Made from turkey drippings Vegan: Vegetable stock-based with added umami

How to make vegan gravy taste meaty:

• Use dark vegetable stock
• Add soy sauce or miso paste
• Include mushroom cooking liquid
• Caramelise onions first
• Add red wine
• Season well with herbs

Cheat: Bisto gravy granules are actually vegan. Fancy that.

Yorkshire Puddings

Traditional: Made with eggs and milk Vegan: Use plant milk and egg replacer

Vegan Yorkshire puddings are trickier but possible. Several recipe blogs have cracked it. Or buy frozen vegan ones—they exist now.

Stuffing

Traditional: Often contains butter and sometimes meat Vegan: Easy to adapt

Most packet stuffing becomes vegan if you use vegetable stock and vegan butter instead of dairy. Homemade versions using oil instead of butter work brilliantly.

Pigs in Blankets

Vegan versions exist!

• Vegan sausages wrapped in plant-based bacon
• M&S, Tesco, and Iceland all do versions
• Nowhere near as good as the real thing, but better than nothing

Alternative: Roasted baby carrots wrapped in vegan bacon? It’s a thing. It’s… different.

Vegan Desserts

Christmas Pudding

Traditional: Contains suet (animal fat) and sometimes butter Vegan: Increasingly available

Most supermarkets now stock vegan Christmas pudding. Or make your own using vegetable suet.

Serving: Vegan brandy butter, vegan custard, or coconut cream all work.

Mince Pies

Traditional: Pastry often contains butter, mincemeat sometimes has suet Vegan: Widely available now

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S all do vegan mince pies. They’re actually quite good.

Alternative Desserts

Easier vegan options:

• Dark chocolate torte
• Fruit crumble with coconut ice cream
• Vegan trifle (yes, it exists)
• Coconut panna cotta
• Baked apples with vegan ice cream

Planning a Mixed Dietary Christmas Dinner

If you’re feeding both meat-eaters and veggies/vegans:

Option 1: Separate Mains

Do:

• Turkey for meat-eaters
• Wellington/nut roast for veggies
• Make all sides suitable for everyone

Advantages: Everyone gets what they want

Disadvantages: More cooking, more oven space needed

Option 2: All-Veggie Feast

Do:

• Amazing veggie main that everyone shares
• All veggie/vegan sides
• Skip turkey entirely

Advantages:

• Less cooking
• Environmentally friendly
• Often cheaper
• No one feels left out

Disadvantages:

• Traditional turkey fans might sulk
• Requires buy-in from everyone

Option 3: Smaller Turkey + Veggie Main

Do:

• Small turkey for traditionalists
• Substantial veggie option
• Shared sides

Advantages:

• Everyone happy
• Not too much extra work

Disadvantages:

• Still cooking two mains
• Oven space juggling

Shopping List for Vegetarian Christmas Dinner

For nut roast main (serves 6):

• Mixed nuts (300g)
• Breadcrumbs or cooked grains
• Onions, garlic, celery
• Eggs or vegan alternative
• Fresh herbs
• Mushrooms
• Stock

For all the sides (serves 6):

• Potatoes (2kg)
• Brussels sprouts (500g)
• Carrots (500g)
• Parsnips (500g)
• Vegetable oil for roasting
• Vegan butter alternative
• Vegetable stock
• Cranberry sauce
• Bread sauce ingredients (if wanted)

Vegan additions:

• Plant milk
• Vegan gravy
• Vegan butter
• Vegan cream (for pudding)

Cooking Timeline for Vegetarian Christmas

Much easier than turkey! Most veggie mains take 30-60 minutes, not 4 hours.

Example timeline (2pm dinner):

11:00am: Prep all veg, make nut roast mixture

11:30am: Put nut roast in oven (about 45 mins)

12:00pm: Start parboiling potatoes

12:30pm: Potatoes in oven

1:00pm: Carrots/parsnips in oven

1:15pm: Remove nut roast to rest, covered

1:30pm: Boil/fry sprouts, make gravy

1:45pm: Dish everything up

2:00pm: Serve

Way less stressful than turkey timing!

Common Vegetarian Christmas Dinner Mistakes

Making Veggie Guests Feel Like an Afterthought

Don’t:

• Give them just the sides
• Microwave a sad veggie burger
• Act like it’s a massive inconvenience

Do:

• Make something properly delicious
• Present it nicely
• Treat it like a proper main course

Forgetting About Hidden Animal Products

Check these sneaky non-veggie ingredients:

• Parmesan (contains rennet—not vegetarian)
• Gravy made with meat stock
• Roasties cooked in goose fat
• Stuffing with sausage meat
• Butter everywhere

Making Everything Beige

Veggie food can look boring if not careful.

Add colour:

• Pomegranate seeds
• Fresh herbs
• Roasted red peppers
• Green veg
• Colourful garnishes

Not Seasoning Enough

Vegetables need proper seasoning—more than meat does, arguably.

Be generous with:

• Salt and pepper
• Fresh and dried herbs
• Garlic
• Spices
• Citrus
• Good quality oil

Budget Vegetarian Christmas

Good news: Veggie Christmas is often cheaper than traditional!

Cost savings:

• No expensive turkey (£30-60 saved)
• Nuts and veg are cheaper than meat
• Less waste (no turkey carcass)

Budget breakdown (serves 6):

• Nut roast ingredients: £5-8
• All veg and sides: £15-20
• Vegan alternatives: £5-10
• Christmas pudding: £3-5

Total: £30-40 for entire meal vs £80+ for traditional turkey dinner

Make-Ahead Vegetarian Christmas

Day before:

• Make nut roast mixture (bake on the day)
• Prep all veg (peeled, chopped, in water)
• Make gravy base
• Prepare desserts

Christmas morning:

• Just cook everything
• Much less stressful

The Bottom Line

Vegetarian and vegan Christmas dinners have come a long way. You’re not stuck with sad vegetables anymore—there are brilliant options that are genuinely exciting to eat.

The best approach? Choose a main you’re genuinely enthusiastic about, not just “the vegetarian option.” Whether that’s a stunning mushroom wellington, a perfectly spiced nut roast, or a show-stopping stuffed squash, make it something that deserves centre stage.

And remember: with all those delicious sides, crispy roast potatoes, and lashings of gravy, the main is just one element of a brilliant meal.

Plus, no wrestling with a massive turkey at 7 am. That’s a Christmas gift in itself.

---

Related Guides:

• Back to Complete Christmas Food Guide
• Traditional British Christmas Dinner Guide
• How to Cook the Perfect Christmas Turkey

What’s your favourite vegetarian Christmas main? Share your recipes and tips in the comments!