12 Vegan Recipes for Christmas (Part 1/2 of The Cheap Lazy Vegan Christmas Blogpost Series!) (2024)

Surprise your family and friends this Christmas with these delicious vegan creations! Scroll down for the written recipes!

Because vegans don’t eat meat and animal products, people think we’re missing out on a lot during the holidays. What most of these people don’t know is that there are actually TONS of delicious vegan recipes that can be just as filling and satisfying!

Because I am just as excited as you are, I put together these 12 vegan holiday recipes that you can make and share with the people you love this Christmas! They’re delicious, festive, and easy to make! Plus, it’s a great chance to share with your non-vegan friends that veganism doesn’t have to be all salad!

Remember that these are just a FEW ideas in a sea of different options for vegan-friendly recipes. Get creative and start feeding your hungry friends & family!

(Also, stay tuned for part 2 of the Cheap Lazy Vegan Christmas blogpost series this week!)

Now on to the recipes!

(Click on the links below to get to specific sections)

• Starters/snacks/sides
• Main dishes
• Desserts

STARTERS/SNACKS/SIDES

Air-Fried Green Beans

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/xWLWm1b_53Q

Ingredients:

• 350g green beans
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon & herb seasoning (with salt) or other seasoning

Instructions:

1. Wash green beans and cut up the ends.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add in olive oil and seasoning. Toss well.
3. Air fry at 400°F for about 10-12 minutes or until desired consistency, turning once half-way through.

Easy Pizza Rolls

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/CMs52SO_yHc

Ingredients:

• Pillsbury Crescent Croissants (these are vegan!)
• Vegan cheese or make your own tofu cheese
  • ½ block extra firm tofu
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tbsp dry basil
  • ½ tbsp garlic powder
• Marinara sauce
• Slices of vegan hot dogs
• Chopped basil
• Vegan butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Make your tofu cheese by adding all the tofu cheese ingredients into a blender or food processor and blending until smooth (should be similar to cream cheese consistency).
3. Roll out the crescent rolls onto a baking sheet covered with a non-stick paper or surface.
4. Spread on the tofu cheese and other optional ingredients such as marinara sauce (I found that dipping into marinara sauce after baking was more practical), vegan hot dogs, and chopped basil.
5. Bake for about 11-13 minutes until nicely golden brown on the outside.
6. Optional: spread a small amount of vegan butter onto each piece.
7. Serve with marinara sauce!

Crispy Tofu with Vegan Honey Mustard

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/CMs52SO_yHc

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• Store-bought coating or homemade
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1.2 tbsps garlic powder
  • ½ tbsps onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 tbsps vegan mayo with a splash of water (use more mayo if necessary)
• Vegan honey mustard
  • 1.5 tbsp vegan mayo
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar

Instructions:

1. Cut up tofu into small cubes (dry them a little with some paper towel to get rid of some of the moisture. You can press the tofu if desired while you make the coating).
2. Mix coating ingredients in a small bowl.
3. On a small plate, add vegan mayo with a splash of water and mix well. It should still be somewhat of a thicker liquid.
4. Dip each piece of tofu into the vegan mayo then coat with the coating mixture.
5. Air fry or bake at 375 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes on an air fryer (possibly longer in the oven) until they are nicely browned on the outside but not burnt.
6. While the tofu pieces are air frying or baking, mix together all ingredients for the honey mustard in a small bowl.
7. Serve with toothpicks for a yummy snack!

Vegan Mac & Cheese

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/JnZl5Ww7V_E

Ingredients:

• 500g macaroni (or whatever pasta you prefer)
• Vegetables of your choice (we used mushrooms)
• Optional: ground pepper, paprika

For the sauce:

• ⅕ cup raw cashews
• ½ cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk or water)
• ¼ cup water (or more if needed)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced/chopped)
• 1-2 tsp sea salt or regular salt
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ -1 tbsp English mustard or any other mustard
• Juice of 1 whole lemon
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsps chili powder
• ½ tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (we like garlic!)

Instructions:

1. Soak the cashews overnight OR you can put the cashews in a pot with water, bring it to a boil and let it boil for about 15 minutes on medium to low heat, or until they become soft enough to blend.
2. Cook the pasta.
3. While the pasta is cooking, chop up and cook mushrooms and/or whatever vegetables of your choice.
4. Saute garlic (minced/chopped) on frying pan with water or oil.
5. Once the cashews are finished, put them in a blender and blend them a bit so they are in smaller pieces.
6. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients into the blender and blend until soft. Add more water to help blend if necessary.
7. Pour the sauce on top of the cooked pasta, add the mushrooms/vegetables and mix together. Add a pinch of paprika and a bit of ground pepper on top and enjoy!!

MAIN DISHES

Lentil & Nut Roast

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/AWn5S9Ht2xc

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed nuts and seeds of your choice
• 1 cup canned or cooked lentils, rinsed & drained
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped finely
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (optional. If omitted, use 1/4 cup almond flour instead of 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup almond flour or oat flour

Seasonings:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika

Glaze:

• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp apple vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, chop the nuts/seeds into crumbs. Add into a large mixing bowl.
3. In the same food processor, add lentils and process until mostly mashed. This doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, just mostly mashed. Add into the mixing bowl.
4. Heat a little vegetable oil (or use a splash of water if oil-free) on a pan on medium-high heat, then saute onions, mushrooms and garlic together until cooked (around 2-3 minutes). Add the mixture into the mixing bowl.
5. Add seasonings, apple sauce, pumpkin & almond flour and mix everything well.
6. Spray a loaf pan with some cooking spray or line with non-stick parchment paper. Then spread the mixture evenly, pressing down gently.
7. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and add 3-4 little holes with a toothpick or chopsticks.
8. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes, covered with foil.
9. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together glaze ingredients.
10. After 50 minutes of baking, take out the roast, remove the aluminum foil then spread the glaze on top. Bake, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.
11. Take out of the oven and let it cool down for around 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
12. Enjoy!

Coated Tofu with Vegan Gravy

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/-cHluVbeFKA

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• around 1 cup (or enough to cover & marinate) vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk + 1 tbsp flour
• 1 packet of vegan-friendly coating mix
• topped with vegan gravy

For the coating:

• Italian herb coating mix (any brand)

For the gravy:

• Organic mushroom gravy

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, add non-dairy milk and flour and mix well.
2. Dip tofu pieces in the milk and flour mixture and then coat it with the seasoning. (NOTE: You can use any coating mix of your choice because a lot of them are vegan-friendly )
3. Heat up oil in a frying pan and start frying the coated tofu for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Once cooked, take out the tofu and use the same pan to heat up the gravy until it thickens.
5. Pour gravy onto the coated tofu and enjoy!

Vegan Lasagna

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/ZL1ydTJSxvg

Ingredients:

• 1/2 box of oven-ready lasagne noodles

For the sauce:

• 1 large can of tomatoes
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Tofu ricotta:
  • 1 block firm tofu
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Other optional add-ins – seitan pieces (I just had some on hand in my freezer), fresh basil, vegan sausages cut up, store-bought vegan shredded cheese for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or wok on medium-high heat, and cook onions and garlic for a few minutes until onions begin to soften and garlic begins to brown.
3. Add canned tomatoes into the mixture (if you’re using canned whole tomatoes, you might want to break it apart with your spatula or something) and stir.
4. Add in paprika, garlic, and basil and mix until well-combined. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to a simmer for about 10 minutes while you prepare the tofu ricotta.
5. In a food processor or a blender, add all the ingredients for the tofu ricotta and blend until smooth and well-combined. Set aside in a small bowl.
6. In the same food processor (no need to rinse), add the sauce ingredients. Pulse just a few times to make the sauce.
7. Now layer the lasagna starting with a layer of sauce on the bottom of the lasagna pan – you can do this however way you wish. I just like to make sure that the noodles are always in contact with something wet so that it cooks thoroughly in the oven (watch the video above to see how I layered).
8. I also added some seitan pieces that I had left over in the freezer that I needed to use up – feel free to add vegan sausage or any other type of vegan meat replacement or protein if you wish.
9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
10. Enjoy!!!

DESSERTS

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/CMs52SO_yHc

Ingredients:

• I used around 15 strawberries
• 200g vegan chocolate PLUS
• 1-3 tsp coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Wash strawberries and place pieces onto a paper towel to dry.
2. Break up vegan chocolate (check the ingredients list for dark chocolates – many are accidentally vegan) and heat in the microwave at 30-second intervals (mixing in-between) until completely melted.
3. If you want the chocolate to go a long way or if it’s too thick, mix in a bit of coconut oil.
4. Once strawberries are dry, dip into the chocolate and place on a tray covered with non-stick surface.
5. If you want to attempt to make them pretty (I have failed here), place the tray into the fridge to cool down a bit, then take out to make little swirls with the leftover chocolate. Make sure you wait long enough for the chocolate to solidify even a little so that the swirls don’t just melt straight into the chocolate (the mistake I made).
6. Once finished, place the tray in the fridge and let it completely solidify.
7. Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1MVytORDds

Ingredients:

For the base/crust:

• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 cup raw walnuts

Main part:

• 1.5 cups soaked raw cashews
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup regular coconut milk (not light)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup powdered peanut butter (or regular peanut butter)

Chocolate topping:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Optional: A little bit of non-dairy milk to thin out the chocolate

Instructions:

1. Soak cashews and soak them overnight or for at least 2-3 hours.
2. To make the base, add the pitted dates and walnuts in a food processor. Blend well until it reaches a sticky consistency.
3. Grease a muffin tray with coconut oil.
4. Distribute the walnut-date mixture evenly onto the muffin tray, pressing them down firmly to create the base.
5. Juice one whole lemon and get rid of the seeds.
6. Put the lemon juice, coconut milk, melted coconut oil, and cashews in a blender. (NOTE: If you haven’t soaked the cashews, you can boil them for 15-20 minutes instead.)
7. Add in powdered peanut butter and agave nectar. Blend well on high. (NOTE: The consistency should be liquidy for easier pouring.)
8. Pour the mixture evenly on top of the bases in the muffin tray.
9. Cover it with surround wrap (or cling wrap) before popping it into the freezer.
10. For the chocolate coating, melt coconut oil and chocolate chips in a saucepan on low to medium heat. Add in almond milk to thin out to desired consistency.
11. Take out the muffin tray and pour chocolate coating on top of every cheesecake cup.
12. Cover the muffin tray again with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.
13. Serve or wrap them up separately to serve for later.

Vegan Pecan Pie

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/tfGcdQeShms

Ingredients:

• Homemade or store-bought pie crust – I made my own using this recipe
• 5 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
• 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 10 saltine crackers, crumbled
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup extra firm silken tofu
• 2 cups whole pecans* (you can toast them if you wish! I forgot to LOL)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare your pie crust, whether store-bought or homemade. (I used a very easy recipe that you can find here.)
3. Melt vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. Whisk in coconut sugar until smooth.
5. Remove from heat and mix in maple syrup, corn starch, crumbled saltine crackers, salt, and vanilla.
6. In a food processor, add the silken tofu and blend/pulse until smooth
7. Add the syrup mixture into the food processor along with the tofu and blend again until smooth and well-combined.
8. Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan and add your pecans (save about 30-50 pecans for decorating the top of the pie… depending on how you want to decorate!) into the mixture. Mix well.
9. Pour the pecan pie filling into the pie crust and smooth out the top. Decorate the top of the pie however way you want with more pecans.
10. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

*If you want to toast your pecans, place them on a baking sheet and bake them at 350°F for about 5-8 minutes. Try not to burn them! They still taste great without toasting them, FYI.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls (Inspired by Tasty)

Original recipe here.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/DAOhP_8OKeI

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp vegan butter (to coat the baking dish – I used 2 disposable pie pans)

For the dough:

• 2 cups almond milk (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup melted vegan butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt

For the filling:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, melted butter, and sugar. The mixture should be just slightly warm.
2. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the top of the mixture and allow it to set for 1 minute.
3. Gradually add 5 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt while mixing with a wooden spoon.
4. Once it is all combined, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for an hour to let it rise. By this time, it should double in size.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Coat the inside of 2 pie dishes with vegan butter.
7. Remove the cover and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour.
8. On a well-floured and clean surface, knead the dough lightly, while adding additional flour if needed until the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.
9. Roll the dough out into a flat rectangle, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.
10. Now to start the filling, spread the softened vegan butter evenly over the dough. Then sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar on top. Alternatively, if you can melt the vegan butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar together to create a liquid filling – if so, use only 1/2 cup vegan butter, not 3/4 cup.
11. Roll up the dough to form a log-shape. Pinch the seams closed and place that side down.
12. Cut the dough in half, then divide each half into 6-7 evenly sized pieces.
13. Place half of the pieces in each pie dish then cover them with plastic wrap. Leave them in a warm place to rise for half an hour (I’ve read that this step is not necessary in some comments, so use your own discretion).
14. Meanwhile, whisk together all the icing ingredients in a bowl until it is smooth.
15. Remove the plastic wrap off of the cinnamon rolls and bake them in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
16. While the rolls are still warm, drizzle the icing over them. Now they are ready to enjoy!