Vegan Christmas Food Guide
Ah, Christmas! A chance to gather with loved ones, force down a few mince pies, and pretend you actually enjoy your uncle’s stories. But hey, it’s also a chance to eat well, celebrate traditions (the tolerable ones at least), and, if you’re feeling adventurous, consider trying a vegan Christmas.
This guide will help you navigate the special day with easy recipes, fancy recipes, stockists, socialising tips and recommendations for alcohol, starters, mains, desserts – the whole shebang!
A Very Vegan Christmas Mini Cookbook
Forget dry turkey and limp Brussels sprouts – Viva!’s A Very Vegan Christmas mini cookbook is here to save your holiday dinner from a tragic fate. This is Christmas dinner leveled up, minus the meat, but with enough decadence to make a Victorian monarch blush.
Everyone Can Cook Vegan Cookbook
Treat your loved ones this Christmas to the perfect gift – our brand new award-winning cookbook! Inside, there are 100 recipes spanning the globe, from Vegan Sushi Rolls to a Cheesy Mushroom Omelette. Dessert fans, don’t panic; there’s plenty to please your sweet tooth too, from a Gooey Chocolate Fudge Cake to a Chocolate Torte.
Here are our top centrepieces from the shops 2024:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference No Turkey Stuffed Crown with Sage and Onion Stuffing
Waitrose No 1 Ultimate Plant-Based Festive Sharing Wellington
Aldi Specially Selected Vegan Festive Wreath
Here are our top centrepieces recipes from Vegan Recipe Club:
Vegan Recipe Club Nut Roast Wreath With Sage Crisps Recipe (find it in our brand new mini cookbook)
Centrepieces
All of the supermarkets, online shops and health food shops now have absolutely incredible centrepieces. Check out our supermarket Christmas guide for 2024 for a comprehensive list of mouth-watering mains! If you fancy making your own, we’ve got a fabulous range on the Vegan Recipe Club site and in our brand new mini cookbook.
Nut and seed roasts
For a selection of ready-made nut roasts or packet mixes, look for Artisan Grains, Suma, Clive’s, Fry’s and supermarket own-brands – buy from health food shops, Holland & Barrett, online and most supermarkets.
Vegan meat-style roasts
Most supermarkets now offer a good range of their own-brand meat-style roasts for Christmas including whole vegan Turkey breasts, made from wheat gluten and soya, and plant-based beef wellingtons. Additionally you can find several offerings year-round including Juicy Marbles Thick-Cut Fillets, This Isn’t Roast Chicken & Stuffing, OMV No Turkey Joint and Linda McCartney Chicken Roast amongst many others.
Here are our top side dishes from the shops 2024:
Morrisons The Best Spiced Red Cabbage
Plantside Plant-Based Yorkshire Puddings
Marks and Spencer Plant Kitchen Vegan Vegetable Selection triple-cooked roast potatoes, red cabbage, and cauliflower and leek bake (all with garnish)
Here are our top sides from Vegan Recipe Club:
Most of the supermarkets now offer a varied range of vegan side dishes, appetisers and light bites. Again, these offerings change each year and the lists are usually released in autumn. Make sure to keep an eye out as we release a comprehensive overview each year on our Vegan Recipe Club webpage!
Roast potatoes
Aunt Bessie’s frozen (avoid the goose-fat variety!) and most of the supermarkets have their own-brand versions but if you have the time, they’re very easy to make yourself. Check out our fool-proof ultimate roast potatoes recipe.
Other veg
Most prepped versions are great for vegans! Also look in the free-from chilled and frozen sections for more original/exciting veg dishes or have a look at the dedicated Christmas food section at our Vegan Recipe Club site.
Yorkshire Puds
No Christmas dinner would be complete without some delicious Yorkies! You can buy them ready-made from Plantside or buy a ready-made mix from Ella’s or Free & Easy (which is also gluten-free). If you’re feeling adventurous try our easy 5-ingredient recipe from Vegan Recipe Club.
Stuffing
Many of the dry stuffing mixes in the shops are vegan yippee! Check individual packets to make sure. If you’d like to make your own, try our Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing recipe on Vegan Recipe Club or our Sage, Onion & Hazelnut Stuffing recipe straight from our new mini cookbook.
Sauces and condiments
The good news is that mint sauce is traditionally vegan. Most shop-bought versions are vegan (check the labels to make sure) and of course, if you make your own, it’s guaranteed! Most mustards including English, Dijon and wholegrain are vegan. A small amount of Dijon varieties aren’t vegan so check the label, and also honey mustards aren’t vegan. Unfortunately most horseradish sauces aren’t vegan but there’s a delicious vegan version Inspired. Shop-bought cranberry sauce is vegan and of course you can make a tasty homemade version. Shop-bought apple sauce is also vegan!
Most of the supermarkets offer a vegan white sauce in their free-from ranges and also Sacla have a vegan white sauce. Of course, it’s much nicer to make your own if you have time and we think you’ll love our Creamy White Wine Mushroom Sauce – it goes perfectly with all Christmas mains.
Gravy
Bisto, Free & Easy ready-made, Marigold, Naturally Good and supermarket own-brands all produce vegan gravy. Find them in health food shops, online and in the supermarket. Some brands will be gluten-free or will have a gluten-free offering.
Gravy top tip!
Make it the day before if possible. Let those flavours party, especially if you add tamari or shoyu, yeast extract, miso and a splash of red wine, sherry or port for depth!
For an extra-indulgent sauce try our red wine & porcini mushroom gravy!
Our top party food and snacks from the shops Christmas 2024:
Waitrose Santa Bao Buns
Sainburys Plant Pioneers Vegan Trimmings Selection
M&S Plant Kitchen Mushroom Parfait with a Port Glaze
Our top Vegan Recipe Club party food and snacks:
Smoked ‘salmon’ blinis (find it in our new mini Christmas cookbook)
Baked ‘Camembert’ Parcel With Cranberry Burst (find it in our new mini Christmas cookbook)
Every Christmas the supermarkets bring out new and exciting vegan starters, party food and snacks. Check out our supermarket guide for a vegan Christmas for the latest offerings!
You can also go to each supermarket website and type ‘vegan’ into the search bar – this will pull up a list of all their vegan items. Some party foods and snacks are available year-round; Indian snacks are often vegan (eg veg samosas, onion bhajis, veg pakoras), some Chinese snacks (eg veg spring rolls and various filo parcels), vegan sushi and sausage rolls (eg Linda McCartney, Fry’s, VBites, supermarket own-brands).
Our top shop-bought vegan Christmas desserts 2024:
Desserts
Waitrose No.1 Millionaire’s Torte
Asda OMV! Strawberry Trifle
Our top Vegan Recipe Club desserts:
Check out our year-round favourite vegan desserts here!
The supermarkets and health food shops bring out new and exciting dessert options every Christmas so look out for the special ones.
Cream
Alpro Single Cream
Flora Plant Cream Double
The Coconut Collaborative Vegan Double Cream
Check out our full guide to vegan cream
Ice Cream
Booja-Booja Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry’s (Non-dairy)
Cornetto (Vegan)
Check out our guide to vegan ice cream
Custard
Alpro
Birds
Oatly
Check out our guide to vegan custard
Our favourite vegan cheeses in the shops 2024:
Cathedral City Extra Mature Plant-Based
Mouse’s Favourite True Blue
La Fauxmagerie Camemvert
Our top cheese picks from Vegan Recipe Club:
Prosecco Fondue Recipe (find in our brand new cookbook, Everyone Can Cook Vegan)
How To Create A Spectacular Vegan Cheeseboard (find in our new mini Christmas cookbook)
Vegan cheese is at an all-time high in terms of flavour, texture and variety! There are just so many to choose from.
Supermarkets
Nearly all of them have a range of own-brand vegan cheeses and some of the other brands too e.g Violife, Sheese, Cathedral City Plant Based, Applewood etc. Many even do whole vegan-friendly cheeseboards for the Christmas season! Check out the plant-based/vegan and free-from section in the chilled aisle.
Health food shops and online
Here you’ll find the best vegan cheeses around, including the major brands and also specialist and artisan nut cheeses.
Some artisan vegan cheeses to note: Mouse’s Favourite, La Fauxmagerie, Palace Culture, I Am Nut OK, Kinda Co., Julienne Bruno, Tyne Cheese, Honestly Tasty, Jay and Joy
Have a look at our full list of the best vegan cheeses!
Our top vegan Christmas puds, cake and mince pies in the shops 2024:
Marks & Spencer Made Without Christmas Pudding 6 Month Matured
Waitrose Free From Milk & Gluten Free Mince Pies
Asda Plant Based OMV! 4 Iced Christmas Cake Slices
Our top Vegan Recipe Club Christmas puds, cake and mince pies:
Traditional Mince Pies (taken straight from our new mini Christmas cookbook)
Mince pies
All of the supermarkets and health food shops offer at least one vegan mince pie option and often quite a few more, including iced. Check out the free-from aisle but recipes and brands vary from year to year – read the labels to avoid butter, eggs, milk etc. Online supermarkets, such as Ocado and the vegan-friendly online shops mentioned above will also have a good supply.
Christmas pudding
Many supermarket brands are vegan – check the free-from aisle. Health food shops and the online shops mentioned above also have plenty to choose from.
Alternatively, Aldi Stollen is often vegan-friendly (always check the ingredients).
For a full list of where to find vegan mince pies and Christmas pudding, check out our big supermarket guide to a vegan Christmas 2023 over on our Vegan Recipe Club site!
Panettone
For all those lovers of the sweet Italian bread, you can now find vegan panettone in a variety of places including Holland & Barrett, health food shops, some Italian delis and online.
Our top tipples in the shops 2024:
Panther Oat Milk Liqueur
Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka Liqueur
Dirty Cow Loaded Chocolate Plant Based Cream Liqueur
Our top drinks from Vegan Recipe Club:
Vegan ‘Baileys’ Irish Cream Liqueur Recipe
Vegan Old Fashioned Recipe
Vegan Luxury Hot Chocolate Recipe (find it in our new mini Christmas cookbook)
Bubbles
Many brands of champagne are vegan, including Lanson Rose, Moët & Chandon and Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny. Vegan prosecco and cava is also widely available. Most of the supermarkets are now labelling all of their vegan products, which makes life much easier!
Other highlights
- Panther Oat Milk Liqueur
- Dirty Cow Loaded Chocolate Plant-Based Cream Liqueur
- Amarula Vegan Liqueur
- Aluna Coconut Coffee Liqueur
- Besos De Oro
- Licor 43 Horchata
- Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramel Cacao Vodka Liqueur
Many wines, beers and ciders are also suitable – there are so many it’s impossible to list them all. Increasingly, wine shops and departments have a vegan list and many are now labelling their products when vegan.
Check out Viva!’s Vegan Wine Club – all items are vegan and lovingly sourced from independent vineyards around the world.
Other helpful websites
Barnivore — the go-to vegan alcohol directory!
Vegan Womble — contains lots of useful and very up-to-date info about ‘accidentally vegan’ products, including supermarket own-brand vegan lists.
There’s so much amazing vegan chocolate out there now and the choice is increasing all the time!
The best selection is, of course, available from the Viva! Shop, so check out our extensive range of vegan chocolate!
Here are our top picks from the Viva! shop:
Booja-Booja Organic Salted Caramel Chocolate Wonders
Mummy Meegz Vegan Oat M!lk Choccy Balls
Catherine’s Originals Vegan Chocolate Selection Box
Our top chocs from the shops:
Love Raw Vegan Milk Chocolate Cream Wafer Bar
Booja Booja, the Award-Winning Selection Gift Box Selection of Vegan Chocolate Truffles
Rhythm 108 Vegan Hazelnut Truffle With M*lk Chocolate
All of the supermarkets have a range of vegan chocolate, stocking fillers and advent calendars – some are accidentally vegan and lots are intentionally vegan. Have a look in the free-from aisles and also in the main chocolate aisles for a wide range of options.
Health food shops and online shops will have the widest range of vegan chocolate, specialist products and also diabetic and sugar-free treats.
Check out our guide to vegan chocolate.
Again, you’ll find the best selection in the Viva! Shop, so have a look at our delicious range of sweets and treats!
Our favourite sweeties from the Viva! shop:
Jeavons Banoffee Banana Caramel Toffee Slab
Candy Kittens Wanderlust Gourmet Chews Sharing Bag
Dandies Vegan Vanilla Marshmallows
Our favourite sweeties from the shops 2024:
Skittles Original Candy
Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles Sweets
Starburst Original Fruit Chews
Online shops, health food shops and supermarkets all have an excellent range of confectionery – check out the free-from aisles and regular confectionery aisle.
Check out Accidentally Vegan for the latest accidentally vegan products in the shops.
Stockists
Supermarkets
The supermarkets are now falling over themselves to offer the best vegan centrepieces, appetisers, sides, desserts, sweets, treats, cakes, cheeses, mince pies, chocolates and alcohol. As expected you’ll find the cheapest offerings in Aldi, Lidl and Iceland and all of the supermarkets have got really inventive and created some delicious and original dishes.
Health food shops
You’ll generally find better quality and original dishes in the independent health food shops. There will also be a range of sweets, treats, cakes, desserts, mince pies, gifts, mock meats, cheeses and centrepieces. Additional dietary requirements are also catered for, including gluten-free, diabetic and sugar-free. Most health food shops offer an ordering service so if you can’t find the item you need, they might be able to get it in for you.
Holland & Barrett
You’ll find these shops in most towns and cities which is really useful for finding a range of vegan gifts, centrepieces, mock meats, cheeses, sweets, treats, desserts, mince pies and chocolate. Additional dietary requirements are also catered for and you can order online.
Pound shops and other saver shops
Many cheaper lines of chocolate, biscuits and other items are sometimes vegan (check the packaging).
Ocado
Ocado has the widest range of vegan products out of all of the supermarkets. It’s only available online so make sure you book a delivery slot!
Online shops
These online shops have some really good vegan options:
