21 Vegan Holiday Recipes – Healthy Holiday Menu Planning

Thanksgiving is over, but the holidays are just beginning! Here are a slough of vegan holiday recipes to make sure that your holiday table is as delicious as it is cruelty-free.

If you’re trying to plan a vegan holiday meal (whether it’s for yourself, your guests or to add to a party), you might be worried about finding something you can make. But there’s absolutely no reason to worry – there are so many amazing dishes you can choose from!

Whether you want to veganize traditional holiday favorites or try some new and exciting flavors, you shouldn’t have any problem finding things to make. Once you start looking, you’ll quickly realize that the hard part is actually choosing from all the wonderful ideas out there.

If you also want to keep your holiday menu relatively healthy, it can help narrow the field. Here are some of the best healthy vegan options for your holiday meal.

Main Dishes

• Shepherd’s Pie (Video): Made with lentils, this vegan version of Shepherd’s pie is tasty, satisfying and perfect for topping with some vegan gravy.
• Nutty Curry Stuffed Squashes: These will be a beautiful centerpiece for a holiday meal, and are packed with flavor.
• Ultimate Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf: Full of flavor, with a really nice sweet glaze for the top.
• Portobello Mushroom Steaks (Video): Grill up whole portobellos, rubbed with steak seasoning or marinated in balsamic vinegar, for an easy and healthy main dish.
• Mushroom, Lentil And Wild Rice Timbales: Don’t worry, they’re a lot easier to make than they sound! And they look pretty impressive.

Traditional Sides – Veganized

• Vegan Mashed Potatoes (video): It’s so easy to make creamy mashed potatoes, even without the dairy. Top them off with a fat-free mushroom gravy – you can drizzle away, guilt-free…
• Maple-Spiced Glazed Sweet Potatoes: A little bit of spice and maple syrup goes a long way, and doesn’t take the attention away from the amazing flavor of sweet potatoes.
• Lemon-kissed Brussels with Squash and Toasted Almonds: They might not be everyone’s favorite, but this recipe pairs Brussels sprouts with creamy butternut squash and some fantastic flavors to make them irresistible.
• The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole: Lower in fat than the dairy-based version, and just as tasty.
• Fresh Cranberry Sauce (Video): Simple, vegan and bursting with flavor.
• Cranberry-Thyme Stuffing (Video): Serve this as is, or bake it stuffed in squash, hollowed zucchini or potato skins.
• Sweet Potato Biscuits (Video): Tasty, moist and the perfect base for a spoonful of cranberry sauce.

Adventurous Sides

• Holiday Salad With Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette: it’s always nice to have a tasty salad to lighten things up.
• Ethiopian Spiced Pumpkin Bisque: Who says you can’t have soup for your holiday meal? Serve it as a starter, or have mugs of it on the table to go with the meal, topped with roasted pumpkin seeds.
• Wilted Spinach Salad With Balsamic Mushrooms: This is a warm, comforting salad that’s still light and healthy.
• Pumpkin Spice Cashew Cheese Dip: Serve this awesome dip along with fresh veggies, or spread it on a sweet potato biscuit.
• Almond Stuffed Mushrooms (Video): These mushrooms will be bursting with flavor by the time they bake, and won’t last long when they’re passed around the table.

Dessert

• Cinnamon-Baked Pears (Video): Pears baked with cinnamon, cardamom and wine make for a tasty – but light – finish to your holiday meal.
• Bourbon Laced Pumpkin Pie With Walnut Crumble Topping: Take your pumpkin pie up a notch by infusing it with a hint of bourbon.
• Low Fat Chocolate Gingerbread Pudding (Video): This is a no-fail way to indulge in some chocolate without feeling guilty.
• Chocolate Squash Baked Custard: This dessert is amazing served hot, and even better chilled. It’s like a cross between chocolate mousse and pumpkin pie – but it’s healthy, vegan and gluten-free!