Vegan Christmas menus Christmas is the ultimate foodie holiday. Here we've put together two vegan menus - one a little bit traditional, the other pretty full-on in the spice department - that will brighten up your Christmas and the grey days that follow.

In this article

Traditional flavours

Spicy Christmas

This menu is great for people who fancy a long, lingering lunch spent with friends and family. What's more, the majority of the dishes can be prepared the day before to give you more time with your guests on the day. The roasting vegetables will fill the house with the appropriate festive aroma! Make the stuffed apricots in advance and leave them on small, pretty plates and let people help themselves. You can make the broad bean, lemon and sage dip in advance too. Serve it with crisp chicory leaves or the root vegetable crisps (or both if there are a lot of you). The cranberry sauce gives the tofu croquettes a seasonal savour and the Christmas pudding ice cream is pure indulgence. The recipe can easily be doubled if your guests have a sweet tooth!

• Stuffed apricots from the Vegetarian Society
• Broad bean, lemon and sage dip from the Vegetarian Society
• Parsnip, beetroot and basil crisps by Patrick Williams from Planet Christmas
• Tofu croquettes with cranberry sauce from the Vegan Society
• Roast potatoes and parsnips with onions, herbs and cherry tomatoes, from the Vegetarian Society
• Christmas pudding ice cream from the Vegan Society

“Vegan food can be great if it's cooked well. Dishes like vegetable terrines are fantastic if they’re done well.” James Martin

We can't blame you if your palates need a bit of a wake-up call at this time of year. To help you out, we've put together a menu that combines lots of different herbs and spices, some gentle and aromatic and some with a bit more of a bite. You can have the nut-coated dates before the meal as a nibble or after, with a big bowl of nuts still in their shells. Give yourself enough time to allow the vegetables in the 'ceviche' to marinate. The fennel and cumin jam will add a new dimension to your roast vegetables, so make more, if you'd like, and keep it in the fridge. The kofta balls and the vegetable pilaff are flavoured with gently warming Indian spices, while the Bombay potatoes have a chilli bite. (The recipes for the rice and potatoes can easily be doubled - and if you need a good recipe for vegetable stock for the rice, we've got one here.) The winter fruit salad (it's actually more of a compôte), scented with Earl Grey tea, makes a rich and satisfying end to the meal.

• Nut coated dates with mango chutney by Patrick Williams from Planet Christmas
• Grilled vegetable 'ceviche' with fennel and cumin jam by Paul Gayler
• Kofta balls in tomato sauce by the Vegan Society
• Spiced vegetable pilaff by Antony Worrall Thompson
• Bombay potatoes by Manju Malhi
• Winter fruit salad

Chef says

"Vegan food can be quite difficult to find in restaurants, but I like to use a lot of lentils and pulses. And during truffle season you can make some really nice dishes." Curtis Stone

You can search for more recipes in the recipe database here.