Ultimate Vegan Christmas Guide

A vegan Christmas means celebration, an abundance of delicious food, indulgence, fun and cocktails (if that’s what you fancy).

We’ve made an amazing list of lots of tempting shop-bought delights to make Christmas day a breeze. If you like getting creative and indulging in the cooking process, then you’ll love our ‘home cooking’ section. Or, you might just want to sit back and enjoy being waited on – if you’re lucky enough to have that option.

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!

Centrepieces

All of the supermarkets, online shops and health food shops now have absolutely incredible centrepieces. Check out our supermarket Christmas guide for 2023 for a comprehensive list of mouth-watering mains!

Nut and seed roasts

Look for Artisan Grains, Suma, Clive’s, Fry’s and supermarket own-brands – buy from health food shops, Holland & Barrett, online and most supermarkets. Our top nut roast is the Sainsbury’s Three Nut Roast, Taste The Difference.

Vegan meat-style roasts

Most supermarkets now offer a good range of their own-brand meat-style roasts including whole vegan Turkey breasts, made from wheat gluten and soya, and plant-based beef wellingtons. Additionally you can find This Isn’t Roast Chicken & Stuffing, OMV No Turkey Joint and Linda McCartney Chicken Roast in health food shops, Ocado, online and some supermarkets. Our favourite meat-style roast is Plantliving Chestnut & Thyme Plant Based Turkey Roast, Gravy & Festive Sides.

Sides

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 quite easy to make yourself. Check out our fool-proof ultimate roast potatoes recipe.

Other veg

Most prepped versions are great for vegans – 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.

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 Extras

Miso – medium or dark

A Japanese paste from large supermarkets or health food shops. Look for brands such as Sanchi, Clearspring, Yutaka, Tideford Organics, Miso Tasty and supermarket own-brands. Rich and strong, add a teaspoon at a time until you get the desired flavour.

​Tamari or shoyu soya sauce

Supermarkets or health food shops. Brands include Clearspring, Essential, Sanchi or Kikoman. Not to be confused with cheaper varieties, this is the soya sauce equivalent of balsamic vinegar! Rich, fermented and no additives, it adds depth of flavour to all sorts of dishes.

Yeast extract

Marmite or supermarket own-brands are cheaper but Meridian, Natex and Essential are better quality and (arguably!) taste better.

Red wine, sherry or port

A splash of booze makes all the difference. Even if you generally avoid alcohol, a fair bit of it is burned off through cooking – just make sure the gravy comes to the boil then simmers for a while.

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

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.

Check out Viva!’s Vegan Wine Club – all items are vegan and lovingly sourced from independent vineyards around the world.

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.

Check out our full guide to vegan cream.

Check out our guide to vegan ice cream.

Check out our guide to vegan custard.

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!

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!

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!

Online shops, health food shops and supermarkets all have an excellent range of confectionery – check out the free-from aisles and regular confectionery aisle.

Here are some of our favourites from the shops.

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).

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 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.

Here are a few of our favourite vegan cheeses for Christmas:

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 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:

• The Viva! Shop
• The Vegan Kind
• Vegan Store
• Planet Organic
• Alternative Stores
• Goodness Foods
• Real Foods

Christmas provides the perfect opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and to cook up a storm for friends, family or to enjoy alone. We have so many delicious recipes for all abilities so there really is something for everyone.

Have a look at the Christmas section on our Vegan Recipe Club website for starters, mains, sides, desserts and drinks! Here are a few of our favourites below:

You can also have a go at making six different types of cheese with The Big Vegan Cheese Making Kit. The kit contains the recipes and equipment to make Mozzarella, Ricotta, Mascarpone, Halloumi, Feta and Parmesan. Simply combine cashews or macadamias with the ingredients in the kit – along with a little almond milk – and you’ll be eating your own homemade vegan cheese in no time – some recipes take less than half an hour!

• Take a delicious vegan dish (either bought or home-cooked) to share at a non-vegan event. Most people really like trying new food and often end up being envious of the vegan options!
• Don’t be afraid to discuss the eating arrangements with the host in advance. If they’re nervous about catering for a vegan then you could either cook a dish yourself to bring along, buy one of the many excellent shop-bought options, send over some delicious recipe suggestions from Vegan Recipe Club or send them a copy of our Deliciously Vegan Christmas Guide for inspiration.
• We can’t say if it’s a good idea that you discuss veganism around the Christmas dinner table – because it depends so much on who is doing the communicating and the mood of the situ! But if the mood is negative it can be a good idea to suggest a time later in the day and to approach the subject in a calm, open-minded way.
• When discussing veganism with non-vegans it’s great to aim for connection with the other person. Listen to their story and try to give them your full attention and then you can inspire them with any answers to queries they have.
• Over-informing doesn’t usually go down well as people only have certain capacity to take on board new information or ideas – try just a few simple ideas – positive ones are good at the Christmas table! Food can be a wonderful way to inspire and start a non-threatening conversation.
• Most people think it’s normal, natural, necessary and nice to eat meat and we’re asking for a shift in consciousness which people can’t do until they feel safe enough to do so.

We wish you a very merry vegan Christmas! Love, The Viva! Team xxx