A proper vegan Christmas dinner is a nut roast centrepiece with all the trimmings: roast potatoes crisped in oil rather than goose fat, vegan pigs in blankets, sprouts and braised red cabbage, sage stuffing, and a deep, glossy vegan gravy. Nearly all of it can be made ahead, and most of it is what the rest of the table is eating anyway. Here is the full menu, two recipes worth searching for in their own right, the classic sides that catch people out, and a timing plan for one oven.
The short version
- Centrepiece: a nut roast (recipe below) is the classic; a mushroom wellington or stuffed squash are the alternatives.
- The trap: roast potatoes and stuffing are often not vegan. Swap goose fat for oil and check the stuffing.
- Gravy: a rich onion and mushroom gravy with Marmite does the work of meat juices. Recipe below.
- Get ahead: the nut roast, gravy, red cabbage and stuffing all keep or freeze, so Christmas Day is mostly reheating.
The menu at a glance
The centrepiece: a nut roast worth making
The nut roast has a poor reputation it does not deserve, usually earned by dry, beige versions made without enough seasoning or fat. Made properly, with mushrooms for savour and chestnuts for sweetness, it slices like a terrine and holds its own against any bird.
Chestnut and Mushroom Nut Roast
Serves 6 · prep 25 minutes · cook 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the tin
- 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 carrot and 1 parsnip, coarsely grated
- 150g cooked brown or green lentils (about half a 400g tin, drained)
- 100g cooked chestnuts, crumbled
- 100g mixed nuts (hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts), toasted and roughly chopped
- 75g fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tbsp water, left to stand for 5 minutes
- 1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp dried thyme, a handful of dried cranberries (optional), salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas mark 6) and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.
- Fry the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the liquid has cooked off, about 8 minutes. Add the grated carrot and parsnip and cook for 3 more.
- Tip into a large bowl with the lentils, chestnuts, nuts, breadcrumbs, flaxseed mixture, herbs and cranberries. Season well and mix firmly, mashing a little so it binds.
- Press into the tin and bake for 50–60 minutes, until firm and golden on top. Rest for 10 minutes, then turn out and slice.
Make ahead: assemble a day before and keep covered in the fridge, or freeze it cooked and reheat covered until piping hot.
Getting it right. A nut roast holds together because the mashed lentils and the flax-and-breadcrumb mixture set as they cook, so mash the mixture firmly; if it feels wet add more breadcrumbs, if it is crumbly mash harder. The two usual failures are dryness and blandness. Brown the mushrooms hard until their liquid has gone and they have proper colour, because that is where the savour comes from; season more generously than feels right; and add a tablespoon of soy sauce or miso for depth. Rest it for the full ten minutes before turning out, or it will slump as you slice.
Vegan needn’t mean expensive. The cheapest centrepiece here is this homemade nut roast: lentils, breadcrumbs and root vegetables do most of the work, and the mixed nuts are the only real cost — stretch them with extra lentils and chestnuts if money is tight. Shop-bought wellingtons and faux-meat joints are convenient but add up quickly, so keep them for when time matters more than the budget does.
If a nut roast is not your thing, a shop-bought or homemade mushroom wellington and a whole stuffed butternut squash both make a handsome centrepiece and roast in roughly the same time.
The nut roast has a poor reputation it does not deserve: made properly, it slices like a terrine and holds its own against any bird.
The gravy that makes the plate
Without meat juices, vegan gravy has to build its own depth, and it does so easily with slow-cooked onions, mushrooms and a little Marmite for that savoury base note. It is good enough that the meat-eaters will use it too.
Rich Vegan Onion and Mushroom Gravy
Makes about 600ml · 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil; 1 onion, finely sliced; 150g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp Marmite (or 1 tbsp miso)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 50ml red wine or port (optional, but worth it)
- 600ml good vegetable stock
- 1 tsp redcurrant jelly or a pinch of sugar, and black pepper
Method
- Cook the onion and mushrooms in the oil over a medium heat until deeply golden, about 15 minutes. Colour is flavour here, so do not rush it.
- Stir in the flour, Marmite and tomato purée and cook for a minute.
- Pour in the wine and let it bubble away, then add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Season, sweeten with the jelly or sugar, and either leave it rustic or blend and sieve for a smooth gravy. It reheats and freezes well.
The sides, and which ones catch people out
Several Christmas classics are not vegan by default. The swaps are easy once you know:
- Roast potatoes are traditionally roasted in goose fat or beef dripping. Use a neutral oil such as sunflower, or olive oil, and they crisp just as well. Parboil floury potatoes like Maris Piper, rough up the edges, and roast at 200°C fan for 45–55 minutes.
- Stuffing often contains pork or suet; many packet mixes are accidentally vegan, but check, or make your own with sage, onion and breadcrumbs.
- Pigs in blankets need a vegan sausage and a vegan bacon or thin strips of marinated aubergine. See our pigs in blankets recipe, which includes a vegetarian and vegan version.
- Glazed carrots and parsnips are often finished with honey. Use maple syrup or a little brown sugar instead.
- Yorkshire puddings can be made without eggs using plant milk, flour and cornflour; get the oil smoking hot first and bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 25–30 minutes.
Beyond those, sprouts with chestnuts, braised red cabbage and a good vegan cranberry sauce are vegan as standard and round out the plate.
Cooking for one vegan at a mixed table
If you are feeding mostly meat-eaters and one or two vegans, you do not need two separate dinners. Roast the potatoes in oil and everyone is happy; make the gravy vegan and nobody will notice; serve the nut roast and the vegan pigs in blankets alongside the turkey. The only real planning is to keep one tray of potatoes and the vegan trimmings clear of any meat fat: give them their own shelf, flag the vegan tray with a sheet of foil or a label so there is no mix-up under pressure, and make a little extra of the centrepiece, because the omnivores invariably want a slice.
A timing plan for one oven
The challenge of any Christmas dinner is one oven and many dishes at different temperatures. Cooking ahead solves most of it; this is a workable order for a midday lunch with a nut roast.
Accidentally vegan shortcuts
You do not have to make everything. A surprising amount of Christmas is already vegan or has a good shop-bought version. Most Christmas puddings made with vegetable suet are vegan; check the label for butter or egg. Many mince pies are too — see our review of Oggs vegan mince pies. The major supermarkets now sell vegan pigs in blankets, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and centrepieces over Christmas, so a confident half-and-half of homemade and shop-bought is a perfectly respectable plan.
What to make ahead
| Dish | How far ahead |
|---|---|
| Red cabbage, gravy, stuffing | Up to 3 days, or freeze |
| Nut roast | Assemble a day ahead, or freeze cooked |
| Potatoes (parboiled) | Parboil and rough up the morning of |
| Sprouts, carrots, parsnips (prepped) | The day before, kept in the fridge |
Vegan Christmas dinner: your questions answered
What do vegans eat for Christmas dinner?
A vegan Christmas dinner usually centres on a nut roast, mushroom wellington or stuffed squash, served with roast potatoes cooked in oil, vegan pigs in blankets, sprouts, braised red cabbage, stuffing and a rich vegan gravy.
How do you make vegan gravy?
Cook sliced onion and mushrooms in oil until deeply golden, stir in flour, Marmite and tomato purée, add a splash of wine and 600ml vegetable stock, and simmer for 10 minutes. Full recipe above.
How do you make a vegan nut roast?
Combine sautéed onion, mushrooms and grated root vegetables with lentils, chestnuts, mixed nuts, breadcrumbs and a flaxseed binder, season well, press into a loaf tin and bake at 180°C fan for 50 to 60 minutes. Full recipe above.
Are roast potatoes vegan?
Not always. Traditional roast potatoes are cooked in goose fat or beef dripping. Roast them in a neutral oil or olive oil instead and they crisp just as well.
Is Christmas pudding vegan?
Often, yes. Many Christmas puddings are made with vegetable suet rather than animal suet, which makes them vegan, but check the label for butter, egg or honey.
Can you make a vegan Christmas dinner ahead?
Most of it, yes. The nut roast, gravy, red cabbage and stuffing all keep for a few days or freeze, leaving only the potatoes and roasting to do on the day.
How do you cater for one vegan at Christmas?
You rarely need two dinners. Roast the potatoes in oil, make the gravy vegan, and serve a nut roast and vegan pigs in blankets alongside the meat. Keep the vegan trimmings clear of any meat fat.
More of the Christmas table
Cooking for everyone? See our pigs in blankets (with a vegan version), easy Christmas starters and the glazed Christmas ham for the meat-eaters. Counting down? Here are the weeks until Christmas.
Written by Linda Garrould. Updated 14 June 2026.
0 Comments