19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (2024)

~ Vegetarians don’t have to feel forgotten at the Christmas buffet! These festive Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes will have everyone drooling … even the meatatarians on your guest list! Bonus: turns out, most of the very best recipes I found for this showcase also happen to be VEGAN Christmas recipes, as well! ~

A few weeks ago, we published a list of top Thanksgiving vegetarian main dish recipes– and the response was just wonderful!

In that post, I mentioned how I worry for vegetarian friends and relatives during the holidays, when they so often seem to be forgotten and left to pick through a few side dishes in order to piece together a meal.

We got such lovely feedback – directly in the comments on the post itself, on social media, and even personally!

We heard from vegetarians who were thrilled to have their own, special and festive vegetarian meal options … and from hostesses who were delighted to find vegetarian main dish recipes they could serve alongside their turkey, so all their guests would feel appreciated and included in the Thanksgiving meal.

Add to all that the fact that our collection of the very best ” everyday” vegetarian meals is one of our most popular posts ever … and … well, I thought maybe you guys would also enjoy a list of holiday-themedChristmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes!

Festive (Star-Studded!) Vegetarian Christmas Meals

No doubt – many of the recipes I featured in the Thanksgiving list would be great at Christmas, too.

But, I wanted to feature a few new ideas that felt more perfect for winter-y holidays. Some of these are all decked out in pretty Christmas reds and greens, and some feature quintessential holiday ingredients like chestnuts. And… some even feature fun star shapes (check out the first one on our list – so cute!).

Plenty of Vegan Christmas Recipes, Too!

Incidentally, as I was sifting through my final choices for the very best-of-the-best recipes to include here, I noticed that almost all of these vegetarian main dishes also happen to be vegan main dishes! Loads of great ideas for your vegan Christmas guests, too!

If it’s not specifically indicated in each recipe name, I’ve noted for you which are vegetarian and which are vegan recipes.

Watch Out … Meat-Eaters Will Be Jealous!

Just like I warned you with our Thanksgiving list, once all your guests take a peek at your gorgeous vegetarian/vegan main dish offerings … well, your holiday ham or Christmas goose seriously might feel a bit forgotten this year!

These gorgeous recipes will surely be a hit with all your holiday guests! I mean … who could resist these …

19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (2)

Festive Lentil and Mushroom Bowl with Star Potatoes(vegan) from Nicky at Kitchen Sanctuary

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (3)

Vegan Holiday Pie with Hot Water Pastry from Alexandra at Occasionally Eggs

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (4)

Little Lentil Loaf with Mushrooms and Sage(vegan) from Amber at Quite Good Food

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (5)

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings(vegetarian with vegan option) from Danielle at Cardamom & Coconut

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (6)

Ratatouille(vegan) from Elena at Happy Kitchen.Rocks

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (7)

Mini Vegetable Pot Pies(vegan) from Cadry at Cadry’s Kitchen

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (8)

Instant Pot Stuffed Squash(vegan) from Bintu at Recipes from a Pantry

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (9)

Parsnip and Carrot Rostis with Mushrooms and Wensleydale Sauce(vegetarian) from Nicky at Kitchen Sanctuary

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (10)

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Borek(vegan) from Amber at Quite Good Food

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (11)

Oven Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Garlic and Herb(vegan or vegetarian depending on the ketchup you choose) from Swati and Tushar at Watch What U Eat

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (12)

Holiday Stuffed Squash(vegan) from Amanda at My Goodness Kitchen

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (13)

Hearty Portobello Wellingtons(vegan) from Kristina at Spabettie

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (14)

Vegan Fried Eggplant Casserolefrom Gabriel at One Clever Chef

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (15)

Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf with Ketchup Glaze(vegan) from Melissa at Vegan Huggs

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (16)

Vegetable Wellington(vegan) from Linda at Veganosity

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (17)

Spinach Pesto Lasagna with Creamy Mushroom Sauce(vegan) from Anjali at Vegetarian Gastronomy

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (18)

Tender Vegan Steaks from Rebecca at Vegan Blueberry

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (19)

Broccoli Tofu Quiche (vegan or vegetarian depending on the pie crust you use) from Ginny at Vegan in the Freezer

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (20)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs from Rhian at Rhian’s Recipes

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Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Side Dish Recipes (+ Dessert!)

To round out your holiday menu, be sure to check out some of our very own THK-favorite vegan and vegetarian holiday side dishes, like our:

  • Wreath-Shaped Christmas Salad (vegetarian)
  • Blistered Green Beans(vegan)
  • Roasted Green Beans with Balsamic Browned Butter (vegetarian)
  • Microwave Spaghetti Squash with Sage-Browned Butter and Toasted Walnuts(vegetarian)
  • Easy Cranberry Sauce with Apples, Pecans and Pineapple(5 Minutes and No Cooking!) (vegan)

And for dessert, be sure to offer up a cookie plate filled with scrumptious (but healthy!) faves like our:

  • Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls (“Buckeyes”) (vegetarian)
  • No-Bake Gingerbread Date Balls (vegan)
  • Pistachio-White Chocolate (No Butter!) Butter Cookies (vegetarian)

Merry, merry Christmas, everyone! I hope it’s your very healthiest, happiest one yet!

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FAQs

What is the most popular vegetarian alternative to a turkey dinner at Christmas? ›

Nut Roast. The most popular Christmas meal for vegetarians and vegans is the nut roast. This typically describes a mixture of nuts, breadcrumbs, leeks, onions, broth and either oil or butter. However, this recipe is malleable and offers the opportunity for many alterations according to personal preference.

What is the special dish during Christmas? ›

Candy Cane can be hung as edible decorations.
  • White Christmas, a sweet slice made of copha and mixed fruit.
  • Cold ham and cold turkey.
  • Seafood and salads.
  • Roast chicken, ham and turkey.
  • Stuffing.
  • Christmas cake or Christmas pudding.
  • Custard.
  • Gingerbread in Christmas shapes.

What vegetables do you have on a Christmas dinner? ›

Discover the perfect amounts of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts, peas and red cabbage to serve with your roast turkey. Need help planning your Christmas dinner?

How many carrots for 8 people? ›

Enough carrots and other roast vegetables? 80g-100g is about right for any serving of vegetables, so you'll need roughly 800g for eight people.

What do vegetarians eat on Christmas Day? ›

Vegetarian Christmas mains recipes
  • Spiced squash, feta & beetroot wellington. ...
  • Pumpkin & sage sformata. ...
  • Sprout, comté & walnut tart. ...
  • App onlyChristmas tree goat's cheese tart. ...
  • Whole roasted butternut squash with Christmas stuffing. ...
  • Hasselback butternut squash with tahini yogurt & gremolata.

What is a festive veggie tray for Christmas? ›

Arrange broccoli on serving platter to form tree shape and tomatoes to form garland. Arrange bell pepper to form star and cauliflower to form snow (see photo). If desired, cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Just before serving, arrange pretzels at bottom of tree to form trunk.

How many potatoes for Christmas dinner? ›

Potatoes gonna potate

It's roast potatoes. 200g per person is perfect, and if there are any leftovers you can chuck 'em in a bubble and squeak, hash, or just grab a cold roastie right out of the fridge. This is a no-judgement zone.

When to buy veg for Christmas dinner? ›

'Looking at the respective shelf lives of your Christmas Dinner staples, it appears as though you may want to plan on completing your Christmas food shop around the 23rd December (two days before Christmas) to ensure that all produce is fresh in time for the festive celebrations,' says Jamie Griffin from InSinkErator.

What is the most popular vegetarian alternative to roast turkey? ›

1. Burmese Tofu (aka Chickpea Flour Tofu) For an alternative to turkey that's mild in flavor and can be treated like any other protein, turn to Burmese tofu, which transforms chickpea flour, oil, and water into a sturdy tofu-like dish.

What is the most popular alternative to having a turkey? ›

Cornish game hen, goose, duck, ham, beef, salmon, and mushroom recipes make worthy centerpieces for holiday meals.

What is the name of the turkey for vegetarians? ›

Quorn Meatless Vegetarian Turkey Roast

Quorn uses its own proprietary protein, called Mycoprotein, as the primary ingredient in its Meatless Vegetarian Turkey Roast. Compared to its competitors, all of which rely on vital wheat gluten, Quorn is unique.

What can I buy instead of turkey? ›

Top Alternatives to Turkey for Thanksgiving
  • Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash. It's not just your vegan guests who will absolutely love this dish! ...
  • Porchetta on the Rotisserie. ...
  • Venison Tenderloin Stuffed with Comté, Apple and Walnuts. ...
  • Apple Cider Beer Can Chicken. ...
  • Grilled Duck. ...
  • Grilled Whole Lobster. ...
  • Holiday Marrow Bone Beef Roast.

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