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Sometimes it can be tricky to come up with a vegetarian Christmas dinner idea that’s (first and foremost) delicious, and is also special enough for The Big Day. So, here’s some inspiration for you – a bumper collection of 25 delicious vegetarian Christmas dinner ideas!
Best of all, you don’t need to miss out on any of your favourite Christmas side dishes – these vegetarian main courses can all be served alongside the usual festive trimmings, like roast potatoes, vegetables, and gravy!
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Recipes
- These Christmas recipes may be a little more show-stopping than your standard weeknight dinner, but just like all of my other recipes, they’re simple and straightforward to make – so you can be sure your Christmas day will go off without a hitch!
- My recipes are always big on flavour, and these ideas are no different. Even if some of your Christmas guests are meat-eaters, they won’t feel they’re missing out with these tasty dishes.
- All of these vegetarian main courses can be served alongside the usual Christmas side dishes – including the essential roast potatoes and gravy!
🥔 Christmas Side Dishes
Once you’ve chosen the main dish for your vegetarian Christmas dinner, from the list below, make sure you choose a few Christmassy side dishes to cook as well:
🎅🏻 Vegetarian Christmas Dinner Recipes
Without further ado, onto the recipes! Check out the yellow boxes below each recipe for details of timings, and how many people it will serve – so you can choose the dish that will fit your family’s Christmas plans perfectly. Whether you’re planning a small celebration with just your immediate family, or a huge family party, there will be something here that works for you!
Vegan Lentil Loaf
(Vegan – Gluten Free – Dairy Free)
This simple lentil loaf couldn’t be easier to prepare, and ends up moist and flavourful, with a crispy crust. Slice it up in the centre of the table for a proper festive atmosphere!
Easy Vegan Lentil Loaf
An easy vegan lentil loaf that couldn't be simpler to make, and ends up moist and full of flavour! Perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Total time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Creamy Mushroom Pie with Chestnuts
This creamy mushroom pie has added chestnuts to make it feel extra festive – and the simple vegetarian suet pastry crust is surprisingly foolproof, even if you’re not experienced with pastry.
Creamy Mushroom Pie with Chestnuts (and Easy Suet Crust)
An irresistibly creamy mushroom pie, made extra festive with tender chestnuts and an easy homemade suet pastry crust!
Total time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Self-Crusting Quiche
This spinach quiche doesn’t have a pastry crust like a regular quiche, but the clever mix of ingredients produces its own crust as it bakes. With toasted pine nuts and dollops of creamy goat’s cheese, you certainly won’t miss the pastry!
Spinach and goat’s cheese self-crusting quiche
This self-crusting quiche has no pastry, but still heaps and heaps of flavour! It forms its own crust thanks to a special extra ingredient.
Total time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 slices
Smoked Cheese and Broccoli Tart
A slice of this cheesy broccoli tart goes perfectly alongside some roast potatoes and gravy. Use shop-bought pastry to make it even easier to prepare!
Smoked Cheese and Broccoli Tart
This smoked cheese and broccoli tart is utter magic! With crispy pastry, buttery leeks, and chopped walnuts – such a wonderful combination.
Total time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 6 people
One Pot Rice and Vegetable Casserole
A simple casserole with beans, rice, and plenty of fresh veggies. Feel free to mix and match the vegetables to fit the rest of your meal. I would quite happily have a scoop of this alongside the rest of my Christmas dinner – or, you can cook it on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day instead.
One Pot Rice and Vegetable Casserole
This rice and vegetable casserole is the perfect one pot dinner, packed with veggies, rice and beans – such a hearty vegetable bake that's comforting and full of goodness.
Total time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Cheesy Vegetable Pie
One for the veggie lovers! A beautiful variety of vegetables is coated in a creamy, cheesy sauce, tucked inside a puff pastry crust. Luxurious enough for a celebratory meal!
Cheesy Vegetable Pie
This cheesy vegetable pie is extra luxurious, with heaps of different vegetables, coated in a silky, cheesy sauce. It's so easy to make too!
Total time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 5 people
Crispy Tofu Escalopes
These crispy breaded tofu escalopes are essentially a very posh vegetarian chicken nugget. Here I served them with a simple (but fancy-sounding!) buttery caper sauce, but if you’re having gravy with your Christmas dinner, you might want to just skip the sauce altogether.
Crispy tofu escalopes with buttery caper sauce
These tofu escalopes are breaded in a crispy, cheesy coating, and can be served in so many different ways. Perfect grown up vegetarian chicken nuggets!
Total time: 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 3 people
Cheesy Veggie Fritters
Fritters are such a versatile dish, and these vegetable fritters can work perfectly in any kind of meal. Go easy on the cheese, and they will slot right in alongside the rest of your Christmas dinner.
Cheesy Veggie Fritters
These cheesy veggie fritters are the perfect easy vegetarian lunch, with plenty of vegetables and crispy cheese! A great fridge clearer.
Total time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 3 people
Lentil and Veggie Slice
(Gluten Free)
This hearty lentil slice can be packed with all sorts of different veggies, and is a great protein option to serve with your Christmas side dishes. Bonus: the leftovers are amazing served cold on Boxing Day!
Cheesy lentil and veggie slice
This cheesy lentil and veggie slice is absolutely packed with flavour, and it can be made with store cupboard ingredients, using whatever veggies you have in the house!
Total time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Mushroom Bourguignon
(Vegan – Gluten Free – Dairy Free)
The best stew I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a lot of stews), this mushroom bourguignon is the perfect rich, hearty vegetarian stew. Spoon it over your roasties for the ultimate Christmas meal.
Mushroom Bourguignon
This mushroom bourguignon is the ultimate hearty, comforting vegan stew (and it's also surprisingly low calorie!).
Total time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 4 people
Feta and Kale Spanakopita Spiral
For some reason, pastry always feels festive to me. Roll your pastry into an impressive-looking spiral, and you’ve got something really special. This one’s stuffed with a tasty spanakopita-style filling, using kale and feta cheese.
Feta and kale spanakopita spiral
A fancy version of one of my favourite pies – this filo spiral looks so impressive, but is really easy!
Total time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Carrot and White Bean Cutlets
These tasty bean cutlets are perfect smothered with gravy – such a nice alternative to a piece of meat!
Carrot and white bean veggie cutlets
Vegetarian ‘cutlets’ made from just a few simple ingredients – these are so versatile!
Total time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 cutlets
Veggie En Croute
Roasted vegetables, pumpkin seeds and feta cheese make an incredibly tasty filling for this veggie en croute. It’s all wrapped up in puff pastry, and makes the perfect vegetarian centrepiece for your Christmas table.
Roasted veggie en croute
A festive main course that makes a great centrepiece for your meal – filled with roasted veggies and feta cheese.
Total time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Mushroom Stroganoff Pie
A creamy mushroom pie with a tasty sauce inspired by mushroom stroganoff, topped with a flaky puff pastry lid.
Mushroom stroganoff pie
A hearty, wintery pie crammed with mushrooms in a seriously tasty stroganoff-inspired sauce.
Total time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 people
Cheesy Bean Roast
This bean roast is super hearty, with rich, deep flavours and a crispy topping. Such a good alternative to nut roast!
Cheesy Bean Roast
A wonderful alternative to nut roast, with several tasty kinds of beans and plenty of cheese.
Total time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Creamy Vegetable and Halloumi Pie
I absolutely adore halloumi cheese, and since Christmas is a time to indulge, why not put it in a pie? Make sure to add tons of colourful vegetables and a luxurious creamy sauce!
Creamy vegetable and halloumi pie
Crispy pastry, a luxuriously creamy sauce, plenty of colourful veggies, and soft chunks of salty halloumi cheese – the ultimate dinner.
Total time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Mushroom and Goat’s Cheese Wellingtons
If you’d like a super simple Christmas meal that’s quick to assemble, try these easy mushroom wellingtons. With a simple parsley pesto (or shop-bought pesto, if you prefer!) and a slice of goat’s cheese, they’re simple but full of flavour.
Mushroom and goat’s cheese wellingtons with parsley pesto
A simple version of a mushroom wellington, with fresh parsley pesto and puff pastry.
Total time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 people
Vegetarian Haggis and Mushroom Wellington
(Vegan – Dairy Free)
If you can get your hands on vegetarian haggis, this one’s well worth making! Just wrap it up in pastry with some portobello mushrooms for a seriously tasty vegetarian wellington.
Vegetarian haggis and mushroom wellington
Tasty vegetarian haggis and juicy portobello mushrooms wrapped up in flaky pastry. Perfect for a special occasion!
Total time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Vegetable Toad in the Hole
Toad in the hole is a classic British recipe, with veggie sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding. This version also has plenty of extra vegetables!
Vegetable toad in the hole
A veggie-packed version of the British classic, with vegetarian sausages and Yorkshire pudding.
Total time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Cheesy Potato and Lentil Pie
A slice of this potato and lentil pie goes absolutely perfectly with some extra roasted veggies and some gravy.
Cheesy Potato and Lentil Pie
What could be better than a cheesy potato pie?! This one has creamy red lentils for added goodness and a crispy pastry crust.
Total time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Sage and Onion Seitan Roast
(Vegan – Dairy Free)
Homemade seitan is surprisingly easy to make, and this sage and onion flavoured roast is perfect for Christmas dinner. It’s absolutely packed with plant-based protein too.
Sage and Onion Homemade Seitan Roast
Homemade seitan made easy! This tasty vegan roast is ideal for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner.
Total time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 5
Cheesy Carrot Nut Roast
This cheesy carrot nut roast is one of my all-time favourites. The flavour is awesome, with beans, nuts, veggies and cheese. Such a great people-pleaser!
Cheesy Carrot Nut Roast
A moist and tasty nut roast with beans, cheese and veggies. The flavour in this is amazing!
Total time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 5
Cheese and Onion Plait
A pastry plait may look impressive, but it’s so easy to do. This one’s stuffed with a simple cheese and onion mixture – such a brilliant classic combination.
Cheese and Onion Plait
A seriously tasty cheese and onion mixture wrapped in a fancy (but super easy) pastry plait.
Total time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Chestnut and Chickpea Roast
This chickpea roast get beautifully crispy around the edges, with a moist and flavourful middle made with chickpeas, chestnuts and vegetables.
Chestnut and Chickpea Roast
This chickpea roast is moist in the middle and crispy round the edges, with added chestnuts for a festive feel!
Total time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Cauliflower Cheese Tart
Why make a simple cauliflower cheese, when you can turn it into a show-stopping cauliflower cheese tart instead? It’s creamy in the middle, with a perfectly crispy pastry crust.
Cauliflower Cheese Tart
An incredible cheesy, creamy tart inspired by one of my favourite dishes, cauliflower cheese!
Total time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
🧾 Top Tips for a Perfect Vegetarian Christmas
- Don’t overcomplicate things! If you don’t have the time or energy, there’s no need to spend hours preparing a complex vegetarian main course. A lot of the recipes above can be prepared in just 15 or 20 minutes, and then popped in the oven (my goat’s cheese quiche, for example) – and a few super simple vegetables on the side is all you need!
- If you’re cooking for meat-eaters as well as vegetarians, make sure all your side dishes are veggie-friendly (no goose fat roast potatoes, for example). This way, the majority of your meal can serve everyone, with just the main part of the meal differing.
- Too many flavours on a plate can compete and clash, so I tend to opt for one slightly more ‘fancy’ side dish (like feta and lemon roasted green beans), and then I keep the rest simple – perhaps just some boiled, steamed or roasted vegetables.
- A lot of the vegetarian main courses listed here can be prepared the day before, then just popped in the oven on Christmas morning – so you can spend your time opening presents and drinking snowballs, not chained to the stove!
- If you have the space, it’s always worth cooking more roast potatoes and vegetables than you’ll need, as you can fry up the leftovers the next day for a perfect British bubble and squeak.
📋 Other Helpful Resources
Vegetarian Food Blogger
Becca Heyes has been a vegetarian food blogger, recipe developer and cheese eater extraordinaire since 2011. She's been a vegetarian for significantly longer, after having stopped eating meat out of pure stubbornness at the tender age of 9. She spends her life testing recipes, sharing them with fellow veggie-lovers, and trying to think of new ways to say 'cheesy'.
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Your MS paint wreath is 10x better than how I can actually draw so kudos to you! :) This is my first veggie Christmas so I was looking for some new ideas. I’m about to head to the grocery store… thank you
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Haha thanks! Hope you managed to create an awesome vegetarian Christmas dinner :D
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Thanks a lot for the yummy and delicious recipe. This would be the perfect dinner for Christmas.
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Hi – I have to tell you that my nine year old daughter and I made your veggie pot pie pasties for our father-daughter Christmas eve dinner this year, and it was a big hit. Pasties are simple and unassuming, but the flavors of your recipe are wonderful and with our side dishes, filled out a marvelous dinner for the two of us. My daughter recently declared that she is vegetarian and I’m a happy to say we’re off to a great start changing our menus. Thank you!
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Thanks Erik, so glad you both enjoyed them and that you’re so supportive of your daughter’s new diet! :)
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Love these recipes! Have been a vegetarian for 8 years, and each Christmas I find myself looking for recipes or alternatives to meat only to find side dishes. Although nice, I was always craving a hearty, vegetarian main meal I could enjoy along with the sides. With this list I don’t need to look anywhere else. So many choices to satisfy my large Christmas appetite :) Thankyou!
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Thanks so much for your message, glad you found the post useful! :)
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