Vegan Christmas Guide 2020

A complete guide to the tastiest vegan Christmas yet!

This Christmas will be different to previous years for a lot of us, but ensuring you have some delicious vegan treats at your Christmas table for you or your vegan guests is sure to bring some normality and familiar festivity.

When we really think about the spirit of Christmas time, it isn’t a plate laden with animal products, but the feelings of warmth and togetherness. Of course, feasting is a huge part of that togetherness, but we don’t need animals at our Christmas table to experience this communal joy.

With the rise of veganism has come some incredible developments in the sheer variety of festive options on offer – all free of animal exploitation and full of fun. A vegan Christmas can still bring you all the joy and treats you traditionally associate with this holiday.

Here’s our guide from starters to mains to after-dinner treats. They’re all registered with the Vegan Trademark so you don’t have to use up precious time researching and checking ingredients and processes that we spend our time and 30 years of expertise sifting through for you. What’s more, they require minimal effort so you can focus on the important things – putting together the best festive games and quizzes!

Mince Pies

First up, mince pies! Because Christmas doesn’t officially start until the first mince pie has been tucked into. Check out:

• Oggs' Luxury Handmade Mince Pies. Available at Sainsbury’s and TheVeganKind Supermarket.
• Asda's Free From Mince Pies which are milk and gluten free as well as vegan. Available in-store and online.

Starters & Nibbles

Fry’s Family have a range of nibbles you could serve up on a platter including:

• Battered Prawn-Style Pieces
• Mini Chipolatas
• Chickpea & Roasted Butternut Balls
• Chickpea & Quinoa Falafels

Available at Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Holland & Barrett and more. 

Asda has a great selection of items to snack on before the main course, all bundled into one with its 18 Piece Vegan Oriental Style Selection.

Main Courses

A turkey roast has long been a tradition at festive tables, but did you know, turkeys are sensitive and highly social animals who create long-lasting social bonds with each other and humans? Here are some facts you may not know about turkeys:

• They have good and bad moods. You can tell a male turkey’s mood by colour changes in their throat and head.
• They love to play. If you toss an apple to a group of turkeys, they’ll play with it like it’s a football.
• They are affectionate. Turkeys love to be stroked, petted and cuddled. They’ll remember your face and if they like you, they’ll come and greet you.
• They love music and will cluck along with songs!

Leave these wonderful animals off your Christmas table and begin some new family traditions by giving these fantastic alternatives a go:

• Aldi's Vegan No Turkey Roast  - a cranberry, apricot and pumpkin seed stuffing wrapped in a tasty soya and tofu coating.
• Fry's Soy and Quinoa Country Roast  - this meatoaf style roast goes great with gravy, mash and veggies! Available here.

Asda have really gone to town this year with their vegan options and even a dedicated vegan ambient food aisle in their stores! Here are some of the vegan mains in store this Christmas:

• Vegan Turkey Style Joint with Caramelised Onion Stuffing 
• Vegan Wellington  and Cauliflower Sheese Wellington 
• Meat Free Chicken Style Joint 
• Mushroom & Lentil Nut Roast 
• Sage & Onion Stuffing Balls to accompany your chosen main.

After Dinner

From the sweet stuff to cheese, just some of what’s on offer for a festive after-dinner treat:

• Just Love Food Company’s Chocolate & Orange Christmas Cake. Nut-free and available at Tesco.
• Asda’s Salted Caramel Tart 
• Aldi’s Vegan Melt In The Middle Pudding
• Ilchester's Vegan Festive Cheese Selection - ​You didn’t think we’d forget about the most talked about vegan cheese board in 2020, did you? It features the award-winning Applewood Vegan, Mexicana Vegan, Ilchester Vegan Mature Cheddar and Ilchester Vegan Blue Cheese. Available at Asda, Sainbury’s, Waitrose and TheVeganKind Supermarket. 

Round off the evening with a hug in a mug from:

• The newly launched Galaxy Vegan Hot Chocolate
• Choc Affair's Orange or Classic dark hot chocolates (or opt for their Dark Hot Chocolate Stirrer)
• Mummy Meagz’ Bursting Bauble Vegan Hot Chocolate which comes complete with vegan marshmallows!

We hope this has made shopping for a vegan Christmas a little less daunting and a lot more exciting! We’d love to see your Vegan Christmas celebrations so make sure you follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and tag @vegantrademark in your favourite Vegan Trademark registered festive finds. We’ll be sharing more options on there, too!

By Vegan Society Digital Marketing Officer, Nishat Rahman.