December is here and we are in full winter holiday mode! School parties, gifts, home decorations, stockings, outdoor lights, toy drives, holiday cards, hot chocolate, holiday music and the ELF out and about. On top of it all, we hosted our annual Holiday Party this past weekend (menu coming soon). I was in full cooking and baking mode for 2 days.
I know how busy December can be, so here are a few of my favorite Vegan Winter Holiday Recipes from the blog. If you’re hosting your own holiday party this year, having people over for Christmas or New Years, or need to come up with a dish to take for a potluck, I’ve got you covered with a few of my favorite vegan appetizers, main dishes, and desserts below!
I’m also sharing a few of my FAVORITE Holiday Gifts. From cookbooks, to favorite kitchen items, to a few fun gadgets for anyone who enjoys cooking. If you have your holiday menu set, skip straight to my Holiday Gift Guide by clicking here , otherwise start out by checking out this roundup of Vegan Holiday Recipes!
Vegan Winter Holiday Recipes
APPETIZERS
MUSHROOM CROSTINI WITH GARLIC BASIL VEGAN RICOTTA “CHEESE” SPREAD
SPICY PERUVIAN DIPPING SAUCE (served with french bread)
MINI WALNUT SUN-DRIED TOMATO CRUMBLE TOSTADAS
GARLIC BASIL VEGAN RICOTTA “CHEESE” SPREAD
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER DRIZZLED WITH LEMON TAHINI SAUCE
BAKED CRISPY PORTABELLO MUSHROOM FRIES
SWEET & SALTY OVEN ROASTED CURRIED CHICKPEAS
STUFFED ANAHEIM PEPPERS WITH CREAMY CILANTRO TAHINI SAUCE
MAIN DISHES
VEGAN LASAGNA RECIPE WITH ROASTED VEGGIES & GARLIC BASIL RICOTTA
EASY THAI PRA RAM TOFU (served with cooked quinoa or brown rice)
LOADED BALSAMIC PORTABELLO TACOS WITH SPICY RED PEPPER SAUCE
LOADED AVOCADO TOAST WITH ROASTED CHICKPEAS & POMEGRANATES
CRISPY EGGPLANT PARMESAN SANDWICH
CREAMY SUN-DRIED TOMATO, MISO, BASIL PESTO PASTA WITH ROASTED MUSHROOMS
LOADED BLACK BEAN TOFU TACOS WITH WALNUT CRUMBLE
DESSERTS
CHEWY, SEEDY, HEALTHY DARK CHOCOLATE BARK
CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHIA PUDDING FRUIT PIE
CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY CREAM POPSICLES
DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED DATES STUFFED WITH ORANGE COCONUT CREAM
POMEGRANATE, ROASTED PEANUT, DARK CHOCOLATE BARK
Holiday Gift Guide
For those of you last minute shoppers out there, here’s a fun little gift guide to help you with with your gift shopping! It’s a non-overwhelming list of some of my favorites. From cookbooks, to kitchen items, to non-cooking related favorites…I personally own all of them. Check out my Gift Guide below!
KITCHEN GADGETS & COOKWARE
- T-Fal Non-Stick Pan. This pan is in my list of top 3 kitchen necessities! If anyone asks me which PAN I use the most in my cooking, it’s hands down THIS ONE! I love it…non-stick, cheap, easy to clean, comes in a variety of different sizes, useful for so many things, and light-weight! I always have two on hand.
- Poplite hot Air Popcorn Popper. I’m a HUGE popcorn fan and use this at least twice a week. Again…easy to clean, easy to use, light-weight, and makes the perfect popcorn. I love tossing it with some truffle oil, freshly ground black pepper, salt, and a little vegan butter.
- Breville Barista Express Express Espresso Machine. I’m spoiled and can’t live without this. It’s definitely pricey, but SOOO worth every penny! I’ve had it for over a year and use it daily. It makes the perfect espresso and latte and is very easy to maintain and clean. Now if only I can get them to make a miniature version so I can take it with me on travel haha!
- Chop Wizard. Makes chopping SO much faster, easier, and consistent! Chop veggies for salads, soups, and entrees in minutes.
- Wilton Cake Decorating Set. A few tips and the right pipping bags makes cake and cupcake decorating easy, fun, and professional!
- Double Flip Waffle Maker. This gets pulled out on a weekly basis for our weekend breakfast waffles. We loved upgrading to this double waffle iron so we can enjoy breakfast together on the weekends.
- 5-in-1 Griddler. This multi-purpose grill and press can be used for so many things. Paninis, grilling veggies, and even lays flat for morning pancakes!
- Pressure Cooker. I don’t know what i’d do without my pressure cooker. Cooks everything fast while keeping in all the nutrients. I use it to make pasta sauces, soups, vegetable dishes, lentils, etc.
- Electric Salt & Pepper Grinder. This changed my life (and saved my wrist ha) since we use so much freshly ground black pepper on a daily basis.
- Zuku Popsicle Maker. You don’t need to wait overnight for home-made popsicles to freeze over. Perfect gift for the kids!
- Wine Glass Writer. Imagine hosting a party with 35 people and trying to keep track of your own wine glasses. Charms have never worked for me personally because again…I need to remember my charm ha! These Wine Glass writers were the perfect addition to our annual holiday party. They wipe off easily, and save having to pull out more wine glasses!
- Electric Wine Glass Opener. This is a fun gadget to have for those of you wine lovers out there! It makes opening bottles so much easier.
- Cappuccino Cup with Handles. Love serving lattes and espresso shots in these glass cups.
- Donut Pan. Because everyone needs home-made donuts in their life.
- Star Wars Pancake Molds. For those of you star war lovers out there…these molds are awesome!
- Vitamix. I really don’t know what I’d do without my Vitamix. It has a permanent place ON my kitchen counter. I use it daily for smoothies, sauces, and soups. Most importantly, It’s very easy to clean.
EDIBLE GIFTS
- Ryan Brothers Coffee Beans. For all you coffee and espresso lovers out there, if you haven’t tried out Ryan Brother’s Coffee yet, you’re missing out.
- Spicemode Seasonings. Love this brand and love their seasonings! They’re fresh, no preservatives, and delicious. Makes for a great holiday gift set!
- Matcha Green Tea Powder. Because everyone needs some Macha in their life.
- Olive & Baker. Love their olive oils and balsamic vinegar. This brand is one of my favorites to gift out during the holidays!
COOKBOOKS
- Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen. Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook.
- Vegan Bowl Attack. More than 100 One-Dish Meals Packed with Plant-Based Power.
- Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking. 101 Entirely Plant-based, Mostly Gluten-free, Easy & Delicious Recipes.
- Homestyle Vegan. Easy Everyday Plant-Based Recipes.
- The Flavor Bible. The essential guide to culinary creativity.
OTHER FAVORITES
- SoundBot Water Resistant Bluetooth Shower Speaker. If there was one thing I recommend out of this entire gift guide, it’d be THIS SoundBot shower speaker! I love it.
- Shiatsu Pillow Massager with Heat. I bought this for my husband last year and he LOVES it. It’s perfect for the car, or relaxing with at home to relieve the stress in your neck and back.
- JJ Cole Outdoor blanket + Mommy Hook. This is my go-to when gifting to new moms! I still use my waterproof blanket weekly for picnics or at the beach.
- Magna-Tiles. Warning…you may need more than 100 pieces, especially if the adults get involved.
- BOARD GAMES. Boardgames are currently my favorite gift to give to kids of all ages. A few of our favorites are Candyland, Sleeping Queens, Sequence for Kids, Spot It, Eye Found It, Camelot Jr, Scavenger Hunt for Kids, Ticket to Ride First Journey, Bananagrams, …just to name a few!
- BOOKS! You can never go wrong with books…my kids are huge readers so if you need any recs, let me know in the comments below!
And there you have it! Vegan Holiday Recipes + Holiday Gift Guide! Do you have any other recs? I’d love to know in the comments below! Happy Holidays!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well I hope everyone already has their gifts bought! Ha!
I finished making mine last weekend, all wrapped (bagged) up! But I do need to figure out what I want to cook for Christmas Eve dinner!
anjali
I had a few last minute gifts…so thankful for amazon prime haha!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
Wow on all fronts here!! You always have the perfect party foods covered (can’t wait to see your menu from this year, hope the party went well!) but these are some seriously amazing gift ideas too! A few things I want to gift myself now haha 😀 I could’ve used that epic waffle maker over the weekend with some January recipe testing I was doing. And cookbooks are always fun gifts, it’s nice being in the blogging world and knowing about all the new ones and having a good feel for the style of each. And I could even see myself getting a little carried away with those magna-tiles, where were those when I was a kid? 😀
anjali
Thanks Natalie!! Our menu this year was a HUGE hit! Oh I totally believe in gifting to yourself haha =) The waffle maker was one of our best purchases! My husband convinced me to get it when they had it at costco awhile back so we didn’t have to wait around for the single waffle maker and it’s great. I can’t wait to see your waffle recipes!!! I LOVE cookbooks, but don’t always end up using them…so the ones i recommended are ones I open and cook from often =) Oh and the magnatiles…haha…the lady at the store warned me that the adults usually get in on the fun. They’re pretty addicting to play with.
Nicole Dawson
What a list of recipes and gift ideas!
anjali
Thanks Nicole!
Diana
That’s a great list of recipes for the holidays! I really want a new Vitamix.
anjali
I don’t know what I’d do without mine!! I use it daily…definitely worth every penny!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
You’ve made me realize how completely behind on cooking, planning and shopping I am. Crap!
anjali
Oh no!! Haha…this post was meant to inspire =) Happy cooking!!! Hope you get it all done! I think after this past weekend, i’m done with cooking for the rest of the year ha!
Linda @ Veganosity
So many great ideas! I don’t know where to start. 🙂
anjali
Thanks Linda! Love seeing all the different cuisines people do over the holidays.
valentina
Such a great vegan roundup! So many people need this during the holiday season. And the gifts are fun, too! 🙂
anjali
Thanks Valentina!
J @ Bless Her Heart Y'all
Oh my goodness! I must make those portabella mushroom fries and the strawberry cream popsicles! YUM! They look so so good!
anjali
Thank you! Be sure to make double the batch of fries…they are addicting! And those popsicles are delicious!!!
Linda @ Food Huntress
Thanks for all the vegetarian recipes. My daughter and her husband are vegetarians and I am not so I’m always looking for good ones!
anjali
Thanks Linda!! Let me know if you need any recs besides the one on this list!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
Wow, that’s quite the post. Looks like you’re going to have a food filled holiday with great gifts! Hope you get everything on your list!
anjali
Oh yeah…I think I’ve done enough cooking for the holidays already and it’s not even christmas yet ha! But lucky for me we’re going to my moms…so I’ll be leaving all the cooking to her =)
Reshana
Love the listing of things, both for the perfect holiday party and all the gift ideas… A kitchen Aid is on my wish list!!!!
anjali
Thanks Reshana! When I first got my Vitamix, I wasn’t using my Kitchen Aid as much, but now do ALL the time and love it for so many things!
Rashmi
Hi Anjali
Firstly I only had gotten down to reading your blog post now. Crazy busy during this time of year.
what an awesome round up 🙂 as my sister mentioned, a KitchenAid is definitely something on my wish list, I have entered so many competitions to just win one but no luck, hahaha.
Hope you having a wonderful holiday with your family xx Thank you for an incredible year and inspiring us all with your delicious recipes in more ways than one. Stay warm and be safe xx Happy Holidays!