Veggie Christmas Recipes
Whether you’re a full-time veggie, or simply looking to cut back on meat this year, we’ve got plenty of healthy recipe ideas to prove you can still enjoy the most wonderful day of the year, without a turkey crown in sight.
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Veggie Christmas Nibbles
Everybody loves to graze on Christmas day, especially in the run-up to dinner. When you’re parked in front of the telly enjoying your favourite festive film, our Veggie Filo Crackers are a crispy, low-calorie snack that’ll tide you over until it’s time to eat the main feast.
With a cheesy, nutty, red onion filling, they’re ideal to lay out as part of your festive spread. You can even make them ahead of time, so you won’t need to worry about rolling the delicate cracker shaped pastries on the big day.
Fancy a nibble on something sweet while the King’s speech is on? Our Mini Spiced Orange Mince Pie Crumbles are a delightful miniature treat that’ll satisfy your cravings. We’ve swapped out flour for oats to give them a low calorie crunch.
We’d recommend washing them down with a cuppa or a festive hot beverage. If you’ll be serving Mulled Wine, just be sure to double check the wine you use is veggie-friendly.
When you’re looking for something sweet and low-effort to enjoy after a day of indulgence, our Cranberry Poached Pears are great to cosy up with. Sweet, fruity and lightly spiced with cinnamon, we’ve kept the aromas merry and bright with sweet cranberry juice and zingy orange zest.
You’ll find food colouring on our ingredients list. Make sure you take home a vegetarian one!
Turn to page 248 of your brand-new cookbook, Pinch of Nom: All in One, to try the full recipe.
Veggie Christmas Roast
Would you believe that the festive dinner you’ve been waiting all year for doesn’t have to be super high in calories? You can bake our Chestnut Roast recipe much faster than a turkey, and it’s only 189 calories per slice! The strong chestnut flavours will keep you feeling festive, while the mushrooms and other veggies give you lots of nutritious goodness.
Christmas day is busy enough as it is, without the hassle of using fresh chestnuts, so we’ve used ready-cooked chestnuts to save on precious family time.
Keep the chestnut flavours coming with our Chestnut Stuffing – you’ll be obsessed with the herby sage and sweet cranberry flavours. Our recipe uses smoky bacon, so just be sure to swap that out for a veggie alternative. To avoid being stuck in the kitchen all day, you can even make these festive-flavoured balls well in advance and store them in the freezer until Santa’s been.
Don’t forget the sauce! If your veggie Christmas plate is sounding a little dry so far, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with veggie-friendly festive sauces, like our slimming friendly twist on traditional Christmas Bread Sauce.
It’s just as rich and creamy as the traditionally buttery condiment, at only 98 calories per serving. Plus, we’ve used stale white bread in our recipe, so it reduces your food waste too.
Fancy a fruity condiment on your dinner plate? So long as you’ve got all SIX (yes, just six) ingredients and a saucepan to hand, you can have this one ready faster than you can say Cranberry and Pomegranate Sauce. Using a tasty blend of frozen cranberries and fresh pomegranate juice, this zesty sauce will go so well with ALL the festive flavours on your plate.
Keep an eye on the mixture until the cranberries are tender and ‘popping’ in the pan – it smells SO good!
Veggie Christmas Side Dishes
Now for the vegetables! We love how creative you can get at Christmas with indulgent flavourings added to root veggies and potatoes, and our Maple Glazed Carrots are no exception. We’ve combined maple syrup with Chantenay carrots because they’re smaller and sweeter than the typical variety you’ll find at the supermarket.
The sweet flavours are even better served up with a portion of rich Creamed Cabbage and Leeks. If you’ve given up on trying to get the kids to eat their Brussels Sprouts, this is a great way to get some leafy greens on their plate.
Make sure the cream cheese you’re using is low in fat so that the calories don’t creep up.
Don’t forget the roasties! Your potatoes don’t need to be smothered in goose fat to be irresistible. Our Roasted Potatoes with Smoked Bacon are crispy and golden with a smoky edge, just be sure to swap out the bacon for a plant-based alternative!
We’ve kept it simple by seasoning our roasties with store cupboard staples, so they don’t just have to be for Christmas – it’s so easy to pop them in the oven whenever you’re not in the mood for chips or mash.
It wouldn’t be a complete Christmas spread without the most popular finger food at the dinner table – Pigs in Blankets. Our Halloumi in Blankets are a cheesy alternative that’s bound to keep both meat eaters and vegetarians happy.
Wrapped in a light courgette blanket, roast your halloumi fingers with sweet cranberry sauce and a sprinkling of smoked paprika. Keep an eye out, they will disappear fast!
Veggie Christmas Dessert
You can’t eat another bite, right? Wrong! There’s always room for dessert on Christmas day, especially if it’s a chocolatey, indulgent treat like our Christmas Chocolate Log. We’ve used low-fat cream cheese and sweetener instead of traditional butter and icing sugar, to make sure our recipe is just as delicious and light on calories.
Don’t forget to finish off your log with a decorative sprig of holly…
If you don’t have enough room for a cakey dessert, we’ve got the perfect sweet solution – our Frozen Christmas Pudding recipe. We’ve used shop-bought ice cream, berries, meringue pieces and chocolate chunks to load our pud with celebratory indulgence, without taking you off track.
You won’t be able to resist going back for another scoop – go on, it’s Christmas!
We love finding delicious alternatives to serving a traditional Christmas pud! Our Mince Pie Pudding is a hearty homage to some of the most-loved festive flavours, bundled into a light, fluffy steamed sponge cake. Better yet, you only need a few store cupboard staples to whip it up.
If you’ve got no space in your oven because of the veggie-friendly Christmas dinner bits, don’t worry! You can also pop it in the microwave, or steam it in the slow cooker.
Veggie Christmas Leftovers
Even if the festivities are over, there’s no reason for the flavours to go anywhere! You can make our Christmas Pie recipe with fresh ingredients or treat it as a budget-friendly opportunity to use up your leftover veg on Boxing Day.
The punchy mix of Stilton, honey and mustard works so well with any combination of veggies – it’s just as delicious without turkey! Keep an eye on it as it bakes in the oven until the vegetables are cooked through and the pastry is golden and crisp.
Crack out your air fryer now! These Air Fryer Christmas Dinner Croquettes are the best way to give the tastiest leftovers of the year a merry makeover. We’ve made our filling irresistible by combining the magic of classic roast dinner veg with sweet dried cranberries, and tangy Parmesan cheese.
Pair with a dollop of cranberry sauce or a drizzle of rich gravy for the ultimate festive bite. If your air fryer’s busy, pop them in the oven instead.
Psst! So many members of our lovely community have asked us to bring out a calendar for the New Year, and it’s finally happened.
With the official Pinch of Nom calendar on your wall, you’ll be inspired and motivated to smash your slimming goals, through January and beyond!
Click the link below to pop it under your Christmas tree.
Feeling inspired to make a vegetarian Christmas spread?
Visiting our Gallery is a great way to find out what everyone else is putting on their festive menu. You’ll want to sign up to a free website account to upload and share your photos (it’s really easy, and we’ve even got a step-by-step guide you can follow).
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