Veggie Christmas Recipes
Christmas dinners are traditionally a meaty feast with all the trimmings, from picky pigs in blankets to gravy-smothered root veggies.
Whether you’re a vegetarian or just looking to eat a little less meat this year, we’ve got plenty of healthy recipe inspiration that proves you can still enjoy the most wonderful day of the year without a turkey crown in sight. How’s that for a Christmas miracle?
Veggie Christmas Nibbles
Everybody loves to graze on Christmas day, especially in the run-up to dinner. Whether you’re in the kitchen all day or 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 dinner time.
With a cheesy, nutty, red onion filling, they’re ideal to lay out as part of your festive spread. You can even batch cook them in advance, so you won’t need to worry about rolling the delicate cracker shaped pastries on the big day. Ideal!
Fancy a nibble on something sweet while the Queen’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!).
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.
Did someone say stuffing? 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 (only 133 per slice).
An electric whisk is essential so that your mixture will be thick enough for rolling.
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 Winter Berry Ice Cream recipe. It’s so rich and creamy, you’d never guess that it’s dairy free too!
The berry flavours work so well together with the dark chocolate pieces, you won’t be able to resist going back for another scoop (go on, it’s Christmas!).
Skip the cheeseboard this year, and serve up our impressive-looking Savoury Cheesecake instead. As long as you use a veggie-friendly Italian hard cheese, this recipe is vegetarian.
The crumbly base is made from oatcakes, layered with silky, creamy cheese and topped with sweet, roasted cherry tomatoes. Despite all that cheesy goodness, each slice is just 159 calories – the perfect end to your festive meal.
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.
From chestnut roasts to halloumi fingers and chocolate logs, there are plenty of vegetarian, slimming friendly options that prove the iconic Christmas dinner isn’t all about the meat!
Feeling inspired to make your Christmas spread veggie-friendly?
Will you be making any of these vegetarian Xmas recipes? Let us know over in our Facebook group, where there are almost 1 million members sharing support and inspiration.