19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (2024)

~ Vegetarians don’t have to feel forgotten at the Christmas buffet! These festive Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes will have everyone drooling … even the meatatarians on your guest list! Bonus: turns out, most of the very best recipes I found for this showcase also happen to be VEGAN Christmas recipes, as well! ~

A few weeks ago, we published a list of top Thanksgiving vegetarian main dish recipes– and the response was just wonderful!

In that post, I mentioned how I worry for vegetarian friends and relatives during the holidays, when they so often seem to be forgotten and left to pick through a few side dishes in order to piece together a meal.

We got such lovely feedback – directly in the comments on the post itself, on social media, and even personally!

We heard from vegetarians who were thrilled to have their own, special and festive vegetarian meal options … and from hostesses who were delighted to find vegetarian main dish recipes they could serve alongside their turkey, so all their guests would feel appreciated and included in the Thanksgiving meal.

Add to all that the fact that our collection of the very best ” everyday” vegetarian meals is one of our most popular posts ever … and … well, I thought maybe you guys would also enjoy a list of holiday-themedChristmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes!

Festive (Star-Studded!) Vegetarian Christmas Meals

No doubt – many of the recipes I featured in the Thanksgiving list would be great at Christmas, too.

But, I wanted to feature a few new ideas that felt more perfect for winter-y holidays. Some of these are all decked out in pretty Christmas reds and greens, and some feature quintessential holiday ingredients like chestnuts. And… some even feature fun star shapes (check out the first one on our list – so cute!).

Plenty of Vegan Christmas Recipes, Too!

Incidentally, as I was sifting through my final choices for the very best-of-the-best recipes to include here, I noticed that almost all of these vegetarian main dishes also happen to be vegan main dishes! Loads of great ideas for your vegan Christmas guests, too!

If it’s not specifically indicated in each recipe name, I’ve noted for you which are vegetarian and which are vegan recipes.

Watch Out … Meat-Eaters Will Be Jealous!

Just like I warned you with our Thanksgiving list, once all your guests take a peek at your gorgeous vegetarian/vegan main dish offerings … well, your holiday ham or Christmas goose seriously might feel a bit forgotten this year!

These gorgeous recipes will surely be a hit with all your holiday guests! I mean … who could resist these …

19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (2)

Festive Lentil and Mushroom Bowl with Star Potatoes(vegan) from Nicky at Kitchen Sanctuary

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (3)

Vegan Holiday Pie with Hot Water Pastry from Alexandra at Occasionally Eggs

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (4)

Little Lentil Loaf with Mushrooms and Sage(vegan) from Amber at Quite Good Food

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (5)

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash Rings(vegetarian with vegan option) from Danielle at Cardamom & Coconut

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (6)

Ratatouille(vegan) from Elena at Happy Kitchen.Rocks

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (7)

Mini Vegetable Pot Pies(vegan) from Cadry at Cadry’s Kitchen

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (8)

Instant Pot Stuffed Squash(vegan) from Bintu at Recipes from a Pantry

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (9)

Parsnip and Carrot Rostis with Mushrooms and Wensleydale Sauce(vegetarian) from Nicky at Kitchen Sanctuary

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (10)

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Borek(vegan) from Amber at Quite Good Food

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (11)

Oven Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Garlic and Herb(vegan or vegetarian depending on the ketchup you choose) from Swati and Tushar at Watch What U Eat

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (12)

Holiday Stuffed Squash(vegan) from Amanda at My Goodness Kitchen

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (13)

Hearty Portobello Wellingtons(vegan) from Kristina at Spabettie

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (14)

Vegan Fried Eggplant Casserolefrom Gabriel at One Clever Chef

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (15)

Mushroom-Walnut Meatless Loaf with Ketchup Glaze(vegan) from Melissa at Vegan Huggs

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (16)

Vegetable Wellington(vegan) from Linda at Veganosity

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (17)

Spinach Pesto Lasagna with Creamy Mushroom Sauce(vegan) from Anjali at Vegetarian Gastronomy

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (18)

Tender Vegan Steaks from Rebecca at Vegan Blueberry

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (19)

Broccoli Tofu Quiche (vegan or vegetarian depending on the pie crust you use) from Ginny at Vegan in the Freezer

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19 Best Christmas Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes (20)

Vegan Swedish Meatballs from Rhian at Rhian’s Recipes

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Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Side Dish Recipes (+ Dessert!)

To round out your holiday menu, be sure to check out some of our very own THK-favorite vegan and vegetarian holiday side dishes, like our:

  • Wreath-Shaped Christmas Salad (vegetarian)
  • Blistered Green Beans(vegan)
  • Roasted Green Beans with Balsamic Browned Butter (vegetarian)
  • Microwave Spaghetti Squash with Sage-Browned Butter and Toasted Walnuts(vegetarian)
  • Easy Cranberry Sauce with Apples, Pecans and Pineapple(5 Minutes and No Cooking!) (vegan)

And for dessert, be sure to offer up a cookie plate filled with scrumptious (but healthy!) faves like our:

  • Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls (“Buckeyes”) (vegetarian)
  • No-Bake Gingerbread Date Balls (vegan)
  • Pistachio-White Chocolate (No Butter!) Butter Cookies (vegetarian)

Merry, merry Christmas, everyone! I hope it’s your very healthiest, happiest one yet!

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FAQs

How to make vegetarian meals more filling? ›

To feel more full while following a vegetarian diet, try incorporating more fiber and whole grains into your meals. Incorporating nuts, seeds, and beans into your diet can help you to feel more satisfied.

What is the special dish during Christmas? ›

Candy Cane can be hung as edible decorations.
  • White Christmas, a sweet slice made of copha and mixed fruit.
  • Cold ham and cold turkey.
  • Seafood and salads.
  • Roast chicken, ham and turkey.
  • Stuffing.
  • Christmas cake or Christmas pudding.
  • Custard.
  • Gingerbread in Christmas shapes.

What does Christmas dinner consist of? ›

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.

What are the seven dishes of Christmas? ›

Recipes for the “seven fishes” vary from region to region; this one uses crab, shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels, scallops and white fish.

What do German eat on Christmas? ›

These delicious holiday recipes represent typical German Christmas food. Treat guests to a traditional German Christmas dinner with classic dishes like roasted goose legs, braised red cabbage. and dumplings, and don't forget the mulled wine and platter of gorgeous, festive cookies.

What veg do you have on a Christmas dinner? ›

Discover the perfect amounts of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts, peas and red cabbage to serve with your roast turkey. Need help planning your Christmas dinner?

What food can I prepare before Christmas Day? ›

Make-ahead Christmas recipes
  • Tuscan sausage, kale & ciabatta stuffing. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Sunken chocolate, olive oil & hazelnut cake. ...
  • Pheasant casserole. ...
  • Roast garlic make-ahead gravy. ...
  • Air-fryer soy & cranberry chicken wings. ...
  • Croissant bread sauce. ...
  • App onlyQuick pickled red cabbage. ...
  • Mincemeat half-baked cookies.

What foods fill you up vegetarian? ›

If you're on a 100% plant-based diet, consider eating more whole plant fats like avocado, olives and nuts in place of starchy foods to feel full. This advice might feel a little hard to digest after living in a low-fat, no-fat world for the last few decades.

What vegetarian foods are filling? ›

Healthful foods that are high in protein, fiber, or both tend to be filling. Rich sources of protein for vegans include foods such as soybeans, pulses, and some nuts and seeds. Oats, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fruit are all good sources of fiber.

Why does vegetarian food not fill me up? ›

The most common challenge we see is that “new” vegans and vegetarians do not eat enough calories throughout the day. Snacking is a great way to stay full! Make sure you are incorporating snacks between meals. These snacks allow you to meet your calorie needs as well as manage your hunger between meals.

How can a vegetarian feel full longer? ›

8 tips for staying satiated on a plant-based diet
  1. Eat whole foods (and skip processed snacks) Not all plant-based diet foods are created equally, nutritionally speaking. ...
  2. Go easy on the salt. ...
  3. Cook without oil. ...
  4. Fill up on fiber. ...
  5. Drink a lot of water. ...
  6. Meal plan. ...
  7. Are you actually hungry? ...
  8. Get your hormones in check.

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