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Vegetarian Christmas recipes

By Nancy Anne Harbord

Mushroom Wellington with Spinach – This spectacular mushroom Wellington recipe is a fabulous vegetarian main course (easily made vegan) – great for Christmas or roast dinners, when you want the meatless option to really outshine the competition. Garlic mushroom filling, seasoned spinach and melted blue cheese (optional), wrapped in thin, flaky layers of spelt pastry. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Christmas is a big deal for me now. Believe it or not, there was a time in the not-so-distant past where I ate pizza for Christmas dinner (while everyone around me tucked into a roast). But times have changed and now I’m in charge of the food. And that means planning, cooking, cooking, cooking, drinking, cooking, cooking and a lot of happy eating. Some people may wonder what vegetarian Christmas recipes there are to enjoy at this time of year. Not in my house. Not in yours either!

Here are a few of my favourites which also include options for vegan and gluten-intolerant diners – click the title to get the recipe. If you’re still stuck for inspiration, leave me a comment with your preferred ingredient or the kind of dish you are searching for and I’ll come back to you with my best suggestions. I’m happy to help!

Vegetarian Christmas recipes: Appetizers

Whole Roasted Artichokes with Lemon – This easy artichoke recipe uses whole fresh artichokes, oven-roasted for gorgeously tender insides and caramelised, crispy leaves. Served with lemon butter or olive oil dip (for vegan, use olive oil) they make an elegant vegetarian appetizer or starter. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.comWhole-Roasted Artichokes with Lemon Butter

An elegant, flavourful, aromatic first course to a fabulous dinner.  The roasted flavours are imparted to the tender flesh you scrape off with your teeth. Complete with chuck-in-the-oven simplicity, this method is much, much, much more delicious than simply steaming them.

Served with a simple, classic combination of melted butter (or olive oil) and fresh lemon juice, the flavours are amazing. Enough fresh lemon to cut through the rich, creaminess of the butter, a sprinkle of sea salt and a grind or two of black pepper are all that you need for a taste sensation.

Vegan if olive oil is substituted for butter and gluten-free.

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing – a gourmet blue cheese dressing recipe, made with Stilton cheese, shallots and balsamic vinegar. Here served with bitter endive and slices of sweet pear. A luxurious vegetarian appetizer or starter. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Blue Cheese & Shallot Dressing with Endive

A chunky, rather than a blended, dressing with the focus squarely on the blue cheese. There are two kinds of vinegar and some shallot for a little extra tang and a few chives for freshness, but the cheese really is where it’s at. Great served as an appetizer or starter with fresh Belgian endive leaves and thin slices of ripe, sweet pear.

Tart and piquant. Savoury and cheesy. Zingy and fresh. Bitter and sweet. Bags of flavour with plenty of satisfying seasonal crunch.

Gluten-free.

Gruyère Cheese Fritters with Tomato – These oozy cheese fritters are crisp on the outside with a creamy, cheesy centre – flavoured with Gruyère, choux pastry dough, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. Great as a party snack and sensational with a sparkling, dry white wine. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Cheesy Choux Pastry Fritters

Cheesy choux pastry flavoured with red onion, garlic, Dijon mustard and fresh basil, deep fried to crispy, oozy perfection. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, with plenty of fresh herbs and alliums to contrast with the cheese. Great with a little squeeze of lemon on top.

Excellent served with dry sparkling white wine or champagne. The dry, fizzy acidity is a fantastic contrast to fried food, really cutting through the rich fat, making these fritters perfect for pre-dinner boozing.

Artichokes with Mint Pesto (carciofi all Romana) – A recipe for whole, braised artichokes, steamed in mint pesto and plenty of fruity olive oil. A speciality of Rome, Italy, that makes an impressive vegetarian appetizer or starter. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Roman Artichokes Braised in Mint & Garlic Pesto

One of the key regional dishes of Rome – carciofi all Romana. Fresh, firm artichokes, stripped back to their tender core, stuffed with fresh mint and garlic pesto, then steam-braised in lashings of iridescent green olive oil. The flavour is herbal and delicately metallic, the texture meltingly soft and silky. Incomparable.

An incredibly delicious and elegant first course that shows seasonally available artichokes at their very best.

Vegan and gluten-free.

Vegetarian Christmas Recipes: Main Courses

Mushroom Wellington with Spinach – This spectacular mushroom Wellington recipe is a fabulous vegetarian main course (easily made vegan) – great for Christmas or roast dinners, when you want the meatless option to really outshine the competition. Garlic mushroom filling, seasoned spinach and melted blue cheese (optional), wrapped in thin, flaky layers of spelt pastry. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Mushroom Wellington with Spinach & Stilton

There is absolutely no possibility that any meat eaters on your table will not be looking over enviously when you slice this beautiful mushroom Wellington open. It’s up to you whether you allow them a slice. There are three tasty elements to the filling for this pie. Mushrooms make a star appearance. They rest on a bed of wilted, seasoned spinach, thoroughly squeezed of any soggifying moisture. This is all topped with a generous amount of Stilton.

A note for vegans. I am a weak cheese fanatic, but the vegetable fillings in this pie truly are delicious enough to be eaten without the Stilton. Apart from the pastry glaze, which you can swap with protein-rich soy milk, the rest of the dish is completely vegan – pastry and all.

Although this dish will involve you making your own pastry – and your own filo/phyllo pastry at that – I promise it is simple to make, easy to work with and it will look and taste great. Although this pie is marginally better when baked and served immediately, I have also baked it and reheated it the next day, so that is definitely an option for the busy Christmas period.

Vegan if cheese omitted and soy milk is used as a glaze.

Vegetable Pie with Ricotta and Spelt Pastry – This fantastically healthy vegetable pie is filled with homemade ricotta cheese, mushrooms, kale and olives. Includes a wholegrain spelt pastry recipe. Great vegetarian picnic food. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Spelt Pastry Pie with Veggies & Ricotta

This spelt pastry pie is made with a new, revolutionary pastry recipe – 100% whole grain spelt flour blended with ripe avocado and a little water. Used instead of oil or butter, the avocado lends the dough a wonderful softness. It is moist and easy to work with – yet strong enough to be rolled paper thin into gossamer sheets of filo that bake into flaky layers of iron-rich, whole grain goodness.

Stuffed with cavolo nero, homemade ricotta, Kalamata olives and garlic mushrooms, this pie contains two and a half portions of vegetables in every slice. And it’s extremely tasty!

Although not gluten-free, this pastry is made with spelt flour which is naturally low in gluten and is sometimes tolerated by people who would otherwise be sensitive to wheat. 

Baked Polenta with Wild Mushrooms – Rounds of firm polenta, baked with garlicky wild mushrooms in a light crème fraîche sauce. An elegant, flavourful vegetarian dinner recipe. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Scalloped Polenta with Mushrooms

Firm, set polenta, cut into rounds and baked in a light, but intensely flavoured, mushroom broth. This dish contains crème fraîche, which has the potential to be rather heavy, but it is well watered down in a rich mushroom stock and is far outweighed by the whole grain polenta, the crushed garlic and the plentiful wild mushrooms (you can, of course, substitute cultivated mushrooms as necessary). I did add a small amount of strongly flavoured cheese, but this is very much optional – the mushroom sauce packs so much fantastic flavour that the dish up stands perfectly well on its own.

Warming, filling and nutritious. Creamy, garlicky, with incredible umami flavour. You will marvel at the stunning amount of flavour that has been generated from so few ingredients.

Gluten-free and can be veganised by substituting vegan sour cream for the crème fraîche and omitting the optional cheese.

Aubergine and Mushroom Pie with Halloumi – A healthy vegetable pie recipe stuffed with caramelised aubergine and mushrooms with halloumi cheese. Wrapped in nutritious, whole grain spelt pastry. Great for summer picnic or packed lunch. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Aubergine, Mushroom & Smoked Halloumi Pie

Another vegetable-packed pie, filled with long-cooked aubergines, mushrooms and smoked halloumi (or tofu). Seasoned with lemon juice and zest, chipotle chilli, garlic and spring onion, this impressive pie is delicious – lightly sweet, lemony, smoky and spicy.

Can be made vegan by substituting the smoked halloumi for smoked tofu, using a flax egg in the filling and glazing the pastry with soy milk instead of egg and yoghurt.

Mushroom Soufflé with Parmesan – This autumn soufflé recipe uses wholegrain rye flour in the base, seasoned with garlic mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. An elegant vegetarian main course or entree. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Wild Mushroom Soufflé with Parmesan

Light and airy as you would expect from a soufflé, but made into a more substantial main course by the rye flour and mushrooms. The wild mushrooms can be substituted for cultivated mushrooms if that’s all you are able to get – it will still be wonderfully flavourful and impressive enough for guests. Or for your loved ones!

Soufflés can be made about an hour before baking and chucked in the oven for the last half hour.

Vegetarian Christmas Recipes: Side Dishes

Shredded Potato Casserole with Cheese – A luxurious, creamy side dish with soft strands of grated potato in a garlic and Parmesan sauce. An elegant gratin that would be great for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Creamy Potato Casserole with Parmesan Crust

If there’s any dish that is more lusciously satisfying than a creamy potato casserole or gratin, I am yet to taste it. I mean, I like a lot of different foods. Love them even, but the soul-warming feeling I get when I place a bite of rich, layered potato in my mouth is quite unique.

This version uses lovely, loose strands of potato, instead of hearty slices, baked in a mixture of vegetable stock and cream which has the double benefit of both lightening the dish and adding a whole lot more flavour than dairy alone. A touch of garlic, nutmeg and Parmesan round out the flavours.

Tender, silky strands of potato. Garlicky, seasoned cream and stock. All baked until bubbly under a crisp, cheesy, peppery crust.

Gluten-free.

Baked Aubergines with Tomato and Gruyère – Slices of roasted aubergine baked in a tangy tomato and herb sauce, layered with rich Gruyère cheese. Healthy, flavourful and meltingly tender. Great served with rice or crusty bread for a hearty, warming vegetarian dinner recipe. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Silky Baked Aubergines with Tomato & Gruyère

As it is, the aubergines are silky and tender, the tomato sauce tangy, the cheese rich and moreish, with the fresh basil lifting and brightening the whole dish. Although not listed in this recipe – and certainly not necessary for a fabulously flavourful, healthy, vegetable-packed meal – you can add cream to the tomato sauce and it will be even more amazing. Yum yum.

Gluten-free and can be veganised by omitting the cheese and increasing the flavourings in the tomato sauce – with more garlic and basil, the aubergines will still be a delight.

Potato Dauphinoise with Pumpkin – The sauce for this gratin uses a mixture of homemade vegetable stock and cream for a lighter, but beautifully flavoured, vegetarian main course or side dish. The layers of white potato and orange pumpkin look fantastic on a Christmas dinner table. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Warming Potato & Pumpkin Gratin

Tender layers of potato and pumpkin, baked in a beautiful, but quick and easy, pumpkin stock. You can adjust the proportions of cream to vegetable stock to taste to make a creamier or lighter version. Both will be excellent. You can even make it without cream entirely, but I like to add a few tablespoons.

I tend to finish this gratin with cheese, but it will still be great winter side dish without. The pumpkin adds a touch of sweetness, but it is definitely not overpowering.

Gluten-free and can be veganised by omitting the cream and cheese.

Vegetarian Christmas Recipes: Desserts

Apple Cheesecake Tart with Salted Caramel Recipe - Tart apple, creamy cheesecake filling and a salted caramel glaze, all beautifully arranged on nutty almond pastry. A luxurious dessert! By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Apple Cheesecake Tart with Salted Caramel

The pastry is the first really delicious element of this tart. Made with a base of ground almonds, it is a crumb pastry that is pressed into the tin – it does not need blind-baking. When cooked, it is firm, crunchy and holds together beautifully with nutty, caramel tones.

But it is the filling that really makes this recipe for me. It is what elevates this from a mere French apple tart to something transcendent. A sweet, custardy mixture of cream cheese, vanilla and a little egg, when baked it is lightly set, creamy and smooth. A very pleasant surprise under the top layer of tender apples.

Thinly sliced, the apples are layered to form a beautiful rose pattern – both easy and quick to achieve – which looks stunning and complex. Rich, sweet, fruity, nutty, salty, creamy and tart – a very happy end to a delightful seasonal dinner.

Although I made this pastry with regular plain flour, I think you could happily substitute an all-purpose, gluten-free flour as the pastry does not need to be rolled out, so the structural integrity that gluten offers is not so important. The rest of the recipe is gluten-free.

Hazelnut Meringues with Berry Sauce and Cream – Crispy, chewy, nutty meringues served with a spiced berry sauce and clouds of whipped cream. A gorgeous autumn dessert. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Hazelnut Meringue with Spiced Berry Sauce

Cooked on a pretty high heat, these meringues puff up dramatically, forming a ethereally light, crisp outer shell and a soft, airy, chewy centre. Beautiful contrast.

The Christmassy, spiced berry sauce that accompanies them uses a combination of fruits and spices to make a complex, layered taste which really jazzes up the somewhat one-dimensionally sweet meringue. You can keep the sauce as a whole fruit compôte or blend it into a purée as you fancy.

A range of flavours – fruity, sweet, tart, spicy, milky; and textures – airy, chewy, creamy, silky – are what makes this dessert.

The sauce is vegan and the whole dessert in gluten-free.

Lemon Tart with the Surprise! This French lemon tart recipe is made with homemade sweet pastry and tangy lemon curd, with a surprise layer of bitter dark chocolate to balance the sweetness. A spectacular celebration dessert for a crowd. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Lemon Curd Tart with Bitter Chocolate

I am not generally a huge fan of lemon curd and lemon tarts, but the layer of bitter chocolate between the pastry and curd is a revelation! It makes this tart something I am very happy to shovel into my mouth.

The pastry is also absolutely delightful. Extremely easy to make if you have a food processor of some sort, it is easy to work with, holds its shape well during cooking and tastes divine.

The curd sets beautifully, enabling the individual slices to hold a great shape when sliced. It keeps very well in the fridge and will last quite happily for about five days allowing you plenty of time to make ahead.

Sweet, buttery, flaky, golden pastry. Deep, rich, bitter chocolate. Smooth, silky, fruity, tart curd. Nom!

Vegetarian Christmas Recipes: Cheese

Baked Figs with Balsamic – A recipe for lightly caramelised, roasted figs with a touch of tart balsamic vinegar, sea salt and black pepper. Great addition to a cheese board or serve with vanilla ice cream. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Cider Balsamic Roasted Figs with Cheese

This very simple recipe offers sweet, tart and savoury flavours through the combination of figs, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. The sugars in the vinegar complement and enhance the figs perfectly, lightly caramelising during the short, high-heat roast they receive – especially helpful if your figs are a little under par.

The savoury notes of the flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper help temper this sweetness and connect the sugary fruit flavours to the salty, earthy, savoury cheese I strongly encourage you to eat them with. There are a wide selection of cheeses you can choose to serve with these figs, but my favourite is a lovely piece of Stichelton (an unpasteurised version of Stilton).

A small glass of aged Port is a fantastic match not only for the Stilton, but also for the honeyed sweetness of the figs.

The figs are both vegan and gluten-free. 

Blue Cheese Pâté – A gorgeous vegetarian pâté recipe made with Stilton blue cheese, cream cheese, herbs and shallots. A luxurious vegetarian appetizer or starter, served with crusty sourdough bread. By @deliciouscratch | deliciousfromscratch.com
Stilton & Shallot Pâté

Delightful, elegant, British farmhouse fare, this pâté is creamy, mousse-y and light – surprisingly so for a rich, cheesy spread. Blended with cream cheese and seasoned with celery, shallot, white wine, parsley and nutmeg, it is great smeared on bread, crackers or my very special oatcakes above.

This dish can also be served as an appetizer if you prefer.

Gluten-free.

That’s it! Enjoy your Christmas preparations! Remember, if you’re stuck for inspiration, leave me a comment and I’ll get thinking…

Ingredients: Savoury

Nancy Anne Harbord

Welcome! I'm Nancy. I specialise in fresh, colourful dishes that show just how wonderful vegetarian food can be. I work as a food photographer, food stylist, prop stylist, recipe developer and chef – See my portfolio

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