A very vegan Christmas: 5 festive treat recipes you need to try

Being vegan over the holidays can be hard. Many people still don’t understand veganism or don’t believe vegan food can be as good as the alternative. As my family’s designated baker, I’ve spent the last five Christmases proving them wrong and here are my favourite recipes.

1. Gingerbread Men

Biscuits are quite often vegan and gingerbread men are no exception.

One of my favourite things to do is bake a little gingerbread scene such as the nativity featuring my frisbee team, picture below, or the family portrait featuring all my family members complete with personalised Christmas jumpers, pictured right.

In both cases, the decoration is pre-made icing which I rolled out and cut into shape using a sharp knife.

The recipe for a great vegan gingerbread can be found here.

2. Sticky Toffee Pudding

In my opinion, this is the best pudding and I love making it on wintery days to warm everyone up. It always reminds me of long walks followed by a pub lunch, so why not treat yourself without having to do the walk?

Check out these recipes from Bosh and So Vegan.

3. Yule log

A Yule Log is another classic Christmas dessert.

I’m sure you’ve seen many Bake Off contestants freak out about splits in their roll, but as far as I’m concerned as long as it tastes good you’re golden.

Here’s a great yule log recipe I used last year.

4. Mince Pies

You can buy ready-made vegan mince pies in most supermarkets nowadays but nothing compares to homemade.

Have a dabble at this super simple recipe from A Virtual Vegan.

5. Christmas Cake

Another traditional Christmas dessert, which you’ll be lathering with brandy before long.

This recipe from the BBC replaces eggs with chia seeds and has lots of rum to make up for the fact you’re eating a dessert with fruit in it.

If you really want to shock people, don’t tell them your bake is vegan and watch their face when you reveal the truth – it’s always a fun addition to the holiday season and a conversation starter.

Happy baking this Christmas!

Edited by Michelle Almeida