Festive & Unique Vegan Holiday Recipes (Picture Perfect & Delicious!) (2024)

Still creating your holiday menu? Here are FOUR delicious, Instagram-worthy vegan holiday recipes that you’ll love for that perfect vegan holiday! Check out the video below and don’t forget to scroll down for the written recipes~

This year has been especially rough, but that doesn’t mean the holidays are cancelled! In celebration of the holiday season, I created not just the usual THREE but also FOUR picture-perfect and delicious vegan holiday recipes that you’ll love to have around for your next Christmas dinner~ They are also super easy to make so get ready to get festive!

Since I wanted to make it extra special (Cheap Lazy Vegan style!), I’ve included two recipes that are Korean-inspired: the Red & Green Korean Vegetable Pancakes and the Sweet & Spicy Korean Cauliflower! Both are pretty simple to make, and are perfect for people who would love something spicy for the holidays (don’t worry, there’s a version for non-spicy lovers!). Plus, I made them so they’re Instagram-worthy so don’t forget to tag me at @cheaplazyvegan and @cheaplazygang when you make these!

Don’t forget to watch the video above for visuals and to scroll down for the written recipes~ Happy holidays!

Red & Green Korean Vegetable Pancakes

This one is an extra special recipe as I created it to especially match the red and green colours of Christmas! If you love Korean-inspired vegan recipes, then this is a pretty great unique addition to add to your holiday celebration.

For this recipe, I made it so that it’s spicy as that’s what I like, but feel free to make this as I have included some instructions for people who don’t like spice. On the other hand, if you feel like you’re not in the mood to eat green-coloured pancakes for the holidays, you can simply just omit the spinach when making the batter.

Ingredients (makes 7-8 mini pancakes):

• 2.5 cups of vegetables:
  • Green onion
  • Green bell pepper
  • Red bell pepper
• 1 green chili pepper (I used jalapeno) – optional
• 1 red chili pepper – optional
• 2 tbsp oil

For the batter:

• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• 100g spinach

For the batter (if omitting spinach):

• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup water

For the dipping sauce:

• 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paaste)
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or brown rice (any other sweetener)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• 1-2 stalks green onion, chopped (optional)

For the non-spicy dipping sauce:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• ½ stalks green onion (optional)

Instructions:

1. Chop the vegetables and red and green chili peppers. Set aside in a large mixing bowl. (Feel free to omit the chilis if you don’t like spice!)
2. Prepare the batter by adding the batter ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If you are making the non-green batter, simply add all ingredients into the mixing bowl (no need to blend).
3. Pour batter over the chopped vegetables and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat.
5. Scoop batter into the pan (around ½ cup for each pancake).
6. Top batter with red and green chili peppers (substitute with more bell pepper slices if opting for non-spicy). Let it cook for 3-4 minutes on one side. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side.
7. Once cooked, take out of the pan and let it cook on a serving plate.
8. Repeat steps 4 to 6 for the remaining batter.
9. Make the sauce by adding in the sauce ingredients of choice on a small mixing bowl. Mix until well-combined.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Easy Red & Green Lasagne

For this easy lasagne recipe, I used spinach lasagne noodles because I wanted that green colour (not as green as I’d like but it still worked nevertheless!). I also transformed my usual Tofu Ricotta recipe into a GREEN tofu ricotta to make it more festive (plus you add some more veggies, which is always a good idea).

Feel free to add in more layers, other vegetables, or veggie ground if you’d like! I wanted to keep this simple.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):

• ½ box of lasagne (around 15 noodles)
• 1 large can of tomato sauce (I usually have a little extra around just in case)
• 1 cup vegan cheese (optional)
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

For the green tofu ricotta:

• 1 block firm tofu
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 150g baby spinach

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. If using lasagne noodles that are not oven ready, simply line baking pan with lasagne noodles and pour some warm water over it. Let it soak while preparing the rest of the ingredients (no need to boil the noodles).
3. Begin making your green tofu ricotta by adding in the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth – this might take a few minutes.
4. Drain water out of the pan and take out lasagne noodles. Set aside.
5. Begin making the first layer of the lasagne by adding in the tomato sauce first, noodles, and then the tofu ricotta (I find that spreading the tofu ricotta onto each lasagne noodle makes things easier — see video for visuals). Simply make sure that you use plenty of sauce so that noodles cook nicely.
6. Repeat layers twice and finish by topping with tomato sauce and shredded vegan cheese (optional). Sprinkle on some nutritional yeast on top.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, take off the aluminum foil, and bake for another 10 minutes.
8. Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Korean Cauliflower

Another Instagram-worthy recipe, my friends! This cauliflower wings recipe has that satisfying sweet and spicy taste — perfect if you want to have more Korean flavours at your next holiday dinner. You can bake these in the oven or air fry them if you have an air fryer.

Of course, I added in the beautiful holiday colours to make this dish festive!

Ingredients (around 2-3 servings):

For the cauliflower wings:

• Around 1/2 head cauliflower (around 400g)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk or water
• 1 cup bread crumbs

For the sauce:

• 3 Tbsp Korean Red Pepper Paste
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or any syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp water

Other ingredients:

• 2-3 stalks green onion
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (if using an air fryer, skip this step).
2. Wash cauliflower and chop into bite sized pieces. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
3. Make the batter by mixing all purpose flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and paprika. Mix well.
4. Add in non-dairy milk or water and mix. Set aside.
5. Add in breadcrumbs onto a plate.
6. Pour liquid batter into the cauliflower and mix well until everything is coated well.
7. Dip cauliflower onto the breadcrumbs, making sure each piece is coated evenly.
8. Place coated cauliflower into a lined baking tray and bake for 35-40 minutes (flipping the pieces halfway through). If using an air fryer, air fry at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes (flipping the pieces halfway).
9. While the cauliflower wings are cooking, make the sauce by adding in gochujang and maple syrup in a small mixing bowl. Mix well before adding in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
10. Chop green onions and dice green and red bell peppers. Set aside.
11. Take the cauliflower out of the oven or air fryer once finished, throw into a large mixing bowl, and add in the sauce. Toss until every piece is nicely coated.
12. Add in the vegetables and mix well. Top with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
13. Serve and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake Pops

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake:

• 1.5 cups cashews (soaked & softened – see instructions)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• pinch of salt

For the chocolate coating:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

Other optional ingredients:

• Sprinkles for decoration

Instructions:

1. Soak cashews overnight OR boil them with water for about 20 minutes until softened.
2. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews then add them in a high-speed blender or food processor, along with all other cheesecake ingredients.
3. Blend on high for around a minute or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
4. Place mixture in a glass baking pan or container and place in freezer for around 1-2 hours or until it is solid enough to form balls. Stir every 30 minutes to check the consistency.
5. Using your clean hands, form the mixture into small balls (around 1 tbsp each) and insert a lollipop or coffee stir stick halfway through.
6. Place back into the freezer for another 5-10 minutes while you make the chocolate coating.
7. For the chocolate coating, place all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for around 20 seconds to melt. Mix well and if it needs more melting, microwave at 10 second intervals until a smooth consistency.
8. Take the pops back out of the freezer and coat with the chocolate coating and immediately top with the sprinkles (if using). Rotate the stick around for a few seconds to allow the chocolate to harden.
9. Place each stick into a container once hardened or if you want them upright, use a lollipop holder or a vase filled with coffee beans (or anything else) to keep the sticks upright.
10. Serve cold! Freeze if not serving right away.

Need more holiday recipes? Check out my Vegan Holiday Recipes Playlist Here!