Vegan Christmas Tips

“Our Top 7 Tips for a Smooth and Successful
Vegan Christmas Celebration” 

Making Christmas a memorable occasion is often considered an easy chore for experienced hosts, but is daunting to those new to Christmas preparations, especially when there is a twist, such as catering to vegan diets. These vegan Christmas tips should help ensure your Christmas is a successful one.

Vegan Christmas Tip #1

Don’t go over the top on food. Sure, guests will be impressed by dishes which taste like nothing they have ever experienced, but they won’t want to look into recipes such as your own if they include rare or expensive ingredients. Some of the easiest dishes are the best, such as an easy silverbeet salad (cooked silverbeet with lots of lemon juice). Remember to have good contrast in foods; hot, cold, sweet, sour and savoury are reliable guidelines. Ten hot savoury dishes isn’t fun, even if the majority of guests prefer salty foods.

Vegan Christmas Tip #2

Experiment! Some of the greatest meals come from mixing and matching. The easiest pancakes discovered as a result of experimenting (omitting ingredients one by one) are a fantastic example. The only ingredients are self-raising flour and rice milk, and maple/golden syrup or sugar to sweeten, if preferred. Don’t forget your collection of herbs and spices; these work a treat for flavour.

Vegan Christmas Tip #3

Make a few “gourmet” dishes. Even though it has been suggested that you “don’t go over the top;” a few fancy dishes which guests will remember forever help to emphasise the variety in vegan foods. These gourmet dishes should be more significant, such as cake, desserts, and even that “vegan turkey.” Consider catering if you don’t want to buy extra ingredients which you might not use again, but make sure you book early as Christmas is a very busy period for caterers.

Vegan Christmas Tip #4

Make extra! If specific dishes are a hit with guests, you can surprise them with more. You’ll know which ones are favourites, as guests will say “oh, this is delicious!” or you’ll notice the serving bowl has emptied rather quickly. Any leftovers can be refrigerated for consumption over the next few days, or frozen for use later on.

Vegan Christmas Tip #5

Be prepared well in advance. Now is the time to start your Christmas preparations; not Christmas eve. Start experimenting with recipes, ask others for their opinions on which ones are best, and make sure you can get all the ingredients you need. There’s nothing worse than the mad rush just before Christmas, stressing to satisfy everyone and not having the opportunity to enjoy the occasion yourself.

Vegan Christmas Tip #6

Smile! Be positive. Your guests won’t take anything away from your Christmas celebrations if you’re visibly stressed or a bit distant. Don’t force anything upon anyone’ don’t make them eat something if they don’t want to. Your Christmas would be much better remembered as a “lovely time” rather than an “I’m glad that’s over” event.

Vegan Christmas Tip #7

Make Christmas just like any other fantastic Christmas. Don’t plaster your “cruelty-free” stickers everywhere, don’t sit guests down to a film on factory farming, and don’t try to impress people with your knowledge of the latest animal welfare laws. You’ll only come across as a preacher, and guests will most likely be uninterested in what you’re trying to say. Hearing the story about the slaughtered chickens isn’t pleasant, and kills the mood. Instead, opt for light-hearted stories, remembering to steer away from “success” stories such as “the cat who survived the beating.”

Remember these vegan Christmas tips, and your vegan Christmas will surely be successful. Make sure you check ingredients on products you buy to ensure they are vegan, and voila! You have a lovely vegan Christmas.