24 vegan Christmas dinner sides, soups & salads for your holiday meal

Plus, they pair perfectly with any of my go-to vegan Christmas dinner main courses!

Don’t celebrate Christmas? These holiday sides are ideal for any winter celebrations… or even just a random weeknight when you’re craving something warm and comforting.

In this post:

Wow your dinner guests with these decadent cheesy vegan potatoes!

Tender sliced potatoes are enveloped in a custard-like cashew cheese for a truly comforting experience.

Fluffy mashed potatoes are a regular holiday favorite for a reason. They’re so light, creamy, and delicious!

Serve with vegan turkey gravy or vegan chestnut gravy to complete the dish.

Greek lemon potatoes pop with tangy flavor. These roasted potatoes soak up lemon juice, garlic, broth, and seasonings, which adds refreshing balance to richer winter dishes.

Roasted delicata squash is a family favorite, because it’s so easy to cut and roast with the skin on. It develops a naturally sweet, caramelized flavor.

Dotted with rosemary, this gluten-free dish is perfect for the holidays or anytime.

Roasted cauliflower is a bright and light dish that’s easy to prepare in the oven or air fryer.

Finished with a squeeze of lemon and pinch of sumac or aleppo pepper, this simple preparation allows the toasty flavor of cauliflower to really shine.

Roasted cabbage is always a crowd-pleaser. It’s buttery soft in the center and crispy around the edges. It's an easy, wintry vegetable that fits with almost anything.

Brussels sprouts are at their nutty best when roasted in the oven. Add caramelized onions & apples for sweetness. Then finish it off with a smattering of toasted pistachios.

Even ardent sprout haters are going to love this gluten-free Christmas side dish.

Mouthwatering collard greens melt in your mouth. They are cooked with loads of garlic and softened by cooking low and slow in vegetable broth.

They add a delicious savory note to a cold-weather spread.

This is my go-to collard greens recipe, but for a sweet and smoky alternative, try my collard greens with dried cranberries.

Creamed kale makes comfort food out of this dark leafy green. Garlicky kale is covered in a flavorful cashew sauce.

It’s a mouthwatering side dish that comes together in just 17 minutes!

Red wine mushrooms are sautéed with garlic. Then the pan is deglazed with dry red wine.

It’s amazing what a splash of red wine can do. It turns simple mushrooms into a show-stopping side dish.

This creamy vegan green bean casserole is a plant-based twist on a holiday favorite.

Tender green beans are coated in a cashew mushroom sauce and topped with crispy fried onions for a comforting and delicious Christmas side dish.

A step outside of traditional Christmas dinner side dishes, crispy pan-fried Brussels sprouts are coated in a sticky and flavorful gochujang garlic glaze.

This Korean-inspired side dish is always an unexpected hit.

It just isn't the holidays without a heaping helping of vegan stuffing. Dotted with carrots, celery, onions, and chestnuts, this savory dish completes any holiday meal.

No chestnuts? No problem! Chestnuts can be replaced with browned seitan sausage or walnuts.

For an adorable alternative, make stuffing muffins instead!

Creamy vegan risotto is filled with mushrooms and sausage in a luxurious cashew cream sauce.

It can be enjoyed as a main course or as a decadent holiday side dish. Finish with a garnish of fresh thyme or fried sage leaves.

Vegan baked potato soup got a festive holiday makeover to become melted snowman soup.

This fun & kid-friendly dish is made with potatoes, onions, garlic, and warming spices.

Get the whole family involved to decorate their snowmen - with a carrot for a nose, black olive eyes, and sun-dried tomato mouths.

Sweet potato peanut stew is a one pot meal that can be a starter or main course. It’s packed with chickpeas for an extra punch of protein, peanuts, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.

This soup is a good make ahead meal, because the flavors only improve with time.

Winter squash is at its best this time of year! Coconut curry kabocha squash soup has spicy heat, plus the sweet balance of apple and maple syrup.

It makes a delicious starter to a full meal, or enjoy it with crusty bread for dinner.

Vegan tortilla soup is so warming & filling, it could easily be a full meal on its own. It’s filled to the brim with beans, seitan, corn, spices, and fire roasted tomatoes.

Top it with non-dairy cheese, cilantro, avocado, and crunchy tortilla strips. You’ll get a mix of hot, cool, creamy, and crunchy in every bite.

Now here’s a soup that knows how to bring the cozy! This creamy mushroom soup is filled with lentils and brown rice.

The flavor is reminiscent of a mushroom stroganoff without the noodles or vegan risotto without the babying.

With the fragrant addition of rosemary, thyme, garlic, and onions, this soup packs a punch of homey deliciousness.

Fight back against the biting wind outside with this creamy gnocchi soup.

It is packed with pillowy potato dumplings, vegan sausage, and kale in a luxurious cashew broth.

Creamy vegan wild rice soup is packed with vegan chicken, carrots, celery, onions, kale, and garlic in a delicious cashew broth.

Rosemary, thyme, and herbs de Provence add comforting flavor with every bite.

This fall salad with apples ticks the boxes for tangy, salty, sour, and sweet.

With candied pecans, vegan feta cheese, and a cider vinaigrette, there's a reason it's a household favorite.

Delicata squash salad is the perfect Christmas side dish for your holiday dinner.

With caramelized onions, pistachios, roasted squash, persimmons, and pistachios, this salad really leans into the season.

Content updated December 2, 2025. Originally posted December 19, 2019.