Your Restaurant’s Complete Plant-Based Holiday Menu

Plant-based holiday appetizers

Start off your plant-based holiday menu with highlights such as:

• Mac and Cheese Bites: Kids and adults alike will be clamoring for this take on mac and cheese. When making the cheese sauce, simply sub out the dairy for the plant-based milk of your choice and some Oddlygood mozzarella-style plant-based cheese or our tasty cheddar-style variety. Roll into balls, coat with breadcrumbs, and bake in the oven for gooey and crispy perfection.
• Stuffed Mushrooms: A flavorful, savory filling perfectly complements these bite-size mushroom delights. Cook your rice in vegetable stock, then add in plant-based cheese, garlic, oil, toasted walnuts, and any other seasonings.
• "Pigs" in a Blanket: For a plant-based take on this crowd-pleasing appetizer, boil and marinate baby carrots before wrapping and baking in crescent dough. Alternatively, use plant-based sausages and cut to size.

Plant-based main courses for the holidays

Warm your customers’ hearts (and bellies) with these classic main dishes:

• Plant-based Turkey: With the right ingredients, people who don’t eat meat can still enjoy a turkey dinner without the actual turkey. Chickpeas, tofu, or seitan can do the heavy lifting, with a little help from nutritional yeast and your favorite seasonings.
• Meat(less) Loaf: A simple substitute of plant-based ground meat quickly transforms this winter meal into a tasty, plant-based dish. If your restaurant uses Worcestershire sauce, make sure that it doesn’t contain fish.
• Lasagna: Since most noodles and marinara sauces are already free of animal products, it doesn’t take much to turn this comfort food into a plant-based meal. There are plenty of options for making a ricotta substitute, including nutritional yeast, cashews, and almonds. Layer with plant-based meat crumbles and top with shredded mozzarella cheese alternative.

Plant-based holiday sides

Some would argue that the sides are the star of every holiday meal. Here are some of our favorites, reimagined for your plant-based menu:

• Green Bean Casserole: This vegetable-based delight can easily be adapted for plant-based diets with a few simple swaps. Skip the cream of mushroom soup and make your own sauce from scratch with olive oil, plant-based milk, and flour. For a little extra creaminess, top with plant-based shredded cheddar cheese.
• Scalloped Potatoes: Looking for something a little fancier than mashed potatoes this holiday season? Try them scalloped with cheese and caramelized shallots! We recommend using starchy baking potatoes for this application so they can soak up all the creamy goodness of your favorite plant-based milk. Throw in some miso paste, Dijon mustard, thyme, and garlic for a truly delectable spin on this comforting side dish.
• Stuffing: No need for chicken stock or sausage here! Sautée veggies in plant-based butter or your preferred oil, then moisten your toasted bread and celery mixture with vegetable stock.
• Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread: Cornbread is a classic holiday meal accompaniment. By replacing common ingredients like eggs, milk, and cheese with plant-based alternatives like flax “eggs” (flax seed plus water), almond milk, and Oddlygood’s cheddar-style shredded “cheese,” this cheddar jalapeno cornbread recipe will please any palette.

Plant-based holiday desserts

Last but not least, these plant-based desserts will end your customers’ holiday meal on a sweet note:

• Chocolate Cranberry Cake: Decadent chocolate and festive cranberry come together for a rich, sophisticated dessert. Simply swap out the animal products for cacao nibs, plant-based milk, and vegetable oil.
• Apple Crisp: Anything apple is perfect for the cold fall and winter months. This dish is easy to make plant-based by substituting coconut or olive oil (or dairy-free butter) for the dairy products. Plus, it can easily become gluten-free if you use almond flour and gluten-free oats for the crispy topping.
• Pumpkin Pie: This holiday favorite doesn’t need butter, eggs, or heavy cream to be delicious. Vegetable shortening and flour can be used to create a plant-based pie crust. Then, mix coconut cream with sugar, spices, and pumpkin puree for the filling. Serve with a dollop of coconut cream-based whipped cream.

There’s no time like the holidays to expand your restaurant’s plant-based offerings! If you’re not sure where to start, check out Oddlygood’s full line of plant-based products.