Vegetarian Christmas Side Dishes You Can Make Ahead

Hello lovelies,

at Christmas, it's often the side dishes that make the table: glossy carrots from the oven, a creamy mash, a dark gravy and something fresh alongside. In my vegan Christmas menu, the strudel comes with vegan gravy, truffle mashed potatoes and maple-roasted carrots, and that exact combination is where this post begins.

Below I'll show you which vegetarian and vegan sides go with a festive main, which winter vegetables are worth buying now, and what you can make the day before. That way you're not stuck in the kitchen for hours on the day itself, you're sitting at the table with everyone else.

What are good vegetarian side dishes for Christmas?

A festive main goes well with roasted vegetables like carrots and Brussels sprouts, a creamy mash, spaetzle, a fresh salad and a rich gravy. Choose sides you can make ahead, so that on the day itself only the oven and the stove are doing the work.

Over the holidays I usually put four things on the table: something from the oven, something creamy, something fresh and a sauce. For me, this mix works with almost any vegetarian main, whether it's a strudel, stuffed parcels or dumplings, and it means everyone at the table finds something they love.

The table shows my favorite sides, what kind of dish each one is and what you can prepare in advance.

Roasted vegetables: carrots and Brussels sprouts

Roasted vegetables are one of the easiest sides for a holiday meal, because the oven does the work while you take care of everything else. In winter, carrots and Brussels sprouts are especially well suited.

For my maple-glazed carrots from the oven, colorful carrots go into the pan with olive oil, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme. Cut them into evenly thick pieces so they roast at the same pace, and spread them in a single layer: if they overlap, they steam instead of roasting and the maple syrup won't caramelize properly. You can cut and marinate the carrots the day before and only slide them into the oven shortly before dinner. They taste best straight from the oven but also reheat well, and leftover carrots taste lovely lukewarm in a salad the next day.

According to the University of Illinois Extension guide to Brussels sprouts, the sprouts improve in quality and grow best during cool or even lightly frosty weather, and fresh sprouts, roasted or sautéed, are deliciously delicate in flavor. The fresher the sprouts, the better the flavor, so fridge storage should not exceed a day or two. Store them unwashed in plastic bags in the vegetable bin.

When you cook them, the Illinois Extension tips for preparing Brussels sprouts recommend selecting sprouts of even size for uniform cooking. Large sprouts should be cut in half. The key to cooking them is in not overcooking them: once they have lost their bright green color, they are overcooked.

With my warm autumn salad with roasted sprouts, you can roast the Brussels sprouts and pumpkin 1 to 2 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Just warm them briefly to serve, as the salad tastes best lukewarm. I always add the pomegranate and toasted pecans at the very end so they stay nice and crunchy.

My cauliflower and potato mash with truffle oil works in winter, too: outside asparagus season, I make it with halved Brussels sprouts or broccoli, and both turn just as crisp on the tray.

Mashed potatoes and other creamy mashes

A creamy mash belongs on many Christmas tables, and it soaks up every drop of gravy. These are the three I love making most.

For my vegan truffle mash for the holidays, use floury potatoes and mash or blend them right in the hot milk; that gives you the finest, silkiest texture. Truffle oil varies a lot in strength, so start with 1 teaspoon and season your way up. The mash is creamiest fresh, but you can keep it covered and warm, or reheat it gently while stirring in a splash of plant-based milk or cream so it stays creamy.

The cauliflower potato mash is vegetarian, since it contains butter as well as plant milk. Well covered, it keeps for 2 days in the fridge, and you reheat it slowly in a pot with a splash of plant milk, stirring well. My miso mashed sweet potatoes with chives are vegetarian too and keep well covered in the fridge for 3 days. After draining, let the sweet potatoes steam off in the hot pot for 1 to 2 minutes, then the mash won't turn watery. Freezing works too: after thawing, the mash is a little softer, and vigorous stirring makes it creamy again. Which plant milk works best for cooking, and what to look for when you buy it, is all in my guide to choosing a plant milk.

Cabbage sides: red, green and savoy

Cabbage is the classic winter vegetable, and as a side it brings color and freshness to the holiday table.

Many of us know green, red or purple, and savoy cabbages, and according to Illinois Extension's cabbage recipes for every season, cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked and works well in a variety of cold-weather recipes. Whole, uncut heads keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. Loose leaf cabbages like bok choy, on the other hand, may only last a few days before their leaves wilt.

For my savoy cabbage rolls with black rice, I blanch the leaves only briefly so they stay flexible and don't tear when I roll them. You can fill and roll the parcels a day in advance and keep them in the fridge, and the mushroom sauce can also be cooked ahead and gently reheated before serving, so there is far less to do on the day itself.

My creamy cabbage with carrots is ready in 25 minutes. Slice the white cabbage as finely as you can so it steams faster and turns lovely and tender, and a small pinch of sugar and a little caraway round out the flavor. Leftovers keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge and reheat beautifully. The cabbage and the mash alongside both cook well a day ahead, and the mash turns creamy again on reheating with a splash of plant milk.

Spaetzle and other hearty sides

For me, spaetzle are the classic side for anything that comes with a sauce, and they work beautifully without eggs.

The secret of my colorful egg-free vegan spaetzle is the soy flour: always stir it with water first, and it will bind the dough just like an egg would. The batter should tear off the spoon in a thick ribbon. If it's too firm, add a splash of sparkling water.

Spinach, beetroot or turmeric make the spaetzle colorful, and that's exactly what makes them so pretty on a festive table. Leftovers freeze beautifully: drain the cooked spaetzle well, let them cool, then pack them into a freezer bag. To serve, simply reheat them briefly in a hot pan or boiling water, which makes it easy to cook a bigger batch ahead.

If you'd rather have something grainy instead of spaetzle, try a millet risotto with leek. Rinse the millet briefly with hot water before cooking to wash off the bitter compounds, and it turns creamy from stirring it with the cream at the end.

Festive salads to balance the warm dishes

A salad brings freshness between the mash and the gravy, and many winter salads can be largely prepared ahead.

My beetroot carpaccio with tofu-walnut crumble is a rewarding dish for a festive menu, because all the components can be prepared calmly in advance. I like to get the beetroot, the orange segments, the caramelized tofu-and-walnut crumble and the dressing ready in the morning and keep everything chilled.

For my spinach salad with roasted beets and blood oranges, the dressing keeps in a sealed jar for a good week in the fridge, so I usually make a double batch. My kale salad with orange and fennel holds up well: it keeps for 1 to 2 days in the fridge and does not collapse.

For my lamb's lettuce with roasted vegetables and tofu, you can prepare the oven vegetables and the dressing ahead. I only toss in the lamb's lettuce just before serving, so the delicate leaves stay fresh. Lamb's lettuce is also sold as mâche, and my guide to washing and storing mâche covers how to clean it and how long it keeps.

The gravy: a vegan sauce you can make ahead

A good gravy ties all the sides together on the plate, and at Christmas it's my best make-ahead friend.

My dark vegan gravy with red wine is made from onions, garlic, carrots, celery, shiitake mushrooms, rosemary, thyme and red wine. Cook it one or two days early, let it rest covered in the fridge, and just reheat it gently on the big day. Frozen, it keeps for several months. If it turns out too thick after blending, thin it with a little vegetable broth.

The mains from my Christmas menus can be prepared ahead, too. My truffle tofu strudel is served with the gravy, truffle mashed potatoes and maple-roasted carrots, a complete festive menu you can prepare ahead. The potato packages with mushroom walnut truffle filling wait in the fridge until the evening, when you wrap them in leek and fry them fresh.

These vegan mains from my Christmas menus pair beautifully with the sides:

Vegan Christmas menu: Truffle tofu mushroom chestnut strudel

Christmas Menu Part 3 – Savoy cabbage rolls with black rice

Christmas Menu Part III – Potato packages with mushroom walnut truffle filling

How many side dishes do you need for Christmas?

For a holiday meal, 3 to 4 side dishes are usually enough: a roasted vegetable, a mash or spaetzle, a salad and the gravy. You rarely need more, because every extra side means one more pot on the stove on the day.

The side dish recipes I describe in the text mostly serve 4, and the carpaccio and the spinach salad are made for 2 servings. If you serve several sides together, the amounts stretch further, and for a bigger crowd you simply double whichever recipe disappears fastest.

Vegetables can happily take up the most room on the plate. Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate suggests making most of your meal vegetables and fruits, half of your plate, and aiming for color and variety. It also notes that potatoes don't count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate, which is one more reason I put a roasted vegetable and a salad next to the mash.

Which side dishes can you make ahead?

Most of the cooked side dishes in this post can be made 1 to 2 days ahead, while salads with delicate raw leaves like lamb's lettuce are best finished on the day. That fits comfortably within the USDA guidance for keeping cooked food in the fridge.

The USDA advice on leftovers and food safety also notes that frozen leftovers are safe indefinitely but can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

My make-ahead plan: the gravy, the cabbage and the roasted Brussels sprouts can be done the day before, the carrots are cut and marinated the day before as well, and for the salad you only prepare the dressing and the roasted vegetables. Caramelized fennel can also be made up to 1 day ahead and warmed briefly in the pan before serving. How to spread the whole holiday meal over several weeks is laid out in my four-week holiday prep plan.

The best holiday meals, for me, are the ones where I get to sit at the table too. With a gravy already waiting in the fridge, vegetables roasting in the oven and a salad that only needs plating, that works at Christmas as well. And if you'd rather cook together at the table over the holidays, you'll find ideas for a meat-free raclette night. Now it's your turn: which side dish can never be missing from your Christmas table?

Yours, Verena

Recipes to try

Kale salad with orange and fennel

Millet risotto with leek

Beetroot salad with oranges and ricotta

Caramelized Fennel on Lemon Ricotta