Vegan Holiday & Occasion Recipes

Roasting carrots brings out their sweetness, which is enhanced further with a tangy balsamic and maple glaze. Serve them straight-up for an easy weeknight side dish or garnish with chopped hazelnuts for holiday meals and dinner parties.

You can easily multiply this strawberry shrub mocktail recipe to serve a whole party: just muddle the strawberries, basil and lemon in a pitcher, then vigorously stir in the shrub and ice. Top each serving with seltzer.

You can easily multiply this strawberry shrub cocktail recipe to make a pitcher cocktail to serve a whole party: just muddle the strawberries, basil and lemon in a pitcher, then vigorously stir in the vodka, shrub, Campari and ice. Top each serving with seltzer.

Shrubs (vinegar-based syrups) add sweetness and tang to cocktails and mocktails. Splash some in ice-cold seltzer to make a mocktail or make a boozy beverage with vodka (see associated recipes).

This grilled zucchini recipe is perfect for summertime bumper crops of zucchini. The tomato-mint relish would be great on all sorts of grilled vegetables.

Guacamole meets chickpeas for a Cali-Middle East mashup in this healthy avocado hummus recipe. Jalapeños can be hot or not so much--taste and adjust for your palate.

Cilantro and pumpkin seeds stand in for traditional pesto ingredients in this easy salad recipe. Look for peaches in July and August, when they are at their peak. Serve the salad along with grilled chicken or fish for a healthy dinner that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

These minty mojito mocktails would be great at a luncheon, a brunch, a baby shower, a pool party--basically whenever you find that a cool, refreshing beverage would be welcome. Be sure to add the ice cubes and sparkling water just before serving to avoid diluting this pitcher cocktail (which is easily doubled to serve a crowd, by the way).

This healthy cucumber-avocado salad takes just five minutes to prep. Lime juice and fresh herbs boost the bright flavors in this crunchy and creamy salad that's a perfect side dish for grilled chicken, fish or steak. This recipe calls for an English cucumber, which doesn't have to be peeled, but regular cucumbers work well too--just peel them before slicing.

For this refreshing and tart vegan gin fizz recipe, we've used aquafaba--the liquid from canned chickpeas--in place of egg whites to create the cocktail's signature frothy top. Even if you're not a vegan, you may prefer this recipe as it saves you the step of separating the eggs (and figuring out what to do with the leftover yolks). Save the chickpeas for another recipe, such as hummus or spiced chickpeas, to serve alongside your drinks!

This play on the Derby Day favorite the mint julep uses the whole sugar snap pea plant: pea greens in the simple syrup and snap pea "juice," plus pea blossoms for garnish, if you're lucky enough to find them.

Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. Once a little chopping is done, all you have to do is dump the ingredients in the slow cooker, making this colorful veggie chili the perfect weeknight dinner. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch.

Serve this slow-cooker tomato dip warm with assorted vegetable dippers or toasted baguette slices.

This luscious vegan cheesecake nixes the dairy in favor of a filling made with coconut cream, tofu and cashews or macadamia nuts instead of the traditional eggs and cream. Coconut oil and nuts make for a rich-tasting and crunchy crust, so nobody will miss the butter.

Magical aquafaba--the liquid from canned chickpeas that often gets poured down the drain--mimics egg whites in these airy vegan meringue cookies. The other magical thing? These cookies require just three ingredients! Save the chickpeas themselves for hummus, stew or any one of our other recipes that call for canned chickpeas.

This creamy roasted cauliflower dip has the texture of hummus but swaps chickpeas for roasted cauliflower and walnuts for tahini. A head of roasted garlic--which is cooked at the same time as the cauliflower--gives it great flavor.

Swap out some of the usual lime juice in your margaritas with fresh grapefruit juice for a refreshing spin on the classic drink. Red grapefruit makes for a particularly pretty cocktail. Unlike many frozen margaritas served at restaurants, these cocktails have no additional sweetener.

This simple pasta side dish combines sweet strawberries and creamy avocado with a tart balsamic vinaigrette. You can make the dressing ahead and keep it separately, tossing with the pasta salad just before serving. Make this salad even more special by adding crumbled feta or goat cheese.

A frozen virgin strawberry margarita is a refreshing way to cool down on warm days. This margarita mocktail, which calls for only five ingredients, uses a bit of agave nectar to blunt the tartness of lime juice and fresh strawberries.

This beautiful beverage is perfect for serving at brunch, but it's also a great mocktail for non-drinkers at your next cocktail party. If you have leftover peach nectar from this recipe, pour a splash into hot tea to add sweetness and satisfying fruit flavor.