There’s nothing better than cooking from a tried and true recipe—one that has blessed your table year after year. The dish that makes it a holiday.

But when you’re first starting out on your vegan journey, it can feel intimidating to know where to start! How do you find a recipe that is celebration-worthy? Should you veganize Grandpa’s cranberry pie recipe? Try a recipe you saw online? Skip pie altogether?

Definitely don’t do the last one (there are thousands of vegan pie recipes out there!). But you should try your hand at veganizing family recipes! You may also find inspiration in getting a new cookbook or finding a vegan food blogger who makes the foods that speak to your soul. Get adventurous! Also, reach out to any veteran vegans you know. They’re often an untapped wealth of delicious information—and there’s no better foundation for new traditions like sharing recipes.

With this idea in mind, we asked Farm Sanctuary Staff—folks who’ve been building new traditions for decades—to share their favorite holiday dishes. They came back with 15 ideas for sides, main courses, and desserts. Whether this is your first holiday as a vegan or your 50th, you’re sure to find something to love on this list. Want to be certain they’ll be a hit? Try them out ahead of the holiday!

Note: While not all of the websites we link to are vegan, all of these recipes below are (or easily made vegan with steps included).

Recipe from: VegWeb
Loved by: Sam G.
Why they make it again and again: It’s super quick and easy! My mom would often double the recipe. We found this when I was a newer vegan, maybe 2008 or 2009, so we used Ener-G Egg Replacer for ease. I’m sure it would work with other egg substitutes, too.

Recipe from: That Girl Cooks Healthy
Loved by: Miko B.
Why they make it again and again: Callaloo isn’t a holiday-specific recipe but I typically only get to see my family and enjoy this dish together with them around the end of the year. Also, my favorite time to eat this cozy, warm soup is in the fall and winter season. It is so comforting and immediately transports me to the warmth, love, and family-togetherness I’ve experienced while eating this dish at home, and it connects me to the cultural and ancestral heritage and memories that its flavors evoke. Hands down my go-to recipe.

Recipe from: Veggies Save the Day
Loved by: Maria J.
Why they make it again and again: I would initially make this for interns during their stay at the Sanctuary, and it was always a big hit! I then tried it out on some family and friends, and they loved it too. It has since become a staple in my holiday spread. So flavorful and relatively easy to put together!

Tip: I add apples and grapes to the recipe, and I also quadruple the mayo, because—let’s be real—you can never have too much of it!

Recipe from: Occasionally Eggs
Loved by: Molly E.
Why they make it again and again: I never wanted to waste a bite at the holidays on something that didn’t feel like a celebration—and I hated being assigned to bring a salad that no one looked at, let alone ate. This salad is all the things: colorful, unique, delicious, and memorable.

Recipe from: Allrecipes
Loved by: Justin G.
Why they make it again and again: My roots. Eggplant/aubergine/melanzana is delicious, great flavors.

Recipe from: Six Vegan Sisters
Loved by: Michelle B.
Why they make it again and again: ​It’s so simple and everyone loves mac and cheese (omni friends and family included)! Hello childhood staple. I’ve been making some variation for probably as long as I have been vegan. This recipe is closest to what I usually do. Also, you can use this same cheese sauce and pour it over some thinly sliced potatoes & bake to make the most comforting Potatoes Au Gratin.

Recipe from: Rose of Süssholz
Loved by: Alex S.
Why they make it again and again: I’ve been making this since before I was even vegan—I wanted a rich brown vegetarian gravy and I felt so fancy with all the different mushrooms. I first made this for a dinner party with friends, then I made it for my parents, and now it’s my go-to holiday recipe. I make it twice a year now and each time it feels like home.

Ingredients
– 2 tablespoon oil
– 1 cup chopped white onion
– 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced or chopped (I used Porcini, Shiitake, and Oyster Mushrooms)
– 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
– 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
– ¼ cup red wine
– 2 cups vegetable broth
– 3 tablespoons organic soy sauce
– 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
– ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
– salt, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until translucent.
2. Add mushrooms and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until they release their liquid and become tender. Stir in garlic, rosemary, and thyme and continue to cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add wine and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce and tapioca flour to form a thick paste. Add mixture to the skillet, whisking constantly to make sure paste dissolves. Bring mixture to a boil and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add pepper and serve gravy hot.

(Looking for mashed potatoes? Check out the Shepherd’s Pie recipe below!)

Recipe from + Loved by: Kelsey B.
Why they make it again and again: I’ve been making this dish for a couple of years because it’s hearty, filling, and so delicious! Growing up in an Irish family, I was used to eating Shepherd’s pie around the holidays. It’s super simple to make and part of the fun is mashing my own potatoes––I’ll never go back to boxed potatoes ever again! Even my non-vegan family members agree that it’s pretty amazing, and it’s a heavily requested dish in my family this time of year.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 75 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

MASHED POTATOES
– 5 pounds of your choice of potatoes (you can peel them if you’d like, I usually don’t)
– 4 Tbsp vegan butter
– ½ cup of nondairy milk (unflavored soy, coconut, or oat work best)
– ½ cup of vegan sour cream
– Sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika

FILLING
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1 medium onion (diced)
– 4 cloves garlic (minced)
– 1 tsp dried thyme
– 1 tsp dried sage
– 2 cups uncooked lentils
– 4-5 cups vegetable stock (or vegetable bouillon)
– 1 10-ounce bag frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, and corn)
– Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Slice potatoes into quarters, place in a large pot, and fill with water until they’re just covered. Bring to a low boil on medium heat, then generously salt, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until they slide off a fork easily.
2. Once cooked, drain, and add back to the pot. Use a masher to mash until smooth. Add vegan butter, nondairy milk, and vegan sour cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until lightly browned—about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Then add stock, lentils, thyme, and sage, and stir. Bring to a low boil on medium heat, then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking until lentils are tender—about 45 minutes. Stir frequently.
6. When the lentils are almost done, add the frozen veggies, stir, cover, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Feel free to add more salt, pepper, thyme and/or sage as needed.
7. Then transfer your lentil & veggie mixture to a 9×13 oven-safe baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Smooth down with fork and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
8. Place on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake for 15-30 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned on top.
9. Serve & enjoy!

Recipe from: Isa Chandra Moskowitz – Post Punk Kitchen
Loved by: Kaytie B.
Why they make it again and again: I’ve been making this recipe at all end-of-the year holidays for years and it is beloved and requested by vegans and non-vegans alike!

Recipe from: Thinly Spread
Loved by: Karl L.
Why they make it again and again: This nut roast has been the centerpiece of our holiday table for three years running! It now even has its own designated serving tray (an antique cakestand that belonged to my grandmother). It’s delicious and the bundt pan shape lets me be creative with all the ways to dress it up. Goes great with mushroom gravy.

Tip: You can make it and freeze it ahead!

Recipe adapted from: Epicurious
Loved by: Josh M.
Why they make it again and again: I was introduced to this veganized recipe about 12 years ago, when my brother was the only vegan at our holiday gathering. Luckily, he made a lot of it, because everyone in the family wanted some! It was the best dish on the table.

How to veganize

• Replace 1 cup whole-milk ricotta with 1 cup of silken tofu (or this tofu ricotta from Isa Chandra Moskowitz/Post Punk Kitchen)
• Replace all-butter puff pastry with vegan puff pastry
• Replace 1 egg yolk wash with coconut oil

Recipe from: Allrecipes
Loved by: Sam G.
Why they make it again and again: We started making this before I went vegan, and then veganized it afterwards. My mom would often double this one as well. It’s big and hearty and easy to fill up on.

How to veganize

• Replace 2 eggs with Ener-G egg replacer (other egg substitutes would work, too)
• Replace butter with plant-based butter
• Replace dairy with plant-based milk

Recipe from: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Loved by: Molly E.
Why they make it again and again: This came from The Joy of Vegan Baking cookbook (my vegan baking bible!). Not only is this cake deliciously moist and easy to make, it makes your house smell divine. And I love using a Bundt pan on this recipe—it’s such a simple way to elevate it for the holidays.

Recipe from: The Joy of Vegan Baking cookbook
Loved by: Cynthia V.
Why they make it again and again: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau never misses with her recipes! It’s made with sheets of phyllo that are coated with plant-based butter and then layered with pecans, walnuts, and cinnamon, then baked. After, you drizzle it with a sauce made from sugar, date syrup, and agave syrup. Sweet, gooey bliss. It’s a little time-intensive, but worth it. And no one would ever know it was made without animal products.

Recipe from: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
Loved by: Sara K.
Why they make it again and again: I grew up having pumpkin pie on the holiday table, so having a vegan version made sense—especially after finding out how easy it is to make! This pie has nine, easy-to-find ingredients and comes out super creamy. It’s my go-to, every year!