The holiday season is one of love, giving...and your family's favorite foods! But if you're just starting a plant-based diet and trying to serve up healthier family treats this year, you may be worried about the saturated fats and added sugar typically found in most holiday desserts. Does this mean your kids have to go without? Definitely not thanks to these scrumptious (and secretly healthy) holiday vegan recipes for kids.
10 Vegan Recipes for Kids to Make This Holiday Season
1. Brownie Peppermint Cookies
Image and Recipe from This Healthy Kitchen
Peppermint and cookies are two holiday favorites. Combine them into one mouth-watering vegan recipe and you'll have yourself a new seasonal favorite.
2. Gingerbread Cookies
Image and Recipe from Nutriplanet
These healthy vegan gingerbread cookies are the ultimate holiday cookie for kids who love the classics. And this gluten-free version has none of the animal fats or refined sugars of traditional gingerbread treats.
3. No-bake Vegan Snowball Cookies
Image and Recipe from Keeping The Peas
Baking with kids sounds great in theory, but not always so wonderful in practice, especially if your kiddos are on the younger side. Enter the no-bake snowball cookie! With just 10-minute prep time they can easily be made with the help of your little elves!
4. Chocolate-Banana Reindeers
Image and Recipe from Me And The Moose
With a little imagination and a good recipe, you can transform bananas and pretzels into the favorite characters of the season: Rudolph and his friends!
5. Nut-free Coconut Snowballs
Image and Recipe from Sneaky Veg
If your little one's got a nut allergy it can certainly feel like all festive vegan recipes for kids calls for nuts. But we've got you covered: these delicious coconut snowballs are nut-free and absolutely delicious. Bonus: they can be stacked together to form mini edible snowmen!
6. No-bake Pretzel Brownie Bites
Image and Recipe from No Sweat Vegan
Another simple treat you won't believe are refined sugar–free (and your littles one never even have to know): pretzel brownie bites.
7. Vegan Pumpkin Pie Crumble
Image and Recipe from Monkey & Me Kitchen Adventures
No round-up of holiday vegan recipes for kids would be complete without the star of the season: pumpkin! This vegan pie combines everyone's favorite squash and crumble to make a seasonal treat the whole family will talk about for years to come.
8. Peanut Butter Shortbread
Image and Recipe from Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
The peanut butter lovers in your family will be obsessed with these plant-based shortbread cookies. Yes, they are oil– and added sugar-free, but chock full of flavor!
9. Jam-Dot Holiday Cookies
Image and Recipe from Forks Over Knives
Use your favorite refined sugar-free jam and bring these classic holiday cookies to life, with a plant-based spin. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week, but I bet you they disappear within a few hours of you making them. Use family members' preferred jam flavors and make personalized holiday gifts!
10. Refined Sugar-Free Vegan Hot Chocolate
Image and Recipe from MamaSezz
There's a few things more heart-warming than sitting together as a family, watching holiday movies, and sipping hot chocolate. And going plant-based doesn't mean you have to bow out! Whip up this smooth, velvety vegan hot chocolate recipe and let the holidays begin.
Updated 11/21/22
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Rafaela Michailidou is a Vegan Lifestyle Coach, and a freelance health and wellness content writer, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.