Plant-based holiday meals once felt like a niche workaround for vegans navigating tables built around turkey, butter-heavy sides, and cream-laden desserts. Fast forward to 2025, and the conversation looks noticeably different. While plant-based eating may no longer dominate headlines the way it did a few years ago, it hasn’t disappeared from the holiday table — it’s simply evolved.

Instead of being framed as a strict lifestyle choice, plant-based holiday dishes are increasingly about flexibility, inclusivity, and variety. Consumers may not be committing to fully vegan feasts, but many are intentionally weaving plant-forward options into their celebrations alongside traditional favorites.

So what does that look like this holiday season?

The Center-of-Plate Question: Do Plant-Based Roasts Still Matter?

Plant-based holiday roasts are no longer trying to perfectly replicate turkey — and that shift is working in their favor. Brands like Gardein, Field Roast, and Tofurky continue to show up in holiday grocery sets, but their appeal in 2025 is less about substitution and more about offering a distinct experience.

Flavor-forward seasonings, mushroom-based umami profiles, nut blends, and herb-forward gravies have become the real selling point. Rather than competing directly with meat roasts, these products now function as an alternative centerpiece — one that appeals to flexitarians, hosts accommodating mixed diets, or consumers simply looking to change things up.

At the same time, scratch-made plant-based mains are gaining traction. Whole-roasted squash, mushroom wellingtons, lentil loaves, and glazed root vegetable dishes are increasingly featured in both foodservice holiday menus and home cooking content, reinforcing that “plant-based” doesn’t have to mean “processed.”

Side Dishes: Where Plant-Based Wins by Default

If there’s one area where plant-based eating feels fully normalized in 2025, it’s side dishes.

Holiday staples like stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and cranberry sauce are naturally plant-forward — and today’s consumers are far more comfortable making simple swaps without calling attention to them. Vegan butter, nut milks, olive oil, and vegetable broths are now pantry basics in many households, not specialty items.

This has opened the door for plant-based sides that don’t feel like compromises. Creamy mashed potatoes made with oat milk, stuffing enriched with mushrooms and herbs, and vegetable-forward casseroles built around squash, leeks, or cauliflower feel intentional rather than alternative. For brands and operators, sides remain the easiest entry point for plant-based holiday offerings with broad appeal.

Desserts: Quietly Plant-Based, Intentionally Indulgent

Dessert is another category where plant-based eating has settled comfortably into the mainstream. While viral vegan baking moments peaked a few years ago on platforms like TikTok, the real impact has been long-term behavior change.

By 2025, many consumers are comfortable baking without eggs or dairy — especially during the holidays. Coconut milk, plant-based creamers, flax eggs, and dairy-free chocolates are familiar ingredients, not novelties.

Retail supports this shift as well. Ready-made vegan pie crusts from brands like Marie Callender’s and Wholly Wholesome make it easy to adapt classic desserts like pumpkin pie, fruit pies, and coffee cakes without sacrificing tradition. In many cases, the result is indistinguishable — which is exactly the point.

So… Is Plant-Based Still a Holiday Trend?

In 2025, plant-based holiday meals aren’t about replacing tradition — they’re about expanding it.

Fewer consumers are labeling themselves strictly vegan, but more are embracing plant-forward eating as part of a balanced, flexible approach to food. During the holidays, that translates to inclusive menus that can accommodate different dietary needs, lighter options alongside indulgent classics, and dishes that prioritize flavor first, ideology second.

For food and beverage brands, the opportunity isn’t in pushing plant-based as a moral or lifestyle choice. It’s in meeting consumers where they are: curious, selective, and open to variety — especially during a season built around sharing.

Plant-based may no longer be the headline, but it’s firmly earned its place at the table.