When it comes to holiday recipes, it seems almost impossible to find allergy-friendly holiday foods. Many traditional holiday recipes are based around ingredients that many people are allergic to, making it difficult to find items on the store shelf that fit the needs of everyone.
This year, take your holiday treat consumption into your own hands and create some allergy-friendly recipes at home!
When it comes to the most common plant-based allergens, we’re looking at tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, gluten, and soy. This may seem like a challenging task, yet it’s fairly easy to find suitable alternatives to all of these allergens! To get you started, here are a few recipes from the Food Monster App, separated by their allergen, to give you some creative ideas!
Nut-Free
For those practicing a plant-based diet who have to avoid nuts, it’s oftentimes frustrating to find those alternatives. For instance, many dairy-free alternatives are based around the meaty texture and healthy fats that nuts provide — think almond milk or macadamia cheese. Yet, there are a ton of alternatives that can still fit the nut-free diet bill! Integrate coconut milk and coconut butter and “pack your diet with grains, oats, legumes, and seeds.” Seeds are just as fat-filled and oftentimes even more nutritious than nuts. Plus, there are so many to choose from including hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and more!
1. Homemade Pumpkin Seed Milk
Source: Homemade Pumpkin Seed Milk
If you’re looking for a perfect nut-free, dairy-free milk alternative, we’ve got the one for you! This Homemade Pumpkin Seed Milk recipe by Gretchen Lidicker is super simple to make and only requires six ingredients, including healthy fat-filled pumpkin seeds, salt, water, dates, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
2. Biscuits and Mushroom Gravy
Source: Biscuits and Mushroom Gravy
When it comes to creating a traditional holiday dish that also happens to be nut-free, this Biscuits and Mushroom Gravy recipe by Molly Patrick is the way to go! Using a base of gluten and nut-free tapioca and rice flour, the biscuits are thickened with apple cider vinegar, coconut milk, and vegan butter. The gravy uses a similar base of vegan butter, rice flour, and mushrooms yet is filled with delightful herbs such as basil, marjoram, thyme, and garlic.
3. Cacao and Sesame Balls
Source: Cacao and Sesame Balls
When it comes to dairy-free and nut-free baking, it can oftentimes be difficult to find those deliciously thick and creamy substitutes. Instead, opt for a simpler, yet just as tasty, alternative like this Cacao and Sesame Balls recipe by Amy Savage. These delightful little bites are created with naturally sweet dates, desiccated coconut, anti-inflammatory powerhouse cacao powder, tahini, sesame seeds, and protein and fiber-rich chia seeds.
4. Quinoa Vegetable Tagine
Source: Quinoa Vegetable Tagine
Looking for a nut-free, super healthy, yet non-traditional dish to serve up for Christmas this year? This Quinoa Vegetable Tagine recipe by Danya Dhanak may have a long list of ingredients, but that just means you’re getting way more bang for your buck! Filled with nutrient and macronutrient-dense ingredients, including quinoa, chickpeas, peppers, carrot, and onions, this tagine is also a burst of flavor with a medley of spices and flavor-enhances including harissa, ginger, lemon, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and, of course, a dash of salt!
Peanut-Free
A peanut allergy can be incredibly virulent and dangerous. This type of allergy also happens to be super common. Yet that also means that there has been a slew of peanut alternatives in the mix for years! Plus, just because you’re allergic to this one legume doesn’t mean you’re allergic to the entire plant family, meaning you can still opt for protein and fiber-rich lentils and beans.
1. Soft, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Source: Soft, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
When it comes to the holidays, you really can’t skip out on a gingerbread creation of some kind, whether it’s a house, a loaf of bread, or, of course, cookies! This Soft, Chewy Gingerbread Cookies recipe by Wendy Irene is not only gluten-free but also peanut-free.
2. Mushroom Stew With Herbs
Source: Mushroom Stew With Herbs
Tis’ the season for a delightfully rich, warming, and comforting stew! This Mushroom Stew With Herbs recipe by Adina Beck is free of peanuts yet doesn’t sacrifice its nutrient content and is filled with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and vegetable broth, as well as healthy fat-filled oil and thickening non-dairy milk.
3. Raw Coconut, Matcha and Chocolate Slice
Source: Raw Coconut, Matcha and Chocolate Slice
Make a peanut-free cake this Christmas, and make it raw and healthy too! This Raw Coconut, Matcha and Chocolate Slice recipe by Pamela Higgins sources most of its meaty rawness from healthy fat-filled coconut — desiccated, flour, and oil — then fills the flavor profile with raw cacao powder, tahini, maple syrup, matcha, and vanilla extract.
4. Sicilian Roasted Cauliflower
Source: Sicilian Roasted Cauliflower
Add a delightful, vegan, peanut-free dish to the family Christmas table this year! Looking for the perfect alternative? Try this Sicilian Roasted Cauliflower recipe by Lilia Jankowska. A filling dish complete with a full head of cruciferous cauliflower, a half cup of olive oil, bread crumbs, and seeds. Plus, it’ll be a visual delight as well!
Soy-Free
Many people are under the mistaken assumption that a plant-based diethasto rely upon the protein provided by soy products — think tofu, tempeh, soy yogurt, and soy milk, for example. This is largely untrue as there are a wide variety of incredibly rich sources of plant-based protein that also happen to be soy-free! For instance, “nuts, grains, and seeds are great alternative protein sources,” and you can even find complete proteins such as quinoa or those close to it, such as amaranth. Try integrating some of these protein powerhouses this holiday season in place of soy products!
1. White Chocolate Lemon Popcorn Truffles
Source: White Chocolate Lemon Popcorn Truffles
You may be initially wary of a dessert that combines white chocolate and lemon popcorn, but this recipe does it right! These White Chocolate Lemon Popcorn Truffles by Kat Condon use natural sweeteners such as maple syrup and lemon to balance out the neutral-flavored popcorn and unsweetened coconut, creating a tasty and mildly sweet treat that is completely soy-free and perfect for your next holiday gathering!
2. Seitan Parmesan
Source: Seitan Parmesan
Seitan is a wonderful soy substitute made with wheat gluten! As the final holiday festivities roll around, try adding this Seitan Parmesan recipe by Melanie Sorrentino to the feast. Soy-free yet nutrient-dense, this parmesan substitute is the perfect addition to your favorite noodles or salad!
3. Spicy Vegetables and Chickpea Pasta
Source: Spicy Vegetables and Chickpea Pasta
Looking for an entirely soy-free, protein-rich, holiday-friendly dish to bring to the table … literally? This Spicy Vegetables and Chickpea Pasta recipe by Maria Koutsogiannis is a great soy-free option! This recipe is protein-filled with chickpeas, and nutritional yeast yet is complemented with intense flavor sourced from onion, garlic, black pepper, curry, paprika, cayenne, and cumin.
4. Mozzarella Quinoa Meatballs
Source: Mozzarella Quinoa Meatballs
Meatballs are a fantastic traditional recipe that can be augmented to fit any holiday and any feast! This Mozzarella Quinoa Meatballs recipe by Sara Hohn is one of the best sources of nutrients you’ll find this holiday season that also happens to be soy-free! Complete with quinoa, flax meal, olive oil, and onion, these meatballs will fill your tummy, infuse you with protein and fiber, and keep you satiated for hours to come!
Gluten-Free
While gluten sensitivities have increased dramatically in the last decade, a true gluten allergy is somewhat rare. Of course, no matter if it’s a sensitivity or a full-blown allergy, it’s best to simply avoid gluten when it causes unpleasant side effects. Luckily, there are a slew of alternative flours that are just as goodas a gluten-rich item. These alternatives include “almond, chickpea, quinoa, teff or cassava,” all of which also happen to be “more protein-rich than wheat flour.”
1. Chocolate Truffle Tart
Source: Chocolate Truffle Tart
For those last-minute holiday gatherings, this Chocolate Truffle Tart recipe by Harriet Emily is a great gluten-free option that will delight even those gluten eaters as well! Instead of gluten-rich flour, this recipe uses cashews and a mixture of cocoa butter and powder and cacao raw powder. Plus, it’s naturally sweetened with dates, maple syrup, and liquid stevia.
2. Roasted Garlic Cheese Fritters
Source: Roasted Garlic Cheese Fritters
This Roasted Garlic Cheese Fritters recipe by Florian Nouh is a great option for the whole family on Christmas Day morning! Simple to make and yet filled with flavor, these fritters opt for gluten-free chickpeas, cashews, and nutritional yeast to provide the bulk while increasing the flavor profile with garlic, leeks, and a pinch of salt.
3. Unicorn Frappuccino
Source: Unicorn Frappuccino
A fun and creative recipe to sip by the fireside this holiday season! This Unicorn Frappuccino recipe by Holly Jade is truly a dessert complete with vegan vanilla ice cream, fresh blueberries, strawberries, almond milk, coconut whipped cream, and your choice of sprinkles!
4. Strawberry Chocolate Chip Buckwheat Muffins
Source: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Buckwheat Muffins
Looking for something traditional to serve up on Christmas Day morning? This Strawberry Chocolate Chip Buckwheat Muffins recipe by Christina Bedetta is the perfect way to get your digestive system going in the morning. Instead of gluten flour, this recipe calls for super-healthy buckwheat flour paired with oat flour, flax eggs, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
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Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home
Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.
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