Opinion In stores now: Vegan Christmas pudding, mince pies & desserts

Gingerbread, fruit cakes, truffles, and more! Look out for these festive vegan desserts in stores.

Let’s be real, the holiday season is mostly about the food – but we’re all for any hack that helps us spend less time in the kitchen, and more time actually enjoying the feast with friends and family ❤️

If you’ve been wondering what to feed a vegetarian or vegan guest (or even more excitingly, thinking of hosting a fully plant-based Christmas this year), the good news is that there are tonnes of handy store-bought products available that can help you cut down on food prep.

After all, you don’t have to make everything from scratch for the overall spread to be made with love, thoughtfulness, and cheer! 

Check out these amazing seasonal vegan desserts that you can buy right now in Australian stores and from online vegan-friendly retailers. 

Minimal prep required … apart from preparing yourself for the inevitable food coma, of course 😉

Gingerbread, Shortbread & Macaroons

Here are just some of our favourite plant-based Christmas biscuits on the market. You can also order a massive range of gingerbread online from Gingerbread Folk. All of their products are proudly vegan and made in Australia! 

• Green’s Christmas Shortbread Cookie Mix (Woolworths)*
• Green’s Gingerbread Christmas Cookie Mix (Woolworths)*
• Dollar Sweets Red & White Cookie Icing (Woolworths)
• Gingerbread Folk Gingerbread Tree Kit (Woolworths)
• Gingerbread Folk Traditional Gingerbread House Kit (Woolworths)
• The Little Bakery Co. Vegan Chocolate Macaroons (Coles)
• Coles Brand Festive Gingerbread House Kit (Coles)
• Coles Brand Festive Gingerbread Decorating Kit (Coles)
• Mac’s Plant-Based Macadamia Shortbread Fingers (Big W)
• Mac’s Plant-Based Shortbread Fingers (The Gourmet Pantry)
• Humble Jumble Gingerbread Friends Kit (Kind to Earth)*

Chocolate Cakes & Cake Mixes

Either pre-made or easy to throw together last-minute, these products make whipping up a decadent, chocolatey dessert a literal piece of cake! 

• Plantitude Beggin For More Belgian Dark Chocolate Cake (Woolworths)
• Plantitude Brownie Points Belgian Dark Chocolate Brownie (Woolworths)
• Plantitude Blown Away Belgian Dark Chocolate Cake (Woolworths)
• Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (Coles)*
• Green’s Chocolate Mud Cake Mix (Coles)* 
• Nature’s Kitchen Vegan Chocolate Cupcake (Coles)

Christmas Puddings

These plant-based products are redefining festive sweetness – while still hitting all the nostalgic notes of traditional Christmas pudding. Boasting rich, fruity medleys and warming spices, every bite is a burst of festive flavour. 

(But don’t take our word for it … You know where they say the proof is, after all!)

• Plantitude Christmas Pudding (Woolworths)
• Gold Handmade Dark Chocolate & Davidson Plum Pudding (Woolworths)
• Coles Brand Festive Matured Christmas Pudding (Coles)
• I’m Free From Gluten Free Christmas Pudding (Coles)
• Cruelty Free Pantry Traditional Christmas Pudding (The Vegan Grocery Store)
• Pud For All Seasons Vegan Traditional Plum Pudding (GF Pantry)
• Pudding Lady Vegan Christmas Pudding (Pudding Lady)

Fruit Cake & Panettone

What would the festive season even be without fruit cake? There are a handful of delightful options in stores this year, including individual fruit cake slices and bites, as well as 100% plant-based panettone. Try saying that 3 times fast!

• I’m Free From Gluten Free Fruit Cake Slices (Coles)
• I’m Free From Mini Fruit Cake Bites (Coles)
• Vergani Vegan Christmas Cake Panettone (The Gourmet Pantry)

Fruit Mince Pies

Forget leaving mince pies out for Santa – these plant-based versions are so yum, you’ll want to keep them all to yourself.

• Free From Gluten Fruit Mince Pies (Woolworths)
• I’m Free From Fruit Mince Pies (Coles)
• I’m Free From Mini Fruit Mince Pies (Coles)
• The Foods of Athenry Christmas Fruit Mince Pies (The Vegan Grocery Store)

Egg-Free Meringues

You can make the most divine, melt-in-your-mouth vegan meringues at home with a magical ingredient called aquafaba – or you can nip down to your local Coles or Woolies and grab some there. There’s also a new plant-based meringue mix available online that claims to be foolproof!

• Plantitude Mini Meringue Nests (Woolworths)
• Nature’s Kitchen Vanilla Meringue Kisses (Coles)
• Nature’s Kitchen Meringue Nests (Coles)
• Well & Good Vegan Meringue Mix (The Vegan Grocery Store)

Truffles, Rum Balls & Chocolates

We could go on about the huge range of delectable dairy-free chocolates you can find in stores these days, but we’d be here ‘til next Christmas trying to list them all! Instead, here are a few of our absolute favourite vegan truffles, rum balls, and peppermint chocolates that are the epitome of festive indulgence. 

(For more chocolates and sweet treats, check out our list of plant-based stocking stuffers!)

• Plantitude Truffles Dusted in Cocoa (Woolworths)
• Halloren Royal Mint Chocolates (Woolworths)
• Doughlicious Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Dessert Bites (Woolworths)
• Walkers of London Chocolate Mints (Coles)
• Coles Finest Luxury Christmas Crunch (Coles)
• Free From Family Co. Kid-Friendly Rum Ball Kit (Happy Tummies)
• Booja Booja Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Truffles (The Vegan Grocery Store)
• Booja Booja Chocolate Honeycomb Caramel Truffles (Vegan Perfection)
• Constant Craving Christmas Brandy Truffles (The Vegan Grocery Store)

Ready to plan the rest of your feast?

Hopefully this list helps make your Christmas food shopping a bit easier … Let us know if we’ve missed anything. It’s hard to be exhaustive when there are so many delicious options, with more added every year.

Check out our plant-based festive food shopping guide for even more products to look out for this year – not just desserts but roasts, stocking stuffers, condiments, ‘seafood’ alternatives and more.

We’d love to hear your review if you try any of these products! Tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to show us your plant-based holiday menus.

And of course, if you’re feeling inspired to make some dishes from scratch, we can help with that too! Check out our vegan festive recipe round-up for heaps of ideas.

*Use a plant-based alternative for the egg, butter, and milk when following the recipe on the box. 

Header image: © Foods of Athenry