10+ African Vegan Holiday Recipes

These 10+ African-inspired vegan recipes will be a perfect addition to your holiday plate. All of these recipes are incredibly flavourful and draw from the unique flavours and spices from across the African continent. This blog post includes a holiday roast and many side dishes using different grains, protein options and a festive drink to wash it all down. Each recipe includes information on the unique ingredients used and a little history of each recipe.

Vegan Holiday Roast with Teff Stuffing

Click here for the Vegan Roast recipe

Looking for a centrepiece to your holiday dinner? Make sure to check out this holiday roast with an East African Twist. Teff is such an underrated grain, it is nutty and packed with flavour and nutrients. even if you do not make the roast, you must try the stuffing.

Jollof Rice

Click here for Jollof Rice Recipe

There is no West African Christmas complete without Jollof Rice. Jollof rice is basically rice cooked in a really flavourful and concentrated spicy tomato sauce. It is usually made with a meat-based stock, but this recipe is 100% vegan. It uses a combination of spices and flavours that taste just like any jollof rice without the meat.

Jollof Fonio

Click here for Jollof Fonio Recipe

Fonio is an up-and-coming, gluten free and healthier alternative for rice. It is an ancient grain that has been grown in West Africa for centuries. Just like jollof rice, the jollof fonio consists of cooking fonio in a rich tomato sauce. It also cooks in less than 15 minutes

Basil Jollof Quinoa

Click here for Basil Jollof Quinoa recipe

Basil Jollof Quinoa is also another healthier alternative to jollof rice. The quinoa is cooked in an aromatic tomato stew rich with spices and fragrance from the basil. Best of all, this recipe also takes less than half the time you will need to cook jollof rice. It is a perfect side dish that can be put together quickly for your holiday dinner.

Brown Rice Jollof

Click here for the Brown Rice Jollof recipe

As if you did not already need more Jollof Rice recipes, you can also check out this brown rice Jollof if you are looking for a slightly more healthy alternative. This Jollof is just as flavourful and definitely packs a punch. it is the perfect side dish at the Holiday Table.

Mushroom Pilaf Fonio

Click Here for the Pilaf Fonio Recipe

This is an East Africa meets West Africa dish. It is a play on Ghanaian Oil rice where rice is cooking with lots of onions with spices used in East African cooking. The recipe can be whipped up really quickly if you are looking to cook your holiday dinner on a time constraint.

Lentil Quinoa Pilaf

Click Here for the Lentil Pilau Recipe

This recipe is an ode to Pilau, which is a common spicy rice dish popular in East Africa. This recipe substitutes quinoa for rice and includes lentils for added plant based protein. The quinoa is cooked in a delicious broth full of fragrant spices like cardamom and star anise.

Spiced Rice with Cumin and Star Anise

Click Here for Spiced Rice with Cumin Recipe

This recipe is also a play on Ghanaian Oil Rice (also known as agwa mu), but with extra flavour. For this recipe, rice is cooked with sautéed onions and spices that turns basic white rice to an amazing side dish.

Ghanaian Fried Rice

Click Here for Ghanaian Fried Rice Recipe

Like Jollof Rice, there is no Ghanaian party without fried rice. They go together like ying and yang. This really easy recipe uses leftover vegetables and rice to make an amazing and flavourful rice dish.

Ghanaian Salad

Click Here for the Ghanaian Salad Recipe

The vegetable option of choice at many Ghanaian holiday meals is the Ghana Salad. This is a really simple salad made with fresh vegetables and layered with British baked beans. It’s very very easy to whip up and a perfect way to add more greens to your holiday meal.

Suya Tofu Bites

Click Here for Suya Tofu Recipe

Africa does not just have carbs to offer but also amazing protein flavours. Suya is a popular street food consisting of barbecued meat seasoned with a spicy peanut dry rub. This suya spice recipe is almond based and is used to flavour tofu. It is perfect for appetizers, cheese boards and even as a side for your holiday dinner.

Spicy Vegan Meatballs

Click Here for the Suya Meatball Recipe

These suya meatballs are perfect ways to use up leftover suya spice. This spicy vegan meatballs is flavoured with the suya spice from the recipe above. It is nutty, spicy, flavourful and will be perfect for appetizers, cheese boards or as a side for your holiday dinner. These meatballs will have your guest fooled that they are eating real meat.

Mishkaki Tofu

Click Here for the Mishkaki Tofu Recipe

This East African-inspired dish made with a variety of spices found in East African food and tangy tamarind is an amazing side dish that can add more protein options to your holiday table.

Oven Baked Tofu

Click Here for the Oven Baked Tofu Recipe

If you are looking for an easy protein side for your holiday dinner, this oven baked tofu is perfect. It is seasoned with ginger, pepper and onion, which are used to flavour meat in many West African dishes.

Kelewele

Click Here for the Kelewele Recipe

This is an exciting Ghanaian side dish you can add to your holiday rotation. Kelewele consists of ripe plantain seasoned with onion, ginger and different spices. It is also a hit with children. Kelewele works really well as an appetizer, side dish or even dessert ,served with roasted peanuts

Sobolo: Spicy Hibiscus Drink

Click Here for Sobolo Recipe

Finally, to wash it all down, how about a spicy hibiscus drink? Sobolo is a party favourite across West Africa and the Caribbean. This hibiscus punch is sweetened with pineapples, sugar and spiced with whatever spices you have on hand. To elevate the drink, you can add rum to make it a cocktail. Additionally, sobolo is good for you because of all the antioxidants in the hibiscus.