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Holiday Brunch Menu Ideas

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Hosting a holiday brunch? Veggie School has some vegetarian-friendly ideas—savory, sweet, and festive—will impress everyone at the table!  

NEW: Scroll down for VeggieSchool's suggestions for an expanded Vegetarian Charcuterie Suggestion Board -- thanks to the creative veggie gang over at Best Adventist Recipe Swap on Facebook

On a very active Adventist recipe swap social media group there was a last-minute request for ideas for a Christmas brunch, an innovation for busy families that have to get back to jobs, or are splitting their holiday time between relatives' homes. They are basically geared to be vegetarian, but might include eggs and dairy (ovo-laco vegetarian, possibly the most active dietary choice of Adventists worldwide.) 

Who doesn't enjoy an informal but delicious brunch? (Firefly image)

 1. The first person sharing on the online group about Christmas breakfast stated that their family had a tradition of Blueberry coffee cake and Christmas fruit punch

Here is a recipe for Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake (in lieu of the above blueberry coffee cake):


Serves 17.


2 cups Sugar

⅔ cups Vegetable Shortening

3 Eggs

1 ¼ cup of Milk (dairy or nondairy)

4 ¼ cups of All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 tablespoons Baking Powder

1 ¼ teaspoons Salt

5 ⅓ cups frozen blueberries 


Topping for the Above: 

⅛ cup of Butter (dairy or nondairy)

¾ cup Brown Sugar, packed

¼ cup Flour

1 teaspoon Cinnamon


TO MAKE THE COFFEE CAKE:

  1. Cream together the shortening and flour.
  2. Add eggs.
  3. Mix in milk, flour, baking powder, salt and blueberries.
  4. Spoon into a 9” x 13” baking pan lined with parchment.
  5. Mix the topping together and sprinkle across the unbaked coffee cake.
  6. Bake at 375F for 45 to 50 minutes.
  7. Serve warm


    2.One family has “a breakfast charcuterie board while the kids open presents and then a Christmas brunch a little later. Breakfast foods are never a bad idea.” (Firefly image.)

    2B.Vegetarian/Vegan and Gluten-Free Charcuterier Board Ideas (Added December 30, 2025)


    2B. When I checked into the Best Adventist Recipe Swap Group on Facebook this morning, someone had very recently requested “ISO ideas for a Vegetarian Charcuterie Board. The suggestions, along with mouth-watering images of lushly illustrative groaning boards (real) poured onto the page.  I invite you to join that group if you want to share great vegetarian and vegan recipes, and to see this particular post. But I am posting most of the ideas in a shopping list of ingredients (below) so you can make your own charcuterie board without having to go through the entire lengthy list and do what I am striving to do for you (us).

    Nona, a BARS group Admin, began the posting with a brief organizationa note: Variety is the spice of the Charcuterie Board. When you deciding what to put on your board(s), choose a mix of sweet, sour, salty, and savory items, as well as foods that have different textures (i.e., mouth feel) such as chewy, creamy, crunchy, etc.  

    I added that it is a good idea to have a separate board for Gluten-Free items, if you are offering them for your friends with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities. You might consider marking items that are vegan and ones that are nut-free or contain nuts.  Just a thought. Get somefeedback from your guests who fall into those food-restricted categories.

    Use toothpicks or little cocktail forks for finger foods. If children
    are involved, supervise their food selections, quantity, and foods they might be allergic to.

    The following list is available on a printable PDF that you can take
    with you shopping if you like:


    A VEGETARIAN CHARCUTERIE BOARD

    BREAD, BUNS, CAKES, DONUTS, PITAS, TORTILLAS


    • BREAD, BUNS, CAKES, DONUTS, PITAS, TORTILLAS Cinnamon rolls Bruschetta or tart-sized pizzas Tortilla roll-ups with Nutilla spread (DIY or ready made) Tiny sandwiches or cookie-size pizza pinwheels Warm corn muffins or arepas with vegetarian stuffing A variety of crackers and corn chips Spreads for the bread and buns: jam, hummus, soft vegan cheeses,
    • tofu spreads,( Toby’s tofu based spread is recommended) Bagels (with dipping oil), Panatone, and other fav breadies Cakes and Quick Breads of choice (eg., Fruitcake, Zucchini Loaf) FRESH FRUITS, VEGGIES AND NUTS Baby carrots, tiny tomatoes, cucumber slices Various dips for above, hummus, mayo DIY Lettuce wraps: trimmed lettuce leaves, chopped tomatoes,
    • chopped red onions or chives, relish, dips, dressings,
    • Pico Verde and/or Guacamole, mashed avocado & lime,
    • lime wedges, alfalfa sprouts, baby spinach, Asparagus spears (canned) Fresh berries (your choice, preference, seasonal) Dried fruits: figs, dates, mango Pineapple chunks or spears Grapes, oranges, bananas, clementines, kiwi, sliced or diced Variety of nuts in separate bowls, maybe apart from the boards:
    • pistachios in salty shells, macadamia, walnuts,
    • almonds, peanuts in the shell, cashews Smallest mason jars with fruity chia puddings PICKLES AND OLIVES Black, green, red olives, sliced, stuffed and/or whole Pickled asparagus Homemade garlic-dill pickles Gherkins Bread and Butter pickles Pickled beets Pickled and/or freeze-dried onions (GF) PROTEIN FOODS Deviled eggs (ovo-lacto vegetarian) Veggie Sushi Rolls (like California Rolls with tofu, etc.) Vegan cheeses, both homemade and commercial. Goat cheese log with a blended cranberry-apple-orange-maple syrup
    • or sugar-relish Various vegan “cold cuts”, faux meat slices such as
    • a fig salami made by Hellenic Farms or a
    • pepperoni sausage made by Field Roast. Seitan cutlets are suggested,
    • but the recipes by Chef Skye Michael are said to result in a
    • superior cutlet (so search recipes for cutlets by this chef).
    Click HERE to PRINT the Above List as a Grocery List with Checkboxes.

    3. “This year we're doing Chili, cinnamon rolls and fruit.

    We change it up a little every year” Firefly image.



    4. "I use in steps: homemade pizza dough, salsa, scrambled eggs, crumbled up a roll vegetarian sausage (Prosage is a vegetarian sausage product made by Worthington food company), then I sauté with onion, pepper and spices of choice, put over scrambled eggs, top with cheesecof choice, bake and enjoy!” This brunch host also likes to include other breakfast items such as "oatmeal, Prosage and scrambled eggs, a selection of nice fresh fruit and some delicious desserts”. (Note: Firefly pizza image seems to include bacon-- it would be Stripples or some other vegetarian bacon on an Adventist breakfast pizza😜




    5. And for a lighter Brunch for those who enjoy just a holiday-themed smoothie (or maybe a "smoothie bar"), here are some ideas from Smoothiemoves.com -- just scroll down under the recipe for the mandarin orange smoothie for links to other vegan holiday smoothie recipes.


    The first four brunch ideas above are gratefully *borrowed* from Best Adventist Recipe Swap on Facebook. So grateful for this 24/7 healthy recipe group on Facebook... take a look, if you haven't already!


    And check out Etsy for the coolest casserole carriers! <-click (affiliate link)

    🥤 Recipe and photos © 2026 Cynthia Zirkwitz | Veggie School
    Please share the link, not the full recipe — thanks for supporting independent food writers!
    Find more quick, healthy vegan recipes and potluck ideas at Veggie School.

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