As the only vegan in my family, the holidays can be challenging — I want everyone to enjoy the festivities without having to sacrifice their favorite foods.
Here are some of my favorite vegan Trader Joe's products for entertaining friends and family this time of year.
Boxed mixes streamline holiday baking.You can make different baked goods with the gingerbread mix.
Stephanie Dreyer
Whether you're not a baker or just short on time, Trader Joe's multipurpose gingerbread mix is great for making cookies, cakes, bars, and more.
The mix itself is naturally plant-based, and to keep it that way, I use a flax egg and plant-based butter when I prepare it.
Precut vegetables and herbs speed up meal prep.I look forward to Trader Joe's holiday vegetable hash.
Stephanie Dreyer
In the winter, I rely on Trader Joe's flavorful holiday vegetable hash.
Since the peeling and chopping are already done, I just sauté or roast the mixture of diced butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red onions, celery, parsley, sage, and rosemary before adding it to dishes.
It gives me a headstart on dinner when I'm making stuffing, soup, or side dishes with quinoa and wild rice. The mix also tastes great in breakfast scrambles and burritos.
Peppermint popcorn is an instant hit on the dessert table.I like the sweet and savory vibes of the peppermint-crunch popcorn.
Stephanie Dreyer
Sweet meets savory in Trader Joe's seasonal peppermint-crunch popcorn, which mixes dark- and white-chocolate-coated kernels tossed in crushed candy canes.
It's great for a holiday dessert table or a cozy movie marathon, but it also makes a nice host gift.
Sometimes, I'll even add it to a larger holiday snack mix or rice-crispy treats for extra festive cheer.
Trader Joe's holiday gummies are just plain fun.There are multiple festive shapes of gummy candy.
Stephanie Dreyer
It's easy to keep my candy dishes full with Trader Joe's gummy Scandinavian Tidings, which come in all sorts of festive shapes.
I also saw a Festive Chaos candy mix this year. It contains bovine gelatin, so it's not vegan, but the rest of my family can enjoy it.
Aside from snacking, these festive bags make excellent stocking stuffers. You can also use them to decorate gingerbread houses and top holiday cupcakes and cookies.
Candy-cane Joe-Joe's are a must for me every winter.The regular candy-cane Joe-Joe's are vegan, but the gluten-free variety is not.
Stephanie Dreyer
Perhaps the most anticipated product of the season at Trader Joe's is its candy-cane Joe-Joe's.
The peppermint sandwich cookies are great on a holiday dessert board, chopped and stirred into a bowl of ice cream, crumbled on top of eggnog, and dunked into mugs of hot cocoa.
You could even crush them into bits to make an easy pie crust.
The regular candy-cane Joe-Joe's are "accidentally" vegan — meaning they just happen to be fully plant-based. However, the gluten-free version of the cookies may contain milk and eggs, per the ingredient list.
Stuffed olives are a game changer.There are so many flavors of stuffed olives at Trader Joe's.
Stephanie Dreyer
Zesty lemon-stuffed olives are my top pick for adding flair to cocktails, mezze platters, and charcuterie boards.
The citrusy olives are good as a right-out-of-the-jar snack, but I also skewer them on toothpicks alongside vegan cheese and cocktail tomatoes or chop and swirl them into dips.
If lemon isn't your thing, other stuffed-olive options are available, including garlic and jalapeño.
Peppermint mini marshmallows add a jolly twist to classic favorites.Trader Joe's has peppermint mini marshmallows that are vegan-friendly.
Stephanie Dreyer
The vegan peppermint mini marshmallows are something I look forward to all year.
Toast and sandwich them between graham crackers and chocolate for festive s'mores, or melt them with vegan butter for a holiday take on the quintessential rice-crispy treat.
For the ultimate seasonal beverage, I like to include them on my hot-cocoa bars alongside plant-based whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Trader Joe's frozen appetizers are a huge help.I just have to throw the vegetable pouches in the oven while I'm prepping other foods.
Stephanie Dreyer
I check appetizers off my to-do list with Trader Joe's frozen crispy vegetable pouches.
The pockets of pastry dough are filled with jicama, taro, cabbage, carrots, onions, and shiitake mushrooms for an elegant plant-based hors d'oeuvre.
They're seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and red chili, adding global flavors to your holiday menu. Plus, they're ready to eat in under 15 minutes.