The 2026 Festival of Holidays menus just dropped today, and unfortunately there’s not a single plant-based item to be seen this year. Festival of Holidays used to be one of my favorite times to try new foods in the parks (and share them with you), but we’ve seen vegan options dwindling in recent years. I plan to be in the parks for the opening of Festival of Holidays and will report back if anything changes – join Vegans of Disneyland on Facebook or follow me on Instagram for the latest updates.
But if there were vegan options at this year’s festival.. what would you like to see? I was recently watching an older vlog from The Tim Tracker, and they visited a booth at Festival of Holidays at EPCOT called Favorites of Festivals Past, featuring hit dishes from previous years. I wanted to put together a list of some of my favorites from Festival of Holidays here on the west coast – and to be honest, I think it includes pretty much everything they’ve served during the holidays? I’ve even recreated a couple of these in my kitchen at home, which was really fun and I highly recommend if you’re feeling nostalgic for these items too.
Upside-Down Shepherd’s Pie (2019)
This was just a really simple dish of mashed potatoes, topped with Impossible meat, gravy, peas and carrots. Served with a Mickey-shaped puff pastry on the side. I loved this dish and ordered it at least two or three times, but I do think my homemade version turned out a bit better (and my Mickey was cuter??) but it was still pretty easy to make – check out the YouTube video below for details.
PLANTetatrium Street Tacos (2018)
I wouldn’t have guessed how much I liked all these flavors and textures together in a tortilla, so thanks for that, Disney! These tacos had roasted Brussels sprouts, cilantro, salsa verde, diced white onion, pickled red onion, pomegranate and lime. This was a multiple-time order for me too, and I would be happy to see these return to the parks!
I also made these over the holidays in 2020 when we were stuck at home. They turned out really tasty, and I’m realizing I’m probably overdue to make them again!
Impossible Arepa Encantada (2021)
I’m not totally confident that I would class this as a favorite, but given the absence of anything vegan this year, I would sure be happy to have it back! This was pretty simple with Impossible meat and pickled onion on top of a corn arepa. (Pro tip: if you’re in the mood for masa, you can always go down the road to Shane’s Tamales and bring some back to the park with you!)
Chile Relleno Plate (2019, 2021)
I was scared of chile rellenos as a child because I thought they would be crazy spicy – when I finally tried one as an adult, they quickly became a favorite. Then I went vegan, and didn’t have one for about ten years, so I was stoked to finally see one at Festival of Holidays. It was good, but I think my anticipation based on chile rellenos past made it a little underwhelming – this version was stuffed with stewed vegetables, and I was really hoping for a cheese pull. But I still would have been thrilled to see a mid chile relleno return to the menu this year!
Vanilla & Cranberry Trifle (2018)
This came from a designated vegan food cart called Winter Wonders – the cart also had pumpkin soup with cashew cream, and chana masala with garlic naan. I definitely tried those too but the blog was so new at that point, I don’t think I grabbed a picture! This was such a fun and pretty dessert, and I remember having it a couple of times that year (even though I got my first annual pass only about a week before the festival ended!)
Maybe we’ll see a fully vegan holiday cart pop up again someday, but for now that’s just A Christmas Fantasy. If you’d like to leave feedback with Disneyland to request more vegan options at future events, you can do so using this feedback form. And be sure to fill out your post-visit surveys if you get one!
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