The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook: Entertaining for Absolutely Every Occasion

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Bestselling author, vegan goddess, and comfort food queen Isa Chandra Moskowitz is back with her biggest book ever -- to prove that making festive vegan food for any occasion can be easy, delicious, and super fun. Gone are the days of stressing over how to please family and friends with different dietary needs. Bursting with knock-your-socks-off, mind-bogglingly tasty vegan recipes for Cinnamon Apple Crepes, Cheeseburger Pizza, Biscuits and Gravy, Churro Biscotti, and so much more, The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook will make everyone at your table happy-even meat eaters and the gluten challenged. Isa provides everything you need to get your party started, from finger food and appetizers to casseroles, roasts, and dozens of special sides. Then comes a throng of cakes, cookies, cobblers, loaves, pies, and frozen treats to make you feel like the best dang vegan cook in the world. You'll start with New Year's, stop for Valentine's Day on the way to Easter and Passover, party down from Cinco de Mayo through the Fourth of July, and cook through Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas. And with more than 250 seasonal recipes, you'll mix, match, and remix for every celebration in between -- filling your life with holiday cheer the whole year round.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Vegan, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Vegetarian

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2016

About the author

Oh goodness, there is a date of death dropdown menu on this form. Do the fine people of goodreads know something that I don't?

Reviews

[PorshaJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this one cover to cover four times now and plan on doing the same thing again tonight. I'm overwhelmed by all the wonderful looking recipes that I want to make. The book is a huge and it's beautiful. I see myself using this one over and over again.

The book is over 400 pages and split into sections per specific holidays. So for example, in the Valentines Day section, you can have apps, soups, mains, and desserts all in this section. It's quite unique as most cookbooks break down sections per apps, soups, mains, etc. There are a lot of holidays covered and I think some of the food in one specific holiday can work for other holidays. So it's all very mix-and-match. The recipes do not use any crazy, hard to find, or processed ingredients. If anything, refined coconut oil is used, which is much healthier and eco/animal friendly.

I have already made a number of the recipes in the book. Some of the recipes were already posted on the author's web site some time ago and are now included in the book. Though it's only a few. I also have made a few recipes in the book that are new to me. Naturally I gravitated to the desserts and have loved each one. Some recipes are very easy and some require a bit more time.

Rating is a 4.5 as I do have a few nitpicks on the book. One, it's a massive book with a hard cover. When cooking from it, I can't keep it open. I have a cookbook cover/stands that it just snaps it open and closes the book as the book is so huge. I had to keep opening the book over and over again while using it and already I got it messy. Next, not every recipe has a foodporn photo. The photos in the book are gorgeous but I would like one for every recipe. I understand that can be expensive and the book is already big enough, but that little feature really puts a book over the top for me.

I'm a huge Isa fan and have every one of her books. I use them all frequently. At this point, I'm still torn if this is my favorite or Isa Does It is tops. It's a close call for me. But I see myself using this one quite often, and even when it's not a holiday. A great book for new vegans learning to cook, or those just wanting to spiff up a holiday table.

[Katie D'Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Isa Does It" will always be my all time favourite cookbook, but this comes in a very close second. It has some repeat recipes from her other cookbooks, but is full of such good recipes for any holiday (new years, christmas, etc), and makes larger servings than other cookbook recipes. It's perfect for when you're having people who claim they NEED to meat eat at every meal or difficult eaters in general - all the recipes are very "normal" (easy to find ingredients, things people recognize). It also has images for every recipe, if that's something that is important to you in a cookbooks.

[missy jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, this is just getting ridiculous. HOW has Isa written ANOTHER PERFECT AND GIGANTIC COOKBOOK that has delicious recipes and beautiful pictures and witty repartee throughout? Is there a ceiling to her productivity and brilliance?

I'd recommend this one for someone who is looking for impressive and big-batch recipes for entertaining and potlucks. It's organized by holiday, which is fun, and also I keep compulsively reading it.

[Debbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no need to wait for a holiday! The carrot cake and the blueberry Meyer lemon scones are worth the price of the book. Everything I've tried has been delicious and satisfying to vegans and omnivores alike. There are plenty of good tips and the tone of the book is casual and friendly. The book is fun to read, the recipes are simple and the ingredients are easy to find.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I thought I'd bookmark a lot more recipes than I did. I maybe have 10 in this HUGE book that I'm thinking about maybe trying, and I really can't think of one, without paging back through. So....not too exciting.

I still gave it 3 stars because the recipes do look fantastic (mostly) but I think I'm just not the kind of cook I used to be. For years, I would relish getting home from work and spending and hour or more in the kitchen making an elaborate and delicious dinner. Now? I just want to sit down, relax and have that delicious dinner served to me. For free. By a hot guy.

I guess the 3 stars reflects my bitterness at no longer having a lifestyle where I could afford to spend that kind of time cooking. I'll settle for fast and simple until that hot guy comes with free delicious food.

[SheReaders Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas in here. Potato skins and stuffed mushrooms are on the menu this week because of this book. More plants, less meat and dairy. All good things!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isa is amazing and she has such a great, approachable way of writing. I've made recipes from other books of hers and her website but this is quite the collection. The book is massive! Hostess with the mostess to the max. A lot of the recipes can be simplified for everyday cooking if you're not someone who hosts a lot of parties (and because most of the recipes are for a crowd, you'll have leftovers! Win!) Honestly, would recommend this book for the silly Isa portraits alone.

One nitpick: Unfortunately the book doesn't easily stay open so it's difficult to reference when cooking.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some appealing recipes, but "seasonal" doesn't seem to be a major consideration. Raspberries in winter? Also, it seems as though a good half of the recipes call for raw cashews to be soaked for ersatz cream or cheese: enough with the nuts already!

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I have to say is I'm hungry now!

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous, big, fun, amazing Cookbook arrived the other day on my door steps and I am still gushing over it. This is like a vegan bible.
“The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is absolutely must have on your shelf! Beautifully designed, with gorgeous photos, this cookbook will help to celebrate any occasion with vegan recipes year around!

The book is divided into chapters, that represent all kind of popular holidays in America. From New Year Eve, to Super Bowl, Chinese New Year, Oscars Party, Easter, Passover, Christmas, etc. Each chapter has many recipes. I am sure some of them you will be making not only on certain holiday, but on other occasions as well. Main dishes, snacks, deserts- you will find them all in this book.

Don’t skip the Introduction in the book. It is fun and actually helpful, with many great tips. You will learn what equipment will be useful and how to substitute for allergies. (f.ex. how to substitute gluten in the recipes).

I personally tried few recipes already, (and I made them on regular day, just because I was craving Glazed Vegan Ham ;-). Some of the recipes take more time to finish, and some are more easy to substitute with gluten free ingredients, than others. But in general this is amazing Cookbook to have on your shelf.

[Jaci Millette Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moskowitz is hilarious and charming in her writing (when a recipe calls for sriracha, she gives a precise amount, but then in parenthesis clarifies that you must use less if you're a "spice wimp", ha! She also claims you are awful if you do not cook for someone you love on Valentine's Day-- I tend to agree, hehe). She seems like someone I'd like to have a yummy vegan dinner with-- I especially sensed a potential camaraderie when she says she loves to cook and eat for the SuperBowl, but often finds she and her "existential emo adult [friends] discussing yoga, alternative energy, and bike lanes" instead of watching the game, haha! Many of these recipes are purely from scratch and super creative. I am eager to try the Potato Samosas, Andouille & Cannelli Jambalaya, Chipotle Mac & Cheese with Brussel Sprouts, Stuffed Thanksgiving Burgers, Super Traditional Stuffing, and Buffalo Chickpea Pitas. This thick, stylish, well-photographed, and colorful cookbook does not just incorporate the end-of-the-year holidays, but even gives recipes for Chinese New Year, Mother's/Father's Day, Cinco De Mayo! My only complaint was that not everything was photographed-- things like dressings need not be, but I would have liked to see some of the entrees and sides. I am excited to host my own first Thanksgiving meal in the future, and I will remember this book when planning.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um, this book is amazing. I really wish that it had come in to the library before Christmas because I totally could have used it! New Year's is also over and done with, and I'll probably still be post-surgery down for the count for Chinese New Year and the Superbowl, and we don't really do much for Valentine's Day, but maybe by Mardi Gras I will be back up and about and ready to make an Eggplant Po' Boy or Cauliflower & Shiitake Étouffée, or Avocado Cabbage Rolls and Irish Stout Stew for St. Patrick's Day. This book has recipes for pretty much any major holiday you would normally cook for (and some I, at least, wouldn't--Oscars Party? Nope!), with lots of variety and good advice, and a ton of stuff that honestly sounds good alllllll freaking year long.

And the photography is so pretty it makes even stuff I wouldn't normally think sounds good look so delicious I want to eat it all right now (unlike that one Sqirl cookbook, haha)!

I dunno, you guys. Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I mean, she's kind of like a vegan cookbook goddess, right?

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. “Isa Does It” changed my vegan life. I was so excited to buy this and planned Thanksgiving and Christmas exclusively from the recipes found here.

Pastry Crust - Crust was thin and fell apart when I tried to braid it.
Pumpkin Pie - insufficiently sweet with a strange texture.
Fancy/Not Fancy Gravy - Decent umami.
Whipped Potatoes - Creamy and fluffy.
Chocolate Pecan Pie - Decadent but attempted the recipe three times before I made a caramel that did not immediately harden.
Moskowitz Latkes - Like Mama used to make.
Seitan Roast with Shitakes - Roast worked but the bread crumbs were excessive and dried out the mushroom filling.
Buche de Noel - Unmitigated disaster. Have made Yule Logs several times before. This one cracked in three places causing the buttercream (which was way too liquidy as written and required heaping additional tablespoons of powdered sugar to even resemble frosting) to seep across my counter in a nightmarish pink ooze that took forever to clean up.

Deeply frustrated. Very hit or miss. Will stick with “Party Vegan” by Robin Robertson.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for a cookbook packed with enticing recipes for any occasion? If so, this is a must read! All of the recipes are vegan, so it's perfect if you're cooking for a guest with food allergies, or are just looking for new ideas for you and your family. Many of the recipes are illustrated, which I always love in a cookbook, and are separated by holiday. I've already tried a few of the recipes and all of them have been delicious!

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[??? · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm *that* vegan who's always been content to subside off of simple, basic foods like boiled potatoes and rice; I'm the vegan who confirms the "rabbit food" stereotype to a lot of omnivores. So, when holidays kick around and I'm trying to convince my family that vegan food can be !just as tasty! as the traditional fare most Americans have grown up with, they're not exactly convinced...at least, they weren't until I picked up this book and tested a few of the holiday recipes out; every dish I've tried in this book has been convincing both to vegans and non-vegans alike so far, and I myself cannot detect any difference between Isa's veganized versions of Holiday favorites and the faint memories I have of butter-laden Thanksgiving mashed potatoes and the like.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic cookbook to have on hand if you need to feed a crowd or bring a dish to a potluck. It makes large servings and they tend to be pleasing to people of all dietary persuasions. My favorite recipes so far are the green bean casserole, buffalo chickpea pitas, and the seitan negimaki. The method used to roll out the pastry crust changed my pie-making life, and it might just be my go-to pie crust from here on out. I had trouble with the little peanut butter cups (which were a disaster) and the chocolate pecan pie (which was salvageable). Be wary of anything involving adding chocolate and coconut oil to a recipe - proceed with caution!

[Sandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this from the library for Thanksgiving burgers I saw somewhere on the internets. That’s the only recipe I bookmarked after browsing 400+ pages.

-1 Star for descriptions like “buttery”, “eggy” and recipe names like “Pork Fried Rice”.
-1 Star for an overabundance of recipes that are always vegan, like salsa. I just thought there would be more unique recipes for your holidays, not repeats of recipes found in every other cookbook.

The Stuffed Burgers are worth the other three stars on their own. Fantastic flavor and consistency without needing to add additional binder.

[Whitney Pittsenbarger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this book enough. Isa Chandra Moskowitz was the first vegan cookbook I ever bought years ago. So I feel loyal to her and her recipes but looking through this book it feels like it's almost intentionally difficult. I compare it to all the other cookbooks I currently am using and this one seems like it tries so hard to be unobtainable and difficult. So many of the recipes could be cool but they are just over the top , trying too hard. Not to mention these are not within my allergy friendly range ( lots of sugar, lots of wheat)

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those keeping score, why yes this is yet another Isa Chandra Moskowitz cookbook for me!

I'll allow Isa the honors of letting you know what this cookbook is about. I can not say it better than her: "But this isn't your average entertaining book, where you pull it out once a year and the rest of the time it's being used to press tofu. I want it to be your best friend, sitting on the counter, gossiping with you as you cook along..."

Great recipes. Great read.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes and menus for holidays and celebrations. Not as seasonal as I'd like and maybe a little too much wheat. Note to the publisher: the book is impossible to cook from. It will not stay open. Should have made a better choice in binding.

[Stephanie Behl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great assortment of recipes for every single occasion! Favourites include the Eggy Potato Salad, Chocolate Babka, Carrot Cake, Snuggly Bunnies, and BBQ Tofu "ribs". Recipes range from very simple to slightly complex, but nothing too uncommon or complicated. Definitely recommend!

[Alisha S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is delicious, there's food for a range of levels, honestly just so many recipes, so delicious, I have read this back to front multiple times and have tried so many recipes and loved pretty much all of them. Highly, highly recommend.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Isa’s sassy writing style. This cookbook is my fave of hers, and I have most of them. I have made over twenty recipes from this book, and come back to it for inspiration. The pistachio-lentil biryani and the tikka masala are amazing.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every cookbook that Moskowitz puts out is always a pleasure and filled with vegan recipes. This one which sorts recipes by holiday and is a heafty tome is a really great addition to any vegan kitchen.

[Dolly Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!!

This is exactly what I need for my transition to vegan 💪🏽 thank you Isa 💞 i love this book so much!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

a wide range of holiday cooking ideas for vegan options. mostly I was excited about the homemade seitan roast - something to bring up for a future holiday

[angeleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange organization (by holiday instead of by appetizer, dessert, etc) and not enough photos.

[Adrian Salamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best vegan cookbooks

[AnnieM · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a beautiful cookbook laid out with photos, color, and great instructions this is for you. It starts in January and marches all the way to December stopping at every holiday on the way.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the concept but found nothing inspiring to make.