During the holidays, hosting dinner tends to go one of two (very predictable) ways. You either spend the entire day in the kitchen cooking multiple mains, or you cook one dinner and watch one friend build a plate out of bread and wine. Good news! There’s a happier middle: one menu where most of the table is inclusive, plus a few add-ons in case of allergies or preferences. Where to begin? Start with the invite, then design the menu.
Ask Early (and Let Them Respond Privately)
Best-case scenario, you have a table full of omnivores who can eat gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs, soy, and shellfish. Worst case, you get to flex your culinary muscles! Somewhere on the invite, ask your guests if they have any dietary restrictions. Don’t ask the day before. This gives you plenty of time to plan, and it gives your guests ample time to answer without feeling like an inconvenience. Speaking from experience, streamline this process by choosing either text or email to let you know (not both).
Treat Allergies Differently From Preferences
A guest who skips dairy because it upsets their stomach and a guest with a milk allergy need different things. The first can eat a brownie a la mode. The second needs a dish made without the ingredient and served so it never touches it. For anything described as an allergy or celiac disease, read the packaging on every store-bought item (including broth, soy sauce, spice blends, and chili oil, since gluten and allergens like sesame and tree nuts turn up in surprising places). And if any detail is unclear, ask them! Nobody minds a host who double-checks.
Build the Table in Layers
The easiest way to cook one dinner—for everyone—is to think in two layers. The base layer is every dish that is vegan and gluten-free, so any guest can serve themselves without asking. The second layer is whatever you’d miss if it were gone, passed separately: a bowl of yogurt, a wedge of Parmesan, a basket of bread, a chicken main, and so on. Our Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad is a good example, since it calls for parmesan. Dress it without the cheese, put the accoutrement in a small bowl with its own spoon, and the salad works for the dairy-free guest and the cheese lover alike. Do this for each course, and the shopping list barely grows.
Everything here is vegan as written, with placeholders for dairy.
Appetizer: Charred Eggplant Dip With Sesame Chili Oil, served with crudités and gluten-free crackers (like Mary’s Gone crackers). Put pita on a separate plate.
Main: Coconut Dal With Kale. Use oil instead of ghee and finish it up with a squeeze of lemon.
Side: One-Pot Mushroom Kale Rice, made with olive oil and maple syrup instead of butter and honey.
Dessert: Pumpkin Seed Bars and a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream.
On the side: Plain yogurt for the dal and a basket of naan.
Make ahead: The eggplant base keeps up to three days, and the chili oil goes on right before serving. The bars set in the fridge overnight and then keep in the freezer. Soak the lentils the night before.
Heads-up for guests: The dip has sesame and the bars have almond. The rice uses soy sauce and bouillon, so read both labels for gluten.
Menu Two: A Chicken Main With Hearty Veggies Beside It
A mixed table, with chicken for some and plenty of plant-based goodness for everyone else.
Appetizer: Charred Shishitos With Romesco, Lemon & Herbs. The romesco can be made up to five days ahead.
Main: Sheet Pan Chicken With Japanese Sweet Potatoes & Tahini Drizzle. The chicken and the sweet potatoes roast on separate pans, so the sweet potatoes are your shared base. The marinade has Greek yogurt, so for a dairy-free guest, marinate a few thighs in the same olive oil, lemon, garlic, and spices without it.
Plant-based main: The sweet potatoes with the tahini drizzle, plus One-Pot Mushroom Kale Rice topped with crumbled tofu. The drizzle has honey, so use maple syrup for a vegan plate.
Dessert: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Brownies, made with oat flour labeled gluten-free.
Make ahead: Marinate the chicken in the morning or overnight.
Heads-up for guests: The romesco, brownies, and tahini drizzle contain nuts or sesame.
For Friendsgiving or any big fall dinner.
Starter: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette, dressed without the parmesan, with the cheese passed on the side. It can sit overnight.
Main: Brined Roast Turkey, which serves eight to 10. It’s seasoned with salt, pepper, and oil, and the brine uses sorghum syrup, so it has no dairy or gluten as written. For a plant-based main, add our Roasted Honeynut Squash with maple syrup in the dressing and the goat cheese on the side.
Sides: Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Spicy Honey Seed Crunch and Make-Ahead Vegan Mashed Potatoes. The sweet potatoes call for butter and optional sour cream, so skip both for a dairy-free plate.
Dessert: Healthy & Easy Apple Crumble, made with gluten-free oats, almond flour, and coconut oil.
Make ahead: Brine the turkey a day ahead. Roast the sweet potatoes, mash in the butter and salt, add the crunch, and hold them wrapped in a warm oven for an hour or two. The mashed potatoes can be made two to three hours ahead.
Heads-up for guests: The sweet potato crunch has almond and sesame, and the salad has almonds.
Serve It So Nobody Has to Ask
Once everything is ready, put the main dish in the middle of the table and the sides scattered around it. Otherwise, create a grazing table for your guests to serve themselves (versus passing around serving dishes). Give every platter its own serving utensil. If you’re opting to put everything on a separate table or kitchen island, small place cards with the dish name and a short note—”vegan and gluten-free” or “contains pecans”—are always a helpful touch.
Our gluten-free, dairy-free appetizers roundup has a short note on platters and utensils that applies here, too.
Keep the Spotlight Off Your Guest
Ideally, your guest’s dietary needs never become the topic of conversation. Mention it once, privately, when they arrive (“Everything on this side of the table is fine for you!”), and then let dinner be dinner. They will be so appreciative you went the extra mile. At the end of the day, hospitality means making someone feel welcomed, not singled out, and a table where they can eat without feeling like they’re inconveniencing anyone.
Keep It Doable
As we wrap up 2026, remember that the most memorable tables are the ones that feel generous, not perfect. You don’t need an elaborate menu or a dozen substitutions to make everyone feel welcome. A little bit of planning goes a long way, and a few dishes everyone can enjoy do more than any complicated workaround. Once the candles are lit and the food is out, the only thing left to do is savor the beautiful evening you made.
