Candles in red holders, jars of pickled herring in half a dozen flavours, a glazed ham carved in thin slices and a dish of Jansson’s temptation still bubbling at the edges: the julbord is the Swedish Christmas table. In Stockholm the season usually runs from late November until Christmas. For a vegan guest, the classic spread is mostly off limits, because nearly every traditional dish contains fish, meat, egg or dairy. A vegan guest can still eat at a julbord. Many restaurants can adapt parts of the buffet or cook separate dishes, and the time to tell them is when the table is booked.
The julbord is eaten in rounds, and fish comes first
A julbord is not one plate piled high. Swedes go back to the table several times, and the usual order runs in four rounds: herring, salmon and eggs first, then the Christmas ham, cold cuts and cheese, then the warm dishes, and finally rice pudding, gingerbread and sweets. The pickled herring, sill, comes in many flavours and is eaten with boiled potatoes and crispbread. The warm round brings meatballs, small sausages, spare ribs and Jansson’s temptation.
At a restaurant the format varies. Some lay everything out as a buffet, others bring the rounds to the table as shared dishes. Either way the rhythm is the same, and a vegan guest who knows it can see what is coming before the plates arrive.
The buffet format helps. Everything is on display, so the plant-based items can be picked out and the rest skipped, as on any Swedish smörgåsbord. Our guide to eating plant-based at traditional Swedish restaurants covers the general approach. The julbord is harder than an ordinary lunch buffet, though, because the classics are built around pork and fish.
Most julbord classics contain fish, meat or dairy
“Never” means the dish is defined by an animal ingredient. “Ask” means it varies from kitchen to kitchen. “Often” means common versions contain no animal ingredients, but a restaurant may still add butter or cream. No dish is marked “always”, because on a table prepared by someone else, even boiled potatoes can be finished with butter.
| Swedish name | What it is | Vegan? |
|---|---|---|
| Inlagd sill | Pickled herring in several flavours | Never |
| Gravad lax, rökt lax | Cured or smoked salmon | Never |
| Ägghalvor, gubbröra | Egg halves; egg salad with sprats | Never |
| Julskinka | Christmas ham, glazed with mustard, egg and breadcrumbs | Never |
| Köttbullar | Meatballs | Never, unless a plant-based version is offered |
| Prinskorv | Small pork sausages | Never |
| Revbensspjäll | Spare ribs | Never |
| Janssons frestelse | Potato gratin with sprats and cream | Never |
| Lutfisk | Lye-cured dried fish with white sauce | Never |
| Ost | Cheese | Never |
| Risgrynsgröt, ris à la Malta | Rice pudding; cold rice with whipped cream | Never |
| Kokt potatis | Boiled potatoes | Often |
| Vörtbröd | Dark, sweet wort bread | Often |
| Knäckebröd | Crispbread | Often |
| Julmust | Christmas soft drink | Often |
| Rödbetssallad | Beetroot salad | Ask |
| Rödkål | Braised red cabbage | Ask |
| Grönkål, brysselkål | Kale; Brussels sprouts | Ask |
| Pepparkakor | Gingerbread biscuits | Ask |
| Glögg | Mulled wine | Ask |
Kale can go either way: one 2026 julbord menu in Stockholm lists cream-cooked kale next to a kale salad with mustard vinaigrette. Vörtbröd is marked “often”. Pågen’s Julefröjd vörtbröd is made with rapeseed and sunflower oil, and its ingredient list names no milk, egg or butter. A loaf baked in a restaurant kitchen can still contain butter.
Jansson’s temptation is a fish dish, despite the potatoes
Janssons frestelse looks like a potato gratin, but the “ansjovis” in it is the main flavour, not a garnish that could be left out. Swedish ansjovis is not the Mediterranean anchovy but spiced sprat (Sprattus sprattus). A tin of ICA ansjovis contains skinless sprat fillets marinated with sugar, salt and spices such as cinnamon and clove. The gratin is also made with cream.
Gubbröra, the egg salad, is also made with ansjovis. The bright pink beetroot salad is less clear. Recipes vary, so ask before taking it.
Julmust is usually fine, glögg depends on the bottle
Julmust, the dark and sweet Christmas soft drink, is the easy choice. Apotekarnes julmust is made from carbonated water, sugar, colouring, natural hop and malt flavouring, citric acid, spice extract, flavourings and a preservative, and its label names no animal ingredients.
Glögg, the mulled wine served on arrival, is harder to judge from the outside. Wine is sometimes clarified with milk protein, egg white, isinglass from fish bladders or chitin from shellfish. Vegan wines are clarified with bentonite clay or fine filters instead. Shelf labels at Systembolaget carry no vegan marking, but producers mark vegan bottles on the bottle’s own label, so a restaurant can check the glögg it pours. Alcohol-free glögg is a separate question, and the answer is on its label too.
Five Swedish phrases cover the questions a vegan needs to ask
The dish names on a julbord are in Swedish, and a few words make the conversation faster. Our Swedish vegan glossary has the basic vocabulary for menus and labels. For the julbord, these five phrases do most of the work:
- Jag är vegan. I am vegan.
- Finns det ett veganskt julbord, eller veganska rätter på julbordet? Is there a vegan julbord, or vegan dishes on the julbord?
- Innehåller den här rätten mjölk, ägg, fisk eller kött? Does this dish contain milk, egg, fish or meat?
- Är den gjord utan smör och grädde? Is it made without butter and cream?
- Kan köket göra en vegansk tallrik till mig? Can the kitchen make a vegan plate for me?
The word to listen for in the answer is vegansk, vegan. Växtbaserad means plant-based, but ask whether it covers egg and dairy as well.
Tell the organiser before the restaurant is booked
At an office julbord, tell the person organising it first, before the booking goes in. The organiser can then pass it on when booking, since many restaurants can adapt parts of the buffet or offer separate dishes. Popular julbord in Stockholm are likely to sell out, especially on weekends and early evenings, so an early request also means a better chance of a table.
Ask, too, whether the restaurant serves an entirely plant-based julbord this season. Menus, dates and prices change every year, and the restaurant’s own website has the current offer.
If the restaurant cannot adapt, a plate can still be built from potatoes, bread, julmust and whatever the kitchen confirms is free of animal ingredients.
Some restaurants and home cooks make plant-based versions of the classics, and our guide to veganized Swedish classics shows what they are made from. For a julbord at home, or a dish to bring to one, plant-based meatballs and oat-based cream are easy to find in any large Swedish supermarket.
The ingredient lists for Pågen’s Julefröjd vörtbröd, ICA ansjovis and Apotekarnes julmust are as published in ICA’s online shop on 21 October 2026. Recipes change, and the label on the pack decides.
Last fact-checked: 21 October 2026