We survived Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Orlando, and now the holidays are in full swing. The “You Do Yule” and Grinchmas themed festivals run from November 24 – January 1 at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures in Florida. Unfortunately, vegans have been left in the cold this holiday season. This year’s holiday menu is a little short on vegan options. We tried the five vegan dishes on offer for the holidays. Here are our thoughts.

Universal Studios Orlando: Vegan Options at “You Do Yule” Holiday Celebration

‘You Do Yule’ & Grinchmas Vegan Options at Islands of Adventures in Florida

Our day began with dessert first by trying the Vegan Cookie Butter Snowflake at Croissant Moon Bakery in Islands of Adventure for $4.29. While it wasn’t bad, it didn’t taste much cookie butter. It was reminiscent of a spice cake and we gave it a three out of five bumblebees.

There was also a Vegan Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie on the regular menu at this location we couldn’t resist. The brownie was also a three out of five bumblebees.

The Grinch popcorn buckets are available all over the park but we found this one in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure. It comes with Holiday Grinch Popcorn, which happens to be vegan. This fun popcorn bucket and delicious popcorn can be yours for only $28.00 but you can purchase the popcorn separately for around $5.00. We love theme park popcorn but it didn’t have any special flavor, just the red coloring, so we gave it a four out of five bumblebees.

Another vegan treat was the Green Grinch Cotton Candy, found at one of the Seuss Landing carts in Islands of Adventure in front of the Circus McGurkus Cafe area. This apple-flavored treat will cost you $6.99. We gave it five out of five bumblebees.

Vegan Options at ‘You Do Yule’ in Universal Studios Orlando

Next, we jumped over to Universal Studios and tried the VBLT (vegan bacon lettuce tomato) at Battery Park for $12.99. This sandwich has smoked tempeh bacon, Divina tomatoes, arugula, vegan pepper jack, and tomato aioli on panini bread. The sandwich was tasty, but the bread was soggy, making the experience somewhat unpleasant. It seemed like they had pre-made the sandwiches early in the day so they could just throw them on the grill when ordered. While this likely saved them prep time the aioli, tomatoes, and arugla got soggy so it really took down the quality of the sandwich. We gave this one three out of five stars. It would have received at least four stars if the bread had not been so wet.

The Jacket Sweet Potato is available at London Taxi Hut for $10.99. This roasted sweet potato has maple butter, dried cranberries, vegan feta cheese, candied pecans, and pomegranate seeds. We really wanted to like this one. It had a variety of ingredients that we enjoy separately. While we love these ingredients on their own, they did not mesh well when combined. There was a salty element that clashed with the sweetness of the sweet potato and this one ended up mostly going to waste. We gave the jacket sweet potatoes one out of five bumblebees.

Ultimately, we were disappointed with Universal’s vegan holiday offerings this year. Luckily, some attractions made up for the scant vegan food options at Universal.

Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hogwarts Castle is all dressed up for the holidays, as are the streets of Hogsmeade. Make your Butterbeer vegan by removing the topping which contains dairy. There are vegan food options in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmede restaurants but nothing special for the holidays. Then, take in a show. Watch the Frog Choir as they perform between Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade. You can also enjoy a holiday performance from Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees in Diagon Alley.

Universal’s Macy’s Holiday Parade

Universal’s Holiday Parade is sponsored by Macy’s and is complete with giant balloons featuring some favorite characters. The parade is beautiful and fun, combining balloons, floats decorated with holiday lights, and dancing characters.

Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure

Who-ville is all decked out for the holidays, Seuss style. Whos run amok, singing, dancing, and playing in the streets of Who-ville. You will also find the Grinch roaming about with his usual sarcastic silliness. Take advantage of his hilarious retelling of the fascinating, classic story with music from Mannheim Steamroller.

Manheim Steamroller

Manheim Steamroller features in the Grinch’s Who-liday Spectacular, but they will also perform live on select dates in Universal Studios. You can enjoy their live music on December 2,3,9 and 10.

Universal’s Holiday Tour

You can go on Universal’s Holiday Tour if you have an extra $99.99 in your budget. You will have reserved seating at the show. Tasty foods will be available. Then, you can attend an after-hours showing of The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle. Catch this and a lot more from November 19 to December 30.

The Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast

If you want a little one-on-one time with the Grinch, go all out for The Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast, where you can share a morning feast with him and his friends. Tickets are $58.99 for adults and $32.99 for children aged 3-9.

Holiday Tribute Store

Universal’s Tribute Store rotates merchandise with each new theme. You can find plenty of holiday-themed merchandise to take home with you. You can also shop online if you cannot go to the park.

Holiday Tree Hunt

Have fun searching for holiday trees throughout Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk alongside Earl the Squirrel. Purchase the Holiday Tree Hunt brochure, and remember to collect your special holiday ornament after you find all the trees.

New Year’s Eve

Look no further for your New Year’s Eve party plans, Universal Studios has you covered. Universal and Islands will be ringing in the New Year with fun festivities.

Universal Studios may have fallen short on the vegan food offerings, but the attractions for the holiday are a definite must. Grabbing a vegan bite before heading to the parks may be a clever idea. Fill up with a vegan meal, then head to the parks for fun.

Check out FARM’s social media or YouTube for more videos from the ‘You Do Yule’ festival at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.