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In preparation for Santa’s annual visit to the UK next week, millions of households are planning to leave out plant-based milk and cookies instead of dairy.
A survey commissioned by Rude Health found that 20 percent of Britons will leave out some kind of milk alternative for Santa on Christmas Eve this year.
Read more: Vegan Christmas Continued: 18 Recipes You Need On Your Table
The new survey included 2,000 UK adults, and found that around 400 participants – representing nearly 14 million people nationwide – were going to leave Santa a dairy alternative. Children are often encouraged to leave out milk and cookies for Santa (and sometimes carrot sticks for Rudolph) on Christmas Eve. The practice is a fun, celebrative, and symbolic expression of gratitude that dates back centuries.
Censuswide carried out the survey on behalf of Rude Health, and the dairy-free brand said that its findings confirm “how plant-based choices are no longer niche, but firmly embedded in modern British life – reshaping even the nation’s most cherished Christmas rituals.” Around 35 percent of the UK regularly consumes plant-based milks year-round, with oat milk the firm favorite for coffee, in particular.
Plant-based milk on Christmas Eve ‘is a fun reflection of how everyday habits are changing’
The new survey also found that nearly 25 percent of Britons say they want to cut back on dairy milk overall. This ratio rises to 32 percent of Generation Z and 40 percent of millennials. Furthermore, 24 percent (33 percent of Gen Z and 38 percent of Millennials) say they have already reduced their dairy and “feel healthier.”
The survey’s findings represent a broader shift towards vegan dairy and meat products in the UK and Europe, where alternatives are increasingly mainstream.
The findings also coincide with a growing international push from parents, advocacy groups, and lawmakers for greater access to plant-based milk and meals in schools.
In Rude Health’s statement on the survey, Dr Heather McKee, a lifestyle behavioural change expert, said, “Food traditions are evolving as people become more conscious of how their choices make them feel and the impact they have.”
“Younger families are especially open to rethinking ‘the way things have always been done’ – and Christmas is no exception,” she added. “Leaving a milk alternative out for Santa is a fun reflection of how everyday habits are changing.”
Read more: The UK Sugar Tax Will Now Include Plant-Based Milk Alternatives, But Not Dairy
The Amateur Mixologist’s ‘Pistachio Date Latte’
Rude Health collaborated with award-winning bartender Matt Hollidge, aka The Amateur Mixologist, to create a non-alcoholic breakfast cocktail for the holidays. It features Rude Health’s Barista Pistachio, a UK exclusive, and coffee.
The full ingredients list includes 150ml of pistachio milk, 25g of granola, a single medjool date, a shot of espresso, and a single coffee bean or pistachio for garnish. Hollidge has also created a “delicious” breakfast drink he calls “Overnight” that combines Rude Health’s pistachio milk with oats, lemon, salt, and cold brew.
You can watch Hollidge mixing an Overnight cocktail himself and talking through the various steps here. Both drinks require a blender.
Read more: The Biggest Vegan Christmas Food Launches For 2025
