16 Christmas Dinner Recipes: Mains, Sides, co*cktails & Brunch (2024)

This collection of Christmas dinner recipes are ones that Debbie and I have made often and are staples of our family dinners and holiday meals. We have also included brunch options for the morning after in case you have overnight guests like we always do, and some of our favorite holiday co*cktails for a little extra Christmas cheer!

So if you are struggling with what dishes to put on the table this year, we’ve got you covered with lots of options! We hope you love these holiday recipes as much as we do.

Christmas Dinner Recipes ~ The Main Event

Whether or not your having turkey, ham, chicken or a combination, these main meat dishes are our favorite Christmas dinner recipes.

How to Cook a Brined Turkey Dinner

Learning how to cook a brined turkey for Christmas dinner can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. We will show you how to make a juicy turkey as well as turkey stuffing with sausage without getting frazzled. We have a step by step plan laid out for you in this post with what do to on the days leading up to your holiday dinner.

Fall Apart Beautiful Boiled Ham

Just in case you are having ham instead of turkey this year. Or both! This is a delicious boiled ham recipe that falls apart and melts in your mouth. It’s perfect for special occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or anytime you are feeding a crowd of guests because its easy, doesn’t require a lot of your attention, and it works every time!

Easy Roast Chicken with Lemon

If you’re looking for something a little smaller and simpler this Christmas, this easy roast chicken is a classic. It looks absolutely fantastic and like you spent hours making it, but it’s actually fairly simple. Its impressive enough for a holiday dinner with company but easy enough for a regular weeknight dinner with your family.

Christmas Dinner Recipes ~ Side Dish Recipes

Side dishes are every bit as important as the main. This is a collection of easy to make, yet showstopping sides that will have everyone begging for the recipe! These are also great for bringing to a Christmas dinner when you are asked to “bring a side dish” to a friend or family members home.

The Ultimate Potato Side Dish

Baby garlic potatoesboileduntil tender, drizzled in melted butter and tossed with dill and minced garlic. A showstopperside that’s quick, easy and freeking delicious!

16 Christmas Dinner Recipes: Mains, Sides, co*cktails & Brunch (5)

A one-pan easy and creamy potatoes au gratin recipe with three types of potatoes baked with loads of aged cheddar and gruyere! We love this one for a busy holiday dinner because you can make this way ahead of time, store it in the fridge, and then cook it just before dinner.

Pan Fried Brussel Spouts that Everyone will Actually Eat

These pan fried brussel sprouts with bacon are the perfect side dish for any occasion! The sprouts are caramelized with bacon and red onion with crispy bits on the edges. They take about 15 mins and they are awesome! Never eat a boiled brussel sprout again!

Our Favorite Layered Salad

This layered salad is a staple at our family dinners whether its Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or whatever. This salad is always there and for a good reason. It’s awesome! You can also make it up to a day ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until 15 mins before you are ready to eat.

Healthy Cauliflower Mash that’s Just as Good as Mashed Potatoes

In case you have some health conscious or low carbers over for Christmas dinner, you need an excellent side that everyone will enjoy. I was very skeptical, but I was totally shocked when I tasted this cauliflower mash. It’s fluffy, it’s creamy, and its sooo damn good! Just as good as mashed potatoes and I love mashed potatoes.

What’s even better is that this is low carb so go ahead and eat a bunch. Fill yer boots. You won’t feel that heavy carby weight in your tummy afterwards.

Christmas co*cktail Recipes ~ Hot co*cktails

These Christmas holiday co*cktails are perfect for sitting in front of a fireplace or around a bonfire outside, after playing outside in the snow with your kids, or just because they are absolutely fabulous! And they smell just like the holidays.

Hot Buttered Rum

This hot buttered rum recipe is smooth, sweet, salty with a slight bite from the rum and perfectly flavored with holiday spices. The perfect treat on a cold winters day to warm you from the inside out. Its a recipe that reminds me of good times and special people. We’ve included a recipe for a single co*cktail or how to make a big batch to share.

Hot Buttered Rum with Apple Cider

Hot buttered rum again, but this time with apple cider and a spiced compound butter. This co*cktail is a sensory experience that is perfect for guests at your Christmas party or just to cozy up with on a cold day.

We’ve included a recipe for homemade apple cider which will make your house smell absolutely amazing, but you can also make this co*cktail with store bought apple cider.

Christmas co*cktail Recipes ~ Cold co*cktails

These festive Christmas holiday co*cktails are bursting with flavors of cinnamon, cranberries, apple, and one very special recipe for homemade eggnog which just might become a new family tradition.

Homemade Eggnog with Rum and Kahlua

This is my Grandpas homemade eggnog recipe with rum and kahlua. It tastes so different, and way better, from store bought eggnog. It’s light, silky and not too sweet with wonderful Christmas spices, vanilla and a generous helping of rum and kahlua to get you in the Christmas spirit. Make this homemade eggnog your new family tradition!

Holiday Apple Cider Moscow Mule

Spice up your holiday with this apple cider Moscow mule. Its full of delicious ginger and apple flavor, made with an apple whiskey,apple cider, fizzy ginger beer and plenty of freshly grated cinnamon.

Perfect for sipping around a bonfire or for getting your party guests into the holiday spirit.Refreshing and full of fall and holiday flavors, this twist on a Moscow mule is our favorite yet!

Cranberry Ginger Sparkling Holiday co*cktail

A sparkling holiday co*cktail created with the seasons quintessential flavors of cranberry, rosemary and ginger and made to sparkle with some bubbly sparkling wine. You can never have too many cranberries at Christmas, that’s what I say!

Christmas Brunch Recipes ~ Easy Recipes for the Morning

Our family usually spends Christmas at one of our homes and the rest of us sleep over. Which means that we need some easy recipe to make for the morning to feed the whole crew and still leave Debbie and I time to relax and drink our Christmas mimosas. These Christmas holiday brunch recipes are a few of our favorites that do just that.

The Easiest Eggs Benedict Recipe that you will ever make

Every body loves a good eggs benny. This one is so easy to make for a bunch of people because you bake the eggs in a muffin tin so it makes enough for everyone all at once. With a potato crust, bacon and a silky hollandaise its sure to be a hit! It’s even gluten free!

Fluffy oven baked peach dutch baby recipe with melted brie cheese and crispy bacon. A sweet and savory version of these super easy, incredibly pretty and delicious brunch pancakes!

These dutch babies are soooooo good and again, they bake in the oven so all you have to do is make the batter, pour it in the pan and throw it in the oven. Done. One dutch baby will feed 2 – 3 people or 4 small people so if you have 2 or 3 pans going at once then your done in no time at all.

Frittata with Farmer Sausage, Asparagus and Cheese

These are so easy to make, perfect for an impromptu brunch when friends or family stop by, or when you have to feed a bit of a crowd. This is our favorite way to make them at the moment, but you can also make these withwhatever you have on hand. I also make mine with caramelized onions, baby potato halves, thyme and gruyere cheese.

16 Christmas Dinner Recipes: Mains, Sides, co*cktails & Brunch (2024)

FAQs

What are the top 10 Christmas dinner foods? ›

Top 10 most popular Christmas recipes
  • Nut roast.
  • Ultimate roast potatoes. ...
  • Mary's Berry Christmas chutney. ...
  • Sausage, sage & onion stuffing. ...
  • Cola ham with maple & mustard glaze. ...
  • Sticky spiced red cabbage. ...
  • Christmas pudding with citrus and spice. ...
  • Yule log. ...

What foods and drinks are traditionally served for Christmas dinner? ›

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.

What foods would be appropriate for a Christmas dinner party? ›

Get the Pozole recipe.
  • Fish Pie. PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON. ...
  • Antipasto Christmas Tree Cheese Ball. PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE. ...
  • PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER; FOOD STYLING: ERIKA JOYCE. ...
  • Baked Feta Bites. ...
  • Sausage Roll Wreath. ...
  • Chicken & Dumplings. ...
  • Dry Brine Turkey. ...
  • Copycat Honey Baked Ham.
Dec 11, 2023

What vegetables do you have for Christmas dinner? ›

Discover the perfect amounts of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts, peas and red cabbage to serve with your roast turkey. Need help planning your Christmas dinner?

What is the 12 course Christmas dinner? ›

A twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is traditionally prepared to commemorate Jesus' twelve disciples in Central, Northern and Eastern European cultures, especially those that were formerly part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and neighbouring countries.

What is the most eaten meat on Christmas? ›

Top 5 Traditional Meats For Christmas Dinner
  1. Turkey. Let's admit it, a whole turkey is the best and most traditional meat for Christmas dinners. ...
  2. Beef. Beef often comes to mind when choosing Christmas meats and for good reason. ...
  3. Ham and Gammon. What's Christmas without a joint of ham? ...
  4. Pork. ...
  5. Lamb.

What is a famous Christmas drink? ›

Eggnog. Of all the holiday co*cktails you can mix up, few are as fitting as a glass of homemade eggnog. It's a luscious, creamy drink that many crave when December rolls around and it often brings back fond memories. Eggnog is not difficult to make from scratch and it's tastier than most store-bought options.

What drinks to serve with Christmas dinner? ›

Christmas drinks & co*cktail recipes
  • Classic mulled wine. A star rating of 4.4 out of 5. ...
  • Festive rum & ginger punch. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Picante. A star rating of 0 out of 5. ...
  • Gingerbread gin. ...
  • App onlyRamos gin fizz. ...
  • Pomegranate martini mocktail. ...
  • Spiced clementine mulled whisky. ...
  • Christmas martini.

What is the most popular food at Christmas in America? ›

The Most Popular Christmas Foods
  • Roasted potatoes (91%)
  • Scalloped potatoes (83%)
  • Roast beef (77%)
  • Red velvet cake (76%)
  • Ham (76%)
  • Christmas nuts (76%)
Aug 1, 2023

What is good Christmas party food? ›

Best Office Christmas Party Food Ideas
  • Pinwheel Trays. ...
  • Mini-Quiches. ...
  • Cookie Decorating Bar. ...
  • Caprese Skewers. ...
  • Stuffed Mushrooms. ...
  • Dessert Cheese Ball. ...
  • Bruschetta. ...
  • Cream Puffs.
Nov 28, 2023

What should be on a Christmas buffet? ›

Christmas party food
  • King Prawn Crispy Lollipops. ...
  • Red Fox Welsh Rarebit. ...
  • Smoked Salmon Éclairs. ...
  • Feta Popcorn with Hot Honey. ...
  • Pork & Chorizo Whirls. ...
  • Paneer Fries. ...
  • Sticky Beef Teriyaki Skewers. ...
  • Brie & Cranberry Tartlets.

What are 3 food items that are popular for Christmas dinner? ›

They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.

How many carrots for 16 people? ›

A 2-quart bowl will serve 12-16 people. For raw vegetables plan 3-4 pieces for each person. For example 3-4 carrot sticks.

What do Americans have for Christmas dinner? ›

Roast turkey and ham are popular for Christmas dinner throughout the country, but depending on the region, so are tamales, roast goose with red cabbage, crawfish jambalaya, roast pork or “seven fishes” seafood salad.

What is the top choice for Christmas dinner? ›

Our Top 22 Traditional Christmas Dishes
  • 01 of 23. Chef John's Honey-Glazed Ham. ...
  • 02 of 23. Mom's Scalloped Potatoes. ...
  • 03 of 23. Best Green Bean Casserole. ...
  • 04 of 23. Chef John's Roast Turkey and Gravy. ...
  • 05 of 23. Holiday Mashed Potatoes. ...
  • 06 of 23. Christmas Prime Rib. ...
  • 07 of 23. Quick and Easy Yorkshire Pudding. ...
  • 08 of 23. Beef Wellington.
Dec 18, 2023

What is the most popular Christmas Eve dinner? ›

Turkey is classic, of course, as is ham, but you could also serve a roast chicken, roast beef, or pork tenderloin. Fill out your meal with some Christmas-y side dishes, and you'll be all set for the perfect holiday dinner.

What makes the best Christmas dinner? ›

Christmas dinner ideas
  • Easy Christmas roast duck with crispy potatoes and port gravy.
  • Gorgeous dinner of porchetta stuffed with wild mushrooms, celeriac mash and gravy.
  • Marinated & grilled salmon.
  • Wood-fired shellfish.
  • Pot roast pork.
  • Fabulous fish stew.
  • Sea bass in puff pastry.

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