20 Favorite Christmas Recipes Your Family Will Love
Enjoy easy and delicious Christmas recipes for breakfast, drinks, appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and more to make your holiday season special.
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure statement for details.Â
Are you planning your Christmas menu and looking for delicious, easy recipes for the holidays? Here are my favorite Christmas recipes all in one place.
Are you starting to think about what to make for Christmas? This is the time of year when I pull out my tried-and-true holiday recipes and decide what will be on our menu. We will have lots of family here, and it is always nice to plan ahead so Christmas morning and Christmas dinner feel warm and relaxed.
These are the Christmas recipes I make over and over again. They are family favorites and so good for gatherings and holiday meals. I hope a few of these recipes become favorites in your home, too.
Christmas will be here before we know it, so let’s gather the best and most doable recipes to make for friends and family.
How To Plan Your Christmas Menus: An Easy, Practical Guide
Planning food for the Christmas season can be simple with a little forethought. Most of us have gatherings, visitors, and special meals sprinkled throughout December, so it helps to think ahead and choose recipes that make cooking enjoyable rather than stressful. Here are a few helpful ideas to keep your holiday menus easy and delicious.
Choose A Main Dish That Fits The Occasion
Pick recipes that work for your plans. A cozy dinner might call for a slow-cooked main dish, and a casual evening with friends might be better with something simple and satisfying.
Think About Make-Ahead Recipes
Look through your list and choose dishes you can prepare in advance so you don’t need them. Anything that can chill overnight or warm gently before serving will make the season easier. Make-ahead meals are the backbone of my Christmas menu plans.
Simple sides with great flavor are perfect for any Christmastime meal
- Nani’s Sauteed Rice– a family favorite that can be made ahead and served with almost any holiday meal. Light, flavorful, and always requested.
- Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes– crispy on the outside and soft inside. A simple potato dish that pairs well with beef, poultry, and seafood.
Mix Sweet, Savory, And Fresh Items
A good menu feels balanced. Add something bright or crisp to your table when you serve richer dishes, and round out your meals with something sweet to finish.
Tried-and-true recipes like the ones below round out a meal nicely.
- Arugula Salad With Parmesan And Lemon-a fresh, simple salad that adds something crisp to rich holiday foods and works with almost any main dish.
- Classic Caesar Salad– a favorite in our home and a dependable option for any Christmas dinner or gathering during the season.
Plan For Drop-In Guests And Last Minute Gatherings
The Christmas season is full of surprise visitors and simple celebrations. Keep a few easy recipes on hand and ingredients ready for a quick plate of nibbles or a small dessert.
Christmas Breakfast And Brunch
Christmas morning is such a special time, so I like to make breakfast simple and delicious. These are the recipes I turn to every year because they can be made ahead and baked or served while everyone opens gifts and enjoys the morning together.
Christmas Breakfast Casserole
This is the breakfast I have made for decades, and the one my children make at home now. It is assembled the night before and baked the next morning, which makes Christmas brunch so easy.
Banana Bread With Streusel Topping
This is a wonderful, quick bread to make ahead for the Christmas season. I bake a loaf or two early in December and freeze them to have on hand for breakfast, simple desserts, or when family drops in. The streusel topping gives this banana bread a sweet crunch and makes every slice feel special.
Easy Orange Oatmeal Muffins With Cranberries
These bright and fragrant muffins are one of my favorite grab-and-go breakfasts during the holidays. I like these muffins because they aren’t too sweet. The orange flavor is so fresh, and you can add fresh or frozen cranberries to make them even more festive. They freeze beautifully, so I often make a double batch and keep some ready for busy mornings when family is here.
Festive Christmas Drinks And Warm Sips
Christmas is an excellent time to serve drinks that feel warm, cozy, and a little special. These are favorites in our home and easy to make for gatherings, movie nights, and Christmas morning.
Christmas Mulled Cider Worth Sipping All Day
This warm and fragrant mulled cider is one of my favorite things to make during the holiday season. It fills your home with the most delicious scent and is wonderful to sip throughout the day. You can keep it warm in a slow cooker for guests to serve themselves.
Easy Holiday Appetizers And Nibbles
Appetizers are always a good idea during the holidays. They give people something to enjoy while you finish last-minute preparations, and they make gatherings feel festive and relaxed.
How To Create A Holiday Charcuterie Board: Step-By-Step
A holiday charcuterie board is one of the easiest and prettiest things to serve this time of year. It looks impressive, but it comes together quickly with good cheese, fresh fruit, crackers, and a few simple extras. This step-by-step guide shows you how to build a board your guests will love.
Holiday Pinecone Cheeseball With Three Cheese Dip Options
A pretty cheese ball shaped like a Christmas pinecone is always a favorite. It can be made ahead and served with rosemary, cranberries, and your best crackers.
O, Christmas Tree Cheeseboard
A Christmas tree-shaped cheeseboard is a festive conversation starter and so easy to put together with your favorite cheeses and fruit.
Christmas Main Dishes
Christmas dinner should feel special without keeping you in the kitchen all day. These main dishes are easy to make, full of wonderful flavor, and perfect for serving to family and friends during the holidays.
Make Ahead Holiday Beef Brisket
I am making this delicious holiday main dish for a girl’s Christmas party and for our family Christmas dinner.
Holiday Beef Brisket is one of my favorite Christmas dinner recipes because it cooks in the slow cooker, and the flavor is impressive. It has only three ingredients, and the brisket becomes tender and rich as it cooks. I make it a day or two before and warm it for dinner on Christmas Day. It is simple, delicious, and a true family favorite.
Salmon Cakes With Homemade Tartar Sauce
Many of us like to serve fish during Christmas, so if you are looking for a lighter and more interesting main dish, these salmon cakes are a delicious option. They are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of bright flavor. I like to serve them with homemade tartar sauce and a simple green salad for an easy holiday meal.
These salmon cakes can also be shaped into small balls and served as an appetizer. They are a fun and tasty twist on a Christmas fish dish. These are always a hit when I serve them as an appetizer!
Christmas Desserts
Dessert is always a welcome part of any Christmas gathering. These recipes are festive, easy to make, and perfect for sharing with family and friends during the holiday season.
Beautiful Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
This pretty holiday cake has been a reader favorite for years. It is simple to make, tastes bright and fresh, and looks so festive on a Christmas dessert table. The sugared cranberries add a sweet sparkle, making this cake extra special.
5 In 1 Christmas Cookie Assortment From One Dough
These are the cookies I bake every year. Using just one mother dough, you can make five different, bright, Christmas-flavored cookies. They are family favorites and so easy to make. You will also find wonderful cookie dough that can be turned into several different cookies, making holiday baking simple and fun.
Iconic Bacardi Rum Cake Using A Box Mix
I ate this scrumptious recipe as a child, and our family has made it every Christmas since! This Bacardi Rum Cake is a Christmas classic in our home. It starts with a simple box mix, but you would never know it because the texture is soft and tender, and the flavor is rich and buttery with the perfect hint of rum. It stays moist for days, travels well, and is a wonderful treat to share with family and friends during the season.
Barely Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sea Salt
If you love a soft and melty chocolate chip cookie with a warm center, this recipe will be your new favorite. These cookies bake just long enough to set the edges, while the inside stays tender and almost creamy. A light sprinkle of sea salt brings out all the rich chocolate flavor and makes each bite taste even better.
These recipes go quick! So I make two batches and freeze one for later, to slice and bake.
No-Bake Christmas Ball Cookies
These little cookie balls are so easy to make and are always a holiday favorite. They come together quickly, keep well in the refrigerator or freezer (my favorite), and make a sweet addition to any Christmas cookie tray. They are perfect for gifting or for serving when you want something simple and festive.
Holiday Sides And Spreads
Holiday meals always feel more special when they include a few fresh and flavorful sides. These two cranberry recipes are easy, delicious, and wonderful to make ahead for Christmas dinner or any festive gathering.
Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce
This fresh cranberry orange sauce comes together quickly and adds a bright, citrusy flavor to any Christmas dinner. It is delicious with turkey or ham and can be made ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to serve it. We use the leftovers as a jam spread on toast.
Cranberry Orange Honey Butter
This sweet and creamy honey butter has a light hint of orange and a pretty pop of cranberry. It spreads beautifully on muffins, toast, and warm holiday breads and keeps well in the refrigerator.
I hope these Christmas recipes inspire you to do a little cooking and baking this season. It is nice to have a collection of easy and delicious recipes ready when family and friends stop by or when you want to make something special. Try a few new recipes, bring out your favorites, and enjoy the wonderful food that makes this season feel warm and festive.
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Recipes Everyone Loves
Easy Christmas recipes are the ones you can make ahead, assemble early, or prepare with simple ingredients. Breakfast casseroles, festive drinks, slow cooker recipes, and no-bake desserts are all wonderful choices. They save time and still feel special for the season.
Christmas breakfast is all about comfort and ease. A make-ahead breakfast casserole is always a favorite. Quick breads, muffins, and warm drinks are also lovely to serve. Most of these can be baked ahead and enjoyed all week long.
Start with your main dish, then add easy sides, breads, salads, and a simple dessert. Look for recipes that can be prepared early, so you have more time to enjoy your home and the people you love. A few make-ahead items can make the whole season feel smooth and relaxed.
A good Christmas main dish should feel festive but not keep you in the kitchen all day. Beef brisket, ham, fish, or a beautiful roast are popular choices. Recipes that can be made ahead are especially helpful during the busy Christmas season.
Bundt cakes, Christmas cookies, and no-bake treats are classics for a reason. They are easy to make, pretty, and great for gatherings. Cookies also freeze well, so you can bake them early and enjoy them throughout December.
Happy Christmas cooking, friend…
I was wondering if you e ever made the breakfast casserole ahead, baked it and then froze it to heat up later? If so did you let it thaw first? Do you think this would work?
Hi Nanci, great question. No I have never done that. Give it a try I think it will be okay.
Where are the recipes?
See all the above comments.
Good morning! I was wondering if I am missing something on the 20 Favorite Christmas Recipes Your Family Will Love page. I can only find 4 links on the page?
Thank you! I love trying your recipes!
See all the above comments.
I’m only seeing 4 recipes.
See all the above comments.
There are only 4 recipes here, not 20. So many pop up ads, maybe they’ve interfered? I checked my settings, so am thinking there’s a glitch. I see Nani’s rice & air fryer potatoes and Caesar salad & Arugula salad, the rest are ads.
me too
Goodness, it looks fine to me, but I just sent an email to my tech guy to see if he can solve this issue. Thanks for letting me know.
That’s what I see also!
Sorry, try again. I just re-indexed it.
See above comments. I also contacted my ad agency. Not sure why there are pop-ups. Thanks for letting me know.
I am also seeing only four recipes. Looking forward to seeing all of them.
Hi Dena, look again. The titles are linked to each post and at the end of the recipe is a GET THE RECIPE button. Merry Christmas!