35 Best Christmas Dinner Ideas and Easy Recipes

Looking for easy Christmas dinner recipes for your holiday menu? These dishes will give you even more reason to celebrate.

From tender lamb to glazed turkey, you’ll want to make them all!

30+ Christmas Recipes and Dinner Menu

Apart from the presents, lights, and a decorated tree, the highlight of Christmas is the feast.

Need inspiration? I have you covered, from sides and entrees to desserts and drinks.

Make your holiday even more joyful with these Christmas dinner ideas!

Holiday Side Dishes

Green Bean Casserole

This timeless classic turns the humble veggie into a phenomenal dish.

It’s a creamy blend of green beans, mushroom soup, and cheese, topped with crispy onions.

This casserole is a hit at any dinner table, winning over even those who aren’t fans of green beans.

It’s a comforting, crowd-pleasing addition to your Christmas feast.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Brussels sprouts are a game-changer. This dish turns skeptics into fans with its crispy, flavorful charm!

Just oil, salt, and pepper bring out their best, making them a hit for any occasion.

These sprouts are so delightful, you’ll want to enjoy them year-round, not just at Christmas.

Mashed Potatoes

These aren’t just your average mashed potatoes!

They’re LOADED cheese, bacon, butter, sour cream, and green onions.

They combine the best of both worlds: fluffy mashed potatoes and a loaded baked potato.

Every bite is buttery, cheesy, and packed with savory goodness. It’s a can’t-miss hit at any Christmas dinner.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

This cheesy potato casserole is a dish you’ll crave again and again.

It’s loaded with gooey cheese, creating an addictive flavor perfect for Christmas.

Be warned: it disappears quickly, so make plenty to satisfy everyone’s cravings!

Christmas Salad

Lighten up your heavy Christmas dinner with a simple yet flavorful salad. 

With kale, candied pecans, blue cheese, oranges, and pomegranate seeds, this salad is all about flavor and texture!

It’s so festive, you’ll want to dig in right away.

The citrus vinaigrette dressing adds a refreshing and tangy flavor that ties all the ingredients together.

Hasselback Potatoes

They’re crisp, tender, and absolutely amazing. Hasselback potatoes are a fun twist to the usual roasted tots. 

Those thin slices create such a wonderful texture as the potatoes bake. The crevices become super crisp, while the inside remains soft and fluffy.

And the flavor is so buttery! The chives add sweetness and earthiness to the potatoes. They’re perfect alongside a tender cut of beef, such as prime rib.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This sweet potato casserole is another festive favorite. You can’t go wrong with sweet potatoes and a crunchy pecan topping!

Infused with brown sugar and spices, it strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

It’s a guaranteed hit that adds warmth and comfort to the holiday table.

Cranberry Sauce

Turkey isn’t the same without cranberry sauce, so don’t forget to make one! This cranberry sauce will make your turkey taste ten times better.

The best part is that it only calls for three ingredients: cranberries, sugar, and water. That’s it!

It couldn’t get any easier than that.

Scalloped Potatoes

Scalloped potatoes are a creamy, comforting side, perfect for Christmas dinner.

This simple version involves layering potatoes with flour, milk, and butter. The rest is up to the oven.

The result? A dish with a deliciously thick and bubbly sauce. That’s the stuff.

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

There’s never not a good time for mac and cheese – no matter the season, no matter the occasion.

This Crockpot mac and cheese takes the all-time favorite to a whole new level. 

Cooked for 3 hours, the macaroni is given more than enough time to absorb all the flavors from the cheese and the sauce.

The cheese also forms a crispy-melty topping, making the dish even more addictive.

Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes (With Rosemary and Garlic)

These oven-roasted baby potatoes are the ultimate holiday side dish.

Tossed with oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper, they crisp up beautifully.

In under 30 minutes, you get tender potatoes that pair brilliantly with any main course.

They’re an easy, crowd-pleasing addition to your festive menu, sure to be a family favorite.

Pull-Apart Christmas Tree

This pull-apart Christmas tree bread is a show-stopper.

The concept is simple, really. It’s just bite-sized pieces of cheese-filled bread formed like a Christmas tree. 

But OMG, what a treat. 

The munchkins are already scrumptious on their own. But they’re even drizzled with a mixture of melted butter, parmesan, and herbs for good measure. 

This appetizer is the perfect centerpiece for your Christmas feast. 

Stuffing

No Christmas dinner menu is complete without the sides! This stuffing is fully loaded with walnuts, apricots, cranberries, onions, mushrooms, and celery.

I mean, just imagine the explosion of flavors and textures! Thanks to the veggies, the bread is perfectly moist.

Whether you stuff this stuffing into a turkey or devour it as is, it doesn’t matter. It will still be heavenly.

Creamed Spinach

Creamed spinach is a simple but luxurious holiday side dish. It turns the humble veg into a rich, creamy delight.

Here, the spinach is blended with a creamy, herb-infused sauce – definitely an indulgent way to enjoy your greens.

Pairing wonderfully with many Christmas mains, this side dish adds a touch of elegance to any festive table.

Carrot Casserole

This cheesy holiday side dish transforms simple carrots into a star.

Tender carrots are smothered in savory cheese sauce, and topped with a crunchy finish.

Easy to make, it pairs well with any main course.

A delightful addition to your Christmas feast!

Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Honey-roasted carrots and parsnips turn everyday veggies into a festive delight.

Their edges caramelize in the oven, becoming sweet, tender, and slightly browned.

They’re topped with walnuts and herbs and drizzled with a sweet honey-cumin sauce. Yummers.

What a simple yet flavorful addition to your Christmas dinner!

Gravy

Whether it’s chicken, pork, turkey, or beef, this gravy will transform any meat from so-so to sensational.

Oozing with so much flavor, it might just steal the show! 

All you need are drippings, fat, flour, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper to whip up the best gravy ever.

There are no special cooking methods, either! This gravy comes together in under 10 minutes.

Christmas Mains

Roasted Leg of Lamb

Roasted leg of lamb for Christmas is effortlessly elegant and simple to make.

Just rub it with garlic, herbs, olive oil, and Dijon, then roast to perfection.

Its succulent, herb-infused flavor is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

Perfect for a festive table, it’s a dish that looks as good as it tastes, with minimal fuss.

Maple Glazed Ham

Serving ham for your main course? Don’t settle for store-bought! Make it yourself and your loved ones will surely feel extra loved this Christmas.

Don’t worry, this recipe is very easy.

With 7 simple ingredients, you can make the most succulent ham with a wonderfully sweet maple and brown sugar glaze.

Nothing beats a classic.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We can’t talk about stuffing without mentioning our favorite holiday bird. If you’re serving turkey for Christmas, this recipe is all you’ll need.

It’s incredibly juicy, buttery, well-seasoned, and roasted to golden perfection. Trust me, this turkey will make your momma proud.

Best of all, it’s a breeze to make! There’s no basting or brining involved. It’s so easy, it’s fool-proof.

Pork Crown Roast with Stuffing

This roast of pork with stuffing is a showstopper for Christmas dinner.

The succulent pork is filled with rich stuffing and topped with a luscious white wine sauce.

The taste is simply incredible.

There’s a perfect balance between the savory pork, the sumptuous stuffing, and the smooth sauce.

Best of all, it’s impressive yet surprisingly easy to pull off.

Beef Brisket

Succulent, fork tender beef is smothered with a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce. Talk about drool-worthy!

There are two factors that make this dish epic: the tender beef roast and the awesome sauce.

Slow-cooked for 8 hours, the beef gets so soft, it melts in your mouth.

It’s then roasted in the oven and basted with barbecue sauce to get its ridiculously amazing flavor. 

Crockpot Lasagna Soup

This crockpot lasagna soup offers all the flavors of traditional lasagna in a lighter form.

It’s a mix of gooey cheese, seasoned meat, and tomato broth, simmering together in the slow cooker.

This soup is perfect for busy holiday cooking, requiring minimal effort.

It fills you up without feeling heavy, making it a great addition to your Christmas menu.

Prime Rib

Prime rib is a top-notch Christmas dinner idea for meat enthusiasts.

It’s all about juicy, tender beef, roasted just right to bring out its rich, succulent flavors.

This dish is a festive favorite, promising to be the centerpiece of your holiday table.

Serve this for Christmas and indulge everyone in a luxurious and satisfying experience.

Orange Five-Spice Roast Goose and Potatoes

Ditch the turkey this year and embrace this succulent Chinese centerpiece!

Think juicy goose, its skin crispy, infused with orange zest, ginger, soy, and five-spice.

Now, add golden potatoes, roasted in goose fat, emerging crisp and irresistibly flavorful.

It’s a bold, delicious departure from the usual holiday fare, a true feast for your senses.

Classic Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs

These beef short ribs are slow-cooked to tender perfection.

Rich flavors of red wine infuse the meat, creating a succulent, deeply satisfying dish.

Perfect over creamy mashed potatoes or buttery noodles.

They’re the kind of dish that makes the holiday table extra special.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Calling all vegetarians out there: this butternut squash and spinach lasagna is the most scrumptious, mouth-watering dish you can serve for Christmas.

Sweet veggies are stuffed with ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella and baked until golden and bubbly.

I’m not a vegetarian, but with this dish, I might just turn into one! It’s so good, you won’t even miss the meat or the pasta.

Beef Wellington

For the ultimate gift to your loved ones, why not make them Beef Wellington for Christmas?

Melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin is topped with Dijon mustard and a medley of mushrooms.

It’s then wrapped in prosciutto and puff pastry and baked until golden.

There’s no better way to show your family just how much you love them… and just how good you are in the kitchen!

Ina Garten’s Roast Chicken

This roast chicken is a standout among Christmas dinner ideas.

It’s crisp, juicy, and packed with herby goodness.

It’s a complete meal, with the chicken roasted alongside sweet carrots and onions.

The skin crisps up beautifully, while the meat stays succulent.

With minimal prep, it’s not just for the holidays but any busy night.

Dessert Recipes and Drinks

Mulled Wine

Mulled wine is the epitome of cozy winter drinks, a delightful blend of red wine with aromatic spices.

It’s simple to make, yet rich in flavor, perfect for holiday gatherings or a relaxing evening.

Imagine curling up under a blanket, sipping this beverage while watching the snowfall.

It’s pure festive bliss in a mug.

Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog)

Coquito is a creamy, tropical twist on traditional eggnog, perfect for the holidays.

It combines the warmth of cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves with the sweet, rich flavor of coconut.

This drink is wonderfully thick and indulgent, making it the ultimate festive treat.

Plus, it keeps well in the fridge, so you can savor it all season long.

Dutch Apple Pie

Dutch apple pie has a perfect blend of sweet, tart apples and warm spices.

It features a flaky crust, a syrupy apple filling, and a buttery, crumbly streusel topping.

The layers of texture make each bite a treat!

It’s a surprisingly simple recipe, but the result is irresistibly delicious.

Pumpkin Pie

Adding creativity to dessert is fun, but you also can’t go wrong with the classic. This pumpkin pie is wonderfully sweet, creamy, and delectable.

Already making dozens of dishes for Christmas dinner? Well, this recipe is for you. It’s almost effortless, but yields a lip-smacking pumpkin pie.

Cheesecake Bites

It’s cheesecake you can devour in one bite. How stinking cute!

Plus, with mini cheesecakes, you can use as many different toppings as you please.

I mean, let’s be honest, it’s impossible to choose between chocolate, blueberries, crushed candies, and pumpkin!

Christmas Fruit Salad

Christmas fruit salad is a vibrant, festive dish that brightens up the holiday table.

Packed with grapes, cherries, and mini marshmallows, it’s a visual feast.

The tender and crunchy textures and the sweetness of the fruit make it irresistible.

Easy to make ahead, it’s the perfect addition to any Christmas gathering.