Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (2024)

Sage-Crusted Leg of Lamb with Pineapple-Pecan Salsa

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (1)

Credit: Oxmoor House

Bring out your best traditional Christmas dinner menuwhen you host the big holiday meal. From beef tenderloin to traditional ham, check out our favorite menus for Christmas dinner and use this collection to inspire your next holiday meal. These menus cover everything from winery-inspired feasts to amazing regional-specific fare. While it's important to incorporate expected traditional recipes into your menu, it's also good to add in new recipes every year to shake up the menu and inspire your guests. Pick your favorite, make a few new dishes, and ask for feedback while you all enjoy a delicious holiday dinner.

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Ultimate Southern Christmas Dinner

Giblet Gravy

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (2)

Ultimate Southern Christmas Dinner Menu

The holidays are a perfect time to satisfy your down-home, comfort food cravings. This scrumptious collection of dishes highlights Southern classics like Giblet Gravy, Cornbread-Biscuit Dressing, and Swiss-Squash Casserole.

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Sit Down For a Wintery Feast

Pork Roast with Sweet Onion-Pumpkin Seed Relish

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (3)

Credit: Jim Franco; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

Sit Down For a Wintery Feast Menu

This hearty midwinter's meal showcases the bounty of the season and pairs especially well with a crackling fire.

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Easy and Elegant Holiday Menu

Spinach and Mushroom-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Truffled Wine Sauce

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (4)

Credit: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart

Easy and Elegant Holiday Menu Menu

Impress guests and delight family with an elegant menu that's a breeze to cook.

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Home-Cooked Classic Holiday Menu

Apple Brandy-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (5)

Credit: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart

Home-Cooked Classic Holiday Menu Menu

Cozy classics cooked to perfection turn a good holiday meal into perfection.

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An Elegant Holiday Dinner Menu

Credit: Jim Franco; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

An Elegant Holiday Dinner Menu Menu

The highlight of this year's Christmas menu features a dazzling beef tenderloin and new favorites you'll crave year after year.

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Celebrate Christmas in Style

Celebrate Christmas In Style

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Celebrate Christmas in Style Menu

Give the holidays extra sparkle with dressed-up recipes and beautiful crafts that show off the season's best.

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Quick and Easy Christmas Dinner

Molasses Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

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Quick and Easy Christmas Dinner Menu

Enjoy this delicious array of no-fuss holiday dishes that will add sparkle to your table this season.

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An Elegant Feast

Horseradish and Mustard-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

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Credit: Randy Mayor

An Elegant Feast Menu

Show your style with a simple, elegant menu for eight that features beef tenderloin as the entrée and a cranberry-ginger cake for dessert.

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Casual Christmas Eve Supper

Citrus Batida

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Casual Christmas Eve Supper Menu

After all the holiday hustle and bustle is over, relax on Christmas Eve with a laid-back buffet menu featuring roasted pork, a winter fruit salad, and crème brûlée.

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Cozy Christmas Dinner

Pork Loin Roast With Carolina Apple Compote

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Credit: William Dickey; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Cozy Christmas Dinner Menu

Invite your guests to experience a little holiday magic with this delicious pork loin menu. Shhh! It's also completely manageable, so you'll be able to make dinner and enjoy it.

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Christmas Dinner

Cinnamon Stewed Apples

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Credit: Karry Hosford

Christmas Dinner Menu

Simple, fresh, and delicious sides complement spicy ham for a memorable yuletide meal. Cinnamon Stewed Apples and Brussels Sprouts with Pecans complement Fire and Spice Ham, which features a delicious glaze made from pepper jelly and pineapple preserves.

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Holiday Feast

Roast Beef with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Holiday Feast Menu

Slide the table apart, put in extra leaves, and enjoy this classic celebratory dinner with your extended family.

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Christmas Dinner Menu

Christmas Dinner Menu

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Christmas Dinner Menu Menu

Gather loved ones for a delectable Christmas dinner and make the holiday merry with this elegant spread.

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Dashing Christmas Dinner Menu

Fennel-Crusted Rib Roast

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Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

Dashing Christmas Dinner Menu Menu

This Southern-style Christmas dinner features dressed-up deviled ham, greens, buttermilk panna cotta, pickled winter veggies, and more.

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Christmas Dinner: Grand & Gracious

Beef Tenderloin With Henry Bain Sauce

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For a classic dinner, serve a succulent beef tenderloin paired with baby blue salad, creamy soup, yeast rolls, and more. The best part? The tenderloin's sauce is freezer-friendly, so you can enjoy it over other dishes as you ring in the new year.

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The Holiday Dinner Table

Herb-Crusted Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding with Red Wine Jus

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Credit: Linda Pugliese; Styling: Kaitlyn Du Ross Walker

This holiday season, gather around the table to celebrate and share a memorable and delicious meal with family and friends. Fill up your plate with some incredible main dishes and sides to pair with such a special occasion.

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Ham Dinner Menu

Ham Dinner Menu

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Credit: Oxmoor House

Ham Dinner Menu Menu

Featuring shrimp tartlets, baked ham with a rustic mustard-peach glaze and sweet potato salad, this Christmas dinner will be one to remember. Finish the night with a Dark Chocolate Layer Cake that Santa himself would approve of.

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Tuscan Dinner Party Menu

Tuscan Dinner Party Menu

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Credit: Oxmoor House

Tuscan Dinner Party Menu Menu

Starting with a warm bean salad accompanied by Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, this Tuscan menu will transport you to Italy even on the coldest of winter nights. With herb smashed potatoes and broccoli with balsamic butter, this Christmas dinner will quickly become a family tradition.

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Roasted Lamb Dinner Menu

Sage-Crusted Leg of Lamb with Pineapple-Pecan Salsa

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (20)

Credit: Oxmoor House

Roasted Lamb Dinner Menu Menu

Celebrate the season and flavors of the holiday with this festive roasted lamb Christmas dinner menu. Beginning with oysters, continuing with a roasted sage-crusted leg of lamb and finishing with an almond torte, this Christmas dinner will bring friends and family together.

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Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a traditional Christmas dinner menu? ›

Traditional Christmas foods are very similar to Thanksgiving and consists of roast turkey, turkey stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and pies such as apple or pumpkin. Other non-traditional main dish favorites are ham, roast beef or lasagna.

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 do people typically cook 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 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.

What veg do you have with a 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 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 the most common Christmas dinner? ›

The feast, usually on the night of the 24th and lunch on the 25th, is a big one. The family gets together at both meals, and some have the leftovers from the dinner prior to the lunch the next day. The traditional offering for Christmas is sugar-coated almonds. Roast turkey is the most common choice of meal.

What is a traditional Christmas dinner in the USA? ›

The basic American Christmas dinner is British in origin: roasted root vegetables as a side dish, mashed potatoes, gravy, and the centerpiece being a stuffed roasted fowl.

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 to cook for Christmas dinner instead of turkey? ›

Unique holiday dinner ideas
  • Beef Wellington: The Showstopper.
  • Christmas Roast Duck: The Twist on a Classic.
  • Vegetarian Enchiladas: The Surprise Favorite.
  • Roast Lamb: The Savory Star.
  • Stuffed Acorn Squash: The Festive & Flavorful.
  • Prime Rib Roast: The Hearty Hero.
Dec 12, 2022

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.

Why is ham a traditional Christmas dinner? ›

Ham remained a star of the table with some historians suggesting that the pig was a symbol of good luck in pre-Christian European traditions. The love for Christmas ham dinner arrived in America with the pilgrims, becoming particularly popular in the Southern US, where pig farming flourished.

What is the traditional meat for Christmas? ›

12 Meats of Christmas
  • Turkey. Perfectly placed as the Christmas centre piece because it goes with just about everything, turkey was brought over to the UK by Native American traders in the 1520s. ...
  • Pigs In Blankets. ...
  • Goose. ...
  • Capon. ...
  • Ham. ...
  • Sausage Meat Stuffing. ...
  • Venison. ...
  • Pheasant.
Dec 5, 2022

What is a Mexican Christmas dinner? ›

Mexican Christmas food spans enchiladas, pozole, tamales, and plenty of desserts. These are our favorite recipes for flavorful versions of those dishes from Mexican chefs, along with a few festive drinks. Start a tamale making tradition, warm up with pozole this winter, and enjoy enchiladas everyone will love.

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