Julie Clark
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Traditional Christmas Dinner Menu
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A traditional Christmas dinner menu doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with a baked ham or roast turkey, add creamy mashed potatoes, homemade dinner rolls, a festive vegetable side and finish with a classic Christmas dessert.
This is the Christmas dinner menu I turn to when I want a comforting holiday meal without spending the entire day in the kitchen. I’ve included our family’s favorite recipes, other classic Christmas dinner ideas and a make-ahead timeline to help you plan everything from shopping to serving.
You may also love our traditional Thanksgiving dinner menu and traditional Easter dinner menu and Easter brunch ideas.
Traditional Christmas Dinner Menu
If you’re wondering what to serve for Christmas dinner, this is my go-to menu. It has a little of everything: a sweet and savory main dish, creamy potatoes, warm homemade rolls, colorful sides and a classic pie for dessert.
- Main Dish: Easy Baked Ham with a sweet glaze
- Potatoes: Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes that don’t take up oven space.
- Bread: Brown & Serve Rolls that you can prepare ahead of time.
- Vegetables: Christmas Green Beans with a festive presentation.
- Salad: Christmas Jello Salad, a classic Midwestern holiday side.
- Dessert: Cherry Pie made with my grandma’s recipe.
This menu works especially well because several dishes can be prepared before Christmas Day. The ham is the centerpiece, the slow cooker handles the potatoes, and the rolls only need to be warmed before serving.
Want to change things up? Below you’ll find more traditional Christmas dinner recipes, including turkey, prime rib, appetizers, side dishes and desserts.
What appetizers should you serve before Christmas dinner?
Choose one or two easy Christmas appetizers that can be prepared ahead of time, especially if dinner won’t be served until late afternoon. Cheese balls, cranberry brie bites and simple dips are great options because guests can snack while you finish preparing the main meal.
- Cranberry Brie Bites. Ready in under 30 minutes and so festive looking!
- Pineapple Cheese Ball. Ready in 10 minutes and easy to serve with veggies, chips, crackers or bread.
- Garlic Cheese Ball. Make this several days in advance and store it in the fridge for when you need a quick snack.
- Raspberry Cream Cheese Dip. Two ingredients and literally like 2 minutes to prepare this dip. And it is dangerously addicting. (Here’s a cranberry orange cream cheese dip if you love cranberries.)
- Bacon Wrapped Dates. They melt in your mouth!
- Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Jam. Always a hit, and excellent with our Christmas Jam!
What drinks go with Christmas dinner?
Cranberry punch, warm apple cider and sherbet punch are easy drinks to serve with Christmas dinner. I like to choose one festive drink that can be prepared ahead of time, then offer water and other simple options for guests.
Choose a cranberry-inspired drink so perfect for the holidays or choose a traditional punch.
- Cranberry Apple Cider Punch – A delicious hot drink kept warm in the slow cooker.
- Cranberry Pineapple Tea – Easy, ice cold drink!
- Cranberry Ginger Ale Punch – 5 minutes…so easy and delicious.
- Sherbet Punch Recipe – A classic! Use any flavor sherbet and Jello for any holiday.
What Jello salads are traditional for Christmas?
Jello salads are a classic addition to many Midwestern Christmas dinners. They’re colorful, easy to make ahead and add something sweet to a plate filled with savory holiday dishes.
For Christmas, I especially like cranberry Jello salad and lime Jello salad because their red and green colors fit right in with the holiday table.
- Raspberry Cranberry Jello Salad – Easy, tangy and sweet.
- Cranberry Orange Jello Salad.
- Lime Jello Salad– Grinch-like Jello salad perfect for Christmas.
- Pistachio Jello Salad – This one is a pretty green color. Add chopped maraschino cherries on top for a pretty Christmas look.
What is the traditional main dish for Christmas dinner?
Ham, roast turkey and prime rib are popular main dishes for a traditional American Christmas dinner. The choice often comes down to family traditions, the number of guests and how much time you want to spend cooking.
Growing up, we almost always had turkey for Christmas, much like our Thanksgiving dinner. These days, I often choose ham because a fully cooked spiral ham is easy to warm in the oven or slow cooker, leaving more time for side dishes and family.
- Turkey in a Bag – In case you want to go with juicy roast turkey, this is my mom’s method. It saves time and still gives you a golden brown skin!
- How to Cook Ham – This is a traditional ham recipe and we give instructions for the oven or the slow cooker.
- Cranberry Glazed Ham – For this ham you make cranberry glaze, then baste the ham while it is cooking. No need to make a separate cranberry sauce and it looks beautiful!
- Prime Rib Roast or Beef Tenderloin – They are so pretty topped with fresh herbs.
- Roast Pork – Home cooks can easily make this and it will be fork tender delicious.
Two other main dish options for the Christmas dinner table that are worth mentioning: We often hear of friends having lasagna or roast beef for Christmas dinner. Our easy lasagna recipe gets rave reviews. And this slow cooker roast beef is mouthwatering.
Christmas Side Dish Recipes
My favorite part of holiday dinners is the easy side dishes.
Pile your plate high with mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and stuffing. This is a great way to add in gluten-free or vegan recipes for any vegetarians in your life.
Since we’re looking at easy, here are a few options:
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce – This one is ready in about 15 minutes. Gluten free.
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes – Prepare them in advance and let the slow cooker work its magic. Gluten free.
- Make Instant Potatoes Taste Better – Fool everyone with instant potatoes that taste AMAZING.
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes – Sweetened with a little maple syrup. Gluten free.
- Christmas Cheesy Potatoes.
- Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts – The green colors of the vegetables go perfectly for the Christmas table. Gluten free.
- Christmas Green Beans – These look fancy, but only need about 5 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking. Easy as ever! Gluten free.
- Brown ‘n Serve Rolls – Skip store bought and make your own! You can make these a week or two in advance and pull them out on Christmas day to warm and brown.
- Mashed Butternut Squash. Gluten free.
- Roasted Carrots with Honey. Gluten free.
Christmas Desserts
Christmas pies are traditional (my grandpa loved mince pie). Fruit pies can often be made ahead, but custard and cream pies require refrigeration. This makes them a great option for Christmas dinner because you can just pull them out and serve.
- Sour Cherry Pie– My favorite for Christmas dessert. This is my grandma’s super easy recipe. The filling takes 5 minutes!
- Christmas Trifle– This can be made in advance and makes a beautiful presentation. Kids will love this dessert with Oreos, cake and fluffy cream cheese filling.
- Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Cranberry Frozen Dessert– Because this needs to freeze, it’s great to make ahead and is non traditional. It’s a festive dessert just like our cranberry cake with butter sauce.
- Christmas Cookies – Everyone loves a plate of Christmas cookies. Make them in the weeks before Christmas and freeze. Then have your family help arrange them on pretty serving plates.
- Pineapple Casserole with Cheddar Cheese. This can be a side dish, but is sweet enough for dessert.
How far in advance should you prepare Christmas dinner?
You can prepare much of a traditional Christmas dinner before Christmas Day. Start planning two weeks ahead, make desserts and appetizers in advance, and save Christmas morning for heating the main dish and finishing the sides.
2 Weeks Before Christmas
- Choose your Christmas dinner menu and decide how many guests you’re serving.
- Make a grocery list using the recipes you’ve selected.
- Check your pantry for baking ingredients, seasonings and serving supplies.
1 Week Before Christmas
- Shop for pantry staples and other ingredients that will keep until Christmas.
- Prepare and freeze homemade Brown ‘n Serve Rolls according to the recipe instructions.
- Make Christmas cookies and freeze them if desired.
3 to 5 Days Before Christmas
- Begin thawing your frozen turkey in the refrigerator, allowing approximately 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds.
- Prepare cheese balls and other appetizers according to their storage instructions.
- Purchase fresh produce and dairy products.
1 to 2 Days Before Christmas
- Bake fruit pies and store them according to the recipe instructions.
- Prepare Christmas Jello salad and refrigerate.
- Prep vegetables and any side dishes that can safely be made ahead.
- Make mashed potatoes if you plan to refrigerate and reheat them.
Christmas Day
- Start the ham or turkey early enough to allow for cooking and resting.
- Reheat prepared side dishes until hot throughout.
- Prepare the Christmas green beans and other last-minute vegetables.
- Finish any holiday drinks, adding carbonated ingredients just before serving.
- Warm the Brown ‘n Serve Rolls while the meat rests.
- Set out the food and enjoy Christmas dinner with your family!
What is served at a traditional Christmas dinner?
A traditional American Christmas dinner 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 our make-ahead lasagna recipe.
How many side dishes should you serve for Christmas dinner?
For a Christmas dinner with 6 to 8 guests, I like to plan three or four side dishes along with the main course. Choose a potato dish, a vegetable, bread and one extra favorite, such as stuffing, cranberry sauce or Jello salad. This gives everyone variety without leaving you with too much cooking.
What can you make ahead for Christmas dinner?
Dinner rolls, fruit pies, Jello salads, cheese balls and many casseroles can be prepared before Christmas Day. Mashed potatoes can also be made ahead and reheated. Follow each recipe’s storage and reheating instructions so everything is ready to serve safely.
