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

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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

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (12)

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

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (19)

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 menu? ›

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.

What is the perfect Christmas dinner? ›

You likely will want to choose a main first, like a turkey, Christmas ham, casserole or other show-stopping dishes. Then, you can compliment your main with Christmas side dishes and holiday appetizers. And of course, you can't forget about sweet Christmas desserts and festive co*cktails to sip on throughout the night!

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 do most Americans eat on Christmas Eve? ›

It usually includes a stuffed bird (turkey is the most common), with gravy and some classic sides.
  • Turkey. A turkey is an inexpensive main meal that will feed a lot of people. ...
  • Stuffing. ...
  • Mashed potatoes. ...
  • Gravy. ...
  • Cranberry sauce. ...
  • Christmas ham. ...
  • Beef tenderloin. ...
  • Rack of lamb.
Dec 10, 2021

What is the most eaten vegetable at Christmas? ›

Within this article we will outline the 5 most popular Christmas vegetables, and how to keep them fresh for the big day!
  • 1) Carrots.
  • 2) Broccoli.
  • 3) Potatoes.
  • 4) Cauliflower.
  • 5) Brussel sprouts.

What is the most popular Christmas dish in America? ›

(NEWS10) — The holiday season brings together family, friends and of course food. Crestline surveyed 2,100 Americans to determine the most and least popular Christmas foods. Starting off strong, the survey concludes the most popular food in the U.S. is roasted potatoes with 91% of Americans voting for the tasty dish.

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 is the most eaten meat on Christmas? ›

1. Turkey. Let's admit it, a whole turkey is the best and most traditional meat for Christmas dinners. Originally gracing our plates in the 16th century, popular history tells of King Henry VIII being the first English monarch to have turkey for Christmas.

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 meat to serve for Christmas dinner? ›

The holiday season calls for festive and celebratory meals, and a showstopping Christmas roast definitely fits the bill. Try your hand at a simple Three-Ingredient Prime Rib Roast, Garlicky Roast Pork Shoulder, or an impressive platter of Roasted Goose Legs with Sour Cherry Glaze and Gravy.

What do Italians have for Christmas dinner? ›

In Northern Italy, Lasagne Bolognese and filled pasta like manicotti and ravioli are traditional Christmas fare. Next comes the main event, the meat. Roasted veal, baked chicken, sausages or braised beef are common Natale entrées worth celebrating.

What time should Christmas dinner be served? ›

It's just supposed to be a middle-of-the-day meal, so the Queen's speech, at 3pm, adapted to it rather than the other way round. In other parts of Europe, people prefer their Christmas meal on Christmas Eve and eat leftovers the next day. In Britain, much of the way we do it comes from the Victorians.

What food do Mexicans eat on Christmas? ›

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.

What is the 12 course Christmas dinner? ›

Why do Poles eat 12 dishes during the Christmas Eve dinner? Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year. But in the past, dinner consisted of an odd number of dishes.

Is ham a traditional Christmas dinner? ›

American traditions

As of 2019, Americans purchase about as much ham as turkey around the holiday season. Ham began being mentioned as a Christmas dish in around 1900, and started growing in popularity in about 1960.

What do Americans drink on Christmas? ›

What are the top five holiday co*cktails in America?
  • Christmas punch. That's right; a classic Christmas punch is the most popular holiday drink in America. ...
  • Eggnog. How could this boozy classic not be a top holiday co*cktail? ...
  • Cranberry mimosa. ...
  • Hot buttered rum. ...
  • Irish coffee. ...
  • Coquito. ...
  • Whiskey sour. ...
  • Christmas margarita.
Dec 7, 2023

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