Christmas cooking is a scheduling problem more than a cooking one. The recipes are rarely difficult; fitting them all into one oven on one morning is.
These 39 cover the whole day – drinks and appetizers, a main course in five directions including a vegan roast, the sides that matter, and enough desserts to see you through to New Year. Times run from five minutes to an overnight brine.
Every recipe links through to the full method. The make-ahead notes at the bottom are the difference between enjoying the day and spending it in the kitchen.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
- Best overall: Christmas Eve Lasagna Recipe — serves fifteen, assembles a day ahead, and takes the pressure off the 25th entirely.
- Fastest: Cranberry Mule / Christmas Mule Recipe — six ingredients, five minutes, one glass.
- Fewest ingredients: Cranberry Sauce Recipe — four ingredients, 20 minutes, serves eight.
How to Get Christmas Dinner Out on Time
- Work backwards from when you want to eat. Write the times down. The roast needs resting time, and that resting window is exactly when the oven is free for the potatoes and the stuffing.
- Rest the roast for at least 30 minutes. A large bird or joint holds its heat far longer than people expect, and this is not wasted time – it is the slot everything else cooks in.
- Make the cranberry sauce days ahead. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge and tastes better after a few days. It is the easiest thing to remove from the schedule.
- Peel and part-cook the potatoes the day before. Parboil, drain, rough them up, cool completely, and refrigerate uncovered. They roast better from cold and dry than from fresh.
- Choose desserts you can make in advance. Trifles, fudge, toffee and most cookies are all better made ahead. Nothing on the dessert table needs to be made on the day.
- Count your oven shelves before you plan the menu. This is the constraint that catches people out every year.
39 Easy Christmas Recipes
1. Cranberry Mule / Christmas Mule Recipe
Six ingredients, 5 minutes, one glass. The fastest thing on this page. Make a jug of the cranberry and lime base ahead and top with ginger beer to order.
Key ingredients: vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, ginger beer, Ice crushed or cubed
Total time: 5 min | Serves: 1 | Ingredients: 6
2. Spiced Christmas Margarita Recipe
Fifteen ingredients, 5 minutes. Warm spices in a margarita. The spice syrup can be made a week ahead and kept in the fridge.
Key ingredients: tequila, pomegranate juice, tangerine or orange juice, orange liqueur, honey, vanilla extract
💡 Cook’s tip: Honey — offers natural sweetness that blends with the warm spices instead of competing with them.
Total time: 5 min | Ingredients: 15
3. Christmas Fudge Recipe
Five ingredients, 10 minutes. Fudge in ten minutes, then it sets in the fridge. Cut it into small squares – it is richer than it looks.
Key ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, vanilla extract, Christmas sprinkles
💡 Cook’s tip: Semi-sweet chocolate chips — the darker chocolate balances the sweetness perfectly and gives that rich base layer. Always use good-quality chocolate for the best flavor.
Total time: 10 min | Ingredients: 5
4. Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita Recipe
Fifteen ingredients, 15 minutes. A brighter, spicier version of the one above. Worth making a batch base for rather than mixing individually.
Key ingredients: pomegranate juice, tangerine or orange juice, tequila, orange liqueur, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon
Total time: 15 min | Ingredients: 15
5. Christmas Charcuterie (Board) Recipe
Twelve ingredients, 20 minutes, serves ten. Assembly rather than cooking, which is exactly what you want on a busy day. Take the cheese out of the fridge an hour before.
Key ingredients: salami, coppa, blue cheese, brie, hard cheese, Green grapes
💡 Cook’s tip: Salami — pre-sliced salami works best because it folds nicely and offers a rich, savory flavor that balances well with mild cheeses.
Total time: 20 min | Serves: 10 | Ingredients: 12
6. Christmas Popcorn Balls Recipe
Six ingredients, 20 minutes. Butter your hands before shaping or you will spend longer cleaning them than making these.
Key ingredients: popcorn kernels, butter, mini marshmallows, Christmas-themed M&Ms, Christmas sprinkles, Non-stick cooking spray
💡 Cook’s tip: Popcorn kernels — i prefer using plain unpopped kernels because pre-popped bags often have extra salt or flavorings.
Total time: 20 min | Ingredients: 6
7. Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Four ingredients, 20 minutes, serves eight. The fewest ingredients here and the easiest thing to take off Christmas morning – it keeps two weeks in the fridge.
Key ingredients: cranberries, sugar, add-ins
💡 Cook’s tip: Remove the saucepan from heat and let the sauce cool at room temperature.
Total time: 20 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 4
8. Cranberry Brie Bites Recipe
Five ingredients, 25 minutes. The appetizer that appears at every holiday party for good reason. Five ingredients and they are gone in minutes.
Key ingredients: all-purpose flour, sheet of refrigerated crescent dough, wheel of brie cheese, whole-berry cranberry sauce, rosemary sprigs
Total time: 25 min | Ingredients: 5
9. Christmas Puppy Chow Recipe
Eleven ingredients, 25 minutes, serves twenty. Best for a crowd on this list. Make it in a large bag rather than a bowl – it coats far more evenly.
Key ingredients: Chex cereal, semisweet chocolate chips, smooth peanut butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, Christmas-colored sprinkles
💡 Cook’s tip: Semisweet chocolate chips — use high-quality chocolate for the best melt and flavor.
Total time: 25 min | Serves: 20 | Ingredients: 11
10. Festive Christmas Cranberry Roll Ups Recipe
Six ingredients, 25 minutes. Roll tightly, chill, then slice. Six ingredients and they look like they took real effort.
Key ingredients: crescent roll dough, cranberry sauce, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, pecans
Total time: 25 min | Ingredients: 6
11. Quick Cranberry Meatballs (Christmas Recipe)
Six ingredients, 25 minutes. Cranberry sauce as a glaze for meatballs, which is a better idea than it sounds. Keep them warm in a slow cooker on the table.
Key ingredients: meatballs, jellied or whole cranberry sauce, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, A pinch of chili flakes
Total time: 25 min | Ingredients: 6
12. Turkey Cranberry and Brie Egg Rolls Recipe
Ten ingredients, 25 minutes. The best use for leftover turkey there is. Seal the edges with water or the filling escapes into the oil.
Key ingredients: egg roll wrappers, turkey, poultry seasoning, Salt and pepper to taste, cranberry sauce, brie cheese
💡 Cook’s tip: Turkey — leftover roasted turkey works best; finely shredded meat heats evenly inside the egg rolls.
Total time: 25 min | Ingredients: 10
13. Christmas Pesto Pasta Recipe
Eight ingredients, 25 minutes, serves four. Green and red on the plate without trying. A useful dinner for the run-up rather than the day itself.
Key ingredients: pasta such as farfalle or penne, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, peas, garlic, Salt and pepper to taste
💡 Cook’s tip: Garlic — fresh garlic gives a warm depth—avoid garlic granules for best results.
Total time: 25 min | Serves: 4 | Ingredients: 8
14. Gingerbread Pancakes Recipe
Thirteen ingredients, 25 minutes. Christmas morning breakfast. Mix the dry ingredients the night before so it is a five-minute job while everyone opens presents.
Key ingredients: eggs, milk, molasses, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder
💡 Cook’s tip: All-purpose flour — the foundation of the batter. Use fresh flour for the best rise.
Total time: 25 min | Ingredients: 13
15. Christmas Sugar Cookies Decorating Recipe
Seven ingredients, 30 minutes. The cookies children will want to help with. Chill the dough before rolling and the shapes hold their edges.
Key ingredients: butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder
💡 Cook’s tip: Sugar — regular white sugar gives these cookies the right sweetness and texture. Avoid coarse sugar.
Total time: 30 min | Ingredients: 7
16. Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread Recipe
Nine ingredients, 32 minutes, serves eight. Shaped as a tree and pulled apart at the table. It looks like considerably more work than it is.
Key ingredients: string cheese mozzarella sticks, Colby-Monterey Jack cheese sticks, biscuits, butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning
Total time: 32 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 9
17. Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe
Eighteen ingredients, 35 minutes, serves eight. Something fresh against a very rich meal. Dress it at the table, not in the kitchen.
Key ingredients: walnuts, shelled pumpkin seeds, honey or maple syrup, chipotle chili powder, mixed greens, Frisée or arugula
Total time: 35 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 18
18. Savory Turkey and Cranberry Crescent Ring Recipe
Eleven ingredients, 40 minutes, serves six. A centrepiece made from shop-bought crescent dough. Excellent for Boxing Day leftovers.
Key ingredients: tube crescent rolls, chive and onion cream cheese, Dijon mustard, rosemary or thyme ), Gruyere cheese, turkey
💡 Cook’s tip: Make sure the layer is even so every bite has creamy flavor.
Total time: 40 min | Serves: 6 | Ingredients: 11 | Calories: 420 kcal
19. Creamy Holiday Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Six ingredients, 40 minutes. Warm the milk and butter before they go in – cold dairy into hot potato makes them gluey. Six ingredients, done properly.
Key ingredients: potatoes, milk, cream cheese, butter, chives
💡 Cook’s tip: Be careful not to overmix — that can make the mash gluey instead of creamy.
Total time: 40 min | Ingredients: 6
20. Easy Gingerbread Man Recipe
Seven ingredients, 42 minutes. The traditional one. The dough keeps in the fridge for three days, so you can bake in batches across the week.
Key ingredients: all-purpose flour, ground ginger, butter, treacle, brown sugar, baking soda
💡 Cook’s tip: All-purpose flour — this gives structure to the cookies and helps them hold their shape nicely when you cut them out.
Total time: 42 min | Ingredients: 7
21. Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks Recipe
Eleven ingredients, 47 minutes. Breadsticks arranged as a tree around a bowl of dip. A better party centrepiece than the effort would suggest.
Key ingredients: Refrigerated pizza dough, spinach, Cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, Garlic
💡 Cook’s tip: Spinach — cup thawed and squeezed dry removing excess moisture prevents soggy breadsticks.
Total time: 47 min | Ingredients: 11
22. Christmas Stuffing Recipe
Ten ingredients, 50 minutes, serves eight. Dry the bread out the day before – fresh bread turns to paste. This is the single most important step.
Key ingredients: sausage meat, onions, thyme, white breadcrumbs, eggs, Salt and pepper to taste
💡 Cook’s tip: White breadcrumbs — breadcrumbs bind everything and soak up the sausage juices. I always make my own or choose fresh ones rather than dry packet ones for better texture.
Total time: 50 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 10
23. Cranberry Turkey Stuffing Balls Recipe
Nineteen ingredients, 50 minutes, serves eight. Stuffing in ball form, which means more crisp surface per portion. Better than a tray of it.
Key ingredients: day-old bread, butter, yellow onion, garlic cloves, celery stalk, sage
💡 Cook’s tip: Ground turkey works best for binding, but leftover roast turkey is perfect for saving time.
Total time: 50 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 19 | Calories: 380 kcal
24. Gingerbread Pudding Cake Recipe
Eleven ingredients, 50 minutes, serves eight. A self-saucing pudding. Do not stir the layers together before baking, however wrong it looks.
Key ingredients: all-purpose flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, unsulfured molasses, milk
💡 Cook’s tip: Unsulfured molasses — avoid blackstrap molasses as it can be too bitter. Unsulfured adds depth without overpowering.
Total time: 50 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 11 | Calories: 300 kcal
25. Vegan Christmas Roast Recipe
Thirteen ingredients, 55 minutes. A proper centrepiece for the vegan at the table rather than a plate of side dishes. Make it whether or not you need to.
Key ingredients: vegan puff pastry, dry brown or green lentils, mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, onion, garlic cloves
💡 Cook’s tip: Dry brown or green lentils — these hold their shape well after cooking and give the filling a meaty, hearty texture.
Total time: 55 min | Ingredients: 13
26. Christmas Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Thirteen ingredients, 57 minutes. Shortbread wants cold butter and a light hand. Overworked dough goes tough, and there is no fixing it.
Key ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, half-and-half
Total time: 57 min | Ingredients: 13
27. Cranberry Bars Recipe
Eleven ingredients, an hour. Sharp cranberry against a sweet base. Cut them cold with a hot knife for clean edges.
Key ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, Zest from one medium orange, all-purpose flour
💡 Cook’s tip: Make sure to scrape down the sides so everything blends uniformly.
Total time: 60 min | Ingredients: 11
28. Orange Cake with Cranberry Filling Recipe
Nineteen ingredients, 65 minutes. Orange and cranberry is the defining flavour pair of the season. Zest the oranges before you juice them.
Key ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, squeezed orange juice, Zest of 4 oranges
Total time: 65 min | Ingredients: 19
29. Layered Sweet Potato Squash & Carrot Bake with Cranberry-Honey Drizzle Recipe
Thirteen ingredients, 70 minutes, serves six. Layered root vegetables, which look far better on the table than a bowl of each. Slice them thin and evenly.
Key ingredients: sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, thyme, rosemary, cranberries
Total time: 70 min | Serves: 6 | Ingredients: 13 | Calories: 220 kcal
30. Festive Christmas Stuffed Pasta Recipe
Sixteen ingredients, 70 minutes, serves six. Assembles the day before and bakes from cold. A good Christmas Eve dinner that leaves the oven free on the day.
Key ingredients: pasta shells, spinach, shiitake or cremini mushrooms, basil, oregano, thyme
💡 Cook’s tip: Spinach — convenient, but make sure you thaw it fully and squeeze out excess moisture so the filling isn’t watery.
Total time: 70 min | Serves: 6 | Ingredients: 16
31. Cranberry Feta Pinwheels with Cream Cheese Recipe
Six ingredients, 75 minutes. Most of that time is chilling, which is what makes them slice cleanly. Six ingredients and they can be rolled a day ahead.
Key ingredients: Spinach or flour tortillas, cranberries, Feta cheese, Cream cheese, Green onions, White sugar
💡 Cook’s tip: Cranberries — cup adds the perfect sweet-tart flavor. Avoid fresh or frozen; dried works best for texture.
Total time: 75 min | Ingredients: 6
32. Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread Recipe
Thirteen ingredients, 90 minutes, serves eight. A whole loaf scored and filled with brie and cranberry. Put it in the middle of the table and stand back.
Key ingredients: butter, yellow onion, crushed red pepper flakes, rosemary, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar
💡 Cook’s tip: Yellow onion — caramelizes beautifully; avoid pre-chopped frozen onions.
Total time: 90 min | Serves: 8 | Ingredients: 13
33. Festive Ginger Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
Sixteen ingredients, 110 minutes. Cheesecake filling inside a ginger cookie. The dough needs proper chilling – do not shortcut it.
Key ingredients: grams cream cheese, grams powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, grams all-purpose flour, ground ginger
Total time: 110 min | Ingredients: 16
34. Cranberry Orange Cake Recipe
Eleven ingredients, two hours, serves twelve. Serves twelve and keeps for several days wrapped. A good cake to have in the house across the whole week.
Key ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, butter, orange zest, sugar, eggs
Total time: 120 min | Serves: 12 | Ingredients: 11
35. Gingerbread Trifle Recipe
Eleven ingredients, three hours, serves twelve. Assemble it the day before – the layers need time to settle into each other. Build it in a glass bowl.
Key ingredients: Gingerbread cake mix, Ingredients required for cake mix, Instant vanilla pudding mix, Milk, Dulce de leche, Cream cheese
💡 Cook’s tip: Follow package directions carefully for the best crumb.
Total time: 180 min | Serves: 12 | Ingredients: 11
36. Christmas Eve Lasagna Recipe
Twenty-seven ingredients, three and a half hours, serves fifteen. The best recipe on this page. Make it on the 23rd, bake it on the 24th, and Christmas Day is easier for it.
Key ingredients: no-boil lasagna noodles, Non-stick cooking spray, low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, Italian cheese blend, carrots, celery
💡 Cook’s tip: No-boil lasagna noodles — these save time and keep the layers firm without turning soggy.
Total time: 205 min | Serves: 15 | Ingredients: 27
37. Chewy Christmas Toffee Recipe
Nine ingredients, five hours including setting. Use a thermometer – toffee is entirely a temperature exercise and guessing does not work.
Key ingredients: pecans or almonds, sugar, butter, water 60 ml, vanilla extract, Chocolate chips
💡 Cook’s tip: Sugar — regular sugar works best for proper caramelization.
Total time: 300 min | Ingredients: 9
38. Christmas Roast Chicken Recipe
Twenty-five ingredients and an overnight brine before a long roast. The most impressive thing here. The brine is what makes the difference, and it needs the full time.
Key ingredients: hot water, unsweetened, real maple syrup, dark brown sugar, Peel of 1 orange, black peppercorns
💡 Cook’s tip: Cool the brine quickly before adding the chicken essential for safety.
Total time: 850 min | Ingredients: 25
39. Christmas Trifle Recipe
Seven ingredients, made a full day ahead. Seven ingredients and almost all of the time is the fridge doing the work. The traditional finish to the meal.
Key ingredients: brownies, cream cheese, heavy cream, peppermint extract, powdered sugar, hot fudge sauce
💡 Cook’s tip: Hot fudge sauce — choose a high-quality fudge sauce or warm homemade chocolate sauce for the best flavor.
Total time: 1470 min | Ingredients: 7
On the schedule: the things that can be done days ahead are cranberry sauce, fudge, toffee, cookies, trifle, and any lasagna or stuffed pasta.
The things that must be done on the day are the roast, the potatoes and the gravy. If you find yourself making something from the first list on the 25th, you have made the day harder than it needed to be.
On leftovers: turkey keeps three to four days in the fridge and freezes for three months off the bone. The egg rolls and the crescent ring on this list are both built for it. Cooked stuffing should be eaten within two days. Gravy freezes well and is worth making double for exactly that reason.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I make ahead for Christmas dinner?
More than most people do. Cranberry sauce keeps two weeks. Potatoes can be peeled and parboiled the day before and refrigerated uncovered – they roast better that way.
Stuffing can be fully assembled and baked on the day. Desserts, cookies, fudge and trifles are all better made in advance. Gravy can be made from stock days ahead and finished with the roasting juices on the day.
How long should I rest the roast?
At least 30 minutes for a large bird or joint, and up to an hour is fine if it is loosely tented with foil. It stays hot far longer than people fear, the juices redistribute rather than running out onto the board, and it frees the oven for potatoes and sides at exactly the moment you need it. Resting is a scheduling asset, not a delay.
How do I keep everything hot at once?
Cook the sides that hold heat well – mashed potatoes, root vegetable bakes, stuffing – first, and keep them covered in a low oven or a warming drawer.
Roast potatoes go in last so they arrive crisp. Warm the plates. And accept that a Christmas dinner served slightly below piping hot has never actually ruined anyone’s day.
Can I freeze Christmas leftovers?
Yes. Turkey freezes well for three months once taken off the bone and wrapped tightly, ideally with a little gravy or stock to keep it from drying. Gravy, soup and cooked stuffing all freeze. Cooked potatoes go grainy and are best eaten within a couple of days. Trifle and anything with fresh cream should not be frozen.
What should I cook for a vegan or vegetarian guest?
Something that is genuinely a centrepiece rather than a plate of the sides everyone else is having. The vegan Christmas roast on this list is built for that.
Check the sides too – stuffing is often made with butter or stock, and roast potatoes are frequently cooked in animal fat, so it is worth setting aside a separate tray.