My Best Christmas Recipes: Sides, Salads, Dinner, Desserts and Cocktails

Table of content

Appetizers Soups and Salads Sides Dinner Entrees Desserts Drinks and Cocktails

Christmas is a big deal at my house. And as much as we’d all like to just have cookies for dinner, I figured I’d put together a list of all my best Christmas recipes to help inspire you as you put the finishing touches on your holiday menu. Here they are!

My Best Christmas Appetizer Recipes

Everyone has their favorite go-to entreés, so I like to spice things up with different appetizers every year. Here are some of my favorites.

Mary’s Make-Ahead Baked Crab Cake Bites with Homemade Remoulade Sauce➝

Easy Miniature Puff Pastry Brie Fig Bites Appetizer➝

Roasted Wild Mushroom Crostini Recipe with Easy Garlic Basil Ricotta Spread➝

Cranberry Compote Whipped Feta Dip➝

Marie's Holiday Zucchini Parmesan Squares➝

Spanakopita Bites with Spinach and Feta➝

Tips on How to Make a Simple (and Beautiful) Charcuterie Board➝

Pine Cone Cheese Ball Recipe and How-to➝

My Best Christmas Soup and Salad Recipes

They’re called feast days for a reason: Holiday dinners usually end up being decadent, extravagant, and varied. Start off light with a salad before digging into the main dish!

Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Salad➝

Winter Citrus Salad with Shaved Fennel and Champagne Vinaigrette➝

Luigi’s Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette➝

Easy Italian Chopped Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette➝

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad➝

Vegetarian Gluten-free Potato Corn Chowder Recipe➝

Wintry Gluten-free White Bean and Ham Soup➝

Terri’s Wild Rice Corn Chowder➝

Maple Butternut Squash and Apple Soup➝

Maple Butternut Squash Bisque with Spiced Pepitas➝

My Best Christmas Sides Recipes

It’s not Christmas without some incredible side dishes. Potato casseroles are a cultural favorite—and a hit at my house—but I’ve included plenty of other options too. Enjoy!

Au Gratin Potato Casserole Recipe➝

Southern Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe➝

Hasselback Potatoes➝

Roasted Hasselback Butternut Squash➝

Bud’s Country Stuffing with Cherries and Walnuts➝

Pork Stuffed Artichokes➝

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Sweet Italian Sausage➝

Mary’s Holiday Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Pancetta

Candied Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows and Pecans➝

Bud’s Apple Pear Cranberry Compote➝

My Best Christmas Dinner Entreé Recipes

After a big Thanksgiving turkey, most people turn to other proteins for their Christmas main. Here are a few of my favorite pork dishes for the Christmas table, plus a couple of vegetarian options.

Herb Roasted Turkey➝

Simple Honey Mustard Glazed Ham➝

Bud’s Cracklin’ Pork Shoulder with Hard Cider Gravy➝

Hard Cider Pork Roast with Pink Lady Apples➝

Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon in the Oven➝

Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes Pie➝

Swiss Chard and Shiitake Mushroom Galette➝

Torta Rustica➝

Butternut Squash Kale Lasagna➝

Wild Mushroom Risotto➝

My Best (and Favorite) Christmas Desserts

The possibilities are endless when it comes to Christmas dessert ideas. I usually go for cookies myself (see the cookie section below!) but here are a few more options in case cookies aren’t your jam.

Cranberry Orange Bundt® Cake➝

Fruitcake Recipe for the Holidays➝

Koval Ginger Liqueur White Chocolate Truffles with Coconut and Crystalized Ginger

Cranberry Orange Bundt® Cake➝

Ginger Cakes to Remember➝

Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles with Cognac Barrel-Aged Vanilla➝

White Chocolate Champagne Truffles with Edible Gold Leaf➝

Twisted Chocolate Brioche➝

Chocolate Ganache Nutella Tart➝

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Recipe➝

Mile High Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Meringue➝

Bread Pudding with Dark Rum Sauce➝

Mary's Sweet Potato Bourbon Pecan Pie➝

Chai Spiced Streusel Apple Pie➝

Stuffed Apple Dumplings Baked in Pastry➝

Bonus: My Best Christmas Cookie Recipes!

Every year, I get a head start and bake thousands of cookies to share with my family and friends. That’s how this all started—my kids asked me to document my recipes, and I wrote my first cookbook, A Gift of Cookies: Recipes to Share With Family & Friends.

See My Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes

My Best Christmas Drink and Cocktail Recipes

A wonderful holiday dinner is always better with a really good cocktail to round it out if you ask me. Here are some of my favorite Christmas cocktail recipes, plus a couple drinks for the kiddos. Enjoy!