No matter if you are hosting a big, epic holiday meal with friends and extended family or if you are planning to have a cozy dinner with just you and your partner, we’ve got you covered. Here are 50+ Christmas dinner ideas!
This list includes ideas for appetizers, main courses, side dishes, drinks and desserts. And I’ve tried to organize them in this order. You can find even more decorating and hosting ideas in our full Christmas archive and you could serve these with our fun Grinch Punch!
Pigs in a Blanket – Easy Appetizer
How to make these easy and crowd-pleasing appetizers.
Deviled Eggs Recipe
How to make classic deviled eggs plus a few variations.
Rotel Cheese Dip
A quick and easy cheese dip recipe made from Velveeta cheese. Growing up, this was always served at holiday meals at our grandmother’s house.
5 Easy Crostini Appetizers
French bread crostinis topped with five different topping ideas.
Pinwheel Sandwiches
An easy finger food recipe perfect for any holiday party.
Snowman Cheese Ball
An easy holiday appetizer—perfect for a party!
Caprese Candy Cane
Tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad styled like a candy cane.
Easy Holiday Cheeseball Wreath
How to make different kinds of cheeseballs you can style into a holiday wreath.
Antipasto Wreath
A Christmas wreath appetizer of antipasto snacks.
Stuffed Mushrooms
An easy appetizer or side dish for any holiday meal.
Overnight No-Boil Lasagna
A delicious lasagna recipe that you can make ahead and bake when you need it.
Air Fryer Salmon
How to easily air fry salmon.
Air Fryer Steak
How to make a perfectly cooked steak in an air fryer.
Detroit-Style Pizza
My favorite homemade pizza recipe! This is a reader favorite as well.
Stuffed Peppers
Cheesy, beef and Spanish rice filled peppers. A filling and delicious recipe.
How to Broil Steak (Bacon Wrapped Filet)
How to oven broil a bacon wrapped filet mignon.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
A made from scratch chicken tenders recipe you can make in your air fryer.
Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Delicious and easy chicken pot pie with premade crust and rotisserie chicken.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
How to make crispy, juicy fried chicken in your air fryer.
Marry Me Chicken
Pan fried chicken in a creamy sauce; this recipe is flavorful and decadent.
Air Fryer Chicken
How to make perfectly cooked, juicy chicken in the air fryer.
Baked Chicken
How to bake chicken breasts without brining—juicy and delicious!
Stuffing Meatballs
Juicy, delicious meatballs with all the flavors of the holidays!
Turkey Chili
A simple, delicious turkey chili recipe you can dress up with cheese, sour cream, chips or any other fixings you prefer.
Turkey Meatball Quiche
I think this turkey meatball quiche would make an amazing Christmas dinner or breakfast. I love quiche any time of day!
Ambrosia Salad
A creamy, sweet fruit salad. This always feels like part of a holiday meal to me!
Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Classic baked macaroni and cheese with no eggs or evaporated milk.
Cauliflower Au Gratin
Creamy and cheese cauliflower in this crowd-pleasing casserole.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Learn to make delicious mashed potatoes ahead of time with this easy recipe.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Whipped Feta
Sweet and savory roasted sweet potatoes served with creamy, whipped feta. Yum!
Stuffing Risotto
Risotto always feels fancy to me and this stuffing risotto recipe makes the perfect side dish for any holiday main course.
Green Bean Casserole with Fresh Green Beans
An easy green bean casserole with pepper jack cheese.
Honey Butter
How to make honey butter for holiday dinners.
Jello Salad
A sweet dessert salad made in three layers. This is a staple at holiday meals for my family.
Easy Corn Casserole
A savory bread pudding-like side dish you can make ahead.
Lobster Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Do you have a celebration restaurant? My family does and I pretty much always order lobster mac and cheese. So it feels right for any holiday or celebration meal to me.
Broccoli Casserole
A creamy, cheesy broccoli casserole with a Ritz cracker topping.
Best Stuffing Recipe
This is the very best stuffing recipe perfect for any holiday meal.
Sweet Potato Casserole
A sweet and savory side dish with brown sugar pecan topping OR marshmallows.
Funeral Potatoes
Creamy, cheesy comforting potato casserole with cornflake topping.
Espresso Martini
Create this iconic espresso martini with just three ingredients.
Butterbeer Recipe
Learn to make Harry Potter Butterbeer at home! We marathon the HP movies during the holidays, so this only feels right.
How to Make Mulled Wine
How to make and customize the best homemade mulled wine.
Best Christmas Cocktails
This roundup of the best Christmas cocktail recipes is guaranteed to bring some extra cheer to your holiday season!
Hot Chocolate Bar Ideas
This season, I decided to create an epic hot cocoa bar. It’s a bit messy and sticky, but the memories are absolutely priceless.
Retro Wreath Cake
If you need a show-stopping dessert, learn to make this retro wreath cake.
Puppy Chow
This classic dessert mix is perfect to have on hand for a holiday party OR to give as a homemade gift.
Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
A flavorful holiday cutout cookie recipe.
Christmas Cupcakes
If you are doing some holiday hosting this season and need a few easy Christmas cupcake decorating ideas, we’ve got ’em!
Figgy Pudding – Christmas Pudding
A nontraditional take on this classic Christmas dessert.
