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.

Start Slideshow

1 of 19

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.

1 of 19

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

2 of 19

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.

2 of 19

3 of 19

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.

3 of 19

Advertisem*nt

4 of 19

Home-Cooked Classic Holiday Menu

Apple Brandy-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (5)

Credit: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart

Home-Cooked Classic Holiday Menu Menu

Cozy classics cooked to perfection turn a good holiday meal into perfection.

4 of 19

5 of 19

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.

5 of 19

6 of 19

Celebrate Christmas in Style

Celebrate Christmas In Style

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (7)

Celebrate Christmas in Style Menu

Give the holidays extra sparkle with dressed-up recipes and beautiful crafts that show off the season's best.

6 of 19

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

7 of 19

Quick and Easy Christmas Dinner

Molasses Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (8)

Quick and Easy Christmas Dinner Menu

Enjoy this delicious array of no-fuss holiday dishes that will add sparkle to your table this season.

7 of 19

8 of 19

An Elegant Feast

Horseradish and Mustard-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (9)

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.

8 of 19

9 of 19

Casual Christmas Eve Supper

Citrus Batida

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (10)

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.

9 of 19

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

Cozy Christmas Dinner

Pork Loin Roast With Carolina Apple Compote

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (11)

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.

10 of 19

11 of 19

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.

11 of 19

12 of 19

Holiday Feast

Roast Beef with Horseradish-Mustard Sauce

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (13)

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.

12 of 19

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

13 of 19

Christmas Dinner Menu

Christmas Dinner Menu

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (14)

Christmas Dinner Menu Menu

Gather loved ones for a delectable Christmas dinner and make the holiday merry with this elegant spread.

13 of 19

14 of 19

Dashing Christmas Dinner Menu

Fennel-Crusted Rib Roast

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (15)

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.

14 of 19

15 of 19

Christmas Dinner: Grand & Gracious

Beef Tenderloin With Henry Bain Sauce

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (16)

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.

15 of 19

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

16 of 19

The Holiday Dinner Table

Herb-Crusted Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding with Red Wine Jus

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (17)

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.

16 of 19

17 of 19

Ham Dinner Menu

Ham Dinner Menu

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (18)

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.

17 of 19

18 of 19

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.

18 of 19

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

Advertisem*nt

19 of 19

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.

19 of 19

Replay gallery

Up Next

Traditional Christmas Dinner Menus & Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a traditional Christmas dinner 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. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.

What was the original Christmas dinner? ›

It is believed that the forerunner of the Christmas dinner was the midwinter feast enjoyed by our ancient ancestors. Feasts were held to celebrate the pagan midwinter solstice, and archaeological digs have discovered that the most popular meats served up were pork and beef.

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 is the most eaten meat on Christmas? ›

Top 5 Traditional Meats For Christmas Dinner
  1. Turkey. Let's admit it, a whole turkey is the best and most traditional meat for Christmas dinners. ...
  2. Beef. Beef often comes to mind when choosing Christmas meats and for good reason. ...
  3. Ham and Gammon. What's Christmas without a joint of ham? ...
  4. Pork. ...
  5. Lamb.

What does American eat for Christmas dinner? ›

Traditional American Christmas dinner food. The traditional American Christmas dinner is very similar to a Thanksgiving dinner. It usually includes a stuffed bird (turkey is the most common), with gravy and some classic sides.

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 item on a Christmas dinner plate? ›

Roast potatoes and gravy are the most ubiquitous items on the Christmas dinner, with only around half opting for turkey.

What was a Christmas dinner in 1950? ›

Roast turkey, stuffed goose, ham aged in Grandpa's smokehouse, hot rolls, hot biscuits, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, preserves and jellies, and, of course, mince pies, sweet potato pies, white and dark fruitcakes, all kinds of other delectable desserts, nuts, and raisins, and brandy for the gentlemen.

What was the Queen's Christmas dinner? ›

That was always roast turkey and all the trimmings. “Usually it was homemade sage and onion stuffing, Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, sometimes parsnips and carrots – it varied year to year – mashed potatoes and roast potatoes, homemade gravy, then Christmas pudding with brandy sauce.

What is a traditional Christmas dinner in the 1800? ›

A Very Victorian Christmas

Most Victorian families had roast goose for their Christmas dinner, wealthy families ate beef, venison and turkey, often served with a chestnut or veal forcemeat stuffing. In the north, spiced roast beef was the most popular dish.

What is normal Christmas dinner? ›

Serve a traditional Christmas dinner menu filled with classic dishes, including smoked salmon starters, roast turkey with all the trimmings and Christmas pudding.

What foods will be served at Christmas dinner? ›

Christmas dinner recipes
  • Flavour-bomb roast turkey & gravy. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Hot honey-glazed gammon. ...
  • Mini maple & mustard pigs in blankets. ...
  • Cranberry, orange & rosemary sauce. ...
  • Shredded carbonara sprouts. ...
  • Croissant bread sauce. ...
  • Turkey crown with roast garlic & pancetta. ...
  • Honeyed hasselback carrots.

What veg do you have with a 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 are all the kinds of traditional Christmas food? ›

10 Traditional Christmas food
  • Gingerbread cookies.
  • Fruit cakes.
  • Roast carrots.
  • Eggnog.
  • Plum puddings.
  • Mashed potatoes.
  • Roasted potatoes.
  • Pineapple glazed ham.
Dec 17, 2021

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.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Msgr. Benton Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 5855

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Msgr. Benton Quitzon

Birthday: 2001-08-13

Address: 96487 Kris Cliff, Teresiafurt, WI 95201

Phone: +9418513585781

Job: Senior Designer

Hobby: Calligraphy, Rowing, Vacation, Geocaching, Web surfing, Electronics, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Msgr. Benton Quitzon, I am a comfortable, charming, thankful, happy, adventurous, handsome, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.