30+ Easy Christmas Dinner Ideas

Our festive Spinach Artichoke Dip with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta is colorful, bright-tasting, and so cheesy, making it the perfect hot dip for Christmas or other special gatherings.

Prep these ahead and bake them right before serving. The salty-sweet combo is addictive!

Need a fast, easy, show stopping appetizer? Honey Whipped Goat Cheese is the answer! Create the basic creamy dip with just 3 ingredients and then choose your own topping adventure with our 4 unique ideas.

This could be Christmas dinner itself (all while making everyone happy). Use our simple 5-step plan for the perfect charcuterie board.

This P.F. Chang’s copycat recipe has been a favorite of ours for 15 years. You can make the filling ahead of time and just warm it in the crockpot that evening. Delicious!

This popular salad recipe honestly works just as well at Christmas as it does in the fall. You can prep ahead the salad ingredients (except chopping the apple) and the Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Prepare to have people ask for this recipe!

This salad has the perfect combination of Brussels sprouts, savory bacon, crunchy almonds, and shredded Parmesan. These simple ingredients are tossed in a zesty homemade dressing that will have you craving for more.

You can make delicious, homemade rolls at home! Follow our detailed instructions and pro tips for perfectly soft and fluffy dinner rolls. We also have a recipe for Bread Maker Wheat Dinner Rolls.

Oven roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled in a balsamic honey reduction sounds and tastes gourmet, but it’s easy to make for Christmas dinner.

These make-ahead potatoes are the quintessential side dish for almost any holiday meal. They are a bit healthier than other twice-baked potatoes yet just as rich-tasting.

A kicked-up way to enjoy green beans around the holidays. These green bean bundles take a little work ahead of time, but you can prep them a day or two in advance and bake them on Christmas night.

This decadent side dish recipe comes together fast and is mostly hands-off.

You may also like our Healthy Mashed Potatoes that include a little sweet potato too (don’t worry, they still taste amazing).

This simple homemade stuffing recipe couldn’t be simpler yet has wonderful depth of flavor. It includes mostly pantry items and only takes about 30 minutes! You’ll never go back to store-bought after this.

P.S. This is super easy to make gluten-free, if needed.

If you need your oven for other purposes, our Crockpot Ham is here to save the day. After a lot of testing and research, we found the best way to slow cook a spiral ham and how to avoid a dried-out piece of pork.

Serve with our 5-ingredient Pineapple Sauce or Cranberry Orange Sauce for an impressive yet easy meal for a crowd.

This is my absolute favorite soup on Thriving Home now. It’s easy to make, filled with beautiful colors and texture, gluten-free, and creamy and delicious. You can make it ahead of time and warm it up on Christmas night for dinner.

This dump-and-go Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Beef might be the easiest and very best slow cooker meal I’ve ever made for my family. You simply can’t beat the aroma of slow cooked chuck roast. The leftover sauce in the crockpot is delicious over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, our Healthier Mashed Potatoes, or polenta.

This would be absolutely perfect to make ahead and freeze for Christmas Eve or night. Just throw it in the crockpot until it’s warm and serve with bacon bits and sliced green onions and crusty bread on the side.

We’ll teach you how to cook this very flavorful turkey breast (with gravy), which works well for a family meal or smaller holiday gathering as it serves 6-8 people. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran cook, this recipe is for you! Serve with mashed potatoes and perhaps homemade stuffing, as well.

Short ribs are one of those “once a year” celebration cuts of meat. They will fall off the bone and melt in your mouth thanks for the slow cooker and our savory sweet sauce. Serve over mashed potatoes with the leftover sauce on top.

P.S. You can also make Instant Pot Short Ribs.

This make-ahead, hearty baked pasta works well for Christmas night. Prep it ahead and then just pop it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. So easy and satisfying!

This hearty, veggie-forward soup makes even the coldest winter nights warm and cozy. 10 out of 10 comfort soup right here.

Make this creamy, decadent chicken pot pie in the slow cooker. It’s easy but impressive for Christmas dinner. You can top with our simple Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits or just buy the canned ones at the store for a shortcut.

You can also make Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie instead.

If you’re just making dinner for 2-4 people, you can pull off this easy steak dinner. I make it this way all the time, and it always turns out well!

I’d suggest serving this with our Twice Baked Potatoes.

Filled with only 6 flavorful ingredients, this quiche comes together quickly but won’t stick around for long! For a super easy Christmas dinner, I’d just serve this is a salad and homemade salad dressing and our Classic Fruit Salad.

This fake-out lasagna is very easy to make, super filling, and can be prepped weeks ahead and frozen. Your family will devour it! Our Pesto Cheese Bread would go well with it.

This is actually my go-to Christmas Eve soup each year. It’s colorful (be sure to buy the multi-colored tortellini), satisfying, and a crowd-pleaser. A medley of Italian sausage, vegetables, and cheese tortellini all simmer together in a rich and flavorful tomato broth. Like our creamy Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage, this is a great one to serve to groups!

These kid-friendly sliders are super easy to make, budget-friendly, great for a group of people, and even freezer-friendly. I’ve been making these for YEARS and constantly have people ask for the recipe.

Tip: Pair this with one of the soups on the list.

Can you tell we like soups around here? This creamy, delicious Instant Pot Clam Chowder is made with all whole food ingredients (no canned cream soups!), is gluten-free, and is faster and easier to make thanks to the Instant Pot.

This decadent-tasting casserole serves a crowd, is filled with flavor, and isn’t hard at all. Definitely Christmas dinner worthy! Check out the reviews on it to see how much people love it.

Make a batch of our homemade hot chocolate mix (only 3 ingredients) to have on hand for Christmas night. In fact, you can use our free gift tags and gift making instructions, to prep one jar for each person in your family!

These are our go-to homemade brownies. Rich, chewy, and decadent! You can prep our Homemade Brownie Mix ahead of time (and even make extras for gifts) to make this faster.