30+ Easy Christmas Dinner Ideas
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Whether you just want a cozy dinner for a few or to host a crowd, these impressive yet easy Christmas Dinner Ideas will guide the way. I’ve included my favorite holiday appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, and a few desserts. Most include make-ahead instructions too.
P.S. Try our Make Ahead Christmas Breakfast Ideas too.
What I Would Personally Make for Christmas Dinner
To pull off dinner on Christmas night, I personally want a simple (yet delicious) menu that can be mostly prepped ahead of time. Same goes for our Christmas Breakfast.
So, while I can vouch that each of these dishes have been well-tested and are really tasty, I’d personally make this menu (or I’d make any of the soups below):
- Crockpot Balsamic Shredded Beef – This dump-and-go meal slow cooks all day.
- Mashed Potatoes or Polenta – Perfect for soaking up the leftover juices.
- Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing – Easy to prep ahead.
- Snickerdoodles (or Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake–what we refer to as “Jesus Cake”)
But, you really can’t go wrong with any of the holiday dishes below. I promise!
Christmas Appetizers
Consider doing a few appetizers as the Christmas dinner itself. We have done that many times, especially on Christmas Eve with a crowd!
Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese
Prep these ahead and bake them right before serving. The salty-sweet combo is addictive!
Simple Charcuterie Board
This could be Christmas dinner itself (all while making everyone happy). Use our simple 5-step plan for the perfect charcuterie board.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
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!
Christmas Salads
These are all easy, beautiful, and holiday-worthy salads that can prepped ahead.
Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad
This light, flavorful Mandarin Orange Salad includes spinach, dried cranberries, almonds, feta or goat cheese, and mandarin oranges and pairs perfectly with our creamy Citrus Salad Dressing. Serve on special occasions or on any weeknight!
Autumn Chopped Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
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!
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
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.
Christmas Dinner Side Dishes
Most of these side dishes can be prepped a day or two in advance (and some can even be prepped as freezer meals ahead of time.)
Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Rest assured you won’t take home any leftovers of this make-ahead side dish. This cheesy hash brown casserole is made with real food ingredients that are also gluten-free.
Bread Machine Dinner Rolls
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.
Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Oven roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled in a balsamic honey reduction sounds and tastes gourmet, but it’s easy to make for Christmas dinner.
Bacon and Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes
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.
Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans
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.
Instant Pot Creamy Mashed Potatoes
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).
Homemade Stuffing
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.
Easy Main Dishes for Christmas Dinner
Main dishes for the Christmas night are best when you can prep them ahead or can slow cook them all day (so you can chill out and have fun all day!). That’s what you can expect with all of these easy but impressive dishes.
Crockpot Spiral Sliced Ham with Pineapple Sauce
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.
Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef
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.
Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy
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.
Slow Cooker Short Ribs
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.
Baked Penne Pasta
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!
Cheeseburger Soup
This hearty, veggie-forward soup makes even the coldest winter nights warm and cozy. 10 out of 10 comfort soup right here.
Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
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.
Pan-Seared, Oven-Finished Steak
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.
Spinach Bacon Quiche
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.
Beefy Baked Ravioli (Fake Out Lasagna)
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.
Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
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!
Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
After a lot of heavy holiday eating, why not try this healthy chicken chili recipe that’s a little lighter than others? It’s comforting, packed with flavor, gluten-free, dairy-free, and freezer-friendly. You may also like our healthy Turkey Chili or Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, too.
Ham and Cheese Sliders
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.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Can you tell we like soups around here? This is another wildly popular one around the holidays. You truly can’t go wrong with this creamy, filling soup!
Easy Dessert Ideas
These are three of our very favorite desserts that would go well with a Christmas meal.
Snickerdoodle Cookies
If you are looking for a GREAT Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe, go no further. These Snickerdoodles are easy to make, so soft & chewy, and so delicious. I am even going to show you how to make them ahead to freeze!
Double Chocolate Brownies
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.
Homemade Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
If you’ve only made the boxed yellow cake and store-bought chocolate icing (which is really just flavored shortening), you’re seriously missing out. You won’t regret taking a little extra time this holiday season to make our Homemade Yellow Cake and Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Idea for Kids: If you have young children, decorate it with birthday sprinkles and candles. Light the candles and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. We’ve done this for 17 years now–even with teens!
I hope you’re able to find the perfect easy Christmas dinner ideas for your holiday gathering this season. Don’t forget to check out our Christmas Breakfast ideas, too.
Bonus: Activities for Kids on Christmas
If you’re looking for fun and meaningful activities for the kids to do during the Christmas season, be sure to check out these holiday-themed ideas:
- Easy Christmas Crafts – Try our simple Snowman Coloring Sheet or Gingerbread Man Coloring Sheet.
- Advent Family Devotional – I wrote this free family devotional many years ago for our church (and to do with my own kids). It’s an interactive, hands-on way to share the Christmas story.
- Meaningful Christmas Picture Books – We stocked up on all these books when the kids were little and re-read them year after year.
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