21 Perfect Christmas Dinner Ideas from Appetizers to Desserts

See more

While cradling a cocktail in one hand, an easy-to-grab appetizer is essential. These flaky, cheesy bacon twists are both easy and delicious to dunk in a three-cheese beer dip. 

Bacon Pastry Twists With Beer Cheese Dip

READ More     

A red-and-green holiday treat without sugary sprinkles? Count us in. These phyllo shells are filled with whipped pesto cream cheese and topped with basil and sun-dried tomatoes for some yummy Christmas food.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Bites

READ More     

The seafood lover in your home will be elated to munch on these sweet and umami-rich (thanks to oyster sauce) sesame shrimp, blanketed in buttery puff pastry. You'll definitely want to add this dish to your best Christmas recipes list.

Sesame Shrimp Pastry Puffs

READ More     

Spread avocado, mascarpone, and provolone onto toasted baguette slices for a tasty appetizer, and top away for three versatile holiday food ideas that will please any palate at your holiday party.

Holiday Crostini Trio

READ More     

Add this this gooey, sweet, and salty baked brie to your Christmas dinner menu and guests will gather around it like it's a fireplace on a cold day.

Honey Almond Baked Brie

READ More     

This savory combination of sage, Gruyère cheese, and heavy cream is here to make sweet potato casserole even more indulgent.

Cheesy Sweet Potato Gratin

READ More     

Turn romanesco into snow-capped trees with just six ingredients in this healthy yet cheesy dish for your next party.

Romanesco Christmas Trees With Parmesan Snow

READ More     

These slightly spicy biscuits are ideal for soaking up all that gravy goodness. 

Cornmeal Biscuits With Cheddar, Chives, and Jalapeños

READ More     

If ever there were a bulletproof case for buying a mandoline slicer, it's these potatoes, which are sliced chip-thin, layered upright in a baking dish, and gloriously bathed in salty rosemary butter.

Crispy Leaf Potatoes With Rosemary, Butter, and Salt

READ More     

A complicated salad is the last thing you need to worry about when picking out Christmas dinner recipes. This palate-cleansing dish is simply butter lettuce, pomegranate seeds, and a white wine vinaigrette. 

5-Ingredient Christmas Salad

READ More     

For a Christmas meal or otherwise, every home cook needs a roast chicken recipe in their back pocket. Start with this step-by-step recipe, which shows you how to stuff, truss, roast, and baste the bird until juicy and golden brown.

Roast Chicken With Carrots

READ More     

This dish combines a classic holiday side with a crowd-pleasing main, and it's wrapped in prosciutto for a show-stopping finish.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Loin With Apple and Rice Stuffing

READ More     

This vegetarian lasagna-ravioli hybrid is made a little unconventionally, making it a great Christmas meal idea.  Instead of neatly layering pasta sheets and cheese, fold a little bit of cheese into each individual pasta sheet, 

Four-Cheese White Lasagna

READ More     

then layer haphazardly for a rustic look.

Four-Cheese White Lasagna

READ More     

This melt-in-your-mouth holiday meal is cooked in one pan in under an hour. Sauté mushrooms in an oven-safe skillet, put the beef on top, roast, rest, and make a cheesy, herby cream sauce with the pan drippings.

Roast Beef Tenderloin With Mushrooms and White Wine Cream Sauce

READ More     

This dish is all about texture, from the crispy bacon coat to the tender turkey in the middle and soft stuffing interior.

Turkey Roulade With Apple Cranberry Stuffing in a Bacon Weave

READ More     

Hear that? That's a scoop of ice cream begging to top this sweet tray of apple, pear, cranberry, pineapple, and gluten-free dessert.

Easy Spiced Hot Fruit Bake

READ More     

No surprise here: the secret to Torres' high-quality chocolate chip cookies is high quality ingredients, like butter, flour, and chocolate. Letting the dough age for 24 hours and sprinkling it with sea salt at the end doesn't hurt either.

Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies

READ More     

These six-ingredient donuts, made with biscuit dough, have a cinnamony exterior and a rich dulce de leche filling that pairs wonderfully with Mexican hot chocolate.

Dulce de Leche Cream-Filled Churro Donuts

READ More     

Give your oven and your plates a break and add this dairy-free hot chocolate to your easy Christmas dinner menu, or enjoy with Christmas waffles!  Add all ingredients to the slow cooker, and let the gadget do the rest for you.

Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Hot Cocoa Christmas Dessert Idea

READ More     

This egg-free, celebration-worthy holiday dinner idea gets its creaminess from cream cheese and, better yet, its booziness from sparkling wine.

Champagne Ice Cream

READ More     

We call this pie holiday crack for a reason (or two): the pie crust is made of mini cinnamon rolls and the pecan filling is buttery on the verge of illegal, which definitely makes it one of our favorite holiday dishes.

Cinnamon Roll Pecan Pie

READ More