Easy Christmas Dinner Ideas for 2025

Your one-stop shop for Christmas dinner ideas! Choose from 5 menu options, from a big traditional dinner to a Christmas dinner for two!

In my house, our Thanksgiving dinner menu is down pat—we have the same traditional fare each year. But Christmas? My family likes to experiment on Christmas!

If you’re looking for new Christmas dinner ideas, we’ve got you covered! We have pulled together all of our family-favorite, five-star Christmas dinner recipes into five easy menus. Want to have a traditional holiday dinner? You’ll find all the kitchen-tested recipes you need to make a turkey or ham feast. Want to try something different? We’ve got an appetizer dinner, a vegetarian Christmas dinner, a Christmas roast dinner, and even a Christmas dinner for two ready for you. Enjoy!

Traditional Christmas dinner menu

If you’re a turkey-on-Christmas family, we’ve gotcha! We highly, highly recommend you dry brine your turkey—it really does give the juiciest, most flavorful bird! Or, if you have a smaller party, try our Instant Pot turkey breast (with easy turkey gravy)! But if you aren’t a turkey fan, try the ham below:

Sliced bourbon glazed ham in a roasting pan with fresh cranberries and orange slices.

Orange Bourbon Glazed Christmas Ham

Honey glazed carrots served on a wooden tray with small bowls of honey and fresh thyme on either side.

Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe

A spoon rests in a white bowl filled with homemade cranberry sauce garnished with citrus zest.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce

Birdseye view of baked cornbread dressing in a white Staub baking dish.

Cornbread and Sausage Dressing

Rolls lay scattered on a fabric napkin, next to a dish of butter. A knife with butter is ready to spread on one of the rolls.

Easy Buttery Yeast Rolls

Overhead of a baking dish filled with green bean casserole, a serving scooped onto a plate beside it.

Classic Green Bean Casserole with Fresh Green Beans

A spoon dips into a creamy potato side dish served family-style in a large white bowl.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Sugared cranberries atop a thick white glaze that's dripping down the sides of the cranberry Christmas cake.

Orange Cranberry Christmas Cake

A hand sprinkles a pinch of nutmeg over the whipped cream topping a mug of hot buttered rum.

Classic Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

Christmas dinner for two

A cozy holiday for two calls for a simple, one-pan dinner. This sheet pan garlic butter steak and potatoes cooks the entire meal on one baking sheet. Serve it up with a festive cocktail and your favorite Christmas cookies.

Overhead of a steak sheet pan dinner with veggies and a fork.

Sheet Pan Garlic Butter Steak and Potatoes

A mixed cranberry gin fizz cocktail stands beside an open flip-top bottle of cranberry simple syrup.

Holiday Cranberry Gin Fizz Cocktail

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Vegetarian Christmas dinner

A meatless Christmas menu can be just as festive as a traditional holiday dinner. We love these decadent stuffed shells with our easy vegan meatballs and the most colorful salad.

Three Cheese Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Sweet Potato Crostini with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate

Maple Rosemary Bar Nuts

A fork rests on a dark bowl, filled with persimmon and pomegranate salad.

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Maple Vinaigrette and Candied Walnuts

White plate filled with spaghetti, vegan meatballs, and marinara sauce on a blue background.

Easy Vegan Meatballs

Close view of a pile of roasted garlic bread slices in a bread basket.

Simple Roasted Garlic Bread Recipe

Close-up of a glass of holiday punch surrounded by Christmas ornaments and pine branches.

Jingle Juice Christmas Punch

Christmas appetizers dinner

This is one of our favorite easy Christmas dinners—everyone makes an appetizer or two to contribute, and people can snag a bite whenever they’re hungry. This would be a great Christmas Eve dinner idea, too! For more appetizer ideas and tips for the best holiday pitch-in, check out our master list of Christmas appetizers.

A Christmas charcuterie wreath in a round wooden tray with decorative pine boughs, pinecones, and red berries wreathed around the edges.

Christmas Charcuterie Board: Wreath Shaped!

Overhead of an easy goat cheese appetizer platter served on a wooden tray with goat cheese balls, forks, honey, and jam.

Fried Goat Cheese Balls

Overhead of spinach and feta mini quiche on a platter garnished with a fresh parsley sprig.

Spinach and Feta Mini Quiche Recipe

A hand holding a sausage ball dipped in ranch dressing.

Quick & Simple Sausage Balls Recipe

Mushroom appetizers piled high on a plate.

Parmesan and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Overhead of holiday cheese appetizer plated with crackers surrounding it.

Easy Holiday Cheese Ball Recipe

Maple Rosemary Bar Nuts

Rosemary Bacon Wrapped Dates

Christmas roast menu

“And he, he himself…the Grinch…carved the roast-beast!” – Dr Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Our take on the Who’s dinner includes classic roast beef with twice-baked potatoes, a green salad for some freshness, and a warm cup of wassail (or mulled wine).

Top view of a holiday roast topped with herbs and garlic on an oval platter with fresh rosemary and cranberries around it.

2 Comments

Heidi Coleman says:

March 9, 2025 at 3:00 pm

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this post. Your writing is not only informative but also really easy to follow, and you’ve made a potentially dry topic feel interesting and engaging. I love the way you’ve highlighted the key takeaways and provided actionable tips that I can start implementing right away.

1. Danielle @Wholefully says:
  
  March 10, 2025 at 4:15 pm
  
  Yay! Thanks so much, Heidi! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about it. =)