What to Eat on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
If you’re wondering what to eat on Christmas Day, most American families serve a roast main like turkey, glazed ham or prime rib with potatoes, vegetables, rolls and pie. Christmas Eve is often lighter or follows a family tradition, from seafood to tamales to soup. If you want something different this year, the random dinner generator can suggest a main in one click.
Below you’ll find classic US menus, Christmas food traditions from around the world, easy non-traditional ideas, and a side-by-side sample menu for both days.
Traditional American Christmas Food
There’s no official Christmas menu in the United States, but a few dishes show up on many tables.
Popular Christmas mains
- Roast turkey — many families serve it at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Glazed ham — usually a spiral-cut ham with a brown sugar, honey or pineapple glaze.
- Prime rib (standing rib roast) — a festive, special-occasion beef roast.
- Roast chicken or Cornish hens — good for smaller groups.
- Beef tenderloin or beef Wellington — for a fancier dinner.
Classic sides
Mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, dinner rolls and cranberry sauce are all common. If you’re serving ham, our list of what to eat with ham has 30 sides that pair well with it.
Desserts and drinks
Pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, frosted sugar cookies, gingerbread, and yule log cake (bûche de Noël) are holiday favorites. Eggnog, hot cocoa and mulled cider are the classic drinks.
Christmas Food Traditions Around the World
Many American families keep traditions from their heritage, and they’re worth borrowing if you want a new idea. Here’s what people eat in a few well-known traditions.
Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian-American)
This Christmas Eve dinner comes from the Southern Italian custom of avoiding meat on the vigil before Christmas. Families serve several seafood dishes, often fried calamari, baccalà (salt cod), shrimp, clams, smelts and linguine with clam sauce. The number of fish varies by family; seven is the most common, but some serve more or fewer.
British Christmas dinner
In the UK, the main meal is usually Christmas Day lunch or an early dinner. It’s built around roast turkey with roast potatoes, “pigs in blankets” (small sausages wrapped in bacon), stuffing, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, gravy, and cranberry or bread sauce. Dessert is Christmas pudding, a steamed fruit pudding often served with brandy butter or custard, along with mince pies.
Mexican Nochebuena
In Mexico, the big family meal happens on Christmas Eve, called Nochebuena. Tamales are a favorite, often made in batches by the whole family. Pozole, a hominy stew, is common too, along with bacalao a la vizcaína (salt cod stewed with tomatoes, olives and peppers), romeritos, and ponche navideño, a warm fruit punch.
Filipino Noche Buena
In the Philippines, families gather for Noche Buena, a late-night feast after Christmas Eve Mass. Common dishes include Christmas ham (hamon), queso de bola (a ball of Edam cheese), lechon (roast pig), sweet-style Filipino spaghetti, and rice cakes like bibingka and puto bumbong.
Japan’s KFC Christmas
Christmas isn’t a traditional holiday in Japan, but eating fried chicken from KFC on Christmas has become a popular custom since a 1970s marketing campaign. Many families pre-order a holiday bucket weeks ahead. The meal is often followed by a Christmas cake: a light sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries.
Polish Wigilia
Wigilia is the Polish Christmas Eve supper. Traditionally it’s meatless and begins when the first star appears in the sky. Families share a thin wafer called opłatek before eating. Dishes often include red borscht with small dumplings (uszka), pierogi, carp, herring, and poppy seed desserts. Many families leave an extra place setting for an unexpected guest.
Still can’t decide? Spin the Random Dinner Generator →
What to Eat on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve dinner often sets the tone for the holiday, but it doesn’t have to be a second big feast. Popular approaches include:
- A seafood dinner — shrimp cocktail, baked salmon, crab cakes or a simple seafood pasta.
- An Italian-style night — lasagna, baked ziti or chicken parmesan with garlic bread.
- Soup and bread — chili, clam chowder or potato soup with crusty bread is cozy and easy.
- An appetizer spread — meatballs, cheese board, deviled eggs, spinach dip and shrimp.
- A family tradition — tamales, pierogi or anything your family has always made.
What to eat for Christmas Eve dinner when you’re short on time
Pick a dish that can be made ahead or left alone in the oven. A baked pasta assembled the day before, a slow-cooker stew, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken with a couple of homemade sides all work. Save your energy for Christmas morning.
What to Eat on Christmas Day
Christmas Day usually has two meals worth planning: breakfast or brunch, and the main dinner.
Christmas breakfast and brunch
Cinnamon rolls, an overnight breakfast casserole, French toast bake, quiche, and fruit salad are easy because most can be prepared the night before. Pop them in the oven while presents are opened.
What to eat for Christmas dinner
For the main meal, choose one main, three to five sides, bread and a dessert. A simple formula:
- Main: turkey, ham, prime rib or a roast chicken.
- Starch: mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes or stuffing.
- Vegetables: one green vegetable plus one sweet side, like glazed carrots.
- Bread: dinner rolls or biscuits.
- Dessert: pie, cookies or a cake.
Sample Christmas Eve vs. Christmas Day Menus
Here’s how two days of holiday cooking might look side by side.
| Course | Christmas Eve (lighter) | Christmas Day (the big meal) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Shrimp cocktail or a cheese board | Deviled eggs or a green salad |
| Main | Baked lasagna or seafood pasta | Glazed ham, roast turkey or prime rib |
| Sides | Garlic bread and Caesar salad | Mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, rolls |
| Dessert | Christmas cookies | Pecan or apple pie |
| Drink | Hot cocoa or mulled cider | Eggnog or sparkling cider |
| Make ahead? | Lasagna assembled the day before | Pie and casseroles made on Christmas Eve |
Easy, Non-Traditional Christmas Meal Ideas
Not everyone wants a roast. If you’re cooking for two, hosting a mixed group, or just want less work, try one of these:
- Taco or fajita bar — let everyone build their own plate.
- Homemade pizza night — set out dough and toppings.
- Hot pot or fondue — a slow, social meal around the table.
- Breakfast for dinner — waffles, bacon and eggs with a festive twist.
- Takeout — Chinese food on Christmas is a long-running American tradition, since many Chinese restaurants stay open on the holiday.
- A big pot of chili or stew — feeds a crowd and reheats well.
Once Christmas is behind you, getting back to normal meals can feel hard. Our 7-day dinner plan for what to eat this week makes the week after the holiday easier.
Plan Your Christmas Menu
Christmas Eve can be light or traditional, and Christmas Day usually centers on one roast, a few sides and dessert. Borrow a tradition from another culture, keep the family classics, or skip the roast entirely. What matters is that the food fits your table.
If you’re stuck on the main dish, spin the random dinner generator and build the rest of your Christmas menu around whatever it picks.