Christmas Eve Dinner Ideas

Christmas is almost here - do you have your Christmas Eve dinner ideas nailed down? These Christmas dinner and side dish recipes will give you all the inspiration you need for the perfect meal to celebrate.

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Best Recipes For Christmas Eve Dinner

One of my favorite meals to plan is our Christmas Eve dinner. We're planning to get together with family this year, so I want to share some of my recipe inspiration for our dinner.

(Second only to Christmas Eve dinner is Christmas morning breakfast - head to that post to get some brunchy inspo too!)

Here's how to plan the ultimate meal for Christmas Eve with some delicious recipes. 

Scroll to the bottom for the list of recipes or keep reading for my best planning tips.

What to Serve on Christmas Eve

Here's my recipe for the perfect combination of Christmas Eve dinner recipes:

• 1-3 appetizers
• 1-2 main dish options
• 2-3 side dishes - Of course, potatoes are a favorite, but I try to include at least one vegetable side. Green bean casserole is a classic.
• 1 bread
• 1 dessert
• 1-2 drink options

It really comes down to how many people are partaking, but if there's a big crowd, you might want to stick to big-batch recipes like a make-ahead chicken enchilada casserole instead of standing at the stove making dinner all night.

For most parties, you should follow the one pound rule, meaning that you should serve approximately 1 pound of food for every adult and ½ pound of food for every child.

If you've been invited to a Christmas dinner or party, don't forget to bring your host or hostess a gift to show your appreciation!

Once you know how many of each type of dish you need, it's much easier to plan the meal.

Christmas Eve Dinner Themes

A theme is a great way to tie everything together.

You can absolutely go traditional - that totally counts as a theme! This would be a classic main dish like pork tenderloin and sides like oven roasted green beans.

Many years, my family does a Mexican Christmas Dinner - it's a New Mexico tradition we still enjoy even though we're in Arizona now.

Another fun idea is a Christmas wine party. Wine tasting is a fun activity you could do on Christmas Eve with your family, paired with a bunch of appetizers for a snacky dinner.

There's also nothing wrong with having a DIY pizza night! Setting your own traditions is what the holidays are all about, right? You can make your own pizza dough and sauce and then let everyone choose their favorite pizza toppings.

Holiday Drinks

A big batch, make-ahead drink is your friend on Christmas Eve to serve a big party or a small one. You could make a cranberry sangria or a non-alcoholic Christmas punch.

Make extra and stash it in the fridge (or a cooler) so you can add more to the pitcher or punch bowl when it gets low.

Beer, wine and soda are always safe bets to serve, too.

For the coffee drinkers, I suggest brewing a pot of coffee to enjoy after dinner. If booze is your thing, you can make traditional Irish coffee or even have boozy options like Irish cream or coffee liqueur for folks to mix in.

Christmas Eve Dinner Recipes

Now, let's get into the dinner ideas! Here they are broken down by type of dish:

I'd love to hear what your favorite Christmas Eve dishes are! Leave a comment below!