This list of 35 Christmas Main Dishes includes delicious and festive main course recipes that will make the perfect centerpiece for your holiday celebration.
Includes recipes suitable for vegan, vegetarian, low carb, and gluten free diets.
Table of Contents
Festive Mains
It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite things about the holiday season is the food. And planning, preparing, and hosting Christmas dinner is at the very top of my list, which is exactly why I’ve put together this collection of Christmas main dishes.
With so many delicious Christmas main dishes to choose from, it’s easy to whip up a memorable holiday meal that everyone will be sure to love.
And to complete your holiday table, you’ll want to check out these Christmas Appetizers and these Christmas Sides too!
Christmas Main Dish Recipes
Yeap, I’ve compiled more than 35 delicious main dishes that are perfect for serving for Christmas.
Whether you prefer classic entrees like glazed ham, Christmas chicken, air fryer turkey breast, pot roast, and salmon Wellington or something a bit different like my vegan lasagna, lamb curry, and fish casserole, this list has something for everyone!
Merry Christmas and happy cooking to all!
Bintu’s Tips For Holiday Cooking
- Create a timeline: Whether it’s a dinner for 4 or brunch for 20, identifying when certain tasks need to be done helps ensure your meal comes together smoothly.
- Get a jump on the prep work: Defrosting, chopping, slicing, and assembling certain dishes in advance makes for less to do on the day of your event.
- Set your table in advance: Set out your dishes, glassware, serving platters, and utensils the night before so you can make sure you have what you need and can check that task off your list.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
The Best Christmas Main Dishes
Christmas Main Dishes
Cinnamon Honey Glaze Picnic Ham is juicy, smoky, fragrant, and full of amazing flavor. Versatile and economical, picnic ham is ideal for serving as your Christmas main staple!
This oven-roasted turkey breast is tender and juicy, flavored with garlic and herbs, and served with an easy and delicious pan gravy. This turkey breast is the perfect centerpiece for your Christmas meal and is ideal for small gatherings and holiday parties!
Air Fryer Turkey Legs require almost no prep work, cook quickly, and turn out juicy and delicious. Perfect for serving at Christmas meals when you don’t need – or want – to make a whole turkey.
Indulge in this moist and flavorful Christmas chicken, ideal for festive occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any chicken holiday menu. This juicy roast chicken gets its delectable flavor from a savory seasoning paste, and you can effortlessly achieve golden, air-fried perfection in under an hour.
Yes, you really can cook a whole chicken in air fryer! This no-fail recipe is faster than the traditional oven method, and gives you a perfectly cooked chicken every time! This recipe is great for an easy Christmas meal!
You only need 5 ingredients to make this easy and flavorful baked ranch chicken recipe in less than 1 hour. It is great for busy holiday meals and parties!
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs are bursting with flavor and loaded with veggies for a flavorful, low-carb dinner that the whole family will enjoy. This is a fun and easy meal to make for the holidays to mix it up!
This Pineapple Brown Sugar Glazed Instant Pot Ham recipe gives you succulent and flavorful ham in just 30 minutes! Making ham in Instant Pot is perfect for your next dinner party or holiday celebration.
Air Fryer Ham is a delicious and really easy recipe to make! Cooking ham in air fryer is a great way to free up that precious oven space during the holidays, and it turns out tender and juicy every time.
You’ve found the best and easiest Instant Pot whole chicken recipe. This recipe for cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot takes less than 45 minutes and produces a moist and flavorful rotisserie style chicken – total perfection.
This recipe for flavorful Air Fryer Whole Chicken gives you perfectly cooked juicy chicken with crispy skin every single time. Learn how easy it is to make whole chicken in air fryer that’s ready to serve in under an hour!
Air Fryer Cornish Hen is a super delicious dish that’s also quick and easy to make! Just the thing for Sunday suppers, meal prep and fuss-free holiday meals!
6 simple ingredients make up this full of flavour grilled pomegranate harissa chicken dish!! It's the perfect easy dish for holiday meals and holiday parties!
Air Fryer Turkey Breast is incredibly moist, juicy and so easy to make! This Turkey dinner is perfect for both busy midweek meals and holiday celebrations.
Budget-friendly baked chicken leg quarters and potatoes are a great all-in-one meal. The perfect recipe for any holiday party or family meal!
With this recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter Gravy you can make moist and juicy turkey and gravy in less than an hour! So easy and so delicious, you will not only want to make this for Christmas but all year long as well.
Make this succulent Smoked Turkey Breast perfectly seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika, and other spices for a mouthwatering meal. Easy to prepare with step-by-step instructions, this recipe gives you a tender, flavorful turkey every time. Perfect for any festive occasion or a family Christmas dinner.
This ground chicken meatloaf recipe is a healthy alternative to the classic for a healthier Christmas main dish. This moist and flavorful chicken meatloaf recipe includes aromatics, herbs, spices, and parmesan cheese for a taste you won’t believe.
You will ♡ this comforting, easy, filling and over the top delicious Sheet Pan Baked Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potato recipe. It is extremely easy to make with pantry staples and cooks in just 30 mins. This gluten-free spiced One Pan Chicken recipe can be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd for a Christmas get together!
Make this Lamb Roast the star of your holiday table! Juicy, tender and succulent, this recipe for roast boneless leg of lamb turns out perfect every time. Start a new tradition and serve roast lamb instead of turkey this year!
Looking for the BEST Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe? You’ve found it! This pot roast recipe (using fresh or frozen meat) is tender, flavorful and the perfect one-pot meal for an easy Christmas dish!
Love serving traditional roast lamb shoulder but don’t have 7 hours to prepare it? Then you are in luck because this recipe for Instant Pot Lamb is ready in just 90 minutess! And folks, this is seriously delectable fall-apart meat that will have you coming back for seconds (and thirds).
Air Fryer Rack of Lamb is tender, delicious, and looks gorgeous on the plate. Ready in just 20 minutes, making this rack of lamb air fryer recipe is perfect for Christmas dinner or any special occasion.
Salmon Wellington is an elegant restaurant-quality dish that’s easy to make at home! Tasty salmon fillets topped with a delicious spinach cheese mixture and wrapped in golden, flaky puff pastry. Make this delicious recipe to mix up your Christmas meal!
A super easy gluten free baked Fish Casserole recipe which combines creamy mashed potatoes, lean fish, and quick-cooking veggies into this classic comfort food.
Instant Pot Turkey Wings are meaty, flavorful, and smothered with creole-spiced gravy. This Southern staple is perfect for Sunday dinner or a non-traditional Christmas meal.
This guide to how long to bake salmon at 350 degrees eliminates the guesswork so you can enjoy a perfectly delicious and expertly cooked salmon dinner any time! Enjoy this dish to keep your Christmas fresh!
Smoked pork shoulder is tender, juicy, smoked meat perfection. Easy to prepare in a smoker or on your BBQ grill, have yourself a BBQ theme Christmas meal with this delicious meat!
Substitute lamb into this delicious goat curry when you want something just a little bit different for Christmas. You need one pot, minimal time and effort and a few spices to whip up this popular Caribbean Curry.
This vegan lasagna is the ultimate comfort food recipe! Loaded with vegetables and layers of cheese, it’s perfect for every day but also a great option for holidays like Christmas.
Baked tortellini casserole has all the flavors you love in lasagna without all the work! Delicious tortellini bake is comforting, and creamy, and can be prepared in a few minutes for an easy Christmas meal or side.
Flavorful and satisfying vegan meatloaf is classic comfort food with a meat-free twist. This vegan meatloaf recipe is perfect for a vegan Christmas meal!
Stovetop mac and cheese is flavorful, creamy, and made with real cheese and a fresh bechamel sauce infused with Dijon mustard and onion powder. This traditional dish can be served as a tasty side or main dish for Christmas dinner.
This recipe for Instant Pot Stuffed Squash is full of classic fall flavour. Healthy, hearty and so easy to make, it’s the perfect meal for those chilly winter nights. Suitable for a healthy Christmas alternative.
Mushroom Masala is a classic Indian dish that is warming, comforting and flavourful. It is so easy to make – ready in just about 30 mins – and it’s a must-try. Use this delicious dish when you need a substitute meal for your Christmas dinner!
Looking for the BEST gluten-free recipes for Christmas? You’ll love this Vegetable Gluten-Free Quiche! Made with a delicious gluten-free crust and filled with good-for-you veggies, it will quickly become one of your favourite gluten-free recipes.
More Holiday Recipes To Try:
- Be sure to check out this list of the 30 best Christmas Appetizers!
- The kids will love making (and eating) these cute Reindeer Pretzels.
- No Christmas meal would be complete without an assortment of Christmas Side Dishes or these easy Christmas Cookies.
- You will love this list of easy Party Foods.
- Easy Pinwheel recipes or these easy Cheese balls.
- Thanksgiving Side Dishes and Thanksgiving Mains for festive eating
- Ninja Creami Gingerbread Ice Cream is so easy to make.
Get The Christmas Main Dish Recipes:
35 Christmas Main Dishes
Ingredients
- Baked Picnic Ham With Cinnamon Honey Glaze
- Easy Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
- Air Fryer Turkey Legs
- Christmas Chicken
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Baked Ranch Chicken Recipe (Crispy)
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Ham
- Air Fryer Ham
- Easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Cornish Hen
- Grilled Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter Gravy
- Smoked Turkey Breast
- Chicken Meatloaf
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs & Sweet Potato Dinner
- Leg of Lamb Roast Recipe
- Best Ever Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Lamb Shoulder (Dump and Start)
- Air Fryer Rack of Lamb
- Salmon Wellington
- Fish Casserole
- Instant Pot Turkey Wings
- Baked Salmon Recipe
- Smoked Pork Shoulder
- Jamaican Lamb Curry
- Vegan Lasagna
- Baked Tortellini Casserole – 5 Ingredients
- Vegan Meatloaf
- Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Stuffed Squash + Video
- Mushroom Masala – Mushroom Curry
- Vegetable Gluten-Free Quiche
Instructions
- Pick a recipe that fits your Christmas table.
- Gather your ingredients and prep.
- Enjoy your delicious meal with your friends and family!
trenton
So many great alternatives to Christmas. I have a vegan relative coming this year, so I’m definitely going to try the lasagna