Easy Christmas Food Ideas to Ring in the Holidays

Christmas is a time for celebration, and for many, that means indulging in delicious and decadent foods. It’s also a busy time of year. If you’re spending tons of time shopping, wrapping, decorating, and entertaining, you might not be interested in spending hours working away in the kitchen.

There’s nothing wrong with that! These easy Christmas food ideas are sure to satisfy everyone and will give you plenty of time to focus on the celebrations.

Easy Christmas appetizers and finger foods

The holidays are often all about entertaining, so it’s a great idea to have some easy appetizer ideas up your sleeve. You can make some of these in just a few hours, making them perfect for times when unexpected guests drop by.

1. Deviled egg bar

Everyone loves deviled eggs. Make this tasty appetizer even more appealing by setting up a selection of toppings like smoked salmon, bacon, herbs, capers, chopped shrimp, roe, or caviar.

2. Bacon wrapped scallops

Bacon-wrapped scallops look like a gourmet treat, but they’re super easy to make. The butter, brown sugar, and garlic make them an unforgettable treat that’s sure to disappear quickly.

3. BLT sliders

Everybody loves BLTs! Try making sliders with fresh tomato, bacon, arugula, and a blend of mayonnaise and Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.  

4. Smoked salmon and cream cheese pastries

This appetizer is super impressive and takes just 20 minutes to make. It has just 4 ingredients—frozen puff pastry, smoked salmon, cream cheese spread, and fresh dill.

5. Spinach and artichoke cups

Spinach and artichoke dip is always a favorite at parties. You can turn it into a classy Christmas treat by adding bite-sized portions into individual mini pastry cups made from wonton wrappers.

6. Cranberry brie bites

Another decadent-looking but easy-to-make Christmas appetizer, cranberry brie bites are made with just 3 ingredients—crescent roll dough, cranberry sauce, and brie cheese.

7. Drunken bourbon whiskey meatballs

Cooking meatballs in the slow cooker is super easy. Just put in some frozen meatballs and cover them in a mixture of bourbon whiskey, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and lemon juice.

8. Mini goat cheese balls

Cheese balls are always a party favorite. Instead of making 1 large cheese ball, try making mini ones out of goat cheese. Roll some in sliced chives and others in diced cranberries to create a festive Christmas-colored platter. Put a pretzel stick in the middle of each one instead of using toothpicks.

9. DIY bruschetta bar

Setting up a DIY bruschetta bar is a great way to impress your guests! Simply grill some slices of bread and serve them with bowls of toppings. Feel free to use your imagination. Some options to consider include goat cheese, pesto, olives, marinara sauce, sundried tomatoes, prosciutto, honey, and green apple slices.  

10. Stuffed mini peppers

Mini bell peppers stuffed with goat cheese are both pretty and delicious. After cooking them in the oven, finish them off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

How to make an easy Christmas dinner

Christmas dinner should be special, but it doesn’t have to take all day to make. The following easy Christmas dinner ideas will allow you to put a multi-course meal on the table in just a couple of hours.

1. Honey champagne fondue

If you want to set the mood for a classy dinner, you can’t go wrong with starting off with a honey champagne fondue. The combination of Swiss cheese, champagne, seasonings, and a bit of honey goes perfectly with cooked shrimp, apple slices, asparagus, or toasted bread.

2. Cheesy seafood chowder

A thick, chunky chowder packed with shrimp, scallops, cheese, and crispy bacon is an incredible way to kick off your Christmas dinner. It will taste like it took forever to make, and only you will know that it didn’t. 

3. Spiral ham with cranberry glaze

Sweet and savory spiral ham is the perfect main dish for Christmas dinner. Just put it in the oven for about 2 ½ hours, cover with a glaze, then cook for about 30 more minutes and enjoy. 

4. Roast beef with horseradish sauce

A boneless top roast or beef eye round is sure to be the star of the show! Cook it to medium-rare and serve it with a homemade horseradish sauce.

5. Green beans with bacon

Fresh green beans cooked in bacon and onions are a light side dish that will bring a nice splash of flavor to your holiday meal.

6. Maple-ginger glazed carrots

The perfect combination of sweet and savory, maple-ginger glazed carrots are a great addition to a special dinner. They’re made with plenty of butter, fresh gingerroot, real maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and seasonings.

Easy Christmas dessert recipes

You can’t celebrate Christmas without at least a few sweet treats. You can get these easy Christmas dessert recipes on the table in no time!

1. Gingerbread trifle

You can make a festive no-bake gingerbread trifle in less than 30 minutes. Start with 2 bowls of thickened cream. Whisk dulce de leche into one and add sour cream and powdered sugar in the other.

Next, fill about 1/3 of a trifle dish with slices of gingerbread cake, drizzle it with brandy, and sprinkle on cinnamon and gingerbread crumbs. Top with a layer of the dulce de leche mix and a layer of the whipped cream mixture, then repeat until you’ve filled the dish.

2. Saltine toffee bark

The perfect blend of sweet and salty, this super-easy saltine toffee bark is made with butter, sugar, English toffee bits, and chocolate chips poured over Saltine crackers. It’s so simple, yet truly addictive. 

3. Cherry crumb dessert

Similar to a streusel, a cherry crumb dessert is made with just 4 ingredients—butter, yellow cake mix, cherry pie filling, and chopped walnuts. Just put it in the oven for 30-35 minutes and cut it into bars before transferring them to a serving platter. 

4. Chocolate covered strawberries

This easy dessert starts with fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate candy bark. Use melted white chocolate to create festive designs and add some red and green sprinkles to a few.

Enjoy an easy and relaxing Christmas this year!

Christmas doesn’t have to be all about the hustle and bustle! These easy Christmas food ideas will help you save a ton of time. Want even more time-saving ideas? Try Instacart for grocery delivery. You can have orders delivered right to your door for free. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Grab it now on Instacart:

Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce, Honey Chipotle (18 oz)

Pepperidge Farm Frozen Sheets Pastry Dough (17.3 oz)

Nasoya Won Ton Wraps (12 oz)

Sam Mills Pretzels, Sticks (8 oz)

Del Fresco Pure Mini Bell Peppers (1 lb)

Honey Baked Ham Co. Spiral Sliced & Glazed Ham Quarter (6 lb)

Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Syrup, Pure Vermont (12 fl oz)

Modderman Frisian Ginger Cake (17.5 oz)

Premium Original Saltine Crackers (16 oz)

Duncan Hines Comstock Original Red Ruby Cherry Pie Filling or Topping (21 oz)

Palmer Candy Melt'n Make Candy Bark Chocolate Flavored (20 oz)

Instacart

Author

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.