Make Ahead Christmas Dinner Menu
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This Make Ahead Christmas Dinner Menu is an easy menu of Christmas recipes you can make ahead of the holiday so you can serve a stress-free Christmas Dinner!
I love hosting Christmas dinner for my family. Having most of the food prepared ahead allows me to enjoy the day with everyone.
I’ve included our full Christmas Dinner Menu along with my schedule for getting it all ready for a stress-free holiday! I hope you find it as useful as I have throughout the years!
Make Ahead Appetizer Recipes
Spinach Artichoke Dip
To Make Ahead: Prepare the dip following the recipe instructions without baking, cover well, and keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. When ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator and bake as directed, or add to the slow cooker and cook as directed in the recipe.
To Store: Allow spinach and artichoke dip to cool. Wrap well and refrigerate for up to four days. Reheat in the oven or briefly in the microwave until warmed throughout.
To Freeze: Prepare the dip without baking and place in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed. Note – If you use mayonnaise, it may slightly change the texture.
Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
Chicken Cheese Ball
Assemble up to four days in advance. Wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator.
Allow to reach room temperature for serving.
Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe
Make Ahead Main Dish Recipes
I have included a few options for the main dish for Christmas Dinner so you can select the one that your family would like best.
Perfect Prime Rib served with Horseradish Sauce
Follow the schedule in the post.
To refrigerate: Wrap well and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
To freeze: Wrap well and store in an airtight freezer container for up to 6 months.
To reheat: Allow frozen prime rib to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Leftover prime rib is delicious cold, but if you desire to reheat it, do so carefully at a low oven temperature of 250 degrees with a bit of broth or au jus in the dish to preserve the tenderness.
Perfect Prime Rib Recipe
Prepare horseradish sauce up to a week in advance.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow to reach room temperature for serving.
Horseradish Sauce Recipe
Easy Roast Turkey
To store. Place the turkey leftovers in airtight containers or plastic storage bags and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. If the breast meat isn’t already sliced, leave the breast as whole as possible to refrigerate to retain the juices in the larger cut of meat.
To freeze. If you will not eat or cook with the leftover turkey within 3 or 4 days, it’s best to freeze it. Cut the meat away from the turkey carcass, leaving sections of meat as whole as possible, and seal in airtight containers or airtight bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
Cook and slice the turkey according to the directions. Arrange on an oven-safe serving platter or on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover and leave at room temperature for up to 1 hour before reheating in the oven. Be sure to reheat until the temperature reaches 165º F.
Easy Roast Turkey Recipe
Best Baked Ham
To store: Cooked ham should be wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator as soon as possible after serving. Stored properly, cooked ham should keep for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
To freeze: Wrap the cooled ham tightly with freezer-safe wrap and store it in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
To serve, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat and serve or serve it cold.
Best Baked Ham Recipe
Make Ahead Sides Recipes
Twice Baked Potatoes
To store. Leftover twice-baked potatoes keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store in an airtight container. Reheat them in a 350º F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until heated. You can also reheat them in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel.
To make ahead. Twice-baked potatoes make a wonderful make-ahead recipe. Prepare without baking them. Cover well with a tight-fitting lid or foil and refrigerate for 3 days. To serve, preheat the oven, remove the covering from the potatoes, and bake as directed. A few more minutes may be needed since baking refrigerated potatoes.
Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe
Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Toast the pecans up to a few days in advance, but assemble the salad right before serving.
Apple Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Make Ahead Christmas Desserts
Peppermint Chocolate Cake
You can make this cake up to two days in advance and store it under a covered dome. You can also freeze the cake for up to 2 months. Let the baked cake layers cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and then with foil. Put each layer into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight with wrapping intact. The next day, the layers are ready to fill and frost.
Peppermint Chocolate Cake Recipe
Cinnamon Rolls
Baked Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls: These cinnamon rolls keep well on the counter for up to 3 days. Cover them and keep them in a cool, dry place.
Unbaked Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls: I am often asked if you can keep the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator overnight and bake them the following day. Yes! You sure can! We love to prepare them on Christmas Eve and then bake them fresh on Christmas morning!
To do this, skip the second rise of the dough, cover them tightly, and refrigerate. Then, bake them fresh when you plan to serve them. They will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days but are best cooked within 48 hours.
When ready to bake, remove them from the refrigerator as your oven is preheating, and then bake, frost, and serve!
Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Coconut Cream Pie
To refrigerate – Cover the pie well and store any leftover pie for up to 3 days.
To freeze – If you wish to freeze coconut cream pie, do not add the whipped topping or toasted coconut topping. After the custard has cooled and it has completely set in the pie, you can wrap it well and store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze it for 2-3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add the whipped topping and toasted coconut just before serving.
Coconut Cream Pie Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store Baked Cookies. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Store Unbaked Cookies. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Freeze cookie dough: Place cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the freezer until frozen, about 30 minutes. Then, remove the scoops from the baking sheet and place them into a freezer-safe, airtight container.
When ready to bake one, two, or ten cookies, pull that number out and bake. You may need to add a few more minutes to the baking time since they are being baked frozen.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Chewy Sugar Cookie Recipe
Store. Once baked, store cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freeze. For an easy make-ahead sugar cookie recipe, prepare your sugar cookie dough by the scoops of cookie dough in the sugar and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with freezer-safe plastic wrap and place into the freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes to overnight. When frozen, transfer your cookies to a freezer-safe zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The BEST Chewy Sugar Cookies Recipe!
To make ahead unbaked cookies. Make the sugar cookie dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.
To freeze cookie dough. Make the sugar cookie dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.
To freeze unbaked cookies. Place cut-out sugar cookies onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and place into the freezer until the unbaked cookies are firmly frozen (about 30 minutes). Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container, layering the unbaked frozen cookies between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake from frozen, add about 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
To freeze baked cookies. Allow the baked sugar cookies to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to reach room temperature and then decorate as you’d like.
Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
To make ahead cookie dough. Make the gingerbread cookie dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.
To freeze cookie dough. Make the gingerbread cookie dough, wrap it really well with plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to roll and bake, remove from the refrigerator and follow the recipe.
To freeze unbaked cookies. Place cut-out cookies onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and place into the freezer until the unbaked cookies are firmly frozen, about 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering the unbaked frozen cookies between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake from frozen, add about 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.
To freeze baked cookies. Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container layering between parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Snickerdoodle Recipe
Simply prepare the cookies as instructed and then store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
To freeze the baked cookies: cool the cookies completely and then freeze them on the baking sheet. When the cookies have frozen solid for about 30 minutes, store them in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to reach room temperature.
To freeze the cookie dough, Roll the cookies to form the cookie dough balls and then place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze completely on the baking sheet. Once the cookies have frozen solid for about 30 minutes, transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, allow the cookies to thaw in the refrigerator and then bake as instructed.
Snickerdoodles Recipe
How to Save Your Own Favorite Recipes
We have created a Recipe Collections Tutorial as a guide. It is so easy to save your favorites, but this guide makes it even easier.
Create an Account and Save Recipes
Simply create an account and Save your favorite recipes!
Save and Customize Weekly Meal Plan
Once you have created your free account, you can save this meal plan to your personal recipe collection. If there is something else you’d rather have one night, swap out the recipes with your favorites!
Shopping Lists
Once you have your meal plan how you like it, you can create your Shopping List by clicking on the shopping cart in the top right corner. Make sure each recipe you plan to make for the week has a check beside it, and then click the shopping cart in the top right corner a second time to generate the Shopping List. Now, you can edit, save, share, print, and regenerate your Shopping List. How neat is that?
If you have any questions, please let us know so we can help you!
Wishing your family the merriest of Christmases!
Robyn xo
These all look so delicious! Will you come cook my Christmas Dinner in NC😂😂I love all of your recipes and looking forward to trying many more of them. Thank you so much for sharing your talent and Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas to you, Martha! I hope you enjoy these recipes.
Everything looks so lovely, spoilt for choice
Maria, I hope these recipes will help you during the holidays. I love to make ahead as much as possible so I’m not so rushed and can enjoy all the activities with my family.
Where do I find the recipes?
Looks delicious!
Stephanie, click on the blue underlined title for each recipe and it will take you to that particular recipe. Hope you enjoy these recipes.
HI,
Merry Christmas, I am coming to your house for dinner,
looks so good. Wish you a wonderful time with your
family. Enjoy them, specially your mom.
Linda
Robyn,
I want you to know how much I appreciate your weekly menus. After 50+ years of cooking, I find the most difficult part of cooking is coming up with a menu each week. Your menus contain a variety of easy to find ingredients, and foods that are family favorites for nearly every taste-bud. You make menu planning so easy. Keep up the great work. Additionally, your recipes are wonderful too!!
Sincerely,
Jan
Oh thank you so much Jan! I am so happy you are enjoying the meal plans! It helps me so to have them planned ahead too, and I’m glad they are helpful to you as well!
I’m glad you enjoy the recipes – thanks so much!!! xo
Thank you very much. I did find it and will make it for Christmas. Thanks again
Would love to have your recipe for prime rib and potatoes.
Hi Diana,
The link to the recipes for the prime rib and the potatoes are right under each of their photos. Let me know if you need anything else. xo
ROBYN,
I LOVE TO COOK AND BAKE AT THE HOLIDAY. I AM GREEK AND ITALIAN AND HAVE SOME WONDERFUL RECIPES AND MADE SOME OF MY OWN. I HAVE A QUESTION I ALWAYS MAKE MY PUMPKIN ROLL AT THANKSGIVING THOUGH NEW YEAR THEN AT EASTER. I FOUND BEST THING TO ROLL IN FLOUR SAK CLOTHS I GET AT SMAS CLUB 12 CLOTHS FOR 8.00 ABOUT. THEY COME COMPLETELY CLEAN AND CAKE DOES NOT STICK TO THEM THIS IS ALSO FOR MY RED VELVET ROLL AS WELL THE QUESTION IS NO MATTER HOW MUCH POWDERED SUGAR I DUST WITH OR HOW LONG I LET SIT AFTER I UNROLL AND ADD FILLING AND GO TO RE ROLL THEY CRACK. DO YOU HAVE A TRICK OR HINT THAT WILL MAKE THEM NOT CRACK?
FRANKIE
Hi Frank,
There are a couple of tricks that I use to prevent a pumpkin roll or any other type of roll cake from cracking. First, make sure that you are getting the cake batter spread very evenly on the pan to make sure that it bakes evenly. Also, make sure that you do not overbake the cake as a moist cake does better rolling without cracking. Then, as soon as you remove the cake from the oven, go ahead and transfer to the towel for rolling.
I hope those tips that have helped me help you, too!
Robyn, too late for my Christmas dinner, but I plan to make the Chocolate Peppermint Cake for my January Bunko group. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, you have provided me with some wonderfuly recipes for 2014, looking forward to 2015. Merry Christmas
Looks so delicious! I am making Prime Rib as well. I will make those potatoes for the New Year, as I love Boursin cheese! Merry Christmas and all the best in 2015.
Merry Christmas to you, Winnie!