Quick & Easy Christmas Recipes

Our quick holiday recipes include quick and easy holiday appetizers, main courses and desserts to help you enjoy a stress-free time, including our mini spinach and cheese pizzas on pita which take just 15 minutes to prepare. Or, try our classic Christmas pork loin with pancetta and sage which only takes 10 minutes to prepare and just under an hour to cook. Check out the rest!

Staff Picks

Eggnog

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A delectable drink, Eggnog is a holiday favorite.

Cranberry Simple Syrup

Use this cranberry simple syrup to create cranberry cocktails to serve at any holiday gathering.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes with Walnuts

The red grapes' sweetness brings out the nutty notes in the sprouts. Walnuts can be swapped for almonds or pecans.

Persimmon and Brie Crostini

These little toasts make a delectable Thanksgiving appetizer. Be sure to use Fuyu persimmons -- they should be ripe but sliceable.

Maple-Bourbon Cider

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Stir or shake up a round of these festive drinks to get the party started.

Pomegranate Cosmopolitan

Replace the usual cranberry juice with pomegranate juice for a tart, refreshing twist on the classic cocktail. A lime wheel makes an eye-catching garnish against the garnet-hued drink.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

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Chickpeas, once roasted, take on the flavor and texture of nuts, making them a fun snack with drinks. Prepare the simple appetizer in under 15 minutes for any holiday cocktail party.

Turnip and Potato Mash

Serve this peppery replacement for mashed potatoes alongside seared steak.

Tortellini en Brodo

Tortellini en brodo ("in broth") is a traditional first course for Christmas feasts in northern Italy. Because it calls for only a few ingredients, make sure they are of the highest quality, especially the chicken stock (now is a good time to use any you might have in your freezer).

Glazed Carrots and Ginger

For a less spicy dish, omit the chili pepper.

Flavored Cheese Balls

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Make all 3 flavors of cheese balls or prepare just 1 or 2, adjusting the ingredients accordingly.

Fennel and Orange Salad

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The classic flavor combination of fennel and orange makes a wonderful winter salad.

Inspiration and Ideas

Christmas Rum Punch

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A dash of seasonal cinnamon ensures this refreshing rum punch recipe from Locanda Verde bartender Naren Young will be a welcome addition to any holiday party. Also Try: Horse and Carriage Punch

Hot Apple Cider with Ginger

Lemon zest and fresh ginger in addition to the usual warming spices amp up this wintertime classic.

Spiced Apple Cider

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Buttered Carrots

Buttered carrots are an excellent side for Roast Poussin with Prunes and Thyme.

All Quick & Easy Christmas Recipes

Sparkling Pear and Cranberry Cocktail

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This cocktail is made with icy Moscato d'Asti, which is sweeter than champagne but much lighter than the rich dessert wine also made from Italian moscato grapes. Just the right medium for this fizzy drink, it adds flavor to the silky pear and tart cranberries.

Fried Mozzarella

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No guest will be able to resist this bite-size ball of gooey goodness.

Ice Cream Eggnog

Here's a festive eggnog for the holidays—get to it quickly before the ice cream melts.

Martha's Favorite Royal Icing

Royal icing is best for decorating cookies, since it dries to a plaster-hard finish. This recipe yields enough to cover about 100 three- to four-inch cookies. To ice all those in this story, you will need to make two batches of icing; increasing the recipe by half won't work well.

Baked Cinnamon Apples

Using both ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks intensifies the flavor. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Mulled Cranberry Cocktail

This cocktail can be served as a dessert, or you can drink it instead of tea on a freezing winter afternoon.

Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese Crostini

A good-quality jarred tapenade -- a salty olive paste -- makes these hors d'oeuvres a breeze to put together.

Hazelnut Puppy Chow

This childhood favorite, also known as reindeer food or muddy buddies, gets the grown-up treatment and big chocolate flavor with the addition of hazelnut spread and cocoa powder.

Elderflower-Champagne Punch

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This festive punch will get your party started and keep it rolling all night.

Santa Claus Crackers

Assemble jolly hors d'oeuvres for a holiday party with kids among the guests. Your kids can be little helpers.

Sparkling Campari Punch

You can reach for all Italian bottles to make this festive, effervescent punch: prosecco, Campari, and Cocchi Americano. Mix with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and rounds of your favorite citrus--we used grapefruit, orange, and Meyer lemon.

Date Chutney

Serve this sweet-sour sauce with chicken, pork loin, or Brandied Ham.

Baked Apples with Cinnamon

Elevate this humble dessert with a touch of cream.

Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

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The cranberries and spicy almonds give this salad a sweet, spicy kick.

Antipasti Pizza

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To add more flavor and flair to these mini pizzas, top them with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, or salami after baking.

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut, Pomegranate, and Lime

This dish adds tropical flavor to a nutrient-rich sweet potato by topping it with cilantro, coconut flakes, and pomegranate seeds.

Sauteed Peas and Red Onion

This is a delicious accompaniment to our Rib Roast with Rosemary-Garlic Potatoes.

Creamy White Bean and Vegetable Mash

Butter and cream usually mean mashed potatoes are off-limits for vegans, but this variation gets its silky texture from white beans instead. Adding the legumes also doubles the amount of protein compared with traditional spuds.

Raspberry Trifle

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Layer cake, berries, and cream for this crowd-pleasing dessert. This recipe is from Randy Mattox of Axton, Virginia.

Peppermint Frosting

Use this recipe when making our Peppermint Yule Log.

Figs and Prosciutto

Sweet and delicious, figs make the perfect pairing for a thin slice of Prosciutto di Parma -- which, by the way, is nitrate-free and low in saturated fat. Get more healthy holiday recipes

Creamy Red and Green Cabbage

This traditional side gets a colorful update with a mix of red and green cabbages.

Coffee Coquito

Coquito translates to "little coconut" in Spanish and refers to the coconut milk in this Puerto Rican rum cocktail. Put a twist on the classic by adding a shot of espresso.

Calvados Cream

Make this for our Steamed Persimmon Pudding.

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