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

Spiced Apple Cider

Rating: 3.05 stars
182
On a cool fall day, enjoy a mug of warm apple cider. Cinnamon stick stirrers add spice and extra flavor to our favorite seasonal beverage.

Hot Apple Cider with Ginger

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

Fennel and Orange Salad

Rating: 2.88 stars
124
The classic flavor combination of fennel and orange makes a wonderful winter salad.

Fried Mozzarella

Rating: 3.47 stars
280
No guest will be able to resist this bite-size ball of gooey goodness.

Persimmon and Brie Crostini

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

Tortellini en Brodo

Rating: 2.96 stars
25
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).

Antipasti Pizza

Rating: 3.58 stars
162
To add more flavor and flair to these mini pizzas, top them with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, or salami after baking.

Maple-Bourbon Cider

Rating: 3.73 stars
194
Stir or shake up a round of these festive drinks to get the party started.

Frisee Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Rating: 5 stars
1
Frisee has a slightly bitter taste and crisp, curly leaves. Pair it with a tangy vinaigrette for an easy side dish.

Turnip and Potato Mash

Rating: 2.91 stars
57
Serve this peppery replacement for mashed potatoes alongside seared steak.

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.

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.
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Inspiration and Ideas

Cranberry Simple Syrup
Rating: Unrated
91
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.
Baked Apples with Cinnamon

Apple-Pie Spiced Cider

Rating: 3.15 stars
318

Season your cider with the same spices you would use in a pie -- cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg -- then heat it up.

All Quick & Easy Christmas Recipes

Figs and Prosciutto

Rating: 3.53 stars
36
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

Buttered Carrots

Rating: 3.19 stars
42
Buttered carrots are an excellent side for Roast Poussin with Prunes and Thyme.

Easy Crostini

Rating: 4.2 stars
5
This recipe adapted from "Martha Stewart Holiday Party Foods."

Easy Chocolate Mousse

Rating: 3.26 stars
111
Easiest dessert ever! Break out the blender and bring on the spoons for this rich chocolate mousse that's a snap to make.

Olive Tapenade and Goat Cheese Crostini

Rating: 3.6 stars
42
A good-quality jarred tapenade -- a salty olive paste -- makes these hors d'oeuvres a breeze to put together.

Date Chutney

Rating: 4.33 stars
3
Serve this sweet-sour sauce with chicken, pork loin, or Brandied Ham.

Green Bean and Shallot Ravioli Salad

In this take on the green-bean casserole, cheese ravioli replaces the heavy mushroom soup, while sauteed shallots and crunchy toasted almonds stand in for the fried onions.

Sparkling Pear and Cranberry Cocktail

Rating: 3.08 stars
214
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.

Elderflower-Champagne Punch

Rating: 3.64 stars
116
This festive punch will get your party started and keep it rolling all night.

Christmas Rum Punch

Rating: 3.1 stars
271
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

Whole Wheat Seeded Crackers

Making these big, pleasantly scraggy crackers involves nothing more elaborate than a basic whole wheat flour dough and a quick toast in the oven. Great on their own, the speckled snacks are even more enticing on a cheese board next to a wheel of something creamy.

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.

Creamy Red and Green Cabbage

Rating: 3 stars
5
This traditional side gets a colorful update with a mix of red and green cabbages.

Glazed Carrots and Ginger

Rating: 3.55 stars
85
For a less spicy dish, omit the chili pepper.

Martha's Favorite Royal Icing

Rating: 3.63 stars
35
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.

Tequila-Cranberry Cooler

Rating: 3.48 stars
25
Stir or shake up a round of these festive drinks to get the party started.

Bacon-Wrapped Ginger Shrimp

These festive, easy appetizers will get the party started.

Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

Rating: 3.04 stars
293
The cranberries and spicy almonds give this salad a sweet, spicy kick.

Raspberry Trifle

Rating: 3.11 stars
110
Layer cake, berries, and cream for this crowd-pleasing dessert. This recipe is from Randy Mattox of Axton, Virginia.

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.

Fried Herbed Almonds

Rating: 3.02 stars
217
These crunchy thyme-flecked nuts are delicious served with sherry and slices of manchego cheese.

Sauteed Peas and Red Onion

Rating: 3 stars
59
This is a delicious accompaniment to our Rib Roast with Rosemary-Garlic Potatoes.

Neapolitan Green Beans

Rating: 4.25 stars
8
A staple at an Italian table, this vegetable side dish is slow-cooked with garlic, tomatoes, and a sprig of basil. Recipe by Lucinda Scala Quinn.

Mulled Cranberry Cocktail

Rating: 3.86 stars
21
This cocktail can be served as a dessert, or you can drink it instead of tea on a freezing winter afternoon.
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