15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (2024)

It’s all too easy to overindulge at the holidays, but you can keep your family celebration healthy without sacrificing flavor. If you need a vegetarian option to accommodate your guests, a salad idea that will whet everyone’s appetite, or a table of lovely desserts to top things off, look no further.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (1)

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Salad

When you need a SUPERFOOD that is packed with all of the nutrients and fuel you need, try this bold, bright, quenching Cranberry Orange Quinoa Salad.

Not only is it robust and delicious, it is LOADED with protein, nutrients, anti-oxidants, and vitamins. For sure, during our long winter weeks, this is on our menu at least once a week.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (2)

Winter Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Fig Dressing

Winter Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Fig Dressing – perfect for Christmas Dinner!

We love this hardy salad with bright, crisp greens, goat cheese crumbles, and a super easy and preservative free Balsamic Fig Dressing! You will love the savory sweet burst added through the Maple Candied Walnuts. SWOON

PROTIP: Make a double, or even a triple batch of these incredible Maple Candied Walnuts. They freeze great and can be pulled out to dress up any salad for months to come!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (3)

Honey Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Feta

Honey Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries + Feta is a great holiday side dish! This is a way to level up the traditional squash dish without loading it up with sugar, sugar, and more sugar. The honey is a natural sweetener, while the cranberries bring a burst of flavor to tie the feta chunks in perfectly!

This is as quenching as it is comforting – without all the garbage added to most holiday dishes!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (4)

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This delightful Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Shallots, Poached Pears, and Blue Cheese is super simple to prep and cooks in less than an hour! You will LOVE the flavors and the sophistication this simple dish brings to your holiday menu.

Truly a crowd pleaser, while also being something that celebrates excellent flavors, spices, and tender delicious pork!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (5)

Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms with Thyme

Gluten Free

Vegan

Paleo

Simple

This side dish for your holiday dinner is perfection. Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms with fresh Thyme will level up your meal and dazzle even the fussiest eater. The flavors blend together in a perfect symphony of savory, sweet, and bold.

Super simple ingredients that you probably have on hand (be sure to pick up a batch of fresh thyme if you can!).

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (6)

Simple Garlic Lemon Green Beans

Oven Roasted Green Beans are flavored with lemon and garlic, then roasted to crisp-tender perfection! A fresh and easy side dish for perfect dinner and entertaining. No funky ingredients, no funky preparation. Straight forward and amazing dish that will level up any Holiday meal!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (7)

Creamy Baked Corn with Parmesan

Creamy Baked Corn with Parmesan!

Simple delicious side dish that’s wonderfully creamy with bold parmesan flavor. We absolutely love this sweet and savory side. Serve it up with just about any meal to please the entire crew.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (8)

Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin – Super simple, lean, healthy… and awesomely delicious! Step-by-step photos and video make this a totally fool-proof masterpiece that the whole family will dig into. We love to serve this over the holidays for gatherings with family and friends. Easy, economic, and changes up the menu to incorporate our favorite protein!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (9)

Slow Cooked Red Wine Pot Roast

Let this holiday be about clean, delicious, no-fuss eating (and meal planning). When everyone is gathered around, give yourself the gift of this incredible meal and take all of the worry out of planning, prepping, and cooking! The Crockpot takes care of the slow simmer while you spend the day worry-free and enjoying your family and friends.

Slow Cooked Red Wine Pot Roast is straight forward ingredients and bold, bursting flavors that showcase the moist and tender meat.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (10)

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

The Barefoot Contessa’s Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe is absolute perfection. When the holidays demand your best game, let this be your go-to dish. Full of the comforts of home, this turkey breast is honest, simple, and absolutely delicious.

Add your favorite fresh veggies to round this healthy meal out for the power punch the whole family needs.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (11)

Winter Kale & Wild Rice Salad

Bright, bold flavors, fresh and crisp crunch – this salad delivers all that you need! Winter Kale and Wild Rice Salad is gorgeous, healthy, and packed with whole grain nutrition.

Winter Kale and Wild Rice Salad – A gorgeous, healthy, and flavorful whole grain salad perfect for serving this holiday season!

ProTip: Add your leftover Roasted Herb Turkey Breastto this salad to make it the lunch of your dreams.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (12)

Orange Glazed Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

This Orange Glazed Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash recipe is perfection for fall. I love to make this simple, healthy dish for holiday dinner parties or potlucks. It is a real mind blower, converting ‘non-vegetable’ eaters into gushy, gooey puddles of vegetable LOVE. This is a savory sweet dish that levels up any meal!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (13)

Skinny Holiday Fruit Crisp

This healthy Skinny Holiday Fruit Crisp recipe makes for an awesome festive treat for your family! A simple filling with apples, pears and cranberries topped off with a delicious oat crunch! Less sugar and butter than you’d find in ordinary recipes, making it a dessert that checks all the boxes for my family.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (14)

Healthy Harvest Buckeyes

You guys. Stop everything. Do this.

ZERO SUGAR added. This is a rowdy little Buckeye packed with protein, dark chocolate (can be made Vegan), peanut butter and absolute bliss…without missing any of the comfort of your favorite candy.

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (15)

Clean Eating Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Gluten-free

Paleo

Vegan

KAPOW!!!!!

Clean Eating Curry Butternut Squash Soup with coconut milk is creamy, yummy, soul food. Only 180 dreamy delicious calories per bowl. This is the perfect antidote for the overindulgences of the holiday season!

See full recipe here.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (16)

The Holidays are the best time to shine in all of the ways! Here are some foolproof ways to level up your game for the greatest time of the year:

These gluten-free Christmas cookies have only 3 ingredients.They’re perfect for cookie exchanges!

Looking for more elaborate dessert ideas?Here are 15 of the VERY BEST Christmas Desserts!

Do you love using your crockpot?Here are 15 Crockpot Dessert Recipes.(Yes, you can make dessert in your crockpot!)

These Jelly Tarts are always my favorite thing to make and eat during the holidays.I used to bake them with my great-grandma when I was growing up!

NEED MORE IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS COOKIES AND DESSERTS?

Apple Dessert Recipes

Chocolate Dessert Recipes

Healthy Dessert Recipes

Mini Desserts

Oreo Dessert Recipes

No Bake Dessert Recipes

‘Tis the season for a party – and there’s nothing better to bring than a holiday appetizer. But no sweat, this should NOT be what brings you stress this holiday season!

Here are 15 of the very best Christmas Appetizers on the planet.Not even kidding.

Thisyummy hot cheese dip is so good that even your kids can make it. This is my #1 requested potluck contribution, which is amazing because I can make it in just a few minutes!

And here are15 of the best EASY recipes for parties. Translation: crazy easy appetizers that will cause you ZERO stress!

Feeling super fancy? This is my favorite way to entertain because it is a meal created by tons of small dishes with bold and easy ingredients. Make one of these TAPAS recipes instead of appetizers.Just make sure you correct anyone that dares to call your tapas an appetizer!

Click here to see all things Christmas.

15 Healthy Christmas Dinner Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 food items that are popular for Christmas dinner? ›

They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.

What is the must have food for Christmas Day? ›

Christmas dinner recipes
  • Flavour-bomb roast turkey & gravy. A star rating of 5 out of 5. ...
  • Hot honey-glazed gammon. ...
  • Mini maple & mustard pigs in blankets. ...
  • Cranberry, orange & rosemary sauce. ...
  • Shredded carbonara sprouts. ...
  • Croissant bread sauce. ...
  • Turkey crown with roast garlic & pancetta. ...
  • Honeyed hasselback carrots.

What makes the best Christmas dinner? ›

You likely will want to choose a main first, like a turkey, Christmas ham, casserole or other show-stopping dishes. Then, you can compliment your main with Christmas side dishes and holiday appetizers. And of course, you can't forget about sweet Christmas desserts and festive co*cktails to sip on throughout the night!

Is Christmas dinner healthy? ›

A traditional Christmas dinner isn't the worst choice when it comes to your health. Turkey is a lean meat (as long as you avoid basting it in too much butter) and plenty of vegetables with your meal is good.

What is the most eaten meat on Christmas? ›

Top 5 Traditional Meats For Christmas Dinner
  1. Turkey. Let's admit it, a whole turkey is the best and most traditional meat for Christmas dinners. ...
  2. Beef. Beef often comes to mind when choosing Christmas meats and for good reason. ...
  3. Ham and Gammon. What's Christmas without a joint of ham? ...
  4. Pork. ...
  5. Lamb.

What do most people eat for Christmas dinner? ›

Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.

What is the 12 course Christmas dinner? ›

Why do Poles eat 12 dishes during the Christmas Eve dinner? Tradition calls for 12 traditional courses to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is a symbol of wealth, the 12 Apostles and a representation of the 12 months of the year. But in the past, dinner consisted of an odd number of dishes.

What is a Mexican Christmas dinner? ›

Mexican Christmas food spans enchiladas, pozole, tamales, and plenty of desserts. These are our favorite recipes for flavorful versions of those dishes from Mexican chefs, along with a few festive drinks. Start a tamale making tradition, warm up with pozole this winter, and enjoy enchiladas everyone will love.

What do Italians eat for Christmas? ›

In Southern and Central Italy, baked pasta is a must. In Northern Italy, Lasagne Bolognese and filled pasta like manicotti and ravioli are traditional Christmas fare. Next comes the main event, the meat. Roasted veal, baked chicken, sausages or braised beef are common Natale entrées worth celebrating.

What are the top 10 Christmas dinner foods? ›

Top 10 most popular Christmas recipes
  • Nut roast.
  • Ultimate roast potatoes. ...
  • Mary's Berry Christmas chutney. ...
  • Sausage, sage & onion stuffing. ...
  • Cola ham with maple & mustard glaze. ...
  • Sticky spiced red cabbage. ...
  • Christmas pudding with citrus and spice. ...
  • Yule log. ...

What is the number one Christmas meal? ›

Roast potatoes are in at number one – we'll be having at least three.

What is the saddest Christmas dinner? ›

The Saddest Xmas Dinner Ever / Ingredients:
  1. Turkey flavoured insole.
  2. Ball of grey.
  3. The most measly looking pig in blanket I've ever. seen.
  4. half a carrot (length ways).
  5. Miniature parsnip.
  6. The saddest roasties known to man.
Dec 15, 2022

What is the healthiest meat for Christmas dinner? ›

Turkey is a healthy, low-fat meat which is high in protein and B vitamins. However, to keep the fat in your Christmas dinner to a minimum, opt for the white breast meat and avoid the skin.

How to eat healthy Christmas? ›

When you face a spread of delicious holiday food, make healthy choices easier:
  1. Have a small plate of the foods you like best and then move away from the buffet table.
  2. Start with vegetables to take the edge off your appetite.
  3. Eat slowly. ...
  4. Avoid or limit alcohol.

What are 5 Christmas foods? ›

Candy Cane can be hung as edible decorations.
  • White Christmas, a sweet slice made of copha and mixed fruit.
  • Cold ham and cold turkey.
  • Seafood and salads.
  • Roast chicken, ham and turkey.
  • Stuffing.
  • Christmas cake or Christmas pudding.
  • Custard.
  • Gingerbread in Christmas shapes.

What is a popular Christmas dish? ›

Depending on where you're from, when it comes to Christmas, we're sure you've got enough classic recipes to fill a book. Across the U.S., everyone's got their favorites: prime rib, rolls, gingerbread cookies.

What is the most popular veg at Christmas? ›

Within this article we will outline the 5 most popular Christmas vegetables, and how to keep them fresh for the big day!
  • 1) Carrots.
  • 2) Broccoli.
  • 3) Potatoes.
  • 4) Cauliflower.
  • 5) Brussel sprouts.

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