Ultimate Holiday Recipe Roundup 2023
One of the best parts of the holiday season are cooking up and sharing all the delicious food + festive holiday recipes! Below you will find a complete list of my favorite holiday recipes from over the years! I hope this list will ease your stress of holiday planning and bring you some fun + delicious ideas for the season. Whether you’re looking for an appetizer, dessert, giftable snack, cheeseboard, or more, there’s a little bit of everything! Click the links for more cooking instructions and ingredients!
ENJOY!
XOXO
Emily
Appetizers
Sausage balls have always been a holiday tradition at my house and it just doesn't feel like Christmas without them. I agree that these aren't the most attractive of appetizers, but they make up for it with how addicting and delicious they are! They are also super simple to make and have only 4 ingredients! Year after year they are sure to be everyone's favorite appetizer that you just can't stop eating! Click here for this recipe.
There are not many things better than the combination of bacon and cheese. My mom would always make this cheeseball recipe around the holidays and it has always been one of my favorite snacks. The original recipe came from an 80's church cookbook (don't all the best recipes come from old church cookbooks?!), but I have slowly changed it up over the years. Click here for this recipe.
Does it get any better than bacon and cheese? Absolutely not! My favorite bacon cheeseball recipe gets a holiday makeover with this reindeer cheeseball! My mom always made this recipe for us around the holidays and it is has always been one of my favorite snacks. The original recipe comes from an old 80s church cookbook, but I have slowly changed it up over the years. It is so good with crackers, bagel chips, pretzels, or pita chips. Click here for this recipe.
Boards/Charcuterie
I love to share giant charcuterie boards for any holiday event and this one is very quick and easy to put together! It features all the holiday colors and a variety of flavors too! Find all the ingredients and instructions for putting this one together here.
It seriously does not get easier than this snowman veggie board! Just slice your favorite veggies (or buy them pre-sliced to make it even easier!) and arrange around your favorite dips! This appetizer would be so cute served before Christmas dinner, and is perfect to bring to any holiday gathering this season! Click here for this recipe.
The holidays is my favorite time to enjoy all the appetizers, especially themed cheeseboards and charcuterie! There are so many different ingredients and combinations for these but this board pretty much has it all! It’s a collection of the best of the best of holiday ingredients, flavors, and colors and makes the most stunning Christmas appetizer or meal! Click here for this recipe.
Everyone loves a good charcuterie board! This board is not only easy to make but delicious! You can take any of your favorite charcuterie board ingredients and arrange them into this fun festive shape! Click here for this recipe.
I’m sharing the quickest, easiest, and cutest holiday appetizer around- candy cane caprese! This is just like a traditional caprese except you make it in the shape of a candy cane for a festive holiday touch! I also added prosciutto to make it a little heartier (and even more delicious). It seriously doesn’t get much easier than this as far as holiday appetizers go and I promise all your guests will love eating this as well! Click here for this recipe.
Whenever I'm entertaining during the holiday season, my go-to dish is a festive and colorful charcuterie board. Not only is this super quick and easy to make, but it is a perfect shareable dish for feeding a crowd. There's hardly any prep involved aside from a little slicing and arranging. A giant wood bread board or platter is the perfect base for serving your charcuterie and creating a stunning display that looks just as good as it tastes. Click here for this recipe.
What’s more festive (and delicious) than a Christmas tree antipasto platter? It’s so quick and easy to put together and perfect for your holiday entertaining! I choose a couple salamis, 3 cheeses, olives, and peppers and layered into a Christmas tree shape! Finish with some fresh thyme and rosemary spread throughout for garnish and use a star cookie cutter to cut out a piece of cheese for the top! Click here for this recipe.
This is full of cute + tasty little snacks + treats that your kids will love eating + making! I had so much fun putting one of these kid’s boards together for Halloween so I knew I had to do one for Christmas too! This is full of fun snacks that you can put together to surprise your kids or even let them help you make. All are very easy and only require a few steps and ingredients! Click here for this recipe.
This is the most fun and EASY appetizer you can make and super kid-friendly too! Serve with a big bowl of crackers and bread for the easiest appetizer around! Find all the ingredients and instructions here.
Snacks/Mixes
This sweet and salty snack mix featuring tons of Trader Joe’s favorites: dark chocolate star cookies, toffee pretzels, salty nut mix, mini peanut butter cups, and more! Find all the ingredients and instructions for putting this one together below. Click here for this recipe.
Everyone loves a great snack mix! I wanted to share more than one option with you to show you the endless possibilities for all your holiday snacky needs! Click here for this recipe.
Salty, zesty, crunchy: this recipe is such a crowd pleaser for any holiday get together you’ll host this year! It also makes a great ready-to-go snack to have on hand during the holiday bustle. You can divide this mix into festive containers and tins and gift to teachers, neighbors, delivery drivers, or anyone that you want to show appreciation to this holiday season. Click here for this recipe. Click here for this recipe.
There is nothing better than a grinch-inspired snack mix to fuel your Dr. Seuss holiday movie marathon! There is something for everybody in this mix: salty pretzels, sweet chocolate and marshmallows, and crunchy Chex cereal pieces. This recipe is super easy and quick, and the sprinkles and colors add a fun festive touch! Click here for this recipe.
Desserts
Here is a simple shortbread recipe to make the perfect holiday cookies! I know for me holiday cookies are always a hit at our gatherings. Click here for this recipe.
This is such a perfect winter treat full of toppings and treats to pair with your hot chocolate. I got everything for this board from Trader Joe’s and Kroger. This board can serve 8-10 people or more depending on how many toppings everyone wants! You can customize this too with a variety of different desserts and toppings- you definitely do not have to use everything listed or the exact same items either. Click here for this recipe.
The perfect pick-me-up for these dreary winter months is hot cocoa with alllll the toppings. This hot chocolate board would make the best snow day or treat for entertaining, no matter the occasion. There’s no baking or measuring required and you can put this dessert together quickly and easily. You can also customize this easily with a variety of different toppings depending on your preferences. There’s so many options out there, so definitely do feel like you have to use what I used! Click here for this recipe.
This dip will be the star of your Christmas dessert spread! It is creamy, perfectly sweet, and festive in all the right ways. My friends and I have always gotten Christmas Tree Cakes for our holiday gatherings every year since high school, so it’s kind of become our Christmas tradition! When I saw that Christmas tree cake dip was a thing, I knew I had to try it! Click here for this recipe.
DIY Holiday Home Additions
One of the best parts of Christmas are all the old-fashioned holiday traditions. Homemade ornaments are reminiscent of a simpler time when fancy glass ornaments weren't available to the masses and many people used simple ingredients to create their own Christmas ornaments each year. Stringing popcorn or cranberries, hanging pinecones or nuts, and even these simple cinnamon ornaments are all examples of homemade ornaments. These cinnamon ornaments can be customized with any shape or size of cookie cutter and the recipe is so easy, making it a great activity for children of all ages. I used our Kentucky cookie cutter for my ornaments and I love the way they turned out! Click here foe this recipe.
I’ve gotten so many questions about my homemade simmering scents since posting about my fall build-your-own potpourri station, so I decided to share another spin on this with a holiday themed scent! This using many of the same ingredients as the autumn scent. plus some new ones, and looks just as good as it smells! This is a must if you are entertaining and want you home to smell AMAZING for all your guests! It also makes such a cute and easy homemade gift for neighbors, teachers, co-workers, etc. Click here for this recipe.
