Try One of Our Happiest Christmas Menus Ever

Recipe: Blue Cheese-and-Pecan Stuffed Cherry Peppers

Recipe: Prosciutto-and-Manchego Cheese Straws

Recipe: Crispy Pork Meatballs

Recipe: Garlic-Butter Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Recipe: Spinach-and-Artichoke Bites

Recipe: Spiced Orange-Bourbon Punch

Recipe: Cranberry Sangría Punch

Recipe: DIY Deviled Egg Bar

Recipe: Fizzy Cider Punch

This festive party for 10 features your best friends, sparkly and fun decor, and a menu that's full of finger foods and big-batch drinks. Toast the season with a menu of sophisticated (but easy!) appetizers and crowd-pleasing punches.

Recipe: Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Burgundy-Mushroom Sauce

Recipe: Cider-Glazed Carrots with Walnuts

Recipe: Herbed Potato Stacks

Recipe: Buttermilk Fantail Rolls

Recipe: Balsamic Green Beans with Pearl Onions

Recipe: Beet, Fennel, and Apple Salad

This elegant sit-down dinner is everything you want in a celebratory meal—and it's easy on the cook too. This sophisticated menu is satisfying without being too heavy. Bring together close family to enjoy beef tenderloin and seasonal sides.

Recipe: Pancake Bake with Cinnamon Streusel

Recipe: Sausage-and-Cheese Grits Quiche

Recipe: Country Ham Hash

Recipe: Christmas Sunrise

Recipe: Citrus Salad with Granola

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Bacon

Recipe: Romaine with Creamy Olive Dressing

Here's our gift to you: A memorable menu that won't steal any time away from family on December 25. Invite family and freinds over to enjoy a "help yourself" buffet of sweet and savory dishes. This entire brunch menu can be made or prepped in advance. Double recipes for a crowd, as needed.

Recipe: Cherry-Pecan Brie

Recipe: Tossed Greens-and-Grapes Salad

Recipe: Pancetta-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Whipped Horseradish Cream

Recipe: Crispy Potatoes with Fennel

Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Recipe: Easy Asiago-Olive Rolls

Recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

This beef tenderloin menu inspires the creative cook in you while pleasing guests who love a traditional meal. From the start to its grand finish—Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake—this Christmas celebration will be one for the memory book.

Recipe: Pomegranate Mimosas

Recipe: Our Best Ambrosia Ever

Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Strata

Serve a sweet and colorful Christmas brunch that can be made in advance. Here’s your Test Kitchen-approved game plan: Two days before brunch, make the yogurt mixture for the ambrosia; cover and chill. The next day, prepare the mimosas (without the sparkling wine) and the strata (through Step 3), and chill. Then, slice the oranges and pineapple, and chill in an airtight container. Done, done, and done!

Recipe: Bourbon Bloody Marys

Recipe: Arugula Salad with Bacony Croutons and Sherry Vinaigrette

Recipe: Eggs Benedict Casserole

If you always order savory at brunch, we’ve made a Christmas brunch menu you’ll love. We recreated classic eggs Benedict to a big-batch form for the whole family. Plus, hollandaise sauce has never been easier than with this recipe. To make this menu ahead, follow our Test Kitchen’s plan: The day before brunch, assemble and chill the casserole (do not bake) and Bloody Mary mixer (without bourbon). Then, prepare the bacon and vinaigrette for the salad, and chill in separate airtight containers. Make the croutons, and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Recipe: Perfect Beef Tenderloin

Recipe: Homemade Hot Mustard

Recipe: Horseradish Sauce

Recipe: Montgomery Punch

Recipe: Cheese Dreams

Recipe: Asparagus with Curry Dip

Recipe: Mini Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Dill Crème Fraîche

Recipe: Lump Crab Mornay

Recipe: Roquefort-Cognac Cheese Spread

Recipe: Buttery Toasted Pecans

Recipe: Pecan Bourbon Balls

Southern food and entertaining legend Julia Reed created this easy but elegant menu for a cocktail supper throwback that’s an ode to her mother and grandmother. “It’s the most forgiving of formats— for the guests as well as the hosts. the menu items are designed to be eaten easily and relatively neatly with your hands, which means that the real progress of a party—visiting, drinking, flirting, meeting new people, or making a quick escape—is not hindered by the pesky tasks of fixing a plate, juggling utensils, and finding a place to perch. As the host, your job is simple: keep the bar and the table replenished, and everything else— dancing, impromptu caroling, illicit sessions under real or imagined mistletoe—takes care of itself.”

Recipe: Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Recipe: Herbs-and-Greens Salad

Recipe: Spicy Fruit-Stuffed Pork Loin with Roasted Pears and Onions

Recipe: Wild Rice with Mushrooms

Recipe: Sour Cream Pocketbook Rolls

Recipe: Pumpkin-Pecan Cheesecake

This beautiful menu gives you everything you could need in a holiday supper—a yummy appetizer to tide everyone over, a light salad that won’t spoil their appetites, a filling and photo-worthy main dish, a healthy starch side, soft rolls to soak everything up, and a decadent but gorgeous dessert.

Recipe: Creamy Egg Strata

Recipe: Brown Sugar Bacon

Recipe: Citrus Salad

Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Recipe: Blueberry Muffins with Lemon-Cream Cheese Glaze

Recipe: Hot Cider Nog

This fun brunch spread finds the perfect balance of sweet and savory. A tip straight from Test Kitchen Professional Pam Lolley: “The butter you spread on the rolled-out cinnamon roll dough should be very soft so that the dough won’t tear. Resist the temptation to soften butter in the microwave—it can melt too quickly and unevenly. The best way to soften butter is to let it sit at room temperature.”

Recipe: Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

Recipe: Stuffed Endive with Herbed Goat Cheese

Recipe: Baked Brie Bites

Recipe: Peppercorn-Crusted Standing Rib Roast with Roasted Vegetables

Recipe: Pan Gravy with Sherry

Recipe: Sautéed Mustard Greens with Garlic and Lemon

Recipe: Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Recipe: Cornmeal Popovers

The best part about this gorgeous dinner is that every aspect can be prepped in advance. You won’t find a more impressive way to feed a crowd during the holidays than this standing rib roast. Start with a fizzy, fruity cocktail in a pretty punch bowl and end by sopping up an incredible pan gravy with featherlight popovers.

Recipe: Sausage-Stuffed Honey Buns

Recipe: Stewed Tomato Shirred Eggs with Ham Chips

Recipe: Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce

Recipe: Ambrosia Breakfast

Recipe: Pecan-Chewy Pie 

North Carolina Chef Vivian Howard invited us to her family farmhouse for a holiday brunch feast that will satisfy those craving something sweet or savory. A new take on egg casserole, sticky buns, a not-your-mama’s ambrosia recipe, and classic grits and greens star in this meal. To finish it off, the Howards go all out: “My mom never made just one pie, so this recipe is for two,” she said. You can also prepare it in your 13x9 pan and cut into bars for a more portable option.

Recipe: Hot Bourbon-Orange Tea Toddy

Recipe: Spiced Wine

Recipe: Harvest Salad with Roasted Citrus Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans

Recipe: Prosciutto-Wrapped Duck with Gumbo Gravy

Recipe: Braised Cabbage with Apple and Bacon

Recipe: Orange-Ginger-Chile-Glazed Carrots

Recipe: Acadian Syrup Cake with Roasted Pears and Caramel Sauce 

This Louisiana-inspired meal is full of rich ingredients that celebrate the season’s best ingredients. Welcome family with soothing drinks that will make them feel right at home. Cozy braised cabbage is made irresistible with apple and bacon, and colorful roasted carrots in a sweet glaze are unforgettable. Finish the meal with a Cajun classic spice cake (aka Gâteau au Sirop), which gets much of its sweet favor from a Southern staple, cane syrup.

Recipe: Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe: Apple-Pecan Streusel Muffins

Recipe: Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole

Recipe: Festive Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint-Lime Simple Syrup

Recipe: Cream Cheese Pastries

Recipe: Holiday Ham with Apricot Glaze

Recipe: Mini Chocolate Chess Tarts

Our Test Kitchen baking extraordinaire Pam Lolley has been making Christmas brunches for decades, so you can trust that each of these recipes will become family traditions. Pam started her make-ahead Christmas brunch tradition when she was pregnant with her third child and wanted a stress-free way to feed a crowd. Today, she preps all of it in advance, from the glazed ham to the grits casserole—except for the muffins, which she saves as a special activity to share with her grandkids. “Cooking with them during the holidays is my Christmas present.”

Recipe: Standing Rib Roast with Red Wine Mushrooms

Recipe: Sweet Potato Spoonbread

Recipe: Glazed Turnips and Parsnips

Recipe: Carrot-Cauliflower Salad

Recipe: Collard Greens Gratin

Recipe: Cranberry Dreamsicle Trifle

A stunning standing rib roast is the star of the show surrounded by beautiful, seasonal side dishes. Swap your usual mashed potatoes or buttermilk spoonbread for a fresh sweet potato riff, and trade cheesy broccoli casserole for a collard greens gratin that will become a family mainstay. Really wow guests when you bring out our oh-so-festive trifle. Make the trifle the day before you serve it—not only will it taste better, but it will save you time on Christmas.