You can say anything you like about Christmas but one thing is for sure – it’s hectic! What with running around buying gifts and attending all those parties, it’s a wonder that we manage to find any time to cook at all. What you need are some quick and easy Christmas recipes that will you help you cook like a pro, impress your family and friends, and guard your well-earned spare time. The recipes we’ve shared with you here are sure to make a great impression, easy to make, and take just twenty minutes or less.
Easy Savoury Christmas Food Recipes
Whether you’re looking for easy Christmas finger food recipes for a party or a simple dish to feed your family, here are some great quick and simple recipes.
Marinated Olives
Photo source: Brett_Hondow
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Skill level: Easy Quick and tasty, this easy Christmas recipe is great as a finger food or served as a starter. The tangy citrus flavours of the lemon and orange give a Christmassy feel to this dish too. Get the full recipe from Martha Stewart.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Combine the olives, olive oil, orange slices, lemon slices, and fresh herbs in a medium sized saucepan.
- Season to taste with the red pepper flakes.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the olives, fruits, and herbs to a serving dish using a slotted spoon. Discard the olive oil or reserve for another use.
Baked Eggs
Photo source: Kitchen Life Of A Navy Wife
Serves: 4 |Prep time: 10 minutes | Skill level: Easy Creamy and indulgent, these baked eggs are the perfect start to any busy day, be it a day of Christmas shopping or even Christmas day itself. Complete with cream, cheese, and herbs, they are delicious served on their own with toast. For a little extra indulgence, why not add some bacon? It’s easy Christmas baking dishes like this that help Christmas go off with a bang! Get the full recipe from BBC Good Food.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C or Gas Mark 3.
- Boil a kettleful of water.
- Take four shallow ramekins and pour one tablespoon of oil into each. Crack two eggs into each of the ramekins and season well with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the tarragon and grated cheese over the eggs, and spoon the cream equally over the four dishes.
- Place the ramekins in a roasting tin and then fill the tin with water from the kettle until it reaches a quarter of the way up the side.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for six to eight minutes, or until the egg white is set and the yolk is runny.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Hummus Dip
Photo source: Mallory Dash
Makes: two cups | Prep time: 10 minutes | Skill level: Easy No Christmas buffet table is complete without a hummus dip. This recipe is creamy, flavourful, and is a tasty dip for all your Christmas goodies. It’s quick and easy to make, and what’s even better is that you can prepare it hours before you serve it. Get the full recipe from Cooking Channel.
Ingredients:
- Chickpeas (2 cans, drained and rinsed)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (½ cup, or more as needed plus extra for garnish)
- Lemon (1/2, juiced)
- Parsley (2 tablespoons, roughly chopped, plus extra for garnish)
- Garlic (2 cloves, peeled)
- Salt (1½ teaspoons)
- Sesame Oil (½ teaspoon)
- Ground Cumin (½ - 1 teaspoon)
- Black pepper
- Water (¼ cup)
- Paprika (to garnish)
Directions:
- Put all the ingredients in a blender, leaving out the parsley and paprika garnishes.
- On a slow speed, blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You may need to occasionally pause to scrape the sides of the blender and push the ingredients back into the mix.
- If the mixture is dry and difficult to blend, add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil and blend again. Do this slowly to ensure you don’t add too much oil.
- Scrape the hummus onto a plate or into a serving dish.
- Sprinkle with the paprika and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Scatter some chopped parsley on top.
- If you are not serving immediately, cover the dish in cling-film and keep at room temperature.
Mini Spinach and Cheese Pizzas
Photo source: Public Domain Pictures
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Skill level: Easy Not all easy Christmas recipes need to be indulgent, but they can still be delicious and these pizzas are the perfect example. This dish takes a total of fifteen minutes to make and would work well as a family dinner or as a buffet food. Alter the toppings for variation or add your favourite food too. Get the full recipe from Martha Stewart.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Pre-heat the grill, ensuring that the tray is approximately four inches away from the heat.
- Using tinfoil, line a baking sheet and arrange the pita halves cut-side up.
- Combine the ricotta, oregano, and garlic in a bowl and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread the mixture onto the pitas evenly, and then top with the spinach and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper again if necessary.
- Cook under the grill for four to six minutes, rotating the baking sheet half way through to ensure an even cook. Remove from the grill when the cheese is melted and has started to brown.
- Serve immediately.
Turkey Noodle Soup
Photo source: jeffreyw via Wikimedia Commons
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Skill level: Easy Healthy, cheap, and quick to make, this soup is one of those easy Christmas recipes that are great for finishing leftovers like turkey and vegetables. This delicious and nutritious mean is a welcome break from all the rich, indulgent Christmas foods. If you like a bit of a kick to your food, you could throw in a spoonful of chopped red chillies too. Get the full recipe from BBC Good Food.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- In a large pan, bring the stock to the boil and then add the carrots.
- Boil for four minutes, and then add the noodles. Simmer for a further three minutes.
- Stir in the shredded turkey, the peas, and the white parts of the spring onions. Continue to heat for a further minute.
- Ladle the soup into serving dishes and garnish with the green parts of spring onions. Serve with crusty bread.
Easy Sweet Christmas Food Recipes
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without some tasty sweets and treats, and there are some delicious yet easy Christmas dessert recipes out there. Here are just five of the best that are quick and simple to make.
Microwave Boozy Fudge
Photo source: GeoTrinity (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons
Makes: Approx. 24 pieces |Prep time: 15 minutes | Skill level: Easy Delicious on any buffet table, this sweet, indulgent fudge takes mere minutes to make in the microwave and doesn’t require special equipment such as a sugar thermometer. Easy Christmas recipes like this make great last-minute Christmas gifts too – simply cook a batch and pop it into a gift box or bag with a ribbon, and your lucky recipient will have three weeks to eat it! Get the full recipe from BBC Good Food.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line with parchment or baking paper.
- In a large, heatproof bowl, put the sugar, condensed milk, and butter. Note – when cooking, the mixture will bubble up to twice its original size, so ensure that the bowl you use is big enough to prevent the mixture from spilling over the edges.
- Add a pinch of salt to the mixture and combine well.
- Heat the mixture in the microwave on High for ten minutes, stirring it every two to three minutes. Watch the mixture as it cooks to ensure that it doesn’t overflow.
- Add the vanilla and alcohol to the mixture and whisk together.
- Return to the microwave and heat on High for another two minutes. The mixture should be a caramel brown in colour and thick in consistency.
- Scrape the mixture into the pre-lined tin and leave to cool for around one hour. Once firm, cut the fudge into bite-sized chunks.
Winter Pears
Photo source: Kathrynlinge
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Skill level: Easy With a hint of spice and a lot of sweetness, these winter pears are a deliciously light dessert to finish off a big Christmas meal. Get the full recipe from Cooking Channel.
Ingredients:
- Caster Sugar (¾ cup)
- Balsamic Vinegar (½ cup)
- Salt and Pepper
- Pears (6)
- Biscotti (¼ pound, almond, vanilla, or apple flavoured work well)
- Mascarpone cheese, cinnamon flavoured gelato, or ice cream (½ pound)
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper and ensure that they are well mixed. Leave the mixture to stand for fifteen minutes.
- Cut the pears into thin wedges, leaving the skin on but removing the seeds and the stem.
- Place the pears into a mixing bowl and when ready, pour the balsamic mixture over the top. Mix gently to ensure that the pears have an even coating.
- Crush the biscotti and divide between six serving bowls, before adding the pears equally among them.
- Top each dish with a dollop of mascarpone cheese, gelato, or ice cream, and serve immediately.
Christmas Trifle
Photo source: Neil Conway
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Skill level: Easy Fruity and fresh, this trifle can be prepared in advance and served later, meaning that you can utilise your time in the best possible way. What’s more, the recipe uses ready-made cake and lemon curd, so you are guaranteed to save yourself even more time. Get the full recipe from Martha Stewart.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Put one pint of the raspberries into a blender and puree before pushing through a fine-mesh sieve and discarding the pulp.
- Whip the cream, slowly adding the sugar until it is silky and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and raspberry puree and continue whipping until all the ingredients are well combined and the mixture forms soft peaks.
- Place half the cake in the bottom of a trifle dish and spread half of the lemon curd on top. Place half the sliced peaches onto the lemon curd and follow with one pint of the remaining raspberries. Add half of the whipped cream mixture over the fruit and spread it gently but thoroughly.
- Repeat step three, ensuring you reserve some pieces of fruit to place on top as a garnish.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Mini Mont Blancs
Photo source: Public Domain Pictures
Serves: 12 |Prep time: 10 minutes |Skill level: Easy A great alternative to traditional mince pies, the chocolate, cream, and chestnut filling in this tart has a real Christmassy flavour to it. Using pre-baked tartlet cases, easy Christmas recipes don’t get simpler than this! Get the full recipe from BBC Good Food.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Mix the chestnut puree, icing sugar, and vanilla extract together.
- Divide the mixture equally between the twelve pastry cases.
- Whip the double cream and then spoon over each tart. Grate some dark chocolate onto the top for garnish and flavour.
Chocolate Tart
Photo source: David McKelvey
Serves: 8 |Prep time: 20 minutes |Skill level: Easy Rich and decadent filling with a flaky pastry base, this chocolate tart is a delicious recipe that has a place at any Christmas meal. It’s easy to make, serves up to eight people, and by using a pre-baked tart case, can easily be cooked in under twenty minutes. Get the full recipe from Cooking Channel.
Ingredients:
- Dark Chocolate (170g)
- Double cream (250ml)
- Milk (125ml)
- Sugar (55g)
- Eggs (1 whole plus 1 yolk)
- Pre-baked or store-bought tart case (20cm)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a bowl. Put to one side.
- In a saucepan, add the cream, milk, and sugar, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring well to ensure it melts fully.
- In a large bowl, put the egg and the yolk, and then gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture, taking care not to scramble the eggs.
- Pour the mixture through a sieve and into the empty tart case. Bake in the oven for around twenty minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely before serving.
