Here’s a handy list of my Christmas recipes, organised by those that can be prepared the day before, how well they reheat, how much can be prepped in advance, and which ones are best made fresh on the day. I think you’ll find this very useful for menu planning!
If you aren’t already glazing your ham the day before, you need to start doing it immediately. It will change your life!
I thrive on holiday menu planning. It’s like the Olympics of cooking – except less athleticism and more butter! The goal, as always, is a feast that wows but is mostly make-ahead so I’m not a stressed-out mess on the day.
For me, it’s a sport I enjoy – but then again, I know my recipes inside out, back to front, so I know what combination works from a practical perspective.
To save you the trouble of digging through my recipes, here’s my lineup of signature and reader favourite Christmas dishes, sorted by which can (or must!) be made the day before, how well dishes reheat, how much prep can be done ahead and identifying those dishes I really recommend making fresh on the day.
I hope you find it useful to help you plan your Christmas menu! – Nagi x
How I Christmas menu-plan
A very straight forward process !
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Choose the non-negotiable dishes (usually mains, sometimes a special starter); then
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Work everything else around it factoring in oven and fridge space, and how much time you actually want to spend in the kitchen on Christmas Day.
Here’s my order of priority: mains, dessert, starter, then lastly sides – not because they are an afterthought, but because there’s the most choices!
First up, mains! Here are my signatures, classics and reader favourites, organised by make-ahead ability.
1. Make the day before, reheats like freshly made
Centrepiece Christmas-worthy mains that truly reheat like freshly made are rare. Here are my gems – regulars when I entertain!
Make glazed ham the day before
The glaze rejuvenates perfectly, the ham stays juicy and only takes 30 minutes to reheat! (Note 1) Make-ahead any standard glazed ham, including my signature Maple and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham. Total game changer!
Reheating quality: 98%*
Crispy crackling pork belly reheats perfectly
Insanely juicy pork belly with superior crackling, even when made the day before – how good is that? Thanks to the “self-confit” method I use, the meat stays tender, and the crackling remains ultra crispy overnight in the fridge!
Reheating quality: 100%
Lamb shoulder is the only roast I reheat
The one roast that reheats as perfectly as though freshly made? Slow-roasted lamb shoulder.
Try my classic 3 hour slow roasted shoulder or the deluxe 12 hour shoulder. For something more exotic, try the Masaaman or Middle Eastern Lamb Shoulder on p251 of Tonight! (Note 2)
Reheating quality (all): 100%
Some helpful notes and TIPS
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Lamb shoulders – Just leave these in the pan in which you cooked them. Fully cool loosely covered in foil, refrigerate overnight, reheat at 170°C/330°F (150°C fan) for 45 minutes or until the meat is warmed through to “fall apart” tender again. In the event of an emergency, microwave (nobody will know).
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Slow-cooked-fall-apart meat dishes typically reheat 100% perfectly, in fact, stewy dishes (like Beef Stew, Guinness Stew, Bourguignon, Red Wine Beef Short Ribs) get even better overnight. They aren’t in my top 3 list only because they don’t have the same large-form-centrepiece-impact that I look for with holiday menus. But here are some of my personal favourites that would be ideal for smaller group Christmas dinners parties!
2. Best Christmassy chicken mains for reheating
Notice that none of the recipes in the “reheats 100% perfectly” category are chicken? That’s because chicken is a leaner cut which means it just doesn’t reheat as well as the above listed.
But chicken is always a favourite with groups, so I usually try to include one chicken dish. So here are my best Christmas-worthy chicken recipes that reheat best. No breast – too lean!
Sticky Christmas Glazed Chicken – best for reheating
Think – warm spiced sweet ham glaze, on chicken. It’s a winner – and check out that shiny glaze! Reheats best because the surface is sticky, not crispy.
Reheating quality: 90%
Crispy Herb Baked Chicken with Gravy
This is a recipe I created for company-worthy roast chicken and gravy to feed lots of people (rather than roasting 5 whole chickens).
Reheating quality: 85%
Note: The skin is not as crispy as freshly made, but that gravy makes up for it!
Herb & garlic buttered chicken marylands
Marylands are underrated! Juicy, flavorful, economical, and reheats very well. Roasted with herb and garlic butter, definitely company-worthy!
Reheating quality: 85%
Note: I prefer not to reheat a whole roast chicken because the breast tends to be quite dry.
3. Largely prep day before, minimal effort on day-of
These are Christmas-day worthy mains where the prep can almost entirely be done the day before. Then on the day-of, the cook and assembly is low-effort. The reader favourite Christmas Baked Salmon tops the list, for impact vs effort, but the new Summer Side of Salmon is hot on its heels!
Christmas baked salmon
Still holds the title of my best accidental-creation! A honey butter glazed side of salmon slathered in a creamy dill sauce, topped with a colourful holiday “rubble” of nuts and dried fruit. Easy. Reader favourite!
Prep ahead: 85%
Effort on day: Low
Cook time on day: 25 minutes
Summer side of salmon – the new one
Just look at it! Summer, festive, sweet-bit-spicy hot honey drizzled over a smoky spice rubbed salmon topped with mango avocado salsa. The flavour combination is stellar – and it’s easy to make.
This recipe is on page 262 of my new cookbook Tonight.
Prep ahead: 60%
Effort on day: Medium
Prep time on day: 20 minutes (salsa chopping)
Cook time on day: 20 minutes
Garlic prawns
If there’s ever a day to indulge in big, plump, fresh-peel-yourself-raw-prawns and to cook it a garlic-butter-wine sauce, it is Christmas Day!
Get the garlic chopped and butter measured out the day before. Cooking on the day is fast!
Prep ahead: 85%
Effort on day: medium low
Cook time on day: 10 minutes
Stuffed butternut pumpkin – still the best vegetarian main!
This magnificent vegetarian centrepiece is an invention of our very own Chef JB and is one of the signature dishes in my first cookbook Dinner. We love the commanding presence it has and how it’s trussed up and sliced like a roast!
Prep ahead: 85% (assemble the whole thing)
Effort on day: Low
Cook time on day: 40 minutes + 10 minutes resting
More Christmas-worthY salmon mains
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that my readers love salmon for Christmas! So here are a few more Christmas-main-worthy salmon dishes that are high-prep, low effort on the day-of that are popular with readers, year after year:
Dill garlic butter whole baked fish
Every chef will tell you the best way to bake fish is to keep it whole. The flesh is juicier, you can use any fish, and it presents so beautifully! PS The dill butter is 👌🏻
Prep ahead: 80%
Effort on day: Low
Cook time on day: 20 minutes
Notes
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Effort level rating on day is subject to how well you have prepared ahead. Eg for the salmon, have it trimmed, cleaned, on the tray in the fridge, ready to slide straight into the oven. All toppings mixed and in separate containers (including parsley), ready to spread and use.
4. No-cook mains
The simple fact is that if you want something absolutely no-cook that is Christmas-worthy, you can’t do better than great seafood! We do seafood every year for Christmas. Here’s what we make:
Big bucket of prawns and dipping sauces
Is there anything more Aussie?? It’s really worth making your dipping sauce. It’s easy, and the flavour is nothing like what you get in jars. I promise!
Prep ahead: 100% (sauces)
Effort on day: Minuscule
What goes on our seafood platter (and what doesn’t)
The no cook has high appeal factor! For my family and I, the seafood platter is just as much about what we don’t spend money on as what we do. Good seafood is exxy!
Prep ahead: 98% (sauces)
Effort on day: Minuscule
5. Mains best-made fresh on the day
And thus we have made our way to the list of dishes that really are best made on the day! Whether it be because it’s an investment (like prime rib) or the protein in question just doesn’t hold up well to reheating (like lamb rack), these are all worth making an effort for, you just need to factor in the timing of making the sides.
Magnificent prime rib (standing rib roast)
The creme de la creme of all beef roasts! It really should be served freshly cooked to make the most of this pricey cut. It’s just not the same reheated.
Prep ahead: 20% (rub)
Effort on day: High
Cook time on day: 2 – 3 hours
Useful to know: Stays warm for 1 hour
Beef tenderloin with creamy mushroom sauce
Like prime rib, this premium cut of beef is best cooked and served fresh, to make the most of it. It’s faster to cook than prime rib though!
Prep ahead: 10%
Effort on day: High
Cook time on day: 1 hour
All turkey recipes are best made on the day!
Fact: turkey is lean. Which means it won’t reheat to centrepiece-worthy standards, no matter what recipe you use (brined, slow cooker, butter-slathered-and-muslim-cloth-wrapped).
So if you’re committed to turkey, I recommend committing to cooking on the day! The easiest and most foolproof is Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, the only way I cook whole turkey is dry brined, and the herb & garlic turkey breast is a personal favourite (I’m a sucker for garlic butter!).
Crackling non-belly pork roast is best made on the day
If you want to make pork with crackling the day before, it’s got to be belly (see above).
But if you want a larger format roast, use my pork roast crackling recipe. However, it’s best made on the day because the meat does lose juiciness.
Prep ahead: Overnight skin dry in fridge
Effort on day: High
Cook time on day: 3 1/2 hours
Useful to know: Stays warm for up to 1 hour
Lamb leg is best made fresh
All my lamb leg recipes are very common over the Christmas period – and I get it! We Aussies love lamb, and it has a commanding presence on the table. 🙂
However, fact is that lamb leg is lean which means it is not as juicy the next day. So if you want lamb leg, then I really recommend making it fresh (even the slow cooked fall-apart ones). If you want a roast lamb you can make today and that reheats 100% perfectly tomorrow, make lamb shoulder! (See section at top).
Here’s my selection of lamb leg recipes (PS slow cooker lamb leg works incredibly well, but it has to be a small-ish leg)
My most company-worthy roast chicken….
…comes with a delicate herb infused creamy French sauce and it’s in my new cookbook Tonight p 249). All roast chickens are best made fresh as the meat loses juice overnight and the skin gets compromised.
Alternatives: My classic garlic-butter Roast Chicken, the popular Thai Red Curry Pot Roast Chicken (it is Amazing – caps intentional!).
Prep ahead: None
Effort on day: High
Cook time on day: 2 hours
Lamb rack
This pricey, special, delicate cut is never the same once reheated. So make it fresh – it’s worth it!
Pictured – signature crumbed lamb rack (that crumb!). Easier – Rosemary Garlic Marinated Rack of Lamb.
Prep ahead: Low
Effort on day: High
Cook time on day: 2 hours
7. Are you game enough to tackle these whales?
Not gonna sugar coat it – even with maximum prepare ahead, both these demand attention and time, and they are both best served fresh. But – the gasps! The applause! Your epic Christmas main will be talked about in your circles for months!
1. The great Beef Wellington
Find the recipe on page 252 of Dinner and watch the recipe tutorial video here.
2. the french onion brie pie in “tonight”
This is the signature vegetarian main from my new cookbook Tonight. Layers of mushroom ragu, caramelised onion and potato gratin sandwich a whole wheel of brie that oozes out when the pie is cut. Oh, did I mention it’s enclosed in an incredible buttery brioche pastry?
Find the recipe on page 270 of my new cookbook Tonight.
Mains set, let’s talk dessert! I’m only covering meal desserts here, not cookies (Christmas Cookies, Gingerbread Men) and nibbly/gifty desserts (like Rocky Road, Christmas Caramel Popcorn)
1. Desserts that must be made ahead
Both Trifle and the no-bake Christmas Cheesecake need to be made the day before so they can set in the fridge overnight. The Christmas Cake, though it can be made an enjoyed on the day of baking, is even better the next day and beyond because the flavours keep developing.
No-bake Christmas Cheesecake Slab
The latest addition to my Christmas Desserts, designed for hot Aussie Christmases because it’s no bake, and it feeds a lot of people!
Needs to be made 12 hours+ prior to serving.
Also see all cheesecakes, baked and no-bake, all of which require 4 hours+ fridge time.
Classic Christmas cake
Though it can be enjoyed on the day it’s made, this lovely moist fruit cake is even better the next day and weeks after as the flavours have a chance to develop and meld.
Cook time: 3 1/2 hours
Also see: Mini Christmas Cakes (great gift!)
Christmas Trifle looks smashing!
The one thing that will elevate your Trifle from “ok” to PHENOMENAL is making jelly with real cranberry juice instead of using artificial flavoured jelly!
Trifle needs refrigeration time to set and can be assembled up to 2 days prior to serving.
Total fridge time: 8 hours minimum
2. Make-ahead then decorate on the day
Unlike the above, pavlova and meringue can be made and used on the day-of thought for convenience, I almost always make then the day before. ⚠️ Pavs and meringue don’t fare well in humidity and heat, they get sticky and soft (meringue is safer than pavs). So keep them in a cool dry place! (Tip: For the meringue, I make them the night before and let them cool overnight in the oven. It’s airtight and dry – perfect!)
My Pavlova collection
And the famous 1.6m / 5 foot long Never Ending Meringue Tart, named as such because you can make it as loooong as you want! Last weekend I made a 2.5 meter one – new PB!
Righto! Onto the starters. There are a good number that are mostly prepare-ahead or entirely make-ahead, reflecting my approach to menu setting (ie mains > dessert > starters > sides).
1. Make-ahead starters
Festive Italian Cheese log
Make it now and it keeps for days and days!
I love this for the festive look, that it tastes like an antipasto platter in dip form and it’s made for sharing with my favourite people. PS the secret ingredient is minced salami. 💯
Make ahead: 95%
Effort on day: Minimal
Oysters!
As simple as lemon wedges. Or make a bright green cucumber lime jalapeño granita – fanceee! Yet easy, and 100% perfect for hot Aussie Christmases.
Make ahead: 95%
Effort on day: Minimal
Prawns with homemade dipping sauces
I know it’s listed earlier but it has to be included in this section too! Choose from 5 difference sauces including classic Marie Rose and Cocktail Sauce. Make it today, serve it tomorrow.
Make ahead: 95%
Effort on day: Minimal
Why did we stop making prawn cocktails??
They’re classic! Peel the prawns the day before, make sauce, slice the lettuce. Easy assembling on the day.
Make ahead: 95%
Effort on day: Minimal
Some notable mentions of some more low effort, make-ahead starters:
2. Make-ahead show-off starter
Beetroot cured salmon has been my go-to starter that I make when I want to impress foodies, for wow-factor looks and that it’s “gourmet”. It’s made an appearance at multiple family Christmases!
This requires 2 days for curing, plus preferably an extra 12 – 24 hours to rest. I usually start this on the evening of 22 December, wash off the cure on Christmas Eve, rest overnight then serve on Christmas Day.
3. Always popular but needs to be made closer to serving
Now we’ve reached the type of starters that require more effort closer to serving time, but are always a massive hit! I’ll admit, assembling bite-sized snacks isn’t my favourite task…but I love eating them so much!
Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
Shameless Nobu copycat. I love it. It’s expensive. So I created my own!
Start it the day before.
Effort on day: Medium high (but worth it).
Good to know: Made with raw tuna but I have a canned tuna option too and it’s really good!
I love smoked salmon blini!
These mini pancakes are at their best made as close as possible to serving time (I target within 2 hours), though they are still within bounds of acceptable made up to 12 hours ahead. Because they’re so small, they lose freshness really quickly.
Prep time: 20 minutes + 1 h 40 min batter proving
Cook time: 20 minutes
Assembling: 15 minutes
Ceviche
Probably my most-made raw fish dish. Excellent starter for sharing – scoop with corn chips. You can prep a few hours ahead, cutting the fish and avocado, but it must not be assembled until 5 minutes before you’re ready to serve.
Effort on day: Medium-low (it’s quick)
Good to know: Recipe includes a canapé version too.
I know it seems like I treat sides as an afterthought. Sometimes I do, but also another reason I leave them to last is because there’s so many more options that are suitable for make-ahead!
So rather than listing all the dishes that are make-ahead friendly, I’m going to list personal favourites and reader favourites that are make-ahead friendly!
1. Assemble ahead, bake on the day
Heads up – there is an excessive presence of carbs and cheese, and I make no apologies for it.
Make-ahead Mashed Potato Casserole
Game changer! Who wants to be man handling a giant pot of steaming boiled potatoes on Christmas Day??
Assemble today, bake tomorrow.
Baked Mac and Cheese
I don’t care how hot it is on Christmas Day, this happens every year!
Assemble today, bake tomorrow
Lower carb version: Cauliflower Cheese
My favourite sweet potato side dish is stuffed
Bacon, pecans, sage, butter. And I get one ALL to myself! Assemble today, bake tomorrow.
Good to know: I have a big casserole version too.
See the Warm Christmas Sides recipe collection for more options – so many possibilities!
Rice sides reheat extremely well
Rice make excellent sides that can be made ahead then reheated on the day. I’m talking – minutes in the microwave. For Christmas Day, we can do better than plain rice. Here are some of my favourites!
2. Show-off salad favourites
A special category of salads that call for a little more effort than your basic Garden Salad because it makes a statement on any table! All these are mostly prepare-ahead. Shake the dressing, prep all the salads things, nuts and other toppings in separate containers. Only leave the things that really are best done fresh, like slicing apples.
Here are my picks that have a high level of make-ahead elements:
See the Show-off Salads collection and Fresh Christmas Sides.
3. Aussie summer side staples
Here are some great staples for hot Aussie summer Christmas, all of which are perfect made today, served tomorrow – and the day after, and day after!
PS If you’ve never tried the Potato Salad before, that’s worth adding to your summer list. There’s a special trick, you see, that makes it the best I’ve ever had! (It’s not my recipe)
4. Big bowls of freshness is essential
No cheese, no candied nuts, no cured meats, no potato, no pasta, no dried fruit. Just a big bowl of freshness to balance out the richness on the table. Never underestimate the power of a big bowl of leafy greens!
Get ahead – Shake up your dressing in a jar and keep it in the fridge, ready to use on the day of.
See all Light and Fresh Christmas Sides.
Fall back: Everyday salad dressing tossed with a big bowl of leafy greens. I use this a lot for spreads (sometimes I upgrade to French or Italian Dressing!).
5. Special sides – worth the effort to make fresh
If you are lucky enough to have two ovens, or you menu plan so ruthlessly that you can spare the oven time and effort, here are some special side dishes that are worth the effort.
Heads up: There’s a lot of potato. I threw in one green thing as a token (just being truthful).
Duck fat potatoes
The crispiest potatoes of your life!
Cook time: 50 minutes
Fondant potatoes
Melt-in-your-mouth buttery incredibleness (is that a word??) Serve these with prime rib or steak with creamy mushroom sauce for a luxurious fine-dining meal at home.
Cook time: 50 minutes
Brussels sprouts in carbonara sauce
Yes, you heard me right. Carbonara sauce!
Cook time: 1 hour
Fondant sweet potatoes
The maple pecan butter sauce is everything!
Cook time: 1 hour
Potato rosti
I mean, if there was ever a day for a giant crispy golden buttery potato pancake, it’d be Christmas. No?
Cook time: 25 minutes
Woah!
This post is a LOT longer than I expected it to be! 😅 It also took a lot longer to write than I expected because I kept getting distracted, adding make-ahead and storage notes into recipes ask I went, as well as some last minute recipe testing. Hand on heart, we literally just made a crispy pork belly and prime rib just to test the make-ahead tips I’ve now added to these recipes.
It must seem strange to some people that I’d go to all that effort to make a slab of pork belly just so I can add a 20 word tip to the end of a recipe for how best to make ahead.
Speaking honestly? I do it for myself. Because it’s going to make my life easier, now that I know I can serve up pork belly at gatherings with perfect crackling and juicy flesh that I’ve made the day before.
So really, all this effort I go to is entirely selfish. 😂 Though it’s a bonus if you find it useful too!
I hope you found today’s post useful to help you plan your Christmas menu! – Nagi x
Life of Dozer
Quite a number of the above make-ahead dishes were included on the menu of a Christmas party I “catered”* for 30 people last weekend. So as one might expect, Dozer was in fine form. Here he is, baby-sitting the ham (yes, I made it the day before):
Then supervising the carving of it:
Keeping a watchful eye as canapés were passed around, in case any fell on the ground…
Though confusingly (for him), nobody gave him any samples from their plate!!
In case you are wondering why I put “catered” in inverted commas, it’s because I don’t do catering except for once every year for my mother’s annual Christmas Party. It’s for her social group, SATG, which stands for “Saturday Afternoon Tennis Group”, and it took place last weekend.
They don’t play tennis, not on Saturday afternoons or any other day. They did, once upon a time, when they were more nimble.
These days they play golf (9 holes only), follow by wine and cheese (always). It is not unusual for people to skip the golf and just join for the latter.
It’s the only event I “cater” each year, only because when my mother asks, everybody knows she’s not really asking.
In case you are wondering, here’s the menu. Most of the dishes will look familiar!
