Quick and easy recipes for Christmas 2024
Don't faff around in the kitchen on Christmas day! Take away the stress with these really easy yet impressive Christmas recipes.
We all know that Christmas day is stressful, especially for those in charge of ensuring the Christmas meal is as delicious as possible, but why should it be stressful?
That's why we've compiled this gallery which features all our quick and easy Christmas recipes, to have a fuss-free and relaxing day with loved ones.
We've gone for recipes that don't require loads of steps, or recipes that can be made in advance so you can pre-plan and get yourself organised, meaning more time on the morning of Christmas to spend time with family and indulge in your favourite treats.
If you find cooking timings stressful, follow our easy Christmas time plan to make your day run as seamless as possible..
Butter-Basted Turkey Crown and Simple Gravy
A simple seasoned butter is all this turkey crown needs to make a spectacular centrepiece for your feast.
Turkey Breast Roll with Mince Meat Stuffing
A great easy option for serving turkey at your Christmas table. Rolling the turkey is simpler than you think.
Herby Turkey Crown
Turkey crowns are simple to roast and carve, and this one is full of herbaceous flavours and a crispy bacon topping!
Recipe: Herby Turkey Crown
Classic Roast Chicken
Serve with roast potatoes and veggies, or a simple salad to enjoy this classic roast all year round
Recipe: Classic Roast Chicken
Hasselback Squash
For vegans, replace goats cheese with a substitute, we like Violife Feta Style Non-Dairy Cheese Alternative.
Recipe: Hasselback Squash
Simple Get-Ahead Gravy
Gravy is often the straw that breaks the camel’s back, adding lots of last minute stress. So make your life easier and sort it in advance. For vegetarian option see GH Tip
Recipe: Simple Get-Ahead Gravy
Cross-Hatch Potatoes
No peeling or parboiling! These roast and baked potato hybrids are fluffy in the centre and crisp on top.
Recipe: Cross-Hatch Potatoes
Quick and Crispy Roast Potatoes
Once you realise the time you’ll save by using tinned potatoes, we think you’ll be converted, too! Swap the thyme for another woody herb, like rosemary, if you fancy.
Recipe: Quick and Crispy Roast Potatoes
Classic Bread Sauce
For extra creaminess, use Jersey milk for this traditional bread sauce recipe if you can.
Recipe: Classic Bread Sauce
Chunky Sage and Onion Stuffing
This simple homemade stuffing gives good old Paxo a run for its money. The mixture of crumbed and chunky sourdough helps give it great, light texture.
Recipe: Chunky Sage and Onion Stuffing
Easy Veggie Stuffing
Full of fresh flavours, this recipe couldn’t be simpler. It would also make a lovely filling for a stuffed squash or pepper.
Recipe: Easy Veggie Stuffing
Mulled Cranberry Cabbage
If you’ve only ever had red cabbage slowly braised, you’re missing out! This stir-fried recipe, lets the cabbage to retain a little bite, and it takes a fraction of the time to cook.
Recipe: Mulled Cranberry Cabbage
Easy Creamed Spinach
Once you’ve had spinach this way, you’ll be hooked.
Recipe: Easy Creamed Spinach
Parcel-baked Sprouts and Carrots
The egg white acts like glue and ensures that no steam escapes while the vegetables are baking in their parcel.
Recipe: Parcel-baked Sprouts and Carrots
All-in-One Roast Veg
Avoid the tedious task of peeling and chopping by using ready-to-roast veg.
Recipe: All-in-one roast veg
One pan Roast Potatoes, Sprouts and Bacon
All in one traybakes are a lifesaver at Christmas, and roasting the sprouts totally transforms their flavour. Cook these on the shelf above your turkey to help them crisp up.
Roasted Squash and Sprouts with Blue Cheese
We’ve left the skin on our squash as it’s perfectly edible and adds lovely texture, but feel free to peel if you prefer.
Pigs in Prosciutto with Cranberry Sweet Chilli Dip
A deliciously simple start to your meal, these would also be great served with the turkey. Replace the dip with sweet chilli sauce if you prefer.
Quick Christmas Pudding
This quick Christmas pudding recipe takes minutes to make in a microwave, yes really!
Recipe: Quick Christmas Pudding
No-Bake Irish Cream and White Chocolate Tart
The tangy flavour of crème fraîche helps balance the sweetness from the white chocolate, but you could use extra double cream, if you prefer. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
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