Most holiday dinners are already a bunch of informal self-serving stations, so why not fancy things up with a decorative and intentional buffet display of all the food you’ve put so much hard work into? These Christmas Buffet Ideas will ease some of the pressure in deciding which dishes to serve, and there’s no shortage of variety, textures, and colors that will make your Christmas Buffet an unforgettable holiday spread.
Polish Christmas Buffet Ideas
Pierogi are a long-time Christmas Eve tradition for Polish folks. Why not put a spin a little spin on a classic with these Sweet Potato Piergoi? Smooth and creamy, the sweet potato filling gets a little nuttiness and funk from the asiago and gruyere blend. Now top them all with a brown butter sage sauce and you’ll be able to pronounce Mike Krzyzewski in no time.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Don’t ever underestimate the bread assortments you put out at your Christmas party! That’s why you should give your holiday table a little extra love with this Jalapeño Honey Cornbread—the perfect balance of sweet and heat. Your guests will be begging you to make another batch, so you might as well start off with two. Or ten.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
We love dips of all kinds on our holiday buffet tables. But this Smoked Trout Dip is just a little extra fancy—smoky, creamy, tangy, spicy, and impossible to stop eating! Serve it on a pumpernickel crostini with pickled onions and jalapeños and we promise you’ll lose your mind.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
For real—we don’t have anything against cookies and pies—but we a little something extra at our Christmas party. This Traditional Baklava is that little something—a delicious, rich, honeyed, and nuttiness-packed treat wrapped in flaky phyllo. And it’s great for any holiday party, because it still tastes incredible after a few days in the fridge.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Dinner rolls are an afterthought for most people’s holiday gatherings, but Homemade Garlic Knots can be the HERO. Not only are they an addictive buttery garlic bite, but they reheat well and can be brought back to tasty perfection just by a quick trip to the oven.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Winter isn’t just about holly jolly, jingle-tinsel time. It’s also the ideal season for all things smoked. Got an endless to-do list during the holidays? Smoker recipes let you set it and forget it, and this BBQ Smoked Chicken pairs well with pretty much every holiday side.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
We love us some root vegetables, because they’re versatile as heck. And these Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots pack all the fresh herbs that you can round up, including rosemary, thyme and parsley. The honey butter glaze, though—there aren’t words for it. This recipe is so simple, but the flavor will have you eating it year-round.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Sugar cookies are great and all, but it gets a little weird after you’ve eaten your 5th Santa-shaped cookie. Dial up the winter comfort on your buffet with these Chai Cookies—cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and a molasses note that balances everything. They’re made crinkle-style, too, so you get a chewy center that always taste like another cookie.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Chips and dip are essential for any party. Want a more interesting option than the usual pre-packaged sour cream and onion gloop? This Smoked Salsa Verde brings all the traditional verde sauce flavors plus some honey, applewood smoke, and crema. (Hint, you might need to double or triple the batch, otherwise you’ll run out in the first hour.)
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Meatballs are served during holidays all over the globe, but have your ever tried them fried? These Italian Fried Meatballs are stuffed with mozzarella cheese, then fried to golden brown breading perfection. Frying them adds texture and sauce soakability that even Nonna can’t slap you with her wooden spoon for.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Nuts and fruits are commonplace in many holiday dishes, and this Crunchy Asian Chopped Salsa offers a global perspective on that tradition. There are many flavors and textures in this salad—apples, bell pepper, orange, roasted almonds, angel hair coleslaw. But the Ginger Sesame dressing made with creamy tahini is the super secret ingredient that’s not so secret anymore.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Here’s a dessert you can eat with your fingers and not make a mess. These Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Espresso Creme take the Amish favorite and dial it the heck up with baking spices in the pumpkin cake shells and the lingering note of espresso in the cream filling. No lie—we teared up a little bit the first time we made them.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
As fun as it is to mix things up for holiday spreads, you can’t leave ALL the classics out. And these Italian Stuffed Mushrooms will not disappoint. Bacon, gorgonzola, mozzarella, Italian herbs, and finished with a balsamic glaze. That’s amore!
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Add a little razzle dazzle to your buffet table with this rustic take on a savory pie. Fresh herbs, parmesan, asiago and roasted tomatoes all in a free-form crust pie that packs so much flavor but lets you obsess a lot less over whether or not you’ve made the perfect crust.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Every buffet spread needs some vibrant pops of color, and these Pomegranate Persimmon Crostini are just as delicious as they are beautiful. Topped with a creamy cardamom and thyme whipped feta, then finished with pomegranate seeds and Hachiya Persimmons. You’re gonna need to make A LOT.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
You already know every holiday party you’re gonna go to will have cookies on cookies on cookies. So why not roundhouse kick everybody’s palate with these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies? Cinnamon. Chili powder. Cayenne. Cocoa Powder. White and brown sugar. A marshmallow gaze finish. These are our all-time favorite cookies.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Brussels sprouts don’t have to be the butt of everybody’s lame Grandma jokes. Thinly slice them. Cook them in bacon fat. Toss them in freshly crumbled feta cheese. Then finish them with a balsamic drizzle. Now everybody’s begging you for the recipe to these Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Holiday meals are all about comfort, right? This Poblano Corn Risotto brings so much comfort you’re gonna fall asleep in it. Sweet corn, poblano heat, and Montery Jack creaminess combine with the classic blanket-in-a-bowl flavors and textures of risotto. Not only is this wildly delicious—you an also make giant batches of it for all of your buffet needs.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
A holiday buffet needs lots of sides, so be sure to dial up the same-old same-olds. Classic stuffing is great an all, but swap in pumpernickel, cornbread, and breakfast sausage and you’ll never treat stuffing like an afterthought ever again. This Pumpernickel Cornbread Stuffing is EVERYTHING.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Christmastime is already super nostalgic, so why not dial up the nostalgia even more with a homemade version of a childhood favorite? These Homemade Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets make that microwaveable memory adult af with dijon mustard, fresh thyme, and a blend of cheddar and gruyere cheese. Another recipe that’s easy to scale, too!
Christmas Buffet Ideas
We’ve seen all kinds of gimmicky mac and cheese (like jalapeño popper mac and cheese) and they’re just not it. Keep your baked mac and cheese thick and rich, and all you need to do is add a little smoke to it. This Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is easy to make, but it’ll have everybody fighting over it at your buffet.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Like most other recipes in this list, we’ve taken a classic holiday treat and turned it on its head. These Pumpkin Cannoli are no different. There’s no such thing as too much pumpkin spice, and that’s why we’ve dumped it into the ricotta and mascarpone filling then topped it off with white chocolate shavings. Yum, yum, yum, and yum.
Christmas Buffet Ideas
Every buffet table needs some global flavors, and almost every culture makes dumplings. So steer your buffet table through Japan with these Pork Gyoza (Steamed Dumplings) and your guests will savor the deeply-flavored Gyoza sauce that you can serve up in cute little ramekins for everyone. These dumplings are super easy to batch, too!