Make-ahead Christmas Recipes and Ideas
Spending all day long in the kitchen is not our idea of a great Christmas Day, so we’ve put together a handy list of dishes that you can make in advance to help you get the most out of this festive season.
This is by no means an extensive list however, so visit our Christmas category page to see our full collection of recipes.
Whether you want to start your prep a day, a week or even further in advance, we’ve got a wide range of recipes that can help you get ahead this Christmas.
Remember that a lot of these recipes can also be frozen up to a couple of months in advance, and we’re made sure to specify if this is the case!
Prepare up to 3 months in advance
Some desserts and sweet treats can be made and frozen up to 3 months in advance which is a great way to get ahead during the festive season!
You’ll need some freezer proof containers to store these dishes in which you can find online.
Winter Berry Ice Cream
This tasty ice cream can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months and is a fantastic addition to pretty much any dessert.
Spiced Christmas Biscuits
Once baked and decorated, these biscuits can be kept in an airtight container for 3 days, but you can prepare the raw dough in advance and keep this in the freezer for 3 months before baking.
Christmas Chocolate Log
It’s really important that you freeze this Christmas Chocolate Log before it’s been coated in the frosting as it may crumble away from the sponge after it’s thawed!
You can freeze the rolled and filled sponge in a freezer proof box and once you’re ready to serve, simply defrost and then coat with some freshly made frosting.
Up to a week in advance
The big day is just around the corner and these recipes can be made up to a week in advance – or even earlier and frozen!
Cranberry and Pomegranate Sauce
A delicious twist on a classic cranberry sauce, our Cranberry and Pomegranate Sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to a week before serving. It can also be frozen if needed.
Mince Pies
Who doesn’t love a Mince Pie? And, let’s be honest, you can never have too many!
You can store these Mince Pies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
If you wanted to, you could also freeze them and then allow them to defrost before warming through in the oven.
3 days in advance
Many of the components for your Christmas Day roast dinner can be prepared 3 days in advance which means more time enjoying yourself on the day!
Remember that if you plan to reheat any of these dishes in the microwave then you’ll need to make sure that you’re using a microwavable bowl.
Eggnog
Is there anything more festive than this tasty tipple?
Whip up a big batch and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days to enjoy whenever you fancy.
Brandy Sauce
Just like Eggnog, you can store Brandy Sauce in a container in the fridge for 3 days.
Simply heat through in the microwave when you’re ready to serve.
Chestnut Stuffing and Chestnut Roast
Both of these festive, chestnut recipes can be kept in the fridge for 3 days and reheated just before serving.
If you want to get even further ahead, then you can also freeze them!
Roast Potatoes and Balsamic Roasted Sprouts
Roast Potatoes and sprouts are absolute staples of any Christmas dinner in our opinion and both of these dishes can be kept in the fridge for 3 days.
They’re also able to be frozen, but we think they’re best when stored in the fridge or made fresh!
Gravy
Slimming friendly Gravy that tastes amazing and can be stored in the fridge for 3 days before serving?
It’s true! Store in a container with a lid, or freeze ahead of time if you’d prefer.
Warm through until piping hot and serve!
1-2 days in advance
A bit of time spent preparing dishes on Christmas Eve will help free up some extra time on Christmas Day – it’s well worth it!
Christmas Bread Sauce
You can prepare this Christmas Bread Sauce 2 days before Christmas Day and store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If you wanted to freeze it to serve with your Sunday roast at other points throughout the year then you can do this too!
Festive Fruit Salad
This recipe actually tastes better when made a day in advance, in our opinion!
This is because it gives the flavours more time to mingle together, so don’t be afraid to get this prepared on Christmas Eve.
Enjoy as part of your Christmas Day breakfast, or as a light dessert after your dinner.
Slow Cooker Christmas Turkey Joint
So, this one’s cheating a little bit as you can’t really make it ahead of time, but it’s such a great way to save time on Christmas Day that we simply had to mention it!
Our Slow Cooker Christmas Turkey Joint recipe means that you can just pop your turkey, veg and gravy ingredients into your slow cooker and leave it to cook for around 3 hours while you get on with enjoying the festivities!
We’ve given a rough cooking guide in our recipe, but you can find even more information about slow cooking a turkey in our article here.
Remember that you can find all of our Christmas recipes in our Christmas category collection here. Plenty more of them can be made and frozen ahead of time!
We love seeing pictures of all of your recreations of our dishes, so make sure that you share them with us over on our Facebook Group!
Got any top tips for getting ahead and saving time at Christmas? Remember to share those too!