Use this Healthy Holiday Recipes list to create a healthy holiday menu. The list consists of easy healthy holiday recipes including holiday dishes, sides, and healthy desserts that are easy to make and able to please everybody’s tastebuds.
Christmas is just around the corner. We can almost touch it.
Are you excited? I really hope you are excited and not stressed. I know the holidays can be stressful. So many things to do and not enough time – cooking, baking, and struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle when there are so many temptations around. I want you to be able to enjoy the holidays without the added stress and I also want you to be healthy. So let me take care of the healthy holiday recipes for you.
I made this list for all of you who need a resource of healthy holiday recipes that are easy to make and taste just as good, if not better, than the traditional recipes that are anything but healthy.
Holiday meals are usually loaded with sugar, fat, carbs, and ingredients that are not nutritional and good for you. Well, not anymore. I’ve got you covered! These Christmas recipes are healthy, clean eating approved, and light. While still being totes delicious. Obviously.
Oh, this list is perfect for last-minute planning and it will save you a lot of time. There’s everything for everybody here so you won’t have to do research to find convenient options and healthy alternatives. You have them all in one place.
Happy dance!
Shall we begin now?
In case you’re wondering what tools and kitchen essentials you need to make your holiday meals, here’s the list of tools I use. I think it will help you too.
Let’s start with a baking sheet because you will need it more than ever during this time of the year. For cookies, of course. But also for roasting veggies. Get your saucepan ready because the holiday season requires hot drinks and… cranberry sauce. And cinnamon apples. YUM. You’ll need mixing bowls for pretty much anything baking and cooking related. Mason jars for breakfast in a jar or for storing healthy cookies. Loaf pan for ice cream (yes, you can make ice cream in a loaf pan!) and breads. During the holidays, you’ll probably rely on casserole dishes to prep sides for the entire family so you’ll definitely need a casserole dish. Is your blender ready for all the holiday meals and desserts? It should be! To make some of these holiday dishes, you’ll need a large fry pan or a large skillet. You’ll probably have turkey leftovers after the holidays so make sure you have a stock pot because turning those leftovers into a delicious soup is the best way to enjoy them. I really recommend putting your food processor to work. It’s very useful and it makes baking and cooking very easy. For healthy homemade pies, a pie plate is in order.
3 BONUS TIPS FOR MAKING HOLIDAY MEALS EXTRA DELICIOUS
Before discussing the Christmas recipes, I have to share with you my favorite tips for making holiday meals healthy and delicious.
If you’re hosting Christmas dinner, choose easy holiday dishes that are quick and easy to prep. To make the holiday dishes healthy, look for healthy alternatives. Coconut sugar is a great alternative to white refined sugar. Coconut oil is way better than butter. Whole wheat flour or paleo flours such as coconut flour and almond flour are healthier than all-purpose flour and they are great in Christmas recipes. Particularly in desserts. Make a list of healthy holiday recipes and stick to it. It will make prepping and cooking the holiday dinner recipes easier and stress-free. The holiday recipes on this list are all easy to make BTW so it’s a great starting point.
This healthy holiday recipes list has everything you need in terms of holidays dinner recipes – side dishes, main dishes, desserts, and drinks so it’s great for last minute planning. All the Christmas recipes included here have a short description plus important info about the recipes including prep time, cook time, and calories count. So you can easily build your Christmas menu with recipes from this list alone.
1. HOW TO ROAST ACORN SQUASH
Let’s start the Christmas recipes list with How to Make Roasted Acorn Squash. Technically, this is a Fall dish but I think it makes a great holiday dish too. It’s easy to make as well. And it requires only 3 ingredients.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Calories: 21 kcal 2. PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES
Mashed Potatoes cannot miss from the holiday table. Not in my house at least. Because I love them and because they are a great side dish for holiday meals. They are creamy, fluffy, and, in this case, packed with parmesan. Perfect holiday side dish.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 30 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 306 kcal 3. 5-MINUTE PUMPKIN PIE OVERNIGHT OATS
Breakfast shouldn’t be optional ever but I would really recommend not to skip it during the holidays when you will be very tempted to eat unhealthy foods if you get hungry. Instead, prep this 5-Minute Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats and you’ll have a delicious helthy pie to enjoy the next morning.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 4 hrs Total time: 4 hrs 5 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 335 kcal 4. FRESH PUMPKIN ICE CREAM
I don’t know about you but for me ice cream is a year-round favorite dessert. I like it fruity and refreshing during summer and rich and fresh during winter. If you agree, I believe you’ll love this Fresh Pumpkin Ice Cream. It is perfect for Fall and Winter.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 4 hrs Total time: 4 hrs 15 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 158 kcal 5. HEALTHY PECAN PIE
If you can’t go a holiday season without a slice of pecan pie, try my Healthy Pecan Pie and you won’t have to! It’s clean, healthy, and yummy. You won’t compromise your healthy diet but you will still be able to enjoy your fave dessert.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 414 6. EASY HOT APPLE CIDER RECIPE
When switching to a healthy lifestyle most people focus on the food and forget about the drinks. I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t but also to share this Easy Hot Apple Cider Recipe with you. It makes a great hot drink for the holidays.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 126 kcal 7. EASY TURKEY NOODLE SOUP
If you have turkey leftovers after the holidays, turn them into an Easy Turkey Noodle Soup. It’s delicious, it’s comforting, it’s warm, and it’s perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hr Total time: 1 hr 10 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 273 kcal 8. EASY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Sweet, dense, crunchy = texture and taste PERFECTION. In case you don’t know I’m talking about the Easy Sweet Potato Casserole. Mine is also healthy by the way.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 487 kcal 9. SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO PIE
Tis’ the season to… make pies. After the pecan pie, it’s time for a delicious Southern Sweet Potato Pie that is, of course, healthy and made with unrefined ingredients.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 55 mins Total time: 1 hr 15 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 329 kcal 10. HEALTHY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Make this Healthy Green Bean Casserole with homemade crispy onions and replace the canned mushroom sauce with a delicious homemade one that will make your Green Bean Casserole taste even better than usual.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 221 kcal 11. BEST HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
My favorite side dish ever for Thanksgiving and Christmas is Cranberry Sauce. It might sound a little strange but I’m sure you’ll get me once you taste this sugar-free Homemade Cranberry Sauce.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 78 kcal 12. 5-INGREDIENT COCONUT OIL PIE CRUST RECIPE
This 5-Ingredient Coconut Oil Pie Crust is the secret behind my healthy pie. You can use it to make all kinds of pies including cherry pie and pumpkin pie. It’s dairy-free, vegan, and easy to make.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 50 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 182 kcal 13. HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BANANA NUT BREAD (WITHOUT ADDED SUGAR!)
Learn How to Make Healthy Banana Nut Bread (Without Added Sugar!) and make your holiday mornings or your afternoon snack delicious. This banana bread is healthy but it’s also moist, sweet, and it has just the right amount of walnuts to make it taste even better.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 7 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 57 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 202 kcal 14. NON-ALCOHOLIC EGGNOG
During this time of the year, eggnog is requested daily in my house. If it happens in your house too, try my Non-Alcoholic Eggnog. It’s kid approved, healthy, and very easy to make. And you can use it to make ice cream, too.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 304 kcal 15. NO-FAIL THANKSGIVING TURKEY
No holiday recipes list is complete without my No-Fail Thanksgiving Turkey. It says Thanksgiving there but really this recipe works for any holiday and special occasion.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 2 hrs 30 mins Total time: 2 hrs 40 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 194 kcal 16. HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON APPLES
Learn How To Make Cinnamon Apples and make your home smell amazing while cooking Cinnamon Apples. They make a great topping for pancakes and waffles and they can easily transform classic recipes into delicious and festive holiday recipes.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 20 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 191 kcal 17. THANKSGIVING STUFFING
Another Thanksgiving recipe that works for Christmas too – Thanksgiving Stuffing. In fact, most of my Thanksgiving recipes are great as holiday recipes as well.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hr 10 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 234 kcal 18. HOW TO COOK ROAST BEEF
Learning How To Cook Roast Beef will allow you to make a juicy, tender, and tasty beef roast. The roast beef recipe is one my most popular recipes and it definitely deserves a spot on your holiday meals list.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hr 15 mins Total time: 1 hr 30 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 421 kcal 19. HOMEMADE TURKEY GRAVY
This Homemade Turkey Gravy is one of those easy holiday recipes that will get you finger-licking delicious results. Homemade gravy is the best gravy and the perfect pair for the turkey we talked about earlier.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 168 kcal 20. ROASTED SWEET POTATO RECIPE
Speaking of easy holiday recipes, this Roasted Sweet Potato Recipe fits right into that category too. And the Roasted Sweet Potatoes are a great side dish for holiday meals.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 8 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 33 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 141 kcal 21. MASHED SWEET POTATOES
Made with just 3 ingredients, these Mashed Sweet Potatoes are a healthy and clean holiday recipe and they are super easy to make.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 84 kcal 22. SWEET CORNBREAD
This Sweet Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment for all healthy holiday meals – breakfast, lunch or dinner. And, you guessed it, it’s healthy and tasty.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 8 mins Cook time: 16 mins Total time: 24 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 109 kcal 23. HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE
Since I mentioned a list of healthy holiday recipes for Christmas is not complete without festive drinks, I think it’s time to introduce you to my Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s perfectly flavored, easy to make, and definitely healthier than Starbucks’ lattes.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 7 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 290 kcal 24. EGGNOG LATTE
If pumpkin spice lattes are not really your thing, you might fancy this Eggnog Latte. It’s made with non-alcoholic eggnog and no sugar so it’s not only festive and perfect for Christmas but also clean and healthy.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 15 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 227 kcal 25. GARLIC PARMESAN GREEN BEANS
Do you have a favorite holiday side dish? This Garlic Parmesan Green Beans is one of my faves. It’s not only a great side dish for holiday meals but it’s healthy and it tastes so, so good.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 81 kcal 26. HEALTHY HOMEMADE EGGNOG ICE CREAM
Did I tell you I like ice cream year round? Yeah, I did. I also told you, I love ice cream with seasonal flavors. So this Healthy Homemade Eggnog Ice Cream happens quite a lot during this time of the year in my house.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 3 hrs 15 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 188 kcal 27. QUICK AND EASY QUINOA PEANUT BRITTLE
No butter, no sugar, and no corn syrup involved in the making of this Quick and Easy Quinoa Peanut Brittle. Such an easy holiday recipe. A classic with a healthy upgrade, I’d say.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 123 kcal 28. PALEO 7 LAYER BARS
These Paleo 7 Layer Bars should be on everybody’s Christmas recipes list! It’s magic bars but not any type of magic bars, they are healthy 7 layer bars that are also paleo and vegan.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 40 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hr 25 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 329 kcal 29. THE BEST LEMON BARS
Loving all the Christmas recipes that make holiday desserts so far? That’s good because I have more! The Best Lemon Bars (That You’d Never Know Were Healthy!) are the perfect sweet treat.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hr 10 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 298 kcal 30. 3 INGREDIENT PISTACHIO DARK CHOCOLATE BARK
This 3 Ingredient Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark is such an easy holiday recipe. Plus it’s a mix of pistachios and dark chocolate. <- LOVE
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 172 kcal 31. GINGERBREAD WHOOPIE PIES THAT ARE DAIRY-FREE
I was nervous when I first made these Gingerbread Whoopie Pies That Are Dairy-Free! not gonna lie. But I shouldn’t have been. And you shouldn’t be either because they are very easy to make. The Gingerbread Whoopie Pies are refined sugar-free and dairy-free.
Recipe notes:
Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 35 mins Difficulty: Easy Calories: 182 kcalThis post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
The post 31 Easy And Delicious Healthy Holiday Recipes (Your Whole Family Will Enjoy!) appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.
