Our Best Holiday Recipes for The Unforgettable Feast

Welcome to our best holiday recipes for the season! From easy appetizers to bright verdant green salad to decadent desserts, you’ll find a holiday menu that includes new classics & many unexpected delicious recipes that will wow everyone on the table. Let the feasting begin!

What is your holiday tradition? Are there any signature mishmash dishes that your family serves at the table?

Over at Just One Cookbook, we are a team made of mash-up heritages & cultures: Japanese, Taiwanese-American, Chinese-Malaysian, and Japanese-Danish-American. That means you’ll see Japanese potato salad next to kabocha soup. Spicy Brussels sprouts with lemongrass next to stuffing. Sometimes a smoked miso butter turkey centers the table. Amid our different backgrounds, we all share many common things: love, kindness, and good foods!

Here, we’ve gathered all our favorite best holiday recipes on Just One Cookbook over the years. The menus are filled with new classics & many unexpected recipes that put unique perspectives on the table.

Whomever you’re celebrating with this year, we raise a glass and toast to your most unforgettable holiday feast. We hope you’ll love what we’ve put together. And thank you for being here with us, and for trying something new.

33 Best Holiday Recipes For The Unforgettable Feast

Appetizers, Snacks & Sides

1. Burrata Crostini with Ikura and Yuzu Pepper

Start your holiday spread with this Burrata Crostini with a Japanese twist! Toasty French baguette topped with creamy cheese, peppery arugula, savory red caviar & a pinch of yuzu pepper. This is the hors d’oeuvres that will make a lasting impression at the party. It may look fancy, but it’s really inexpensive to put together.

2. How To Make a Cheese Board

Say cheese! Cheeseboard is almost as important as the desserts at a holiday party these days. A full stock cheese board will keep your guests entertained and delighted. You’ll find tips and step by step guides to creating a beautiful cheese board that everyone will remember!

3. Popovers with Strawberry Butter

These amazing buttery delights are the perfect meal starter for your holiday menu. First, they are easy to make. Second, no one can ever resist the warm, crispy bread pastry. Make a big batch as they will be gone in seconds!

4. Homemade Popcorn with Truffle Salt

The truffle salt is the instant magic to this upgraded version of popcorn. It makes a great snack to nibble on, especially if you have a tradition of watching holiday movies together.

5. Cheese Tart

These cheese tarts are filled with melted brie cheese with fruit preserves. An elegant choice to grace your holiday appetizer table. We love that you can make them a day in advance. When you’re ready to serve, just pop these babies into the oven to warm up.

6. Easy Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Made with just 5 ingredients, this Easy Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce is ready in 15 minutes. It is bursting with bites of sweet, tangy cranberries, and makes the whole house smells heavenly!

Salads & Soups For Starter

7. Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad with Miso Tahini Dressing

Dressed with miso tahini dressing, this Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad is packed with caramelized cauliflower, kale, sweet glazed pecans, and crunchy croutons. It’s nutritious and filling. A welcome addition to the holiday table.

8. Broccolini Gomaae 

To prevent serious food coma, you’ll need a solid vegetable side like this Broccolini Gomaae. It’s full of flavor and goes well with everything. Even the non-vegetable eaters would go for extra.

9. Apple Walnut Salad

This Apple Walnut Salad is the healthified version of Nami’s mom Japanese apple salad. Instead of mayo-laden, the dressing uses Greek Yogurt and just a dollop of Japanese mayo. It’s always a favorite among the kids.

10. Kabocha Salad

Sweet golden Kabocha Salad with sliced cucumber, crispy bacon and tossed with creamy Japanese mayo. This beautiful salad could be your new classic on the holiday table. For a vegetarian and vegan option, you can easily leave out the bacon.

11. Green Beans with Yuzu Vinaigrette

This Green Beans side dish is the one you’ll need if you’re looking for something lighter to contrast all the heavy dishes at the table. The yuzu vinaigrette gives everything a lovely citrusy zing.

12. Arugula Salad with Fennel and Navel Orange

This refreshing arugula salad with fennel and sweet navel orange can instantly brighten up any holiday spread.

13. Japanese Potato Salad

Another make-ahead favorite: Japanese potato salad. Thanks to the addition of vegetables, it’s creamy yet full of textural crunch. You will be happy to add this delicious version to your holiday repertoire. 

14. Warm Mushroom Salad with Sesame Dressing

If you like to keep the menu light yet flavorful, this warm mushroom salad with sesame dressing will not disappoint. Use an assortment of Japanese or wild mushrooms for amazing textures! It’s going to win the hearts of vegetarians and vegans.

15. Kabocha Squash Soup

Make the kabocha squash soup a few days ahead and warm it up on the day of your party. It’s rich, creamy, and soul-warming. Exactly the type of soup you need for a get-together.

16. Maple and Miso Glazed Roasted Carrots

The rainbow-hue carrots are roasted until tender on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside, and so tantalizingly caramelized with a surprisingly sweet-savory glaze. It will be a regular item on your holiday menu for many years to come.

17. Panettone Bread Pudding

With a lush creamy middle and irresistible golden crisp top in one fabulous, Panettone Bread Pudding is so good that it can easily steal the show. Prep ahead and serve this heavenly bread pudding for breakfast, or brunch, or as a side for your holiday dinner.

Main Dishes That Grace The Holiday Table

18. Smoked Miso Butter Turkey Breast

Inspired by and learned from the best – Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, Mr. JOC and I made smoked turkey breast this year for Thanksgiving, but with a Japanese spin. Juicy, flavorful, and tender, this Smoked Miso Butter Turkey Breast is surprisingly easy to make and feeds 6-8 people!

19. Kabocha Gratin (Vegan-Friendly)

Tender chunks of sweet kabocha, umami mushrooms, and macaroni in a creamy béchamel sauce, topped off with panko breadcrumbs and baked until crispy golden. Think fancy Japanese style mac and cheese. It’s going to steal the show.

20. Honey Soy Glazed Spatchcock Chicken

For a smaller gathering, this Honey-Soy Glazed Spatchcock Chicken makes a most fabulous centerpiece for the holidays! Learn how to make the perfect chicken that is juicy, savory, and crispy all at the same time.

21. Japanese Pork Roast

If serving a whole turkey is not your thing, consider this Japanese Pork Roast with caramelized vegetable gravy as your main dish. Seared in a cast iron pot, then roasted in the oven, this pork is cooked to perfection in Japanese seasoning. It’s easy and takes less effort than cooking a whole bird.

22. Braised Herb Chicken

We love this Braised Herb Chicken for the holiday menu, where juicy chicken thighs are slowly simmered in white wine and herb-infused sauce until tender. There’s plenty of rich, flavorful sauce to slop up with crusty bread. 

23. Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Seafood stew is a great change to the usual turkey and ham, especially if you have multiple parties going on. Filled with clams, mussels, crab, shrimp, squid, fish, and scallops in a tomato-y soup, it’s so so good. Extra toasty bread rolls, please!

24. Japanese Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Elegance and coziness are what we aim for when crafting a holiday menu. Served in a delicate tomato-based sauce, this Stuffed Cabbage Rolls dish will make a satisfying entree.

25. Macaroni Gratin

The holiday table deserves something better than just plain old mac and cheese. This macaroni gratin with succulent shrimp, mushroom and crunchy panko topping is going to set things apart.

26. Instant Pot Oxtail Soup

This Oxtail Soup (Hong Kong Style Borscht) is cooked with oxtail, stew beef, onion, carrot, tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage. Full of flavor, comfort, and flair, it is a dish that brings a delicious surprise to the holiday table.

Desserts for the Sweet Ending

27. Pear and Almond Tart

This Pear and Almond Tart is by far our most popular holiday recipe favorited by our readers. Many of them have shared their beautiful creations with us over at Pinterest and Instagram. Have you tried it yet? With a homemade crust and seasonal pears on top of the creamy almond cream filling, this tart is an excellent dessert to grace your Thanksgiving or Christmas table.

28. Kabocha Pie

Thanksgiving or Christmas does not feel complete without decadent pies. This Kabocha Pie with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a hint of rum is our all-time favorite. As Kabocha has a much natural sweeter taste than pumpkin pie, you’d get a rich and creamy pie.

29. Easy Apple Tart

For a simple, fool-proof holiday dessert, mark this apple tart recipe down! Made with puff pastry, putting the tart together is as easy as apple pie (no pun intended). Even little kids can help out with the assembly. Oh, it’s best enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

30. Japanese Sweet Potato Pie

How about some afternoon tea treats for the holiday? Make this Japanese Sweet Potato Pie. It’s crispy and flaky, with a smooth, silky filling. Mmmm…

31. Chocolate Almond Toffee

This Chocolate Almond Toffee makes the greatest sweet to gift. Not only it’s easy to make, but it also travels well. So if you need to be on a road trip or short plane ride for family gatherings, bring this homemade treat along.

32. Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Layers of green tea crepes stacked together with fresh whipped cream in-between, this Matcha Millie Crepe Cake is a guaranteed show stopper. It was the most popular dessert that our readers made for Christmas last year. You can totally nail it too.

33. Japanese Cheesecake

Light and fluffy, Japanese Cheesecake is so dreamy you can’t wait to serve up and show off. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth combination of creamy cheesecake and airy soufflé that makes it so much more special than regular cheesecake.

34. Matcha Tiramisu

A delicious twist on the classic. Creamy, rich, and bursting with bold matcha flavors, this matcha tiramisu is made of matcha soaked ladyfingers layered with a mascarpone custard filling.

Have you started your holiday menu planning? Will you be trying out any of these recipes? Who will you be spending your holiday feasting with? We’d love to hear from you! 

More Holiday & Party Recipes and Ideas:

• A Guide to Host a Sushi Party
• 10 Japanese Desserts to Celebrate the Seasons
• Japanese New Year Food (Osechi Ryori)
• How to Host a Japanese Themed Party
• 15 Easy Japanese Appetizer Recipes

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