Looking for recipes to make this December? This December Monthly Meal Plan includes 45+ seasonal recipes to cook and bake this month. Featuring holiday recipes from appetizers to the whole holiday dinner, cookies, New Year’s Eve drinks and New Year’s Day must-make dishes, this December recipe list has something for everyone.
2025 Update: This monthly meal plan was originally shared in December 2018. It has been updated to include more information about what’s in season, as well as a larger variety of recipes. I hope you love it and find it helpful!
Happy December, friends!
It’s safe to say this year has FLOWN by… and the fact that the holiday season is upon us is kind of blowing my mind. It’s been a good year–one of change for us, but lovely change, despite growing pains being evident.
So in celebration of this final month of 2018, I’ve put together a final Monthly Meal Plan for the year. It includes holiday party appetizers, holiday breakfast and dinner inspiration, cookies for the season and some New Year’s recipes, too.
What should I cook in the month of December?
As always, the answer to this question depends on you and what you will do during this month. It also depends on where you live.
With short days and cold weather, I love comfort food and seasonal items this time of year.
This month’s menu is a grab bag, striking the balance between the seasonal appetizers, holiday meals, cookies for dessert, New Year’s drinks, as well as traditional food items.
No matter where you live or what you’re looking for in food for the month of December, I’ve got lots of different options for you with these seasonal recipes.
These seasonal meal planning ideas are just that: ideas. Feel free to transform them into the ideal-for-you (and your family) December meal plan.
However, please note that we are not breaking this down into individual days, nor are we building a menu for busy nights, as well as weekends. You can pick nad choose here to your heart’s content.
What is in season in the month of December?
Winter produce is officially in during the month of December.
As always, many of the items you can find at your local markets and grocery store is determined by where you live.
Winter squash, like butternut squash and acorn squash, are in season. Root vegetables, like turnips, parsnips, carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as leeks and various onions, are also available.
Cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower are abundant. Greens, like mustard greens, chard and collards are also available. Fennel is another vegetable that’s in season.
Fruit-wise, apples, winter citrus (like lemons, clementines and grapefruit), pears, pomegranates and persimmons are be bountiful.
Y’all ready for this scrumptious December meal plan? Let’s do this…
More monthly meal plans:
If you’re in the market for more seasonal menus and recipes, we’ve got them for you here…
Gathering the people you love and enjoy spending time with is a time-honored tradition this time of year. Nothing says HOLIDAY PARTY like some festive appetizers, too. I’ve included a few of our favorite finger foods for y’all to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a cheese board or something a little more laid back, any of these would be perfect at a festive gathering.
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Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip is the perfect holiday appetizer to serve for any occasion or gathering. Made with simple ingredients and requiring no baking time, this easy cranberry appetizer is festive and the best balance of sweet, tart and spicy.
Whipped Ricotta Dip is creamy, dreamy and so satisfying to eat. Paired with garlicky crostini, this simple dip recipe is easy to make and perfect for sharing for various occasions.
Start holiday festivities with a colorful Thanksgiving Cheese Board. This seasonally-driven cheese board pairs cheese with seasonal fruits, nuts and a jam of your choosing. Pair this seasonal cheese platter with wine and serve to guests for the ultimate holiday appetizer.
Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with Cranberry Chutney is a creamy, gooey appetizer for any holiday celebration. Topped with a tart, spiced Cranberry Chutney before it bakes, this Puff Pastry Baked Brie is a decadent recipe that looks fancy but is actually quite simple to make! Enjoy the extra cranberry chutney served alongside your meal, too!
Caprese Skewers are the perfect easy appetizer to make for a crowd for any season! Crusty ciabatta bread, grape tomatoes, small mozzarella balls and fresh basil are layered and skewered to create a stunning finger food. To finish, simply drizzle with a balsamic vinegar reduction and enjoy! This simple caprese skewer recipe is great for sharing during the holiday season and beyond.
Toasted bread topped with goat cheese and sweet and sour apple chutney makes this Apple Chutney Bruschetta appetizer the perfect fall nibble. It is quick, easy and full of flavor. This fall-flavored makes a great bite for any seasonal gathering or even an at-home date night!
Spread holiday cheer by baking delectable Cranberry Turkey Puff Pastry Tartlets for your friends and family! These tartlets, filled with tart cranberry sauce, spicy Jennie-O Cajun turkey breast and salty feta cheese, sing of the season's flavors. Serve the tartlets warm with a sprinkling of fresh thyme sprinkled. Perfect for a party, Cranberry Turkey Puff Pastry Tartlets are sure to be a crowd pleaser at any get-together this winter!
Looking for a handheld appetizer to make and serve for any occasion? These Baked Brie Bites, featuring gooey brie cheese and caramelized onions, are a nod to classic French Onion Soup flavors… all in a bite-sized package!
We host family for the holidays in December, and I love to have a good breakfast on hand to feed everyone! As a grown up, I’ve always skewed toward sweeter holiday breakfasts like cinnamon rolls, French toast and the like, but I’ve also included some more savory dishes, in case you like a less sweet start to your day.
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Cranberry Overnight French Toast
Try make-ahead French Toast casserole during the holiday season! Seasonal and bursting with flavor, Cranberry Overnight French Toast is a lovely breakfast or brunch idea for any size gathering. Bursting with fresh cranberries and topped with a homemade cranberry syrup, this is the perfect breakfast for Christmas or beyond.
Tis the season for eggnog and decadent breakfast! These Eggnog Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup are the perfect Christmas Day treat to devour after opening presents beneath the tree.
Sweeten up any holiday morning gathering by serving dairy-free Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls! The dough of buns is speckled with fresh cranberries, and the gooey cranberry-maple filling adds the right amount of sweetness to this brunch piece de resistance! Topped with a sweet-and-tart Blood Orange Icing, Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls are a festive, one of a kind recipe for Thanksgiving Brunch, Christmas breakfast or any morning that needs pizzazz.
Christmas Breakfast Casserole is the perfect savory breakfast to enjoy on Christmas morning. This make-ahead casserole features eggs, bread, breakfast sausage, red and green bell peppers, onions and cheese.
These Green Christmas Pancakes are perfect for Christmas day. Kids will love the bright green Grinch-like color. Drizzle them with maple syrup or a cream cheese glaze and enjoy this festive breakfast.
Baked Maple Bacon Donuts are the PERFECT way to start the day! Thick cut Wright® Brand Bacon serves as the star of this breakfast treat, mixing into the batter and crumbled on top. Whether you make these Maple Bacon Donuts for a holiday breakfast, at-home brunch or a special weekend treat for the family, they're sure to become a favorite!
Fluffy, slightly sweet and tart Fresh Cranberry Muffins start the day off right! These muffins, made with fresh cranberries and bright orange zest, are beautifully balanced and perfectly delicious for any occasion. Bake a batch to make any day a celebration during the winter months.
Whatever you’re celebrating this December, here are some of our favorite dishes to share at our holiday table…
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Mediterranean Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Mediterranean Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin makes an elegant centerpiece for any holiday meal! Slather beef tenderloin in a mixture of fresh herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and spices, chill, then bake until medium rare. This tender cut of meat soaks up the flavors of the Mediterranean herbs as it cooks. Mediterranean Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin makes a stunning centerpiece for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday dinners and more!
Elevate your holiday Baked Ham by adding an easy ham glaze that involves bourbon and orange. Perfect for Easter, Christmas dinner and any occasion when you're feeding a lot of mouths, this baked ham recipe looks fancy but is easy to make.
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potato Casserole makes the PERFECT Thanksgiving and holiday side dish! Creamy russet potatoes are cooked with garlic cloves, then mashed with butter, milk and parmesan cheese. Top with additional parmesan before baking to create a crispy exterior on this comforting casserole. No matter if you’re serving the family for a holiday or on a weeknight, Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potato Casserole packs a flavorful punch for any meal!
Vegan Green Beans with Toasted Pine Nuts make the BEST accompaniment for any weeknight meal! Green beans are steamed, then topped with a mixture of golden brown, toasted pine nuts and a diced, caramelized shallot. The green beans and their topping are drizzled with olive oil for the finishing touch. Simple and exceedingly quick to make for a weeknight meal, this vegan side dish is sure to become a dinnertime favorite of vegans and non-vegans alike.
Be still, my bourbon-, butter-, and sweet potato-loving heart! Bourbon Butter Sweet Potatoes make a DELICIOUS, flavorful side for the Thanksgiving table this year and are SO simple to make! Cube sweet potatoes, then douse them in a mixture of butter and bourbon. Season them with fresh thyme, salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes. Broil the potatoes to add a nice crunch, then serve warm. This bourbon-y, buttery side dish is holiday meal perfection.
This from-scratch Creamed Cornbread Casserole is a Southern classic and a decadent casserole for the holiday table. Combine cream corn with a homemade sweet cornbread and a jalapeño to delightful side dish that's perfect for sharing.
Spinach Madeline is a comforting side that is a spicy twist on traditional creamed spinach. Instead of just cream, the spinach is mixed with pepperjack cheese and spices, then baked to make this outstanding vegetarian side dish that pairs well with most meals!
Quick Rosemary Drop Biscuits make a delicious bread to serve alongside any holiday or weeknight dinner. These quick biscuits require just a handful of simple ingredients, which include fresh rosemary, butter, flour and more. Combine the ingredients, and dollop onto a prepared baking sheet, then bake. From start to finish, these biscuits are on the table in just 20 minutes. What’s not to love about these easy, fluffy, flavorful biscuits?
Sweet Potato Biscuits with Olive Oil and Sage are a beautiful addition to any autumnal breakfast, brunch or dinner. These vegan biscuits, which call for high quality olive oil instead of butter, are a simple baked good that sing of fall flavors. Ready in 30 minutes, this olive oil biscuit recipe is something special for any occasion.
‘Tis the season for all kinds of cookies! Below, you’ll find some of our all-time favorites, including some new ones, as well as some classics.
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Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Peppermint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a seasonal twist on a classic cookie! Full of dark chocolate and peppermint, these chocolate cookies strike a beautiful balance and melt in your mouth! These beautiful peppermint chocolate crinkles are bound to be loved!
Nothing says the HOLIDAYS like rosemary and ginger together in a cookie! Not too sweet and bursting with flavor, this twist on a classic shortbread cookie adds savory, herbaceous elements to any cookie table. With a handful of simple ingredients, unique Ginger Rosemary Shortbread is sure to become an unexpected family favorite!
Salty, sweet, savory and tart, Cranberry Chocolate Potato Chip Cookies make the PERFECT holiday dessert! Start with a buttery, shortbread-esque dough, then fill it with crunchy, salty potato chips, chopped tart cranberries and semisweet chocolate chips! Drizzle with melted chocolate for a finishing touch. Gooey and decadent, Cranberry Chocolate Potato Chip Cookies will be adored by all. Salty-sweet-savory-tart cookies are the best combination!
Perfect for the holidays, Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies are a one-bite, flavor-filled dessert! Singing of tart cranberry and bright orange, these cookies are a twist on classic thumbprints. Instead of using butter and raspberry jam, these call for cream cheese and cranberry sauce. Whether you’re baking for a cookie exchange, Santa, friends, family or yourself, Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies make a tasty treat!
Need a quick cookie recipe for the holidays that the whole family and Santa will adore? Mix up these super simple No Bake Peppermint Bark Cookies today! White chocolate and marshmallows melt together to form the base of this gluten free cookie. When the mixture is melted, stir in crushed candy cane pieces and rolled oats. Scoop the no bake cookies onto a lined baking sheet and chill before consuming. Enjoy with a mug of cocoa this Christmas!
Like the classic winter drink, but in cookie form, Hot Cocoa Cookies are intensely chocolate-y and filled with gooey marshmallow. These hot chocolate cookies are the perfect companion for a mug of hot chocolate or a glass of milk.
A twist on the classic Peanut Blossom Cookies, these Vegan Peanut Butter Espresso Cookies are rich, crunchy and delicious. Vegan peanut butter and espresso cookies are drizzled with a chocolate espresso glaze that makes the cookies sing!
Chocolate Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies sing of the holiday season with their combination of chocolate and peppermint and are so easy to make. These dense chocolate peppermint cookies are the perfect treat for Santa or sharing throughout the holiday season.
Crunchy, festive and spicy, Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti make the PERFECT cookie for dunking in coffee or milk during the holidays. These twice-baked cookies are a deliciously spiced, flavorful twist on the classic Italian cookie. Bake up a batch of Gingerbread Chocolate Biscotti to spread cheer throughout the holiday season.
Whether you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party or going out, everyone likes a fancy drink to send off the old year and ring in the new. Below are some favorites that are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic…
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Pomegranate Ginger Orange Sparkling Mocktail
Get vitamin C and enjoy a tasty drink at the same time! Four-ingredient Pomegranate Ginger Orange Sparkling Mocktails are the perfect way to do both. Featuring Sprouts Vitamin C Fizzy Drink Packets, these mocktails are easily made for an individual or a crowd. This drink offers 1000 mg of vitamin C to offset upcoming flu and cold season. Perfect for the holidays, Pomegranate Ginger Orange Sparkling Mocktails are a fun, delicious sipper for all!
Slightly tart and sweet with a hint of cinnamon, this Citrus Cranberry Sangria is perfect for the holidays! Whether you’re making a batch for Thanksgiving, Christmas, holiday parties or anything in between, this winter sangria is wonderful for sharing.
The Pomegranate French 75 makes a perfect celebratory cocktail to sip while ringing in the new year! A twist on a classic French 75, this recipe calls for prosecco or champagne, gin, freshly squeezed lime juice and Sprouts Pomegranate Italian Soda. The resulting drink is light, herbaceous and slightly sweet and a little tart. The effervescent Pomegranate French 75 would be a beautiful mixed cocktail to serve at a New Year’s Eve party!
Ring in the new year by serving seasonal Cranberry Bellinis! Made with three simple ingredients—unsweetened cranberry juice, simple syrup and prosecco—this festive mixed drink is the perfect sparkling beverage to sip at a wintertime celebration. Similar to a mimosa, this wintertime twist on a classic Italian cocktail can be made for individuals or a crowd. Bubbly, slightly sweet Cranberry Bellinis make the perfect New Year’s Eve beverage!
Light and bubbly, Blood Orange Mocktail Mules make a delightful sipper to serve during the winter months. Made with a few simple ingredients, this nonalcoholic drink is perfect for sharing.
Winter sangria, chock full of orange and cranberry goodness, is combined with a favorite bottle of bubbly to create this cocktail. Spicy and not too sweet, Winter Sparkling Champagne Sangria is a perfect cold weather mixed drink!
Serve up a Sparkling Ginger Cranberry Mocktail this New Year’s Eve! This sparkling mocktail, which features tart unsweetened cranberry juice and spicy ginger beer, is a flavorful mixed drink to serve to individuals or a crowd. Add orange juice or apple juice to mellow the flavors for children. You can also swap ginger beer for ginger ale, too. With options to make this drink as tasty as possible, it’s perfect for both adults and children!
Whether or not you’re into the superstition that whatever you eat on January 1 will bring you wealth, prosperity, happiness, etc., we can all agree that tasty food to start the new year right is a good idea!
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Black Eyed Pea Dip
Instead of making Hoppin’ John, serve Black Eyed Pea Dip to guests on New Year’s Day. A nod to the traditional Southern recipe, this app calls for similar ingredients. Chock full of black eyed peas, heirloom tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño and some green onions, this vegetarian dip comes together with a honey-balsamic dressing. Serve Black Eyed Pea Dip with corn or tortilla chips. What a scrumptious appetizer to bring prosperity in the new year!
Love sweet and spice together in one balanced recipe? Honey Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins are the perfect accompaniment to any meal! These fluffy cornbread muffins, sweetened with honey and given some heat by a chopped jalapeno pepper, bake up quickly and serve a crowd!
Serve slightly sweet Honey Cornbread alongside dinner tonight! Made with simple ingredients, this naturally sweetened cornbread recipe is perfect for sharing.
If you love Sweet Cornbread Muffins from a box, you’ll love knowing you can make them from scratch just as easily! These muffins taste just like the classic corn muffin mix we all know and love and go with anything.
Whether you want to start the new year strong or serve a delicious and simple side dish along with dinner, Bacon Collard Greens are the recipe for you! A nod to Southern lore about greens consumed on New Year’s Day bringing money and luck in the new year, this recipe is perfect any time of year. Ready in less than 15 minutes, Bacon Collard Greens are quick, flavorful and a wonderful way to get in some greens!
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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