50 Best Holiday Recipes, Favorite Traditional Dishes
This valuable collection of our Best Holiday Recipes is perfect for your holiday festivities. You'll find traditional dishes that originated from Cajun cuisine and the typical American holiday table. This will be your go-to recipe file for planning last minute parties, locating Thanksgiving recipes, and defining your Christmas menu so that you can relax this holiday season, and not fret over what to cook.
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You'll find everything from appetizers, salads, and side dishes to main dishes like Louisiana gumbos, to desserts and candies.
Jump to:
- Start With Holiday Appetizers
- Crawfish Nachos: aka Cajun Crawchos
- Cocktail Party Meatballs With Easy Sauce Recipe
- Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs Recipe
- Muffuletta Cheese Ball
- Chunky, Cheesy, Creamy Crawfish Dip
- Crispy Louisiana Boudin Egg Rolls
- Cajun Firecracker Ranch Crackers
- Shrimp Mold Recipe, A New Orleans Style Molded Dip
- Pineapple Pecan Cheese Ball: In 5 Easy Steps
- Best Hot Cajun Boudin Dip Recipe
- Add a Salad or Two
- Easy Layered Southern Cornbread Salad
- Mardi Gras Salad With Asparagus
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Copper Pennies Salad With Jalapeño
- Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad
- Congealed Salad, Lime Or Cherry Flavored
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad With Step-By-Step Instructions
- Tropical Fruit Salad
- Best Fresh Fruit Salad with a Creamy Dressing
- Best Louisiana Rice Dressing
- Cornbread Dressing
- Boudin Cornbread Recipe With Fig Pepper Jelly Topping
- Cheesy Creamy Green Bean Casserole
- Fresh Sweet Potato Casserole
- Amy's Corn Casserole
- Chicken Gumbo With Sausage, Classic Cajun Recipe
- Shrimp Okra Gumbo Recipe: Made With Smothered Okra
- Wild Goose Gumbo: A Cajun, Field To Table Recipe
- Seafood Gumbo
- Pork Jambalaya With Sausage: A Traditional Cajun Dish
- Fish In Red Gravy
- Classic Homemade Pie Crust
- No-Sugar Sweet Potato Pie
- Best Low Carb Coconut Pie, Undertaker's Delight
- Fresh Strawberry Pie Glaze
- Chocolate Bunny Pie
- Paper Bag French Apple Pie, Baked In The Oven
- Easy Pie Trifle Dessert, A Favorite No-Bake Recipe
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
- Royale Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia and Coconut
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- Sugar Cookies With Brown Butter
- Noelie's Pecan Pralines, Homemade Cajun Candy
- Best German Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
- Valentine Candy Crunch
- Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Louisiana Crunch Cake, A Coconutty Southern Recipe
- Banana Pudding Cake-Mix Cake
- 7-Up Cake Mix Cake
- How about some Lagniappe?!
- Easy Graham Cracker Oven Toffee (5 ingredients)
- Sugar-Free Frozen Cranberry Salad With Pineapple
- Buttery-Salted Roasted Pecans
- And There You Have It!
- Don't forget to pin me!
- Comments
Start With Holiday Appetizers
Give your get-togethers a delicious beginning to a great meal, or throw a party with tantalizing appetizers. And I figure you may need a few ideas for what to take to one more holiday party.
Crawfish Nachos: aka Cajun Crawchos
A spicy Cajun seasoned, cheesy nacho dish with tasty bites of crawfish garnished with the flavors of lime, cilantro, and more jalapeño.
Cocktail Party Meatballs With Easy Sauce Recipe
Soft, spicy meatballs in a tasty barbecue sauce flavored with cream of mushroom soup.
Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs Recipe
A delicious way to add pizzazz to traditional deviled eggs, the taste of shrimp is in every spicy bite!
Muffuletta Cheese Ball
An easy to assemble appetizer or snack with the appealing tastes of the classic muffuletta sandwich.
Chunky, Cheesy, Creamy Crawfish Dip
The title says it all. It's a rich and creamy, cheesy dip with delicious chunks of crawfish. Yum! Serve warm with chips or crackers
Crispy Louisiana Boudin Egg Rolls
A crispy fried treat made simply with the stuffing from your favorite Cajun boudin wrapped in an egg roll wrapper and then fried in oil. Great for dipping, too!
Cajun Firecracker Ranch Crackers
A crispy baked saltine cracker seasoned with ranch seasoning salad dressing mix, and red pepper flakes. Great for an easy and economical appetizer, snack, or side for salad, soup, or chili.
Shrimp Mold Recipe, A New Orleans Style Molded Dip
This delicious Shrimp Mold Recipe uses the classic ingredients of a Louisiana shrimp dip. The dip congeals after it's chilled and magically keeps its shape when released from its container.
Pineapple Pecan Cheese Ball: In 5 Easy Steps
A tasty cheese ball sweetened with pineapple, spiced with red pepper flakes, and rolled in chopped pecans. It's a flavorful combination; serve with chips, crackers, or vegetables!
Best Hot Cajun Boudin Dip Recipe
A baked dip flavored with boudin, a Cajun sausage of rice and meat, melted cheese, and Cajun seasonings, topped with crispy bacon bits and onion.
Add a Salad or Two
A tasty salad fits nicely on a holiday menu, whether it's a savory vegetable or a sweet fruity salad. These can be served as a side dish or dessert, either in individual servings or from one large container.
Easy Layered Southern Cornbread Salad
There's nothing more southern than this easy cornbread salad. It has layers of sweet cornbread, crunchy vegetables, creamy Ranch dressing, and salty bacon.
Mardi Gras Salad With Asparagus
This brightly colored marinated salad of purple, gold, and green are the colors of Mardi Gras. It makes a delicious addition to any meal any time of year.
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
A salty-sweet Salad packed with lots of fresh, flavorful ingredients for added crunch. The mayonnaise dressing is sweetened with dark balsamic vinegar and a bit of Stevia. A healthy treat for the taste buds!
Copper Pennies Salad With Jalapeño
Putting a spin on the classic Copper Pennies Salad by introducing the sweet and sour marinated carrots, onions, and bell peppers to some jalapeño flavor.
Blueberry-Mandarin Ranch Salad
A quick, fresh-tasting fruit, nut, and green salad tossed with your favorite Ranch dressing. The tastes complement each other deliciously!
Congealed Salad, Lime Or Cherry Flavored
The tropical burst of pineapple infuses this creamy, crunchy cherry or lime congealed salad. It has chunks of cream cheese, pecans, and crunchy celery bits. You can mold it into any form or serve it from a dish.
Strawberry Pretzel Salad With Step-By-Step Instructions
An easy and pretty-to-serve Strawberry Pretzel Salad with a light and salty-sweet taste.
Tropical Fruit Salad
This salad is made with tropical fruit and a citrus sauce that adds a light lift to any meal or stands alone as a dessert.
Best Fresh Fruit Salad with a Creamy Dressing
The taste of cream cheese in the whipped cream dressing is a delicious addition to this luscious salad with 7 fresh fruits.
Fitting Side Dishes
Here are some classic side dishes we all depend on during the holidays. Dishes like Green Bean Casserole, Fresh Sweet Potato Casserole, and Cornbread Dressing are constant old faithfuls.
Is your traditional side dish rice dressing or cornbread dressing? My Mississippi Man was raised on cornbread dressing. He never had rice dressing before we met and my first Mississippi Thanksgiving was a disappointment to me. I kept looking for the rice dressing and it was nowhere to be found.
Best Louisiana Rice Dressing
Rice dressing is a traditional Cajun rice dish that begins with a roux and the Cajun trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery. It is then simmered with ground meats to make a stock before mixing with cooked white rice.
Cornbread Dressing
Make cornbread dressing in 3 easy steps: a pan of cornbread, some sauteed vegetables, and a few other ingredients, then freeze ahead of time or bake it in the oven. It's that simple!
Boudin Cornbread Recipe With Fig Pepper Jelly Topping
Boudin Cornbread is the ultimate cornbread recipe with its extra kick of spicy Cajun boudin, pepper jack cheese, and sweet topping of fig pepper jelly.
Cheesy Creamy Green Bean Casserole
Dressing up the classic Green Bean Casserole with creamy cheesiness, extra flavor, a little crunch, and cayenne pepper. Delicious!
Fresh Sweet Potato Casserole
Serve this Sweet Potato Casserole with its brown sugar and nut topping as a side dish or dessert.
Amy's Corn Casserole
An easy side dish that starts with a box of cornbread mix then some sour cream, butter, corn, and cheese. It's so moist and delicious you'll be making it over and over again.
The Main Dish
This brined and roasted turkey is a foolproof way to prepare a holiday bird. I usually make it this way for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. The meat is always juicy and flavorful.
Maybe your family doesn't eat turkey. The brine recipe works great for marinating chicken and pork, and it's an optional meat dish for your seasonal meal.
Our gang will eat it on Easter, too, but on Christmas Eve, we like gumbo. It's usually Chicken Gumbo, SimpIy Classic Cajun, but Shrimp Okra Gumbo, Wild Goose Gumbo: A Cajun, Field To Table Recipe, or Seafood Gumbo are both perfect for special occasions.
Chicken Gumbo With Sausage, Classic Cajun Recipe
Gumbo is the most well-known dish of all Cajun meals, and this Chicken Gumbo recipe is the classic version straight from my Momma's kitchen. It's easy to follow and comes out delicious every time.
Shrimp Okra Gumbo Recipe: Made With Smothered Okra
A rich-tasting shrimp gumbo seasoned and thickened with smothered okra and vegetables.
Wild Goose Gumbo: A Cajun, Field To Table Recipe
This classic Cajun goose gumbo is thick and flavorful, made with a dark roux and wild game. It is then topped with a scoop of white rice and a side of potato salad to make a complete meal.
Seafood Gumbo
We begin this classic seafood gumbo with an extra dark roux then boost the shrimp, crab, and oyster flavors with seafood stock. The gumbo simmers to a delicious end with fresh chopped parsley and green onion tops for added flavor and color.
Pork Jambalaya With Sausage: A Traditional Cajun Dish
This Cajun dish is made of tender chunks of pork, smoked sausage, white rice, and flavored with spicy Cajun seasonings.
Fish In Red Gravy
A classic Cajun fish stew of flavorfully rich, thick tomato gravy served over rice.
Dessert - The Grand Finale
Pie is always a holiday favorite. You can start with a Classic Homemade Crust for No-Sugar Sweet Potato Pie and Low Carb Coconut Pie; Undertaker's Delight. These are great for guilt-free eating.
Oh, and The Easy Pie Trifle Dessert is a perfect solution of what to do with leftover pie.
Classic Homemade Pie Crust
Everything you need to know about making a classic homemade pie crust with simple ingredients and step-by-step instructions for the best results every time.
No-Sugar Sweet Potato Pie
A sugar-free sweet potato pie made with Swerve sweetener.
Best Low Carb Coconut Pie, Undertaker's Delight
A pecan crust, whipped cream, and sugar-free pudding make this yummy coconut pie sugar-free, low carb, and gluten-free.
Fresh Strawberry Pie Glaze
This fresh fruit pie starts with a delicious glaze of simple ingredients and a few minutes of cooking. It suits just about any kind of pie crust served chilled with a dollop of whipped cream.
Chocolate Bunny Pie
This silky smooth Chocolate Bunny Pie is easy to make with melted milk chocolate right in the filling. You can use any milk chocolate candy, but it's a sweet way to use any leftover Easter candy!
Paper Bag French Apple Pie, Baked In The Oven
This Paper Bag French Apple Pie's sweet, crunchy topping is evenly browned, and the filling is tender and juicy, thanks to the sealed paper bag in the oven. There's less mess, too!
Easy Pie Trifle Dessert, A Favorite No-Bake Recipe
A luscious dessert made with chunks of pie layered with a mascarpone cream filling and caramel sauce.
Baking Christmas cookies is a popular idea, with the thought that Santa will take a break from his marathon sleigh run and have cookies and milk. These Lemon Cake Mix Cookies are easy to make, starting with a box mix. The Royale Chocolate Chip Cookies with macadamia nuts and Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies delight the taste buds that any Santa would love.
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
Only six simple ingredients to these easy, flavorful cookies made with fresh lemon and a boxed lemon cake mix.
Royale Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia and Coconut
A royal treat of a cookie chocked-full of toasted macadamia nuts, toasted coconut flakes, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Follow the instructions to a perfect cookie!
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
These Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies have a chunky, chewy bite with the taste of white chocolate and tart cranberry bits. The buttermilk gives them a needed lift.
Sugar Cookies With Brown Butter
These delicious melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies made with brown butter are soft, chewy, and full of vanilla bean flavor. Serve them as they are or all dressed up with icing and sprinkles.
Making candy is often a family tradition at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I remember my Maw Maw and Mama making Noelie's Pecan Pralines every holiday. It's a classic Cajun confectionery.
For easy-to-make candy, these German Chocolate No-Bake Cookies will do, especially if you like German Chocolate cake. And Valentine Candy Crunch is much like Christmas crack. It's so delicious and hard to resist.
Noelie's Pecan Pralines, Homemade Cajun Candy
My Maw Maw's recipe for this classic Cajun candy of nutty creaminess is easy to make and so delicious, especially for the holidays.
Best German Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
These No-Bakes melt in your mouth and have the delicious taste of German Chocolate Cake. They are easy to make in just a few minutes using almond butter, coconut, and pecans.
Valentine Candy Crunch
A Valentine candy made with cereal, pretzels, bugles, and nuts coated with vanilla almond bark and topped with sprinkles has a delightful crunch and salty-sweet taste that's easy to make and fun to give.
And, of course, there's always a CAKE! This Best Chocolate Cake Recipe is a crowd-pleaser of a decadent chocolate treat. The Louisiana Crunch Cake, A Coconutty Southern Recipe makes a beautiful holiday impression.
Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
A decadent but simple-to-make chocolate cake recipe with a buttery chocolate frosting infused with espresso powder to enrich the chocolaty flavor.
Louisiana Crunch Cake, A Coconutty Southern Recipe
A buttery yellow pound cake with a sugary coating and a cane syrup glaze topped with crunchy coconut and pecans.
Banana Pudding Cake-Mix Cake
This easy Banana Pudding Cake-Mix Cake with marshmallow cream frosting tastes like banana pudding. With a few extra ingredients added to the mix, you get bakery-style results.
7-Up Cake Mix Cake
A box of pistachio pudding adds color and moistness to this fresh lemon-lime bundt cake.
How about some Lagniappe?!
Here's a little something extra, bringing this to 50 + 3 more recipes. I just couldn't leave these out. Enjoy!
Easy Graham Cracker Oven Toffee (5 ingredients)
The taste of homemade toffee without much work is in this Graham Cracker Toffee recipe. It's made in the oven and gives so much crispy, chocolaty, nutty, buttery toffee taste!
Sugar-Free Frozen Cranberry Salad With Pineapple
You get an attractive, refreshing, quick, and easy semi-frozen treat in this cranberry salad recipe. It's made ahead with crushed pineapple and sugar-free cherry jello without the sugar-free taste.
Buttery-Salted Roasted Pecans
Follow these particular instructions for crisp, Buttery-Salted Roasted Pecans every time for a guilt-free snack or as an addition to your favorite dishes.
And There You Have It!
My best holiday recipes all in one post! Of course, there are more dishes to be explored on the Louisiana Woman Blog. You can search for them in the recipe index listed at the top of the page.
I hope you've found inspiration to create delicious dishes for gifts, parties, and family dinners this holiday season. May you all have a beautiful season, enjoying God's bounty.
Don't forget to pin me!
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Have a nice day!
"A day wasted on others is not wasted on one's self."
Charles Dickens
I don't always get to make what I want from here, but your blog is a happy and helpful encouragement to me! I've made a couple of things and I'll be trying to make hushpuppies tomorrow. I'm a 35y/o mom of 8. Seven of them absolutely DESPISE stuffing.
Thank you so much for sharing your godly wisdom and your recipes. We younger ladies need more Titus 2 women like you in the world.
Thank you and God bless you, Ebony! You have blessed me this Thanksgiving day! You are one of the reasons I started blogging. If I can encourage anyone then I’m doing what God has put in my heart to do. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas season. Enjoy your hush puppies!