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Christmas dinner on a budget takes a plan, because the meal has a way of growing. One more side, one more dessert, and the total at the register is a surprise nobody wanted in December.
This menu keeps the day special and the spending in check. It’s a full Christmas for six, from breakfast to the last mug of cocoa, built from simple recipes that share ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, garlic and Parmesan.
Below you’ll find the whole menu at a glance, every recipe, and a make-ahead plan that spreads the work over a few days so you’re not stuck in the kitchen on Christmas Day.
Jump to a section
- The Menu at a Glance
- The Recipes
- Ham and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Pigs in a Blanket
- Classic Deviled Eggs
- Pineapple-Honey Glazed Ham
- Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
- Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
- Creamed Spinach
- Winter Pomegranate Pear Salad
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
- Slow Cooker Mulled Apple Cider
- Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
- Egg Nog
- Your Make-Ahead Plan
- Savvy Tips for a Cheaper Christmas Dinner
- Free Printable: Holiday Dinner Planner and Timeline
- Christmas Dinner Questions
The Menu at a Glance
| Course | Dish | For six |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas morning | Ham and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole | As written (serves 8) |
| Appetizers | Cranberry Brie Bites, Pigs in a Blanket, Classic Deviled Eggs | As written |
| Main | Pineapple-Honey Glazed Ham (or Top Round Roast Beef) | Use a 3-pound ham or roast |
| Sides | Roasted Potatoes & Carrots, Creamed Spinach | Make 1½ times each recipe |
| Sides | Garlic Parmesan Green Beans, Winter Pomegranate Pear Salad | As written (serve 6) |
| Bread | Soft Dinner Rolls | As written (makes 8) |
| Dessert | Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bundt Cake | As written (serves 12) |
| Drinks | Slow Cooker Mulled Apple Cider, Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix, Egg Nog | Double the Egg Nog |
You don’t have to make all of it. Pick one or two appetizers and one or two drinks, and the menu still feels like a feast.
The Recipes
Prices are from Walmart’s and ALDI’s websites for stores in Columbus, Ohio, checked in October 2026. Ohio’s grocery prices are within about 1% of the national average, so you may pay more or less depending on where you live, and prices change often. Here’s how we price our recipes.
1. Ham and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole
Christmas morning. Bread, ham and cheddar baked in a savory egg custard. It serves eight, so there’s enough for seconds.
Make ahead: Assemble it the night before and bake it while the presents are being opened.
Time: 1 hour (15 minutes of prep) · Serves: 8
Cost: Ingredients – $7.88 from Walmart, $7.26 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.91 to $0.98
2. Cranberry Brie Bites
Appetizer. Crescent dough cups filled with melted brie, cranberry sauce and pecans. Four ingredients make 24 bites.
Make ahead: Assemble up to 4 hours ahead and bake as guests arrive.
Time: 25 minutes · Makes: 24 bites
Cost: Ingredients – $9.02 from Walmart, $7.94 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.33 to $0.38
3. Pigs in a Blanket
Appetizer. Mini sausages wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden. The one the kids will go for first.
Make ahead: Wrap them in the morning, refrigerate on the baking sheet and bake just before serving.
Time: 35 minutes · Makes: 12 pieces
Cost: Ingredients – $3.20 from Walmart, $3.20 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.27
4. Classic Deviled Eggs
Appetizer. A creamy, tangy filling and a dusting of paprika. Six eggs make twelve halves.
Make ahead: Boil the eggs and mix the filling the day before. Keep them separate and fill the whites before serving.
Time: 33 minutes (includes 5 minutes of cooling) · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $0.97 from Walmart, $0.96 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.16
5. Pineapple-Honey Glazed Ham
Main dish. A boneless ham baked under a sweet pineapple-honey glaze. For six people, choose a 3-pound ham. Prefer beef? Top Round Roast Beef is a good swap; choose a 3-pound roast.
Make ahead: Mix the glaze the day before and keep it in the fridge.
Time: 1 hour 10 minutes (includes 10 minutes of resting) · Serves: 4
Cost: Ingredients – $16.38 from Walmart, $16.39 from ALDI · Per Serving – $4.10
6. Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
Side. Potatoes and carrots roasted with rosemary and thyme until golden. The recipe serves four, so make one and a half times the amount for six.
Make ahead: Cut the vegetables the day before. Keep the potatoes in a bowl of cold water in the fridge and dry them well before roasting.
Time: 45 minutes · Serves: 4
Cost: Ingredients – $2.36 from Walmart, $2.21 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.55 to $0.59
7. Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
Side. Green beans roasted until crisp-tender and finished with garlic and golden Parmesan.
Make ahead: Trim the beans up to 2 days ahead.
Time: 25 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $6.37 from Walmart, $5.71 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.95 to $1.06
8. Creamed Spinach
Side. Fresh spinach in a silky white sauce with a pinch of nutmeg, made on the stovetop in about 20 minutes. It serves four, so make one and a half times the recipe.
Make ahead: It’s quick enough to make while the vegetables roast.
Time: 20 minutes · Serves: 4
Cost: Ingredients – $1.76 from Walmart, $1.73 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.43 to $0.44
9. Winter Pomegranate Pear Salad
Salad. Spinach and arugula with pears, pomegranate, feta and walnuts in a honey balsamic dressing. It adds color and something fresh to a rich meal.
Make ahead: Make the dressing and toast the walnuts the day before. Slice the pears and toss right before serving.
Time: 20 minutes · Serves: 6
Cost: Ingredients – $10.25 from Walmart, $7.60 from ALDI · Per Serving – $1.27 to $1.71
10. Soft Dinner Rolls
Bread. Fluffy, buttery rolls made from pantry staples. One batch makes eight.
Make ahead: Bake them in the morning and rewarm, wrapped in foil, for a few minutes before dinner.
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes 45 minutes of rising) · Makes: 8 rolls
Cost: Ingredients – $1.18 from Walmart, $1.13 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.14 to $0.15
11. Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Dessert. A red velvet cake with a cream cheese swirl baked inside. One cake serves twelve, so there’s plenty left for the day after.
Make ahead: Bake it the day before, cool completely, cover and refrigerate.
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (20 minutes of prep) · Serves: 12
Cost: Ingredients – $8.57 from Walmart, $8.11 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.68 to $0.71
12. Slow Cooker Mulled Apple Cider
Drink. Apple cider simmered with orange, cinnamon and cloves. It’s alcohol-free and serves eight.
Make ahead: Start it 3–4 hours before dinner and leave it on warm.
Time: 3 hours 5 minutes (5 minutes of prep) · Serves: 8
Cost: Ingredients – $6.80 from Walmart, $5.50 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.69 to $0.85
13. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
Drink. Four pantry ingredients whisked into a mix that makes about 15 mugs. It also makes an easy homemade gift.
Make ahead: Make it weeks ahead. It keeps for up to 3 months.
Time: 5 minutes · Serves: 15
Cost: Ingredients – $3.90 from Walmart, $4.14 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.26 to $0.28
14. Egg Nog
Drink. A rich, gently cooked egg nog with nutmeg and cinnamon. The recipe serves four, so double it for a group.
Make ahead: Make it the day before so it has time to chill.
Time: 20 minutes · Serves: 4
Cost: Ingredients – $2.90 from Walmart, $2.43 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.61 to $0.73
Your Make-Ahead Plan
- Up to a month ahead: Make the Hot Cocoa Mix.
- Two to three days before: Shop for the fresh ingredients. Trim the green beans. Take a frozen ham out to thaw in the refrigerator if you need to.
- The day before: Bake the Bundt cake. Assemble the breakfast casserole. Boil the eggs and mix the deviled egg filling. Cut the potatoes and carrots. Mix the ham glaze and the salad dressing, toast the walnuts and make the egg nog.
- Christmas morning: Bake the breakfast casserole, then bake the rolls. Wrap the pigs in a blanket and assemble the brie bites, and keep both in the fridge.
- 3–4 hours before dinner: Start the mulled cider in the slow cooker.
- 2 hours before: Bake the pigs in a blanket, then the brie bites. Fill the deviled eggs and set out the appetizers.
- 1½ hours before: Put the ham in the oven and baste it as it bakes. A fully cooked ham is ready when it reaches 140°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- 45 minutes before: Take the ham out and cover it loosely with foil to rest. Turn the oven up to 425°F and roast the potatoes and carrots on a sheet pan.
- 20 minutes before: Roast the green beans on a second pan. Make the creamed spinach on the stove.
- Just before serving: Rewarm the rolls in foil, slice the pears and toss the salad, and slice the ham.
Savvy Tips for a Cheaper Christmas Dinner
- Set the number first. Decide what the whole meal can cost before you write the menu. Our guide to planning a holiday meal budget walks through it.
- Let the price decide the main. Compare the price per pound of ham and beef roasts that week and build the menu around the better deal.
- Edit the menu. Three appetizers and three drinks are nice, but one or two of each is plenty for six people.
- Buy store brands for the basics. Butter, cream cheese, crescent dough, broth and frozen vegetables are easy places to save.
- Shop your kitchen. Check the pantry for flour, sugar, spices and cocoa before you buy more.
- Plan for the leftovers. Extra ham becomes a week of leftover ham recipes, and the breakfast casserole reheats well the next morning.
Free Printable: Holiday Dinner Planner and Timeline
Changing the menu or the serving time? Write in your own dishes, work out the oven schedule and fill in the make-ahead timeline on this free planner.
Holiday Dinner Planner and Timeline
Two pages: your menu, an oven schedule and a make-ahead timeline from a week out to the last hour. Free, with no sign-up needed.
See all of our free printables.
Christmas Dinner Questions
How big a ham do I need for 6 people?
A 3-pound boneless ham feeds six, with a little left over. Plan on about half a pound per person, and go bigger if you want leftovers for the week.
What can I make ahead for Christmas dinner?
The cocoa mix weeks ahead, the cake, egg nog and salad dressing the day before, and the breakfast casserole the night before. That leaves the ham, the roasted sides and the rolls for Christmas Day.
How do I keep Christmas dinner on budget?
Set a total before you plan the menu, let the ham be the one splurge and build the sides from potatoes, carrots, green beans and pantry staples. Buy store brands for the basics.
Is the mulled cider kid-friendly?
Yes. It’s made with apple cider, orange and spices, with no alcohol, so the whole table can have it.
Cooking for a smaller group? See Christmas Dinner for Four (or Less).
