20 festive recipes from around the world

Looking for new Christmas dinner ideas to bring some fresh flavours to your plate? Branch out this Christmas and start some new traditions, starting with the dinner table and our festive recipes from across the globe.

Try our delicious recipes below, then why not try our best Christmas market recipes? Bring the flavours of your favourite stalls to your kitchen, from sweet lebkuchen to a warming mug of glühwein. Serve up our best Christmas cocktails with your meal for a final festive touch. After, take a look at our four festive entertaining ideas for more inspiration.

Christmas recipes from around the world

Italian stuffed turkey crown with agrodolce sprouts

Elevate your festive feast with an Italian twist on the traditional turkey crown. Juicy turkey is stuffed with herby garlic and marsala, and wrapped with crisp streaky bacon. Served alongside sweet and sour sprouts tossed with pine nuts, raisins and sherry vinegar.

Caribbean rum cake

This decadent and boozy cake from Caribbean chef Keshia Sakarah is fed with spiced rum and traditionally served during the festive season.

Julkottbullar (Swedish Christmas meatballs)

Ask chef Sebastian Graus what he can’t live without at Christmas and the answer’s simple – meatballs. His version is dressed for the season with warming spices and soft, buttery onions for an extra dose of comfort.

Indonesian pandan, raspberry and white chocolate blondies

Pandan and raspberries give a colourful and festive edge to these blondies, while the tartness offsets the sweet white chocolate perfectly.

Black cake

This speedy version of the classic Caribbean treat is a mainstay at important events. Featuring port, dark rum and dried fruits, it's rich and decadent – perfect for Christmas.

Nepali spiced fruit and nut tart

Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger give this nutty tart a real festive edge. With a kick of spiced rum, it's a grown-up dessert that's perfect for Christmas.

Swedish citrus-cured gravadlax with juniper and pink peppercorns

Brighten your festive table with this Swedish citrus-cured gravadlax, fragrant with orange zest, juniper and pink peppercorns. Effortlessly elegant and perfect for sharing, serve it with rye crackers and a squeeze of lemon.

Mexican chocoflan

This festive flan cake, featuring chocolate, caramel and cinnamon, is known as 'flan imposible' and combines two popular Mexican desserts.

Swedish roasted beet and apple salad

Try Sebastian Graus’ updated rosolli, a jewel-bright beetroot salad that’s a festive staple in Finland. His dressed-up version keeps the nostalgic flavour but adds a modern touch, making it the perfect fresh counterpoint to a rich festive spread.

Crispy pork wontons

Crunchy and hot with a sweet and tangy sauce, these crispy wontons were always a part of the festive season at Emily and Amy Chung's Chinese-Burmese childhood home. These crispy bites are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Jerk Christmas turkey with stuffing and gravy

Give your Christmas centrepiece a punch of spice with this alternative turkey recipe from Caribbean cooking duo Original Flava.

Swedish baked rice pudding

A Swedish Christmas Eve classic that’s easy to make ahead and tastes just as good the next day. Don’t forget the hidden almond – legend says whoever finds it will have good luck for the year.

Danbauk (Burmese chicken pilaf)

A fragrant chicken pilaf, danbauk is served at countless celebrations in Burma. This recipe comes from MiMi Aye, a chef, author and host of the Burmese Food & Beyond supperclub. This spiced sharing dish is ideal for feeding the whole family.

Galbi jjim (Korean soybraised beef short ribs)

“These savoury-sweet soy-braised beef ribs are a great example of family tradition and celebration,” says recipe author Su Scott. Melt some cheese on top of left-over meat to make the best sandwich with pickles, herbs and your favourite chilli sauce.

Antiguan ducana

Evolving from Ghanaian ‘dokono’, this celebratory Caribbean dish calls for cornmeal, pumpkin or sweet potato, raisins and fresh spices, sweetened with sugar and coconut, then wrapped and steamed inside banana leaves.

Russian honey cake

Check out our impressive Russian-inspired cake recipe with moreish burnt-honey icing. This layer cake takes a bit of effort to make but it's the perfect cake to show off to friends and family for a special occasion.

Gravadlax

Gravadlax is a show-stopping centrepiece for a festive spread. Making this Scandi classic is easier than you think with step-by-step help from olive's test kitchen.

Lamb curry with chana dal

Nik Sharma's lamb and chana dal curry is a delicious one-pot dish that really tastes great with some rice or bread, a little salad, and a bit of creamy yogurt. Scoop up a symphony of flavours and let guests help themselves.

Spiced rum baumkuchen

Baumkuchen is a cake of German origin, popular at Christmas, particularly in Japan. It’s also known as ‘tree cake’ due to the rings visible in the cake when you cut into it. Traditionally, baumkuchen is made on a spit over a fire, which creates the classic rings and hole in the middle. However, this version by Hannah Miles can be easily made under the grill in a ring pan – it tastes just as wonderful.

Lebkuchen

Honey-sweetened German treats spiced with cinnamon and ginger, lebkuchen are famously festive biscuits. Bake a batch this winter to really get into the Christmas market spirit. They also make delicious homemade gifts, box some up for soe thoughtful treats.

Christmas stollen

This gently spiced, festive German bake is bursting with dried fruit and marzipan, classic Christmas flavours. A great homemade gift or afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of tea.