Crockpots are a great way to make the most out of your Christmas recipes. From mulled wine recipes, to stews and even cinnamon rolls, we’ve got everything you need for seasonal cooking!
Crockpots are a great way to make the most out of your Christmas recipes. From mulled wine recipes, to stews and even cinnamon rolls, we’ve got everything you need for seasonal cooking!
One of the best things about the Christmas holidays is the amount of food that always seem readily available no matter which house you are visiting. In fact, it is fair to say whenever anyone invites you to a Christmas dinner, you know you are going to be in for a treat because those dinner tables are always loaded with something to fill your plates with.
It is all fun and games until someone asks you to maybe bring something to help out and you know that a bottle of wine is not going to be the kind of helping out they are looking for. Maybe it is a potluck style meal where your host is asking you to bring some fun sides, or maybe they need help with bulking up the dessert table. Or maybe you are the lucky duck that is experiencing a feeling that can only be described as stress meets joy meets determination because you are the host.
Whichever the reason is, do not put your holiday mind on stress mode! This list is here to help make your Christmas dinner plans go so smoothly, you will still have time to deck the halls with boughs of holly.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Imagine being able to serve fresh cinnamons for Christmas. You would be a superstar and honestly, the longest part of the process will be the buns sitting in the crockpot. If you find yourself having a rather tight timeline, feel free to make the dough the night before and keep it in the fridge until you are ready for it.
Orange Pomegranate Cider
Everyone is very familiar with the scent of apple and cinnamon during the holidays and it is usually because of either an apple pie or because of a delectable cup of cider. This is a great drink to have in a crockpot sitting near the entrance for when guests arrive! The beautiful bits of pomegranate seeds for garnish adds a lovely splash of color against the orange colored cider.
Wild Rice Pilaf with Fresh Cranberries
It is not fair for many people who are celiac during the holidays because there is always so much on the table they are not able to enjoy. This Christmas pilaf is one of the most innovative ways to eat quinoa. Not just because it is gluten-free, but because the beets and fresh cranberries will bring in some much needed relief from the heavier dishes offered.
Maple & Brown Sugar-Glazed Ham
If you are not really keen on spending all day babysitting a turkey, this ham is a great alternative. Using homemade Dijon mustard as part of the recipe really keeps the ham from becoming cloyingly sweet with brown sugar. The added cloves just wrap it all up in a nice Christmas bow.
Crock Pot Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Christmas dinner without mashed potatoes is blasphemous but sometimes the stove top is too busy to have a pot of potatoes boiling! Whip out the crockpot because it will help you make the creamiest mashed potatoes. With the addition of chicken broth instead of water and a cup of Parmesan, these potatoes will likely be more a star than the turkey.
Big Batch Mulled Wine
The kids can have the aforementioned cider up top but the adults coming in can feel free to indulge in this festive mulled wine. Filled with all the spices associated with this holiday drink, this also gives chefs the choice of using fresh rosemary to really play on the spiced scent and flavor.
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
What happens when the kids fall asleep? The adult will have some red wine with their hot chocolate, thank you very much. It is similar to how many would make regular hot chocolate, only this time it has an addition of red wine to create a rich after dinner drink.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Instead of having cranberry sauce on the side, why not serve it up with some meatballs? These meatballs are smothered in a cranberry sauce that balances sweet (comes from the hoisin sauce) with the spicy (Franks Buffalo Hot Wings Sauce). If you find that most of your plates are sweeter, feel free to up the hot sauce content so guests do not feel as if the dinner is too one noted.
Chai Hot Chocolates
Chai is such a spiced kind of tea that is popular in the Middle East so when that is combined with hot chocolate, a new kind of flavor is born. The chocolate creates a velvet sort of mouthfeel while the spices of the chai create a very nice balance to keep it from being too rich
Cinnamon Apples
Not all desserts have to be encased in pastry! These cinnamon apples can absolutely cater to your celiac and vegan guests! All you have to do is swap the butter with vegan butter and voila, no one will be able to tell there was anything even replaced. If your guests so please, these warm apples go fantastically with some vanilla ice cream.
Honey Orange Glazed Carrots
Slow cooked carrots do not get the kind of attention it deserves. The act of slow cooking it really makes the carrots themselves just taste so much more delectable somehow. When combined with the zest and juice of oranges, these carrots would make a great side dish. If you do not have baby carrots, cut up some regular carrots to use instead.
Vegetarian Chili with Pumpkin & Red Lentils
This is a little different from traditional Christmas dinner fare but different can also mean delicious. The recipe is made without any meat (vegans can indulge in this) but because of how versatile it is, any addition of ground meat would not be a problem. If this is not spicy enough for you, have a bottle of hot sauce on the side for people to adjust to their preferences!
Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Feta
People either love or hate Brussel sprouts but once they have had a taste of these little guys, they are going to be on team sprouts. By slow cooking them with maple syrup, the sprouts absorb that sweetness and it helps with making them tender without creating sprout mash. Topping it off with feta cheese creates a beautiful creaminess that compliments the maple syrup flavor.
Crock Pot Monkey Bread
This is such a fun recipe to make with kids for Christmas breakfast! In order to make this a mess and stress free recipe, instead of making your own biscuit dough, it suggests using store bought ones so all your energy can be spent helping the kids dunk and sugar the dough bits and tossing them into the crockpot for some delicious bread.
Honey Garlic Chicken & Veggies
This is a wonderful thing to make early in the morning so that you can have a lunch break before starting again on the Christmas dinner rush. The sauce is very simple and made with pantry ingredients and allows for a lot of movement. Feel free to add in more basil or oregano to really have an herbaceous sauce!
Hearty Ham Bone Soup
What better dish to cook in a crockpot or slow cooker than soup? Cooking low and slow at a simmer is what the best soup recipes were made for, and this ham bone soup is proof of just that.
Do not throw away your ham bones! It is a flavor bomb and it creates soups that have a different depth to them. Feel free to freeze your ham bone until you run out of leftovers to make this delicious and healthy soup loaded with white kidney beans, corn and potatoes.
Cider-Braised Short Ribs with Apples & Thyme
Yum braised short ribs! It is not a typical Christmas ingredient but who is going to say no? The added cremini mushrooms and apples in the crockpot create a very harvest like scent and flavor to the short ribs and the addition of brown butter to the mashed potatoes is just absolutely heavenly.
