Free Printable Holiday Menu Planner
This free printable holiday menu planner will help you organize all of the details for your upcoming gathering! It also has space to plan out your grocery list so you don’t forget any important ingredients.
Hosting family and friends for the holidays is a big job. There are lots of details to coordinate to make sure that everyone feels welcome, comfortable, and well fed.
Food is the center of so many holiday gatherings, so we want to make sure we have an organized holiday meal plan well in advance. We’ve created a pretty printable to help keep track of all of your most important holiday menu details in one spot!
(And we’re sharing lots of yummy recipe ideas for each category to make it even easier to create your meal plan!)
Hopefully having the food portion of the day organized ahead of time will lessen stress levels and allow you to spend more quality time with your loved ones.
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Free Printable Menu Planner for the Holidays
As with all of our printables, the holiday meal plan comes in two cute color scheme options so you can choose the one that suits you best! Snag both color options by clicking on the button below.
Related: Free Printable Event Planning Template
Now that you have the printables you need, let’s start planning the menu.
How to Use the Holiday Meal Planning Printable
The best thing about holiday meal planning is that you can make your own rules. Go traditional or start a brand new tradition. Take the opportunity to get a little fancy or keep it simple. Serve a similar menu each year or switch it up to keep people on their toes!
We tend to put all this pressure on ourselves around the holidays, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Let’s take it one step at a time.
Holiday Meal Plan Main Course Ideas
Typically our holiday meals center around the main course. Everyone has their own traditions when it comes to the star of the show, but if you’re looking for some simple recipes to try that will wow your guests, consider these options:
- Butter and Garlic Crusted Prime Rib
- Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
- Roasted Citrus Herb Turkey Breast
- Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Mushroom Wellington
- Honey Glazed Ham
- Dutch Oven Rump Roast
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Flank Steak
- Easy Turkey Tenderloin
- Tuscan Baked Chicken
- Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
- Pork Crown Roast
- Creamy Garlic Butter Salmon
- Stuffed Acorn Squash
Holiday Appetizers for Your Menu Plan
Guests always appreciate yummy appetizers to tide them over until dinner. While others often pitch in and help with the appetizer portion of the day, here are some recipes to consider if you’re making appetizers yourself:
- Brie, Apple, and Honey Crostini
- Quick and Creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Easy Antipasto Skewers
- Baked Brie Cheese with Apples and Bacon
- CrockPot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta
- Everything Bagel Cheeseball
- Holiday Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks
- Parmesan Crusted Tortellini Bites
Vegetable Ideas for Your Holiday Menu Printable
Don’t forget the veggies! Whether it’s a fresh salad or yummy roasted root vegetables, they’re the perfect companion to any holiday meal. Consider these delicious vegetable options:
- Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
- Fresh Greens Christmas Salad
- Pear Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
- Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
- Easy Asparagus with Cheese and Tomatoes
- Honey Butter Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cinnamon Butternut Squash
- Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin
- Sautéed Peas with Prosciutto
- Ranch Roasted Cauliflower
Holiday Breads and Starches
Please pass the rolls! If you’re looking for some delectable bread and/or starch options to add to your holiday menu, these recipes just may fit the bill:
- 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls
- Southern Skillet Cornbread
- Herbed Yogurt Biscuits
- Christmas Star Twisted Bread
- Bacon and Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
- Sour Cream and Cheddar Baked Mashed Potatoes
- Fluffy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Sausage and Herb Stuffing
- Southern Cornbread Stuffing
- Wild Rice Sausage Stuffing
- Roasted Garlic Asiago Fettuccine
- Easy Caprese Pasta Bake
- Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
- Cheddar Sweet Corn Pie
- Creamed Corn
Holiday Dessert Ideas for Your Meal Plan Printable
We tend to have a bit of a sweet tooth around here, so dessert is always our favorite course. These dessert options will be the perfect ending to your holiday meal:
- Holiday Peppermint Cake
- Christmas Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream
- Butter Pecan Bundt Cake
- Cranberry Jam White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
- To Die For Carrot Cake
- Caramel Apple Pie
- Chocolate Trifle
- Christmas Pavlova Wreath
- Classic Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Crisp
- Cannoli
- Gingerbread Cookie Bites
- Salted Caramel Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Swirl Cookies
- 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
Drink Ideas to Add to Your Holiday Meal Plan
Feel free to keep it super simple with drinks! But if you’re looking to offer something extra special in the drink category, these ideas may help:
- Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
- Winter Wonderland White Hot Chocolate
- Cranberry Orange Cider
- Non-Alcoholic Apple Pie Punch
- Shirley Temple Party Punch
- Holiday Party Punch
- Apple Cider Fall Sangria
- Winter Sangria Two Ways
- Poinsettia Mimosas
- Amaretto Eggnog Cocktail
Making a Shopping List for Your Holiday Meal
After you’ve filled in the menu portion of your holiday meal planning printable, simply add the ingredients you’ll need for each recipe to the shopping list at the bottom of the page!
With all of the recipes and ingredients in one place, you can make sure you’re not forgetting anything important, saving yourself from extra trips to the store.
Related: Free Printable Grocery List to Save You Time and Money
There’s more where that came from!
The holiday menu planning printables are part of our Home Binder! See all of the pages included in the Home Management Binder in this post.
Printable Holiday Menu Planner: Final Thoughts
We hope this post has helped to give you a good start on your menu planning for your next holiday gathering or group get-together! Hosting can feel overwhelm, but we aim to alleviate that and help make the planning process as simple as possible.
Planning ahead can reduce stress and help your entire event go off more smoothly! We’ll be cheering for you as you execute your next holiday party!
Free Holiday Meal Plan Printable: Frequently Asked Questions
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Happy Organizing!
