Make-Ahead Christmas Dinner With Top Allergy-Free Christmas Recipes

If you’re new to food allergies or you just want to enjoy the holidays without spending hours and hours in the kitchen, this post is for you! You’ll learn quick and easy ways to free up that special holiday time with your family while still enjoying a holiday feast! This process and recipes work perfectly for make-ahead Christmas dinner AND Easter dinner too.

If we haven’t met yet, my name is Corinna.

I help severe food allergy moms keep their kids safe while living their best life at home, school, at social events, and while traveling. I care and believe that food allergy families deserve safe, fulfilling life experiences & delicious meals!

If you believe this too, make sure to sign up for the free allergy-friendly recipe ebook. You’ll get 5 days of recipes that kids love (including breakfast, snacks, and dinner) PLUS I’ll keep you in the loop about everything that’s going on in my community and ways to connect with hundreds of other food allergy mamas like you! Hope to see you there!

Now let’s find out how to make-ahead Christmas dinner. Don’t miss the links to the top allergy-free Christmas recipes too.

Make-Ahead Christmas Dinner With Top Allergy-Free Christmas Recipes

Choose your make-ahead Christmas dinner

About 1-2 weeks before the big day (I like to do this as early as 3 weeks before, if possible), plan your menu. Figure out what you want to make and gather all the recipes. Write it all down, and keep it somewhere safe. This is going to save you so much time, not only now, but in future years too (see the last tip).

Read on to get links to top allergy-free Christmas recipes similar to what I make.

Don’t forget to choose: One appetizer (see next paragraph), one main (turkey), 3-4 side dishes (I recommend balsamic brussel sprouts with and bacon, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing), gravy, and one allergy-free dessert (I recommend something that freezes well like an allergy-free pumpkin pie OR cookies or squares). Of course, if this is too many dishes, feel free to take out whatever doesn’t work for you.

In full disclosure, I usually have Christmas oranges on the table and some allergy-friendly chocolates, or potato chips as an appie. I’m all about making things easy, especially when I’m cooking on my own. My kids love this because they get to have some of their favorite foods as appetizers!

Now, that you know your menu, write a list of everything you need. Separate the list into non-perishables and fresh items.

2. Get the right tools to cook your make-ahead Christmas Dinner.

To get this to work, you’ll need enough oven space for all the side dishes PLUS cook the turkey. If you’re like me, you only have one oven so you’ll need to improvise. I do this using either a turkey cooker OR a slow cooker to cook my turkey on the day of the holiday. That way, I have my whole oven to warm up my pre-made side dishes.

To warm up the pre-made dishes, I usually warm them in the oven “low and slow” at 325 degrees F for 3-4 hours. Make sure they’re covered to avoid drying out.

3. Shop for all the non-perishables in the allergy-free Christmas recipes.

About 1-2 weeks before the event, shop for everything you need for your dinner EXCEPT the fresh items like fresh fruit and veggies. Even with the fresh veggies, I like to buy frozen if I can because then all the washing is DONE for you and you don’t have to brave the stores when they’re super busy. For example, frozen brussel sprouts or beans are perfect to use in holiday dishes.

4. Make the Christmas turkey stuffing or dressing.

I sometimes make my stuffing up to a month before the holidays. I’ve always had good luck freezing stuffing. Just make sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap and foil. Here’s the recipe I use. To make this recipe top allergen-free, substitute the bread for an allergy-safe bread that works for your family, then substitute the butter for bacon grease. If you don’t like the idea of full bacon grease, try any combo of bacon grease with chicken stock, olive oil or white wine.

Pro Tip - If you’re looking for a delicious dairy-free substitute for butter in your regular stuffing recipe, try any combo of bacon fat, olive oil, chicken stock or white wine (just make sure to cook the white wine slightly).

On the day of the holiday, I pop the stuffing in the oven with the other side dishes (I don’t stuff my turkey). Make sure to cover with foil to avoid drying out.

Speaking of drying out, make sure the stuffing has enough moisture at the beginning and add a little allergy-safe chicken/vegetable broth if needed. I cook the stuffing and other side dishes “low and slow” around 325 degrees F for up to 4 hours, to warm them slowly.

5. Bake the make-ahead Christmas dinner dessert.

About a month or up to a week before the holiday, bake your allergy-free dessert. As I mentioned before, make sure whatever you choose freezes well. For Thanksgiving, I usually do a pumpkin pie and it works perfectly. Here’s an option for a top allergen-free pumpkin pie (to make this pie top 9 allergy-free, just sub almond milk for a safe milk for you, or use another gluten/wheat free flour if needed). To make things easier, you could buy a pre-made crust if you have a safe one for your family.

For make-ahead Christmas dinner dessert, I usually do an assortment of holiday baking (which I bake a month in advance and freeze). Take the baking or pie out of the freezer and place in fridge to defrost while the turkey is cooking. If you like your pie to be warm, you can pop it in the oven for a few minutes covered with foil right after dinner.

6. Make-ahead Christmas dinner side dishes.

During the week leading up to the holiday, I usually cook at least 2 side dishes and either freeze them or keep them in the fridge. If you’re making them more than 3 days in advance you’ll want to freeze them. Remember, top allergy-free mashed potatoes and top allergy-free sweet potatoes are PERFECT for making in advance. They both freeze well OR keep in the fridge for at least 3 days if you don’t want to freeze them.

Pro Tip - You may want to add just a bit more liquid to your mashed potatoes so they aren’t too dry after re-warming them.

7. Defrost your Christmas turkey.

Don’t forget to take your turkey out of the freezer! Depending on the size, this will take 4-5 days in your fridge. You can find 3 ways to safely defrost a turkey along with the defrosting times here. While you’re at it, you may want to check out cooking times for your turkey too, so you can schedule the time when you need to get your turkey in the oven.

8. Cook the turkey, gravy, and last veggie side dish while warming the rest.

Ok, you’ve made it to Christmas day! Now, you’re in the home stretch! You only have a few small things to do while you enjoy your family.

First, pop the turkey in the slow cooker or turkey cooker at the required heat.

At the same time, put all the pre-made Christmas dinner side dishes in the oven, covered with foil on a low temp (around 325 degrees F). Check them about an hour before the turkey is done cooking. If they are still frozen or cold, you will want to turn the temperature of the oven up to make sure they are warm enough by the time the turkey is done.

When the turkey is done and you take it out to rest before carving, make the final veggie side dish. Make sure it’s an easy one, and pre-make any special parts the day before. For example, I usually make brussel sprouts with bacon. Here’s a top allergy-free Christmas recipe similar to the one I use, but instead of roasting the brussel sprouts, I use a frying pan to cook them with chopped bacon.

The last thing to make is gravy. You can do this while the brussel sprouts are cooking. As soon as it’s done, place it in a gravy boat on the table. Here’s a top allergy-free Christmas recipes for gravy.

Double-check the temperatures of everything before serving and enjoy!

Conclusion

With these tips, you’ll be a pro at make-ahead Christmas dinner in no time. You can do this! You’ve got quick and easy ways to free up that special holiday time with your family while still enjoying a holiday feast! And don’t forget this same process and recipes work for Easter dinner too!

Was this blog helpful? Let me know your favorite recipe or tip in the comments!