30 Fast and Easy Holiday Recipes

Cooking during the holidays can be challenging. When you’re juggling personal obligations, different eating habits and maintaining your sanity, the last thing you want to think about is what holiday recipes you’re going to make for the holiday meal!

Luckily, there’s no need to stress anymore with some of my favorite fast and easy holiday recipes. These delicious dishes are all crowd-pleasers that your family will love.

Note about these holiday recipes: I recommend using grass-fed dairy and goat milk, replacing table salt with sea salt or kosher salt, and swapping canola and vegetable oil with coconut oil or ghee.

Without further ado, here are 30 of my favorite holiday recipes.

Fast and Easy Holiday Recipes

Side Dishes

1. Warm Autumn Salad

This salad is so hearty it can double as a meal unto itself. The star players are the butternut squash, apples, Brussels and red onion, but don’t forget the cardamom and goat cheese. This one is sure to delight all your guests.

2. Lemon Garlic Green Beans

Green beans always make for a great side dish, and the holiday season is no exception. This recipe zests up this traditional side thanks to the lemon juice, minced garlic and lemon zest.

3. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans

Roasted Brussels sprouts with apples and pecans will have you wondering why you ever avoided this tiny green cabbage. It’s a healthy macronutrient dish and a showstopper at holiday time, and it’s also perfect any fall or winter month.

Photo: Roasted Brussels Sprouts / Dr. Axe

4. Garlic Asparagus

Load up on greens at the dinner table with this elegant, easy recipe. This garlicky asparagus requires just three ingredients and minutes to prepare.

 Photo: Garlic Asparagus / Dr. Axe

5. Hearty Arugula Salad with Pecorino

Tired of kale, spinach and your average lettuce? Try arugula instead! This hearty salad combined the leafy green with walnuts, pecorino cheese, beets, onion and more for a delicious, refreshing holiday app.

6. Massaged Kale Salad, with Pine Nuts & Dried Cherries

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more delicious, healthy recipe that’s as easy and quick to make as this kale salad. In addition to the superfood green, this recipe includes lemon juice, olive oil, pine nuts and cherry for a burst of flavors that makes for the perfect appetizer. Plus, it’s ready in just five minutes!

7. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

A good-for-you mac and cheese recipe? This cauliflower-based version skips the noodles and focuses on wholesome ingredients like goat milk cottage cheese and cheddar. The result is a cheesy baked dish of deliciousness. Trust me — no one will miss the pasta!

Photo: Cauliflower Mac and Cheese / Dr. Axe

8. Pumpkin Cashew Soup

Once holiday season rolls around, so does the colder weather. That’s why this pumpkin cashew soup is perfect this time of year. Best of all, it takes just 20 minutes!

Plus, it’s loaded with nutrition thanks to the onion, garlic, bone broth, cashew butter and, of course, pumpkin.

9. Gluten-Free Baked Meatballs

These gluten-free meatballs make a wonderful starter or side. They’re packed with flavor and bake in just 12 minutes. Serve as-is or with your family’s favorite dipping sauce — your kids will love these!

Photo: Gluten-Free Baked Meatballs / Dr. Axe

10. Mashed Faux-tatoes

Who needs mashed potatoes when cauliflower tastes just as good? This easy side has all the flavors you love about mashed potatoes, but it’s full of fiber and nutrients. Add a little garlic or your favorite herbs — it’s easy to customize!

11. Paleo Green Bean Casserole

There are no canned soups or processed ingredients in this healthy take on the classic Thanksgiving dish! Instead, you get a casserole loaded with fresh green beans and mushrooms and a whole lot of tastiness.

12. Lemon Roasted Cauliflower

13. Candied Pecan Butternut Squash Salad

If you’re looking for a salad that’s on the decadent side but also still good for you, this is it. It takes a bit of time, but this recipe uses homemade dressing, and you make the candied pecans yourself.

It’s a unique salad that can work as both as a side and a main, and it’s great to eat any time of year, especially the holidays.

14. Baked Asparagus with Portobello Mushroom

At first glance, this may appear to be a complicated recipe considering it includes a homemade dressing. However, it’s ready in just 25 minutes and totally worth it.

The asparagus is combined with arugula, mushrooms, quinoa and avocado oil, while the dressing is made from red onion, shallots, brown rice vinegar, coconut aminos, sesame oil and lime juice.

15. Healthy French Onion Soup

This version of a classic soup appetizer uses ghee in place of butter and combines the nutritional value of both chicken and beef bone broth. It’s topped with goat cheese in place of the traditional gruyere, and ready to eat in less than an hour.

16. Sweet Potato Casserole

This Paleo-friendly sweet potato casserole has the flavors you’re craving with clean ingredients. It’s naturally sweetened with vanilla and coconut milk. The pecan oat topping is good enough to eat solo, but trust me, you’ll love it even more with a bite of sweet potatoes.

Photo: Dr. Axe

17. Sweet Potato Hash

You may think of hash as a breakfast item, but it can be eaten at any meal. This sweet potato hash makes for a particularly worthy side that goes with just about any holiday meal.

Healthy Entrees

18. Garlic Lamb Roast Recipe

One of the easiest, tastiest recipes you’ll make this holiday season, this garlic lamb roast comes together easily. Place it in the crockpot in the morning, and you’ll have an amazing roast in six to eight hours with no work required. Just don’t blame me if your family can’t stay out of the kitchen while this is cooking — the smell is amazing!

19. Chicken Gumbo

If you want to think outside the box for your holiday meal, this chicken gumbo recipe may be what you’re looking for. This take on a cajun classic replaces pork sausage with chicken andouille and combines a host of hearty veggies for a filling holiday meal.

20. Herbed Turkey Breast

Ready in less than an hour, this turkey breast recipe is quick and simple to make. It combines the turkey with avocado oil, green onion, sage, lemon juice, Italian seasoning and coconut aminos for a truly unique, delicious take on turkey.

21. Chicken Paillard

“Paillard” is a French term that simply describes the flattening and quick cooking of a piece of meat. In this case, the meat is chicken, which is combined with chicken bone broth, cherry tomatoes, arugula and spices for a truly yummy dish that’s ready in just 35 minutes.

22. Hungarian Goulash

Goulash is popular when the cold air comes in, so why not add it to your rotation of holiday recipes? This filling recipe is best when it’s left to stew for hours, so it takes some time, but it’s well worth it.

The star players in this version include fingerling potatoes, beef, carrots, bone broth, mushrooms, tomatoes and a host of spices, making it bursting with nutrition.

Desserts

23. Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Would you believe that you can make a mini cheesecake dessert in just five minutes? Skeptics, step aside, because that’s exactly how long it takes to make these lemon cheesecake bars.

All you need is a blender and the ingredients — sprouted cashew butter, lemon juice, raw honey, Medjool dates, vanilla extract and sea salt — and you have a tasty treat that’s ready in no time.

24. Dark Chocolate Coconut Clusters

If you’re going to eat chocolate, make sure it’s dark chocolate, which provides far more nutrients and health benefits compared to other types of chocolate. These dark chocolate coconut clusters are the perfect way to enjoy it, and they’re easy to make to boot!

25. Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

This yummy, fluffy bread is the perfect after-dinner companion to a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. Your family will love the pumpkin flavor, and you’ll love that it’s baked with all-natural ingredients. Everyone wins!

Photo: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread / Dr. Axe

26. No-Bake Coconut Cookies

Enjoy these cookies without the need for baking. Using gluten-free rolled oats, flaked coconut, ground flax, coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and optional toppings, this dessert is ready in 20 minutes and can make enough for the entire family.

27. Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

Warm, soothing and oh so good, this grain-free cobbler will have you coming back for seconds and thirds. Not only is it delicious, but with almond flour, coconut flour, ghee and chia seeds, it is nutritious, too!

Photo: Peach Cobbler Recipe / Dr. Axe

28. Sweet Potato Pie

November and December are popular times for sweet potatoes, and this sweet potato pie recipe uses only the best ingredients — and it takes less than an hour to make. You can even make your own gluten-free pie crust to eat this delicious dessert guilt-free.

29. Pumpkin Bars

This recipe is a bit decadent with cream cheese and mascarpone, but it’s balanced with pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. These are sure to be popular with your holiday guests.

30. Homemade Peppermint Patties

December is peppermint season, and you can’t go wrong with classic peppermint patties. This recipe uses just a few ingredients: coconut oil, Manuka honey, peppermint extract and dark chocolate. That’s it!