Christmas
Latin Christmas recipes and Christmas dinner ideas
What Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela eat on Christmas Eve, and how to cook it from a US or UK kitchen.
In most of Latin America the big Christmas meal is not lunch on the 25th but a late dinner on the night of December 24, called Nochebuena. Mexican families serve salt cod bacalao, romeritos in mole, turkey or roast pork and a beet and orange salad, with hot fruit punch. Colombians spend the nine nights before Christmas (December 16 to 24) at the novena, a prayer gathering fed with natilla custard and cheese fritters. In Venezuela the Christmas plate is the hallaca, a tamal wrapped in plantain leaf, served with roast pork leg, ham bread and chicken salad, and the same plate comes back on New Year's Eve.
Below, every Christmas recipe on the site is sorted two ways: by country, each with its own page (Mexican Christmas, Colombian Christmas and Venezuelan Christmas), and by what you need: an easy dinner, food for a crowd, desserts that keep, cookies and drinks.
None of it needs a specialist kitchen. Most dishes are built to be made the day before, and each recipe lists the swaps that work from a regular US or UK supermarket and the ones worth a trip to a Latin or Asian grocer.
And if you cook again on the 31st, our Latin New Year's Eve dinner guide covers the year-end menu, New Year's Day food and how to use the leftovers.
A day-by-day plan for a Latin Christmas Eve dinner
Written for dinner at 9 p.m. on December 24, the way it is usually served. Keep only the lines for the dishes you are making; the timings come from each recipe.
- Late November. If you want Venezuelan black cake, start now: the fruit soaks in rum for at least 7 days, and the baked cake needs 3 days wrapped before slicing.
- Early December. Hallacas take two days of work and keep 3 months in the freezer, so make the batch now. Cabello de ángel keeps 3 weeks in the fridge, and polvorones can be baked up to 2 weeks before you give them away.
- One week before. Order the meat: in the US the pernil is a fresh ham, the raw uncured leg, often only to order around the holidays; in the UK, a skin-on leg of pork, not gammon. For lechona, ask the butcher for the pork skin two or three days ahead. Buy dried chiles, masa harina and piloncillo, and make the syrup for Mexican buñuelos, which keeps a week.
- December 21. Put the salt cod in the fridge to soak for 36 to 48 hours, changing the water every 8 hours. Clear the fridge space now: the soaking tub alone is about 5 quarts.
- December 22. Score and marinate the pernil, about 25 minutes. Make the mole poblano paste, the green papaya dessert and the manjar blanco, which all improve in the fridge.
- December 23. The long day. Cook the bacalao, poach the turkey or chicken for the mole, cook the hen and vegetables for the Venezuelan chicken salad, make the Christmas Eve salad components, the dressing for the apple salad, the natilla, the quesillo and the cold drinks (ponche crema and sabajón need at least 4 hours in the fridge). Bake the pan de jamón today so the oven is free tomorrow.
- December 24, morning and afternoon. Mix the apple salad in the morning. The pernil goes into a 320°F (160°C) oven about 6½ hours before serving, so around 2:30 p.m. for a 9 p.m. dinner.
- December 24, last hour. Reheat the bacalao over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes and the hallacas in boiling water to 165°F (74°C) in the center, about 30 minutes from frozen. Mix the chicken salad, assemble the Christmas Eve salad The pernil skin crisps at 425°F (220°C) for its last 25 to 30 minutes, then the roast rests 30 minutes before carving.
- December 25. Leftovers are the meal: pernil sandwiches, salt cod in a roll, reheated hallacas, or Colombian fried rice made with leftover pork.
Mexican Christmas dinner
The Mexican Nochebuena table usually has salt cod stewed with tomato, olives and mild güero chiles, romeritos (a wild green cooked in mole with dried shrimp cakes) and a bird, often turkey in mole poblano. The Christmas Eve salad of beets, jicama and orange has no heat at all, so it is the dish kids reach for. Romeritos are the hardest to source: US fishmongers sell sea beans, which stand in for them.
The full menu, with posadas, tamales and the day after, is on the Mexican Christmas page.
If your dinner centers on a roast, there are three with a plan for the 24th: a stuffed Latin Christmas turkey, a Mexican adobo pork leg and a pork loin in prune sauce. Next to it there is almost always a dish of creamy Mexican white spaghetti, whose sauce you can make the day before.
DinnerMexican Christmas Bacalao, Salt Cod in Tomato and Olives
Mexican Christmas bacalao is salt cod stewed with tomatoes, olives, capers, baby potatoes and pickled peppers, 120 minutes for 8. How long to soak it, what 2.2 lb yields, the cost, and a plan for Christmas Eve.
DinnerMexican Romeritos in Mole with Dried Shrimp Cakes
Mexican romeritos, a salty seepweed simmered in mole with potatoes, nopales and puffy dried shrimp cakes, 90 minutes for 8. What romeritos are, samphire and other US/UK substitutes, a Christmas Eve plan, allergens and storage.
LunchMole Poblano from Scratch, with Turkey or Chicken
Mole poblano from scratch with ancho, mulato, pasilla and chipotle chiles toasted 15 seconds a side so they never turn bitter, 160 minutes for 8. Two-day holiday plan, turkey or chicken, jarred paste vs homemade, allergens and freezing.
SaladsMexican Christmas Eve Salad with Beets, Jicama and Oranges
Mexican Christmas Eve salad (ensalada de Nochebuena) with roasted beets, jicama, oranges, pomegranate and peanuts, 100 minutes for 8. How to keep the beets from bleeding, jicama swaps, a citrus dressing ratio and a make-ahead plan.
DinnerLatin Christmas Turkey with Picadillo Stuffing
Latin Christmas turkey with a Mexican-style picadillo stuffing of pork, beef, apple, dried fruit and nuts, roasted at 325°F (165°C) to 165°F (74°C). Times by the pound, thawing, gravy and a Christmas Eve plan for 10.
DinnerMexican Adobo Pork Leg, Pierna Adobada for Christmas
Mexican adobo pork leg, or pierna adobada, is a bone-in fresh ham rubbed with guajillo, ancho and orange adobo and roasted under foil at 325°F (160°C). What to buy in the US or UK, a Christmas Eve timeline and leftover tortas.
DinnerPork Loin in Prune Sauce, a Mexican Christmas Roast
Mexican pork loin in prune sauce, seared and braised at 350°F (180°C) in prunes, orange juice and red wine until the center hits 145°F (63°C). Which roast to buy, how much per guest, a make-ahead plan and reheating, for 8.
DinnerMexican White Spaghetti (Espagueti Blanco) for Christmas
Mexican white spaghetti is pasta in a blended sauce of crema, cream cheese and butter, the creamy side next to the holiday ham or turkey. How much sauce keeps it loose, how to make it ahead for 20 and how to reheat it without it drying out.
DinnerMexican Christmas Rice with Pecans and Raisins, for 8 to 20
Mexican Christmas rice (arroz navideño) cooked in butter and chicken stock, with plump raisins and pecans toasted separately so they stay crisp. Amounts for 4 to 20, a creamy corn version, and how to make it the day before and reheat it.
DinnerCreamy Mashed Potatoes, Made Ahead for a Latin Christmas
Creamy mashed potatoes made with floury russets or Maris Pipers, started in cold salted water and mashed by hand so they never turn gluey. How much to make for 6, 12 or 20, how to make them the day before Nochebuena and reheat them soft.
Colombian Christmas dinner
Colombian Christmas runs on the novena, nine evenings of prayers and carols from December 16 to 24, each one ending with natilla and buñuelos, round cheese fritters best eaten within 20 minutes of frying. On the 24th, the main dish depends on the region: lechona, whole-roast pork with crackling skin, is party food for about 20, and the tamal tolimense can be made ahead because it freezes for 3 months.
Novena snacks, the dinner and the desserts are on the Colombian Christmas page.
LunchColombian Lechona, Roast Pork With Crackling Skin
Lechona tolimense is pork skin stuffed with marinated pork and yellow split peas, roasted 3 hours at 320 °F and 40 minutes at 390 °F so the skin puffs. The two temperatures, what to order from a butcher and how to carve it.
LunchColombian Tamal Tolimense, With Rice in the Dough
Tamal tolimense: cracked corn soaked three days, rice and split peas in the dough, chicken, pork ribs and belly. Boiled two and a half hours in banana leaf, why the soak cannot be rushed and what to buy in the US.
DessertsColombian Natilla, the Eggless Christmas Custard
Colombian natilla, the firm eggless Christmas custard of milk, cornstarch, panela and cinnamon, made for 10 people. Fifteen minutes of work plus 4 hours chilled, how much cornstarch per quart and why it will not set.
DessertsColombian Buñuelos, the Christmas Cheese Fritters
Colombian buñuelos, the salty cheese fritters of Christmas, made with cotija or queso costeño, cornstarch and tapioca. Fried at 300-330 °F so they puff without splitting, 20 of them in 57 minutes. Cheese swaps and why they burst.
Venezuelan Christmas dinner
The Venezuelan Christmas plate puts four things side by side: a hallaca, slices of pernil, a slice of pan de jamón (a rolled bread filled with ham, bacon, raisins and olives) and a scoop of chicken salad. It is a lot of cooking, but none of it falls on the same day: hallacas come out of the freezer, the bread is baked the day before and the pernil takes about 55 minutes of hands-on work over three days.
The full plan toward the 24th and the 31st is on the Venezuelan Christmas page.
LunchVenezuelan Hallacas, the Christmas Tamal Wrapped in Leaves
Venezuelan hallacas the family way: beef, pork and chicken marinated a full day, corn dough colored with annatto lard. Olives, capers and raisins, tied in plantain leaf and boiled, with US substitutions and a two-day plan.
DinnerVenezuelan Pernil, Christmas Pork Leg with a 3-Day Plan
Venezuelan pernil is a bone-in pork leg marinated 24 hours and roasted almost 6 hours to 175-195°F (80-90°C), for 8 people. A 3-day plan to Christmas Eve, US and UK cuts, crisp skin, scaling to 20 and leftovers.
SnacksPan de Jamón, Venezuelan Christmas Ham Bread
Venezuelan pan de jamón: an enriched dough rolled around ham, bacon, raisins and green olives, baked at 356 °F. The filling ceiling that keeps the seam closed, US ingredient swaps and how to freeze it.
SaladsVenezuelan Chicken Salad, Ensalada de Gallina for Christmas
Venezuelan chicken salad, or ensalada de gallina, is shredded hen with firm potato, carrot, peas and apple in mayo, ready in 200 minutes for 8. Hen vs chicken, US and UK swaps, buffet safety and a December 23 make-ahead plan.
Easy Latin Christmas dinner ideas
For a first Latin Christmas, pick one main that is cooked the day before and only reheated: the bacalao, or a pot of pozole verde, a green chicken and hominy soup whose sauce you make a day ahead. Add two cold sides made on the 23rd: the Mexican apple salad, sweet and creamy with pecans, and the macaroni salad, which needs no oven or stove on the day.
For dessert, any of the make-ahead sweets below, and for a drink, a pot of ponche, spiked mug by mug so kids drink from the same pot.
SoupsPozole Verde Recipe, Green Chicken Pozole with Pepitas
Pozole verde is Mexican green pozole, chicken and hominy in a tomatillo and pumpkin seed broth, ready in 90 minutes for 6 bowls. Canned or dried hominy, US and UK swaps, a sauce that won't split, scaling for 15 and freezing.
DessertsMexican Apple Salad (Ensalada de Manzana) for Christmas
Mexican apple salad with media crema, condensed milk, pineapple, pecans and raisins, ready in 90 minutes for 10 servings. Which apples to buy, how to stop browning, how far ahead to make it, a less sweet version and amounts for 20 and 30.
SaladsMexican Macaroni Salad (Ensalada de Coditos) for a Crowd
Mexican macaroni salad with crema, mayo, ham, corn and pickled jalapeño, ready in 100 minutes (an hour of chilling) for 10. How much dressing to hold back so it never dries out, amounts for 20 and 40, food-safety times and swaps.
Christmas dinner for a crowd
For 15 to 40 people, cook in big pots or big batches. Pozole rojo, pork and hominy in a mild red chile broth, is built for a crowd and freezes well. Tamales are a project for a few people around the table, and once steamed they freeze for months and reheat in the steamer. A batch of hallacas makes 40, and a lechona feeds about 20.
Plan one main and one supporting dish, not three: when there are hallacas and ham bread on the plate, about 400 g (14 oz) of bone-in pernil per person is plenty.
SoupsPozole rojo, Mexican pork and hominy stew for a crowd
Pozole rojo is Mexico's red chile pork and hominy stew, ready in 150 minutes (80 hands-on) for 10 bowls from guajillo and ancho chiles. Canned vs dried hominy, US and UK swaps, scaling to 25, make-ahead plan and freezing.
LunchGreen Chicken Tamales (Tamales Verdes) for a Tamalada
Green chicken tamales with tomatillo salsa and masa whipped with lard until a pinch floats in ice water, 24 tamales in 3 hours, 90 minutes hands-on. Masa harina swap, steaming without a tamalera, a party plan for 40 and freezing.
LunchRajas con Queso Tamales, Cheese and Poblano Pepper Tamales
Rajas con queso tamales with charred poblano strips, tomato and melting Oaxaca cheese in masa whipped until it floats. 24 tamales in about 3 hours. Easy vegetarian swap, Monterey Jack option, steaming without a tamalera and freezing.
Make-ahead Christmas desserts
These do not just survive being made early, they get better. Dulce de lechosa is green papaya simmered in a dark sugar syrup; Asian grocers in the US and UK sell green papaya for som tam. Manjar blanco keeps a week, figs in syrup keep a couple of weeks, and cabello de ángel, made with spaghetti squash outside Venezuela, keeps 3 weeks. Black cake is a rum-soaked fruit cake, and the natas dessert spreads light work over three days.
Two of these plus one fried sweet is a full dessert table with nothing to cook on the 24th.
DessertsVenezuelan Black Cake (Torta Negra), Rum-Soaked Fruit Cake
Venezuelan black cake (torta negra) is a Christmas fruit cake with rum-soaked fruit, papelón and dark caramel, baked at 300°F (150°C). One 9-inch cake serves 20: how it differs from Caribbean black cake, feeding schedule, swaps, storage.
DessertsVenezuelan green papaya dessert, dulce de lechosa recipe
Dulce de lechosa, Venezuela's Christmas dessert of green papaya strips candied in piloncillo syrup with cloves, off the heat at 223°F (106°C). Makes 3 lb (1.4 kg), 14 servings, in 3½ hours, with or without pickling lime and how to gift it.
DessertsColombian Manjar Blanco, the Rice-Set Christmas Milk Sweet
Colombian manjar blanco is milk and sugar reduced with soaked, ground rice until it sets firm enough to cut with a spoon. About 3 hours on the stove for 20 servings, the cold-plate test, US and UK swaps, a Christmas plan and costs.
DessertsColombian Figs in Syrup with Dulce de Leche (Brevas)
Colombian figs in syrup are green figs boiled three times to strip the bitter latex, then simmered in panela syrup to 220°F (104°C). Makes 24 figs for 8 in 170 minutes, with US and UK fig swaps, a Christmas plan and storage.
DessertsCabello de angel, Venezuelan spaghetti squash candy
Cabello de angel is Venezuelan candied squash: strands of figleaf gourd or spaghetti squash cooked in their own weight of sugar to 220°F (104°C). Makes 3½ lb, 16 servings, in 4 hours, with cinnamon and cloves; costs, storage and gifting.
DessertsColombian Natas Dessert, the Milk-Skin Pudding for Christmas
Colombian natas dessert, postre de natas, is milk skins from 6 liters (1.6 gal) of whole milk simmered in cinnamon syrup with yolks taken to 160°F (71°C). Which milk works, a 3-day plan, US costs and a cream shortcut.
Latin Christmas cookies and sweets
The fried sweets and cookies are what people snack on all night and what gets boxed up as gifts. Colombian hojuelas are crisp orange-scented fried dough that keep 5 days in a tin; Mexican buñuelos stay crisp up to a week, and polvorones are the pecan snowball cookies sold in the US as Mexican wedding cookies. Quesillo, a caramel flan, and bienmesabe, a coconut custard cake, are the spoon desserts after hallacas, and sweet tamales work as dessert or Christmas morning breakfast.
DessertsColombian Hojuelas, Crisp Christmas Fried Dough
Colombian hojuelas are thin orange-scented fried dough, rolled to 2 mm (1/16 in) and fried at 350°F (175°C) so they blister and snap. One batch gives 75 pieces in 85 minutes, with panela syrup or powdered sugar and a party plan.
DessertsMexican Buñuelos Recipe, Crispy with Piloncillo Syrup
Mexican buñuelos are paper-thin wheat discs fried at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 45 seconds a side, 16 in 110 minutes. How to stretch without tearing, why they turn hard or greasy, piloncillo syrup and how many for a party.
DessertsMexican Wedding Cookies, Polvorones That Keep Their Shape
Mexican wedding cookies, or polvorones, made with butter, toasted pecans and a double roll in powdered sugar, 36 cookies in 130 minutes. Chill the dough balls and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 14-16 min so they stay round. Gifting and freezing.
DessertsVenezuelan Quesillo, the Caramel Flan with Tiny Holes
Venezuelan quesillo is a caramel custard of 5 whole eggs and a can of sweetened condensed milk, baked in a water bath. Why the tiny holes are the point, the oven heat that makes them and how to unmold it without breaking it.
DessertsVenezuelan Bienmesabe, Coconut Custard Cake with Meringue
Venezuelan bienmesabe is a chilled layered dessert of wine-soaked sponge, coconut custard and cinnamon meringue, made a day ahead. Serves 15 in 330 minutes, with US and UK swaps, a no-alcohol version, safe egg temperatures and costs.
DessertsMexican Sweet Tamales (Tamales de Dulce), Pink and Fluffy
Mexican sweet tamales, pink tamales de dulce with raisins, made with 250 g of sugar and 300 g of fat per kilo of masa and whipped until it floats. Makes 24 in 160 minutes, with coloring options, steaming time, freezing and cost.
DessertsChristmas Butter Cookies That Hold Their Shape
Christmas butter cookies made with powdered sugar, egg yolks and no baking powder, rolled a scant ¼ inch thick and baked cold at 325°F (160°C). About 40 cut-outs, royal icing three ways, decorating without piping tips and drying times.
DessertsBuñuelos de Viento Recipe, Crisp Mexican Rosette Cookies
Buñuelos de viento are Mexican rosette cookies, a thin milk and egg batter fried on a rosette iron heated in 365°F (185°C) oil. How to season the iron, fix sticking or greasy rosettes, keep them crisp and make 40 ahead.
DessertsHomemade Panettone with Instant Yeast, No Starter Needed
Homemade panettone made with instant yeast instead of a sourdough starter, baked in two small paper molds at 350°F (175°C) to 197°F (92°C) inside. How to knead to the windowpane, timing rises in a cool kitchen, hanging and storing.
Latin Christmas drinks
Hot, for the posadas and the novena: Mexican ponche, a fruit punch with tejocotes (hawthorn fruit; frozen or jarred in Latin markets) and sugar cane; champurrado, thick chocolate and corn masa; plain atole; café de olla, coffee spiced with cinnamon and piloncillo; and Colombian hot chocolate, served with cheese in the cup.
Cold, for the toast: Venezuelan ponche crema and Colombian sabajón, both eggnog-style drinks cooked so the eggs are safe, made a day ahead and kept 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Each pot can also fill a milk-only bottle for the kids.
DrinksMexican Christmas Punch, Ponche Navideño with Tejocotes
Mexican Christmas punch (ponche navideño) is a hot fruit punch of tejocotes, guava, sugarcane and hibiscus, simmered in order of firmness. Ready in 90 minutes for 20 cups, with 40-cup amounts, spiked ratios, swaps and keep-warm tips.
DrinksMexican Champurrado, Thick Chocolate Masa Drink for a Crowd
Mexican champurrado is hot chocolate thickened with nixtamalized corn masa and sweetened with piloncillo, the drink served with tamales at posadas. Ready in 35 minutes for 6 mugs, with a 20-mug batch and US and UK swaps.
DrinksMexican atole recipe, masa harina or cornstarch, 4 flavors
Mexican atole made with masa harina, piloncillo, cinnamon and vanilla, at 60 g of masa per liter so it coats a spoon without lumps. 35 minutes for 6 cups, plus a cornstarch version, three fruit flavors and a 20-cup party batch.
DrinksCafé de Olla, Mexican Spiced Coffee with Piloncillo
Café de olla is Mexican coffee steeped with piloncillo and Ceylon cinnamon at 60 g per liter, never boiled with the grounds in. Ready in 30 minutes for 6 mugs, with party math for 24, brown sugar swaps and lead-safe clay pots.
DrinksColombian Hot Chocolate With Cheese in the Cup
Colombian hot chocolate made from sweetened table chocolate, frothed with a molinillo and served with a cube of fresh cheese melting in the cup. Why it must never boil, which cheese holds up and the calories of each version.
DrinksVenezuelan Ponche Crema, the Rum Eggnog Cooked to 160°F
Venezuelan ponche crema is a thick rum eggnog of condensed and evaporated milk cooked to 160°F (71°C), ready in 40 minutes for two 750 ml bottles. Its alcohol content, a kid-safe version, how long it keeps in the fridge and gifting.
DrinksColombian Sabajón, the Aguardiente Eggnog That Stays Thick
Colombian sabajón is a cold eggnog of whole milk, 6 yolks and cornstarch, boiled for 1 minute so it stays thick, then spiked with aguardiente. It makes two 750 ml bottles in 50 minutes, with a kid version, ABV and fridge life.
DrinksRompope Recipe, Homemade Mexican Eggnog Without Lumps
Rompope is Mexican eggnog made with reduced cinnamon milk and egg yolks only, cooked to 160°F (71°C) so it thickens without curdling. Makes about 5 cups in 70 minutes, with an alcohol-free version, fridge life and gifting tips.
DrinksClericot Recipe, Mexican Red Wine Punch by the Pitcher
Clericot is Mexico's party wine punch, red wine with diced fruit topped up with lemon-lime soda and sparkling water. One bottle makes a 3-quart pitcher for 8, with amounts for 20 to 30 guests, soaking times and a kid-safe version.
December 25 and the leftovers
Nobody cooks from scratch on the 25th. Leftover pernil goes into sandwiches or a skillet of fried rice, and hallacas and tamales are reheated still wrapped. Get the leftovers into the fridge as soon as dinner ends, not the next morning.
Frequently asked questions
What do Latin Americans eat for Christmas?
It depends on the country, but the main meal is dinner on December 24. In Mexico: salt cod bacalao, romeritos, turkey or pork and a beet salad, with hot ponche. In Colombia: natilla and buñuelos through the novena, then tamales, lechona or pork on the 24th. In Venezuela: hallacas with pernil, ham bread and chicken salad.
What is an easy Latin Christmas dinner for beginners?
One main that is made the day before, such as Mexican bacalao or pozole verde, two cold salads made on the 23rd (apple and macaroni), a dessert like natilla or quesillo and a pot of ponche. That leaves an hour or two of cooking on Christmas Eve.
What Latin Christmas dishes can I make ahead?
Hallacas and tamales freeze for months. Bacalao, the mole, both salads, natilla, quesillo, ponche crema and sabajón are made the day before. Desserts like manjar blanco, figs in syrup and cabello de ángel keep a week or more. Leave for the day only the pernil roast, mixing the chicken salad and frying Colombian buñuelos.
Where do I find Latin Christmas ingredients in the US or UK?
Latin grocers carry masa harina, dried chiles, piloncillo and frozen or jarred tejocotes; in the US, Maseca and piloncillo are often in the Hispanic aisle of regular supermarkets. Asian grocers sell green papaya and dark soy sauce. In the UK, jarred tejocotes in syrup and online Mexican shops are the realistic options. Each recipe lists the supermarket swaps and what they change.
Are there non-alcoholic Latin Christmas drinks for kids?
Yes: ponche without the spike, champurrado, atole and Colombian hot chocolate. Ponche crema and sabajón can be split into a kids' bottle made with milk instead of the liquor.