These delicious holiday recipes represent typical German Christmas food. Treat guests to a traditional German Christmas dinner with classic dishes like roasted goose legs, braised red cabbage. and dumplings, and don't forget the mulled wine and platter of gorgeous, festive cookies.
01of 15
Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Brasied-Red-Cabbage-Apples-Bacon-FT-RECIPE1221-471019efc4ac4c0792e6465a13245a33.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (1)")
This sweet-and-sour, traditional Bavarian braised red cabbage is always served with goose, duck, or pork. To make it, the cabbage is gently braised with tart apple, smoky bacon, orange zest, and spices.
Get the Recipe
02of 15
Pretzel and Mustard Dumplings
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Pretzel-Mustard-Dumplings-FT-RECIPE1221-1-b8ac654021584b5b88a3283073ea68ec.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (2)")
Dumplings made of day-old pretzels and bound with egg are common in Germany; they're a delicious way to use up stale bread and are great to serve alongside roasted goose to soak up extra gravy on the plate. The mustard is not traditional, but it pairs excellently with the pretzel rolls used here. If you can't source pretzel rolls, any plain bread rolls will do.
Get the Recipe
03of 15
Mulled Wine
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Mulled-Wine-FT-RECIPE1023-dcacdd5cb3b749b1bc960f46250c66f5.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (3)")
This drink from Walkers restaurant in Cape Neddick, Maine, is gently infused with nutmeg, vanilla, and star anise, then lightly sweetened with honey and maple syrup. The result is a spiced, not-too-sweet mulled wine you’ll want to sip all winter long.
Get the Recipe
04of 15
Roasted Goose Legs with Sour Cherry Glaze and Gravy
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Sour-Cherry-Glazed-Goose-Legs-With-Gravy-FT-RECIPE1221-768a6f135ddb4d158890991d575368eb.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (4)")
Food & Wine editor Melanie Hansche reimagines the traditions of her hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany, in this recipe for sour cherry–glazed roasted goose legs. In Bavaria, it's not Christmas without roast goose, but roasting individual legs makes it a more manageable endeavor.
Get the Recipe
05of 15
Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/spitzbuben-holiday-cookie-3-FT-RECIPE1220-6f676263ac6c483692dc0a7f2e08cb7f.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (5)")
German for "cheeky boys," these Bavarian cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie platter. Brown butter and cardamom make this simple cookie into a fragrant treat. Take the time to freshly grind the cardamom — its robust, citrusy flavor is worth it. You can use round or fluted cutters to cut out the cookies with any shape for the center.
Get the Recipe
06of 15
Rustic Apple Tart
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Rustic-Apple-Tart-FT-RECIPE1023-08153df19e73455687bd4c91d891237e.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (6)")
This is the flakiest, easiest, best pie crust we've ever tested. Master chef Jacques Pépin has created a virtually fail-safe recipe that's completely hassle-free: You don't even need to chill the dough before you roll it out.
Get the Recipe
07of 15
Fresh Cheese Spaetzle
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/200605-r-xl-fresh-cheese-spaetzle-3f7ec09c4b814ac7a707512aa3489704.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (7)")
Former F&W senior test kitchen editor Grace Parisi had to perfect her spaetzle-making skills to prevent her German au pair from becoming homesick. Germans typically use quark when making spaetzle, but Parisi's au pair told her that the type available in the United States isn't curdy enough. So Parisi uses small-curd cottage cheese in the spaetzle and makes the chive sauce with tangy quark.
Get the Recipe
Warm Potato Salad with Pancetta and Brown Butter Dressing
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/200807xl-warm-potato-salad-with-pancetta-and-brown-butter-dressing-519db03848134058aca8a033a4138d58.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (8)")
Here, brown butter is whisked into a tangy, mustardy dressing for creamy fingerling potatoes. The potato salad can be served warm or at room temperature.
Get the Recipe
09of 15
Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/201308-r-xl-lentil-soup-with-smoked-sausage-d549c672487b42158f59e07ba7a3a763.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (9)")
For a special version of this hearty stew, use imported Vertes du Puy lentils, which have a rich, earthy flavor. A firm whole-grain bread would be ideal alongside.
Get the Recipe
10of 15
Sautéed German Sausages with Bacon and Apple Sauerkraut
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/HD-fw200510_sauerkraut-57199bf507264d42b8890063f5e444d6.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (10)")
In Germany's Pfalz region, cooks braise sauerkraut with onions, apples, seasonings, a touch of sugar, and a little of the region's Riesling wine, creating an ideal accompaniment for juicy weisswurst or bratwurst.
Get the Recipe
11of 15
Hausfreunde
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RECIPE1215-XL-hausfreunde-f3169d95a7914dac9dd90f06b2aa8c51.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (11)")
This classic German recipe calls for dipping buttery almond-apricot sandwich cookies in bittersweet chocolate. The phenomenal results are well worth the effort.
Get the Recipe
12of 15
Haselnussmakronen (Raspberry-Hazelnut Macaroons)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RECIPE1215-XL-haselnussmakronen-9c4308fcb0ec4942a91c3811bcffc45d.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (12)")
These German raspberry-hazelnut macaroons require just five ingredients and are extremely no-fuss. Says Berlin-based blogger Luisa Weiss, "You just throw the dough together, heat up some jam, and you're almost there."
Get the Recipe
13of 15
Lebkuchen
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/201412-xl-lebkuchen-jeffrey-morgenthaler-2000-e450d0a4a3bb4a1aa0cb6ed97608045f.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (13)")
Lebkuchen are traditional, delicately spiced German molasses-ginger cookies. This recipe from mixologist Jeffrey Morgenthaler was passed down from his great-grandmother to his grandmother to his uncle.
Get the Recipe
14of 15
Classic Cheese Fondue
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/200801-r-xl-classic-cheese-fondue-2000-66cc49b88e714fcbb84597a1d56412d0.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (14)")
Chef Ryan Hardy makes his luxurious fondue with two kinds of Swiss cheese (Emmentaler and Gruyère) and two kinds of spirits (white wine and Kirsch), all traditional ingredients. Some of the dipping items are also classic, like cubes of crusty bread and pickles.
Get the Recipe
15of 15
Basler Leckerli
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RECIPE1215-XL-basler-leckerli-98f52e8e805046d896be64d4ca02ff10.jpg "German Christmas Dinner Recipes (15)")
These spiced cookie bars are an essential part of a German Christmas. They're an excellent make-ahead sweet; in fact, they get more tender and flavorful the longer they sit.
Get the Recipe
