Food Holidays & Occasions Christmas 21 Festive Christmas Roast Recipes 'Tis the season to make your holiday table merry and bright with an impressive Christmas roast. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 24, 2024 Close Photo: Christopher Testani The holiday season calls for festive, celebratory meals, and a showstopping Christmas roast definitely fits the bill. Keep things simple with an air-fried roast chicken or our earthy three-ingredient prime rib roast, or use the holiday as an invitation to get fancy by making an impressive platter of sour cherry-glazed roast goose legs or a crown roast of lamb. There are no wrong answers here, just delicious opportunities to present a roasted centerpiece that'll delight everyone at your holiday table. Peruse our collection of Christmas roast recipes, choose your favorite, and start planning that special menu. 01 of 21 Rack of Pork with Cider-Pepper Glaze Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Succulent and centerpiece-worthy, this roast rack of pork from the late acclaimed chef Patrick Clark is coated in garlicky herbs and a glossy apple-forward glaze. The pork is tender and juicy; the gravy made from the pork drippings has a wonderful balance of acidity, sweetness, and fat. Get the Recipe 02 of 21 Standing Rib Roast of Beef Cara Cormack Bruce Aidells' easy standing rib roast beef recipe uses an adaptation of the classic English approach to a beef roast. It's a perfect centerpiece for a British-style Sunday lunch, as a Christmas roast, or any celebration or holiday meal. Get the Recipe 03 of 21 Juniper-Rubbed Roast Duck with Cherry Jus Christopher Testani Chef Angie Mar's succulent roast duck brings new meaning to the term "show-stopper." It's served with a rich sauce of reduced duck broth and tart cherries as a nod to the cherry trees in the Pacific Northwest where she grew up. If you have a cocktail smoker, use it to give a hint of smoke to the duck. Get the Recipe 04 of 21 Leg of Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes and Leeks Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee The key to this easy roast leg of lamb is the dry brine. The meat is coated with an herby, pleasantly salty crust before marinating in the refrigerator for about eight hours, yielding a juicy, tender, and deliciously garlicky lamb roast. Get the Recipe 05 of 21 Spiced Cider–Glazed Ham Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel Carla Hall's holiday-worthy ham is all about the glaze. Made with apple cider, bourbon, brown sugar, mustard, and warm spices, its concentrated flavors permeate the crevices of the spiral-cut ham for juicy sweetness in each bite. Plus, it caramelizes in the oven for a beautiful, sleek finish. Get the Recipe 06 of 21 Air Fryer Roast Chicken with Rosemary-Orange Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines A dry brine of citrus zest, herbs, and salt ensures this roast chicken skin gets nice and crispy in the air fryer; the meat stays moist thanks to citrus wedges stuffed inside the cavity. The bird cooks in only 45 minutes — just enough time to set the table, pour the wine, and make a gravy from the drippings while the chicken rests. Get the Recipe 07 of 21 Porchetta Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This juicy roast combines a crispy, fatty exterior and tender pork wrapped around an aromatic filling with kale, fennel, garlic, and lemon. We love it as the centerpiece of a holiday dinner, and then using the leftovers to make sandwiches. Get the Recipe 08 of 21 Roasted Goose Legs with Sour Cherry Glaze and Gravy Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee In Bavaria, it's not Christmas without roast goose. Food & Wine editor Melanie Hansche reimagines the traditional German dish in her recipe for sour cherry–glazed roasted goose legs, an easier endeavor than roasting the whole bird. Get the Recipe 09 of 21 Garlic-Butter Rib Roast Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell This gorgeous rib roast owes its incredible flavor to a compound butter made with garlic, anchovies, herbs, and shallot. Half gets slathered on the meat before it goes into the oven; the other half is rolled into a log, chilled, and then cut into medallions to serve with each slice of beef. Get the Recipe 10 of 21 Crown Roast of Lamb with Jeweled Rice Stuffing Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser This dramatic lamb roast is terrific for a holiday feast. The meat gets a nice sear along the edges and is perfectly tender and juicy on the inside. Jeweled with crunchy almonds and sweet raisins and currants, the turmeric rice is a delicious complement. Get the Recipe 11 of 21 Roast Duck with Citrus Pan Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle This roast duck looks great on any holiday table. It comes together easily from only a handful of ingredients — we love its crisp golden skin. The citrus and soy-accented pan juices are cooked down to a sauce that's perfect with the rich meat. Get the Recipe 12 of 21 Picanha Roast Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Tender, flavorful picanha is roasted to medium-rare and then served with a warm, pink peppercorn–infused sweet-and-sour brown butter sauce to make it downright swoon-worthy. Get the Recipe 13 of 21 Roast Beef with Shallot and Black Bean Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Chef Brandon Jew creates a perfectly seasoned crust for this juicy roast beef by simply rubbing the meat with kosher salt and coarsely crushed toasted black peppercorns — but it's the slightly sweet, salty, and earthy shallot-black bean sauce that's the real star here. Get the Recipe 14 of 21 Buttermilk-Brined Roast Chicken David Cicconi Chefs Evan and Sarah Rich include Douglas fir sprigs in the garlicky buttermilk brine for their fabulous roasted chicken, but the rosemary in our adaptation is a fine substitute. The addition of dried porcini mushrooms brings lots of umami goodness. Get the Recipe 15 of 21 Pork Roast with Sausage, Fruit, and Nut Stuffing © Akiko Ida & Pierre Javelle Pork and fruit is a classic pairing worldwide, but this impressive dish from chef José Andrés gets a particularly Catalan flavor from the combination of dried fruit and Catalan cured pork sausage in the stuffing. Get the Recipe 16 of 21 Rosemary-Pepper Beef Rib Roast with Porcini Jus © John Kernick In this recipe from the late renowned chef Floyd Cardoz, beef rib roast is seared in a preheated pan in the oven, which saves stove space and helps the meat cook more quickly — a total plus when preparing a holiday meal. Get the Recipe 17 of 21 Goose Stuffed with Apples and Armagnac-Soaked Prunes Ditte Isager Cookbook author Nadine Levy Redzepi hits the nail on the Christmas roast head with her elegant stuffing that combines plump Armagnac-soaked prunes, apples, and garlic. If boozy flavors aren't your thing, you can soak the prunes for as little as two hours instead of a full week. Get the Recipe 18 of 21 Pernil Asado (Garlicky Roast Pork Shoulder) Cara Cormack Chef Jose Enrique's version of the Puerto Rican classic is extra flavorful because it first marinates overnight in a blend of citrus, garlic, and herbs. Then, it cooks slowly in the oven until it's deeply caramelized. It can be carved, shredded, or pulled into large pieces for serving — no wonder pernil is a traditional Christmas dish that's ideal for family gatherings. Get the Recipe 19 of 21 Three-Ingredient Prime Rib Roast © Con Poulos Chef Ryan Farr blends finely ground coffee and a touch of vanilla bean with salt and pepper to make an earthy rub for his prime rib roast. He lets the meat stand for half an hour after applying the mixture; alternatively, you can refrigerate the rubbed roast overnight and bring it to room temperature before popping it in the oven. Get the Recipe 20 of 21 Harissa-Crusted Pork Crown Roast © Con Poulos For this regal pork crown roast recipe, the usual garlic-herb coating is swapped out for a smoky harissa version, which transforms from a paste into a crispy crust in the oven. Get the Recipe 21 of 21 Sea Salt Rib Roast Victor Protasio Seasoned with flaky sea salt and sel gris, this grand rib roast is served with a creamy caramelized morel mushroom gravy spiked with sherry vinegar. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit