Christmas Dinner Sides You Can Make Ahead Of Time

Turkey may get all the glory, but everyone knows it’s the delicious side dishes that make Christmas dinner so special.

Candied sweet potatoes , creamy mashed potatoes, savoury stuffing ... our mouths water just thinking about it. Now, if only we didn’t actually have to cook it all. Because who wants to spend all of Christmas  Day in the kitchen, when you could be ... well ... spending less time in the kitchen, anyway.

Hence the beauty of Christmas dinner sides that you can make ahead of time. Prep these dishes in advance, pop them in the oven or slow cooker on Christmas Day, and enjoy at least a few minutes with your feet up ...

We love tips for feeding kids. Check out our gallery below. Story continues below. 

... or chasing the kids around, tobogganing, gorging on cookies — whatever puts the kris in your kringle!

Check out all these delicious Christmas dinner sides that you can make ahead of time, and enjoy the time you get back.

Make-ahead garlic and herb mashed potatoes

These mashed potatoes are full of flavour, and just need to be popped in the oven to warm up before your big meal. 

Get the recipe:  Five heart home

Make-ahead turkey gravy

If you’re a gravy fiend like us, you know no Christmas dinner is complete without a plate drowning in the good stuff. That you can make this thick and flavourful version ahead of time is a major bonus. 

Get the recipe: Butter your biscuit

Make-ahead Brussels sprouts with bacon

You had us at bacon.

Get the recipe: Treasured mom

Make-ahead herbed sausage, cranberry and apple stuffing

Stuffing = yassss. Stuffing you can make ahead and freeze = YASSSS.

Get the recipe: Sally’s baking addiction

Southern sweet potato casserole

Omg that pecan topping. Now it’s Christmas. This is a perfect make-ahead side dish.

Get the recipe: Erhardt’s eat

Cheesy make-ahead mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes, but with CHEESE.

Get the recipe: The recipe rebel

Make-ahead honey roasted carrots

Don’t forget the veggies!

Get the recipe: Sweet peas and saffron

Duchess potatoes

It is Christmas and we demand MORE POTATO SIDES!

Get the recipe: Home made interest

Spiced sweet potato casserole

Just in case that first sweet potato casserole didn’t look sugary enough, here’s one with marshmallows in the topping.

Get the recipe: The chunky chef

Spinach stuffing balls

Stuffing, but in adorable balls you can easily make ahead.

Get the recipe: Dish’n the kitchen

Cheesy rutabaga carrot casserole

Another side dish smothered in cheese? YES PLEASE.

Get the recipe: Sprinkles and sprouts

Cheesy broccoli casserole

To continue our theme. Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Get the recipe: Num’s the word

Loaded mashed potato casserole

Just when we thought we had enough potato options, fate gave us potatoes with cheese AND bacon! GET IN OUR MOUTHS.

Get the recipe: The Anthony kitchen

Peas and pancetta

We thought you could use a break from cheese. So here are some peas with meat in them.

Get the recipe: The genetic chef

Make-ahead roast vegetables

You can’t go wrong with a classic roast veggie dish!

Get the recipe: Cooking light

Looking for some vegetarian options? Check out this slideshow.

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