These German Christmas foods and recipes are my favorites from growing up in Germany, ranging from foods commonly eaten at German Christmas markets to Christmas Eve recipes and New Year's Eve recipes.
German Christmas cookies
We can't talk about German Christmas foods without mentioning German Christmas cookies or Plätzchen right away.
To summarize some of my favorites like Vanillekipferl and Spitzbuben, I also wrote my 5 favorite German Christmas cookies for you.
Vanillekipferl definitely tops my list with the irresistible, soft texture, and buttery vanilla taste from the real vanilla bean used in the dough. I usually make at least 2 batches of Vanillekipferl every year. This is the fastest German Christmas cookie recipe and they're always gone first. And it looks like I am not alone in thinking they're the best. 38% of Germans prefer Vanillekipferl even over Lebkuchen (German gingerbread) at 35.7%.
Stollen is a German yeast bread studded with rum raisins and almonds (and sometimes marzipan) and is actually Germany's oldest baked good popular at Christmas time.
Up until recently, it was my least favorite German treat to eat this time of year until I developed my own recipe, which makes a fluffy Stollen that's moist and not dry! I plan to make more because the two loaves I made are already gone!
Have some leftover Stollen? Make some Stollenknödel (stollen dumplings)!
Perfect with a cup of coffee (or tea) and here is my list of favorite coffee and tea products.
Dreikönigskuchen (Swiss Three King's Cake)
As one of the most famous Swiss traditions, the Three King's Day cake is eaten on January 6th, at the end of the official Christmas season.
A king figurine, or a whole almond, is hidden in one of the rolls, and whoever finds it, gets to be king for the day. It's a light-hearted, fun way to end the Christmas season and we have adopted it in our family as well.
Christmas market foods (and drinks)
The German Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) are one of the main reasons why going home to Germany for Christmas is such a magical time. I love walking through the markets, taking in all the lovely, warming smells from the Glühwein (mulled wine) and freshly prepared foods while exploring handcrafted gift items.
Here are some of my favorites that everybody should try (or make at home using the linked recipes):
Glühwein is the first item that comes to mind, a German mulled wine. Lots of Germans will gather after work for a cup of Glühwein and not even have any food at all. Glühwein is a sweetened, warmed wine with added citrus and spice. It's super easy to make at home using bottled or boxed wine and we make it for holiday parties and when we decorate our tree for Christmas. Also, try my popular Glühbier (mulled beer).
Dampfnudeln is my number one German Christmas market food and I run, not walk, to them when I see them at the Weihnachtsmarkt. They're pan-steamed, super fluffy yeast dumplings with a caramelized bottom and usually topped with homemade vanilla sauce and a powdered sugar poppy seed mixture.
Other popular toppings are a berry, cherry, or plum compote. The smaller dumpling version is called Germknödel and does not have the caramelized bottom. They are often filled with plum compote or other fillings. I can't wait for you to make Dampfnudeln!
I can NEVER walk by the 'roasted chestnut man' without picking up a bag of hot Maronen (chestnuts). What's always shocked me the most is that the person selling has seemingly no pain sensation in their fingers. They pick the HOT roasted chestnuts off the grill BY HAND. You do not have to do that since my recipe allows you to roast chestnuts in the oven. If you've never had roasted chestnuts, the taste (to me) is similar to baked potatoes, but the best-baked potatoes you've ever had.
Lángos is a deep-fried Hungarian flatbread that's especially popular in Germany at Christmas time and you can buy them at most Christmas markets. The deep-fried flatbreads are topped with sour cream, cheese, and other simple toppings like garlic, parsley, bacon, and onion. They are addictively good and actually not hard to make at all!
Flammkuchen are German flatbreads available for purchase at Christmas markets and the most popular version from the Alsace region of France (Elsässer Flammkuchen) (Elsässer is topped with sour cream, bacon, and onion. Flammkuchen is super easy and quick to make and there are 5 different versions on the blog! They would make a perfect appetizer for a holiday party.
Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen are German potato pancakes and are available at every German Christmas market. They are commonly served with homemade applesauce (and I also love topping mine with a sprinkle of sugar and some sour cream (like my Oma did).
Champignonpfanne is a mushroom skillet, often served in a bread bowl, although you can just as easily serve it with some slices of freshly baked bread like my German rye sourdough.
Eierpunsch is a German spiked eggnog cocktail made without dairy and with white wine and rum instead. It's often served at Christmas markets.
What Germans eat on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve in Germany is the biggest Christmas celebration. That's when Germans celebrate in the evening and Christkind (an angelic-looking 'Christ child') or Weihnachtsmann (Santa) brings presents. Kids in Germany open presents after dinner and after singing a Christmas song (at least the tradition when I was growing up).
Growing up, eating dinner on Christmas Eve was a nerve-wracking 'hurdle' as it was the last 'to do' that separated us from opening those anticipated presents.
This is why some families keep Christmas Eve dinner simple with this easy, traditional German Christmas Eve meal. They serve their family's potato salad (linked is my Oma's creamy potato salad) and some Wiener sausages (and cooked Nürnberger Würstchen for my Opa).
The more modern German Christmas foods tradition is to serve fondue or raclette on Christmas Eve.
We typically served cheese fondue, and my mom would either make a classic Swiss fondue or a more rustic beer version, both so amazingly good! Here is my favorite fondue pot for cheese fondue because it's authentic and works so well. (I own 3).
If we don't eat fondue on Christmas Eve, we eat Raclette. Raclette is the name of the meal and the cheese that goes in each little individual pan that's then melted tableside over a bunch of pizza-like toppings. We also grill meats and veggies on the cooktop portion of the grill.
I created a post summarizing my favorite ways to raclette and here is my number one raclette grill for functionality, cleanability, and looks (I own 4).
German Recipes for Christmas
On Christmas, I would suggest you serve a German breakfast for brunch (here are 31 German breakfast food ideas), then slowly get ready to dish up a Glühweinbraten (mulled wine roast), some spätzle and red cabbage for dinner that night.
Other fabulous dinner options for a German-style Christmas are:
- herb and bacon pork roast
- Böfflamott (my Uncle Gerd's favorite beef roast)
- bread dumplings
- potato dumplings
- smoked duck with root vegetable barley (recipe by the famous German chef Alfons Schubeck)
- Schupfnudeln (maybe serve it with some Kassler)
- Riesling soup (this was the first course served at our wedding at Burg Rheinstein)
Weckmänner
Weckmänner are German 'dough men' made from a slightly sweetened yeast-raised dough that is then decorated with raisins and pearl sugar. They would be a wonderful addition to a Christmas brunch. In Germany, they are handed out on St Nicholas Day (Nikolaustag) on December 6th.
Christmas Gift Box
Trying to box up a German food experience for some loved ones who live in the United States? Then try this German Heimweh (homesickness) gift box that I curated for anyone missing Germany around this time of year.
It includes some of my FAVORITE authentic German-style meat products that are hard to find in the United States as well as a couple of other treats like German Haribo, Lebkuchen that's authentically small batch made in Colorado, and Oblaten for your Weihnachtsbäckerei (Christmas bakery). The total value is $139.99 and you can get the box at $10 off using code DIRNDL10 at checkout.
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