Looking for Asian Christmas recipes to make your holiday table a little different this year? These are 25 of my favorite Asian dishes for Christmas, from crispy Chinese roast pork belly and cha siu pork to crispy egg rolls, Korean japchae and a creamy mango sago for dessert. Many of them can be made ahead, so you can actually enjoy the party!
Whether you're hosting Christmas dinner, bringing a dish to a holiday potluck or planning a New Year's Eve party, there's something here for everyone. Mix and match a few appetizers, one or two mains and a couple of sides, and add something fresh like my Taiwanese cucumber salad to balance all the rich dishes. Hosting Thanksgiving too? Check out my Asian Thanksgiving side dishes and these easy pork belly recipes.
Jump to:
- 😍 Why you'll love these Asian Christmas recipes
- 🥟 Asian Christmas appetizers
- 🥢 Crispy Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Chả Giò)
- 🥬 Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
- 🍣 Baked Salmon Sushi Cups
- 🥟 Lucky Beef Dumplings
- 🍱 Spam Musubi Bake
- 🍣 Salmon Sushi Bake
- 🍗 Cha Siu Chicken Wings
- 🧈 Crispy Air Fryer Tofu
- 🍖 Asian Christmas main dishes
- 🐷 Crispy Chinese Roast Pork Belly
- 🍖 Cha Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork)
- 🍯 Asian Honey Glazed Ribs
- 🔥 LA Galbi Short Ribs
- 🍗 Gà Rô Ti (Vietnamese Rotisserie Chicken)
- 🥡 Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken
- 🥘 Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
- 🍜 Asian Christmas side dishes and soup
- 🍲 Corn Egg Drop Soup
- 🍝 Crab Shack Garlic Noodles
- 🥢 Korean Beef Japchae
- 🍳 Golden Fried Rice
- 🥒 Taiwanese Cucumber Salad
- 🥭 Asian Christmas desserts and drinks
- 🥭 Mango Sago
- 🍓 Strawberry Sago
- 🍡 Mochi Ice Cream
- 🍷 Big Batch Sangria Mocktail
- 🥤 Dirty Soda with Cold Foam
- 🗓️ Make-ahead Christmas timeline
- 🎄 Asian Christmas menu ideas
- 💡 Tips for hosting an Asian Christmas dinner
- 💭 Asian Christmas recipes FAQ
- 🍽️ More holiday recipe roundups
- 💬 Comments
😍 Why you'll love these Asian Christmas recipes
- Make-ahead friendly: lots of these can be marinated, folded, frozen or chilled the day before, so Christmas day is less stressful.
- Feeds a crowd: big platters of roast pork, egg rolls, dumplings and noodles go a long way at a holiday party.
- Something for everyone: crispy appetizers, showstopper mains, easy sides, a vegetarian option and fun drinks for the kids and the adults.
- Easy to mix and match: pick a few from each section, or use one of the menu ideas below.
🥟 Asian Christmas appetizers
Start the party with something crispy and bite size. Most of these can be prepped ahead and cooked right before guests arrive.
🥢 Crispy Vietnamese Egg Rolls (Chả Giò)
Golden, crispy egg rolls with a savory pork and taro filling. Roll a big batch ahead and freeze them, so they're ready to fry for the party.
🥬 Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Fresh rice paper rolls with shrimp, pork belly, herbs and noodles, plus my easy peanut sauce. A light, colorful bite next to all the rich holiday food.
🍣 Baked Salmon Sushi Cups
Sushi rice and creamy baked salmon in crispy nori cups, ready in about 20 minutes. Bite size and perfect for passing around at a party.
🥟 Lucky Beef Dumplings
Juicy beef dumplings with easy folding steps. Fold a batch ahead and freeze them, so they're ready when guests arrive.
🍱 Spam Musubi Bake
Layers of rice, furikake and crispy glazed Spam topped with creamy mayo. Scoop it onto nori. It feeds a crowd and is perfect for a holiday potluck.
🍣 Salmon Sushi Bake
All the flavor of a lion king roll in a casserole dish, ready in about 25 minutes. Scoop it up with nori for an easy crowd pleaser.
🍗 Cha Siu Chicken Wings
Sweet and savory wings with honey and hoisin. Marinate them the night before, then cook them in the air fryer or oven right before the party.
🧈 Crispy Air Fryer Tofu
Crispy tofu like the Taiwanese night markets, made in the air fryer or oven and topped with a savory garlic sauce. A great vegetarian option for the table.
🍖 Asian Christmas main dishes
Skip the ham this year, or serve one of these next to it! Most of these mains are marinated or prepped the day before.
🐷 Crispy Chinese Roast Pork Belly
Crackly golden skin and juicy meat, made in the air fryer or oven. The skin dries in the fridge overnight, so start it the day before. A real showstopper!
🍖 Cha Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Better than takeout Chinese BBQ pork that's sticky, sweet and savory. Marinate it overnight, then roast it the day of.
🍯 Asian Honey Glazed Ribs
Tender braised ribs coated in a sticky honey glaze, just like your favorite Chinese BBQ spot. A cozy main for a holiday dinner.
🔥 LA Galbi Short Ribs
Korean BBQ short ribs in a sweet and savory marinade. Marinate them overnight for the best flavor, then cook them right before dinner.
🍗 Gà Rô Ti (Vietnamese Rotisserie Chicken)
Juicy five spice chicken with honey and soy, ready in about 30 minutes. Marinate it overnight for even more flavor.
🥡 Air Fryer Soy Sauce Chicken
Savory, glossy soy sauce chicken with just five ingredients, ready in about 20 minutes. An easy main when the oven is full.
🥘 Chinese Red Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Classic pork belly slowly braised with soy sauce, rock sugar, ginger and star anise. Make it a day ahead and reheat it gently before dinner.
🍜 Asian Christmas side dishes and soup
Noodles, rice and a fresh salad round out the table, plus a cozy soup to start.
🍲 Corn Egg Drop Soup
Restaurant style soup with silky egg ribbons in just 10 minutes. A cozy starter while the main finishes cooking.
🍝 Crab Shack Garlic Noodles
Buttery, garlicky noodles ready in about 20 minutes. Make a double batch, they go fast!
🥢 Korean Beef Japchae
Chewy sweet potato glass noodles with beef and colorful veggies in a sweet sesame soy sauce. It's tasty warm or at room temperature, so it's perfect for a buffet.
🍳 Golden Fried Rice
10 minute fried rice where egg yolks coat every grain. Use cooled rice for the best texture.
🥒 Taiwanese Cucumber Salad
Crunchy, garlicky Din Tai Fung style cucumbers. Make them the night before so they can marinate.
🥭 Asian Christmas desserts and drinks
Light, fruity desserts are perfect after a big meal, and the drinks are fun for everyone.
🥭 Mango Sago
Chewy sago pearls, fresh mango and nata de coco in a creamy milk base. Let it chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
🍓 Strawberry Sago
A pretty pink twist on sago with strawberries and nata de coco. Make it ahead and let the flavors come together in the fridge.
🍡 Mochi Ice Cream
Only three ingredients and no stove! Make them ahead and keep them in the freezer so dessert is ready to go.
🍷 Big Batch Sangria Mocktail
An alcohol free sangria with cranberry pomegranate juice, fresh fruit and warm spices. Prep the base a few hours ahead and add the bubbles right before serving.
🥤 Dirty Soda with Cold Foam
A fun, fizzy party drink topped with blue raspberry cold foam, ready in about 5 minutes.
🗓️ Make-ahead Christmas timeline
Here's how I'd spread out the cooking so Christmas day is mostly about reheating, frying and enjoying. Always check each recipe for its own make-ahead and storage notes.
1 to 2 weeks ahead
- Fold the lucky beef dumplings and freeze them on a tray, then move them to a freezer bag.
- Roll the egg rolls and freeze them.
- Make the mochi ice cream and keep it in the freezer.
The day before
- Marinate the cha siu pork, LA galbi, gà rô ti and cha siu wings.
- Season the roast pork belly and let the skin dry uncovered in the fridge overnight.
- Make the red braised pork belly, cucumber salad and mango sago or strawberry sago.
Christmas morning
- Prep the sangria mocktail base and chill it.
- Roll the spring rolls and make the peanut sauce.
- Assemble the Spam musubi bake or sushi bake so it's ready to go in the oven.
The last hour
- Roast the pork belly and cook the marinated mains.
- Fry the egg rolls and cook the dumplings.
- Make the quick dishes: garlic noodles, golden fried rice and corn egg drop soup.
- Add the sparkling water to the sangria mocktail and serve!
🎄 Asian Christmas menu ideas
Not sure where to start? Here are a few menus I'd put together. Each one has a mix of make-ahead dishes and quick ones.
Cantonese style feast
Korean BBQ Christmas
Vietnamese family dinner
Holiday party or potluck
💡 Tips for hosting an Asian Christmas dinner
- Plan one showstopper: pick one big main like roast pork belly or honey glazed ribs, then keep the rest simple.
- Balance rich and fresh: pair crispy, fried and braised dishes with a cucumber salad or spring rolls.
- Use your freezer: egg rolls, dumplings and mochi ice cream can all be made well ahead.
- Free up the oven: cook wings, tofu or soy sauce chicken in the air fryer while the oven handles the big main.
- Set out sauces: a bowl of nước chấm or ginger scallion sauce makes everything taste even better.
💭 Asian Christmas recipes FAQ
Crispy Chinese roast pork belly, cha siu pork, honey glazed ribs and LA galbi all make great Christmas mains. Add a few appetizers like egg rolls, spring rolls or dumplings, a noodle or rice dish and a light dessert like mango sago.
Crispy Chinese roast pork belly is my favorite holiday centerpiece. Honey glazed ribs, cha siu pork and gà rô ti (Vietnamese rotisserie chicken) are also great options that feed a crowd.
Egg rolls, dumplings and mochi ice cream can be made ahead and frozen. Cucumber salad, mango sago, strawberry sago and red braised pork belly can be made the day before, and most of the meats can be marinated overnight.
For about 8 to 10 people, I like 2 or 3 appetizers, 1 or 2 mains, 2 sides and 1 dessert. Choose a mix of make-ahead dishes and quick ones so you're not stuck in the kitchen.
Crispy egg rolls, fresh spring rolls, salmon sushi cups, beef dumplings, cha siu chicken wings and Spam musubi bake are all easy to share and great for a party.
Mango sago, strawberry sago and mochi ice cream are light and refreshing after a big meal, and all of them can be made ahead.
🍽️ More holiday recipe roundups
Need more ideas? Browse my Asian Thanksgiving side dishes, easy pork belly recipes, best chicken wing recipes for game day, or my 34 best air fryer recipes for easy holiday snacks.
Which one are you making?
I'd love to hear from you! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on the recipe you try and tag @thesavorychopstick on Instagram.
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