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What better way to introduce your kids to other cultures, than to start with food. The Holidays are the perfect time to explore foods and traditions from around the globe with your kids. Whether you pull out some old family favourites or try one of these kid-friendly holiday recipes from around the world, Christmas time just got a little more adventurous (and delicious).
As a family we love trying foods from other cultures, and these Holiday recipes and Christmas recipes from around the world are our go-to’s each season.
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Holiday Recipes From Around The World, Kids Will Love
Food connects people. One of my family’s favourite things to do when we travel is try new food, flavours, and eat at restaurants that locals frequent.
One of the ways our family does this, is by researching traditions from the place we are planning (or hoping) to visit next, reading kids travel books, looking up recipes we want to make, and trying out food and
Without further ado, here are some delicious Christmas and holiday recipes to add to your menu this season.
Traditional Christmas Desserts From Around The World
1. Risalamande | Denmark | Greedy Gourmet
Risalamande, is a delicious rice pudding served for dessert on Christmas Eve in Denmark. Traditionally it is made with milk, rice, almonds, vanilla, with a cherry sauce on top.
There is usually a whole almond placed in the pudding. If you are the lucky person to find it, you get a special prize, often chocolates. Make sure you don’t bite it, it has to be whole!
2. Pfeffernüsse (Spice Cookies) | Germany | Curious Cuisinere
Pfeffernüsse is the German version of a molasses cookie, but spicier. It’s like a gingerbread (but without the ginger).
The spiciness in these cookies comes from a mix of cinnamon, anise and pepper, and with it’s soft, chewy texture, it’s sure to be a new holiday favourite.
🎄 More kid friendly no bake Christmas treats ideas
3. Speculaas Cookies | Netherlands | Curious Cuisinere
Speculaas Cookies are a popular Christmas staple in the Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Germany. These crisp, holiday spiced cookies are also known as Dutch Windmill Cookies, and are traditionally stamped or molded in a windmill or St. Nicholas shape.
Speculaas are often baked to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas (or Sinterklaas) on Dec. 6th or 19th depending on the area.
Expand your Kids Fun With these Free Letters to Santa Templates
4. Kourabiedes (Greek Butter Cookies) | Greece | My Greek Dish
Christmas celebrations in Greece last 14 days, starting Christmas Eve, and ending on Jan 6, Epiphany.
Kourabiedes, a popular traditional holiday sweet, are melt-in-your-mouth buttery cookies, made with pistachios or almonds.
Enjoy these with a cup of our favourite festive Christmas hot chocolate.
5. Pignoli Cookies | Italy | Joy Filled Eats
Pignoli Cookies have only a handful of ingredients and are easy enough for kids to help with.
These slightly sweet and chewy Italian Cookies are made from almond paste and covered with pine nuts. An Italian take on macaroons, and an Italian holiday favourite.
6. Gingerbread Cookies | England | Baking Beauty
Gingerbread cookies originated in England, and in the 16th century were used as a way for single women to find a mate. If the woman could get her chosen to eat the gingerbread cookie, the man would fall in love with her.
Today, these crunchy spicy cookies are great for decorating or dunking in coffee.
🎄 Take a food tour & explore the world from your kitchen with your kids.
7. Cinnamon Puff Christmas Tree Pastry | UK | A Mummy Too
This amazing puff-pastry Christmas tree is filled with a spiced cranberry applesauce, topped with cinnamon and decorated with toddler-friendly treats.
This would be a fun treat to make with your littles. And perfect to add to a holiday table appetizer.
8. Kolaczki Cookies | Poland | Feast For A Fraction
Kolaczki cookies are a traditional Polish Christmas cookie. With flaky cream cheese pie dough and fruit filling, they are tender and perfectly sweetened.
The main Christmas traditions in Poland start with the coming of Advent (4 weeks before Christmas) and end with celebrations on December 24, 25, and 26.
Christmas Eve (Wigilia) is the night of their big feast, after a day of fasting. The dinner consists of 12 courses, one for each apostle, and is usually meatless.
9. Pierniczki świąteczne(Polish Christmas Cookies) | Poland | Recipes From A Pantry
Pierniczki świąteczne , aka Polish Christmas cookies, are a fun, make-ahead festive treat.
They are easy to make, with pantry ingredients and bake in just 8 mins. Bake these for the family, for the Christmas tree, or for an edible Christmas Gift.
10. Russian Rose Bread | Russia | Little Sunny Kitchen
A beautiful braided cinnamon wreath perfect with a cup of coffee or tea any time of day!
This recipe is originally Russian, and Diana from Little Sunny Kitchen shared her Grandmother used to bake it whenever they visited, making the whole house smell like Christmas. Start your own multigenerational tradition.
🎄 Spark your childs curiosity and appreciation of the world around them with monthly craft, reading, recipe & learning activities.
11. Burbara (Wheat Berry Dessert) | Lebanon | Little Sunny Kitchen
Burbara is a Middle Eastern dessert that’s made and enjoyed on December 4th to celebrate the feast of Santa Barbara and to mark the countdown to Christmas.
It’s so easy to make, made with natural ingredients (don’t count the candy!), and it’s naturally vegan. This porridge-like dessert will definitely warm you up on a cold day!
Or try out Kutia, the Ukranian version of Christmas Wheat Berry Pudding made with with milk and honey, fruit, nuts, and poppyseeds
12. Pastelitos de Guayaba | Cuba | Latina Mom Meals
Flaky, sweet, creamy, and addictive, pastelitos de guayaba is the perfect Cuban dessert to have on a Sunday morning with a cup of Cuban coffee.
The easy to make combination of puff pastry, cream cheese and guava jelly would make the perfect addition to your Christmas morning delights.
Cuban Holidays are focused on the three F’s – Family, Friends and Food.
Eaten on Christmas Eve, the feast for Nochebuena is typically lechón asado, a roasted pig that’s been marinated in mojo. Mojo is a classic Cuban marinade made of sour orange, garlic, cumin, and oregano.
More Christmas treats from around the world:
13. Colombian Buñuelos (Cheese Fritters) | Columbia | by Curious Cuisiniere
14. Maamoul Cookies | Egypt | by The Delicious Crescent
15. Baklava (Persian Style) | Middle East | by The Delicious Crescent
16. Linzer Cookies | Austria | by Happy Foods Tube
17. Stollen (German Fruit Bread) | Germany | by International Foods Blog
18. Butter Tarts | Canada | Cooking The Globe
Butter Tarts are a Canadian classic, and many families have their own butter tart recipe, claiming its the best. Butter tarts are always a favourite over the holidays with my family.
A buttery, flaky crust combined with the delicious cream, brown sugar and pecan filling, is heaven in a bite.
19. Tim Tam Rocky Road | Australia | Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream
Tim Tam Rocky Road is a perfect go-to whenever you need to make something sweet and don’t have time to bake. Its super simple, has only five ingredients and is quick to throw together.
One of the main ingredients are Tim Tam’s, an iconic Australian cookie (yes it’s available in North America).
20. Fantastic Fudge | USA | Magnolia Days
Fantastic Fudge is made with simple ingredients; chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and pecans. Fun for kids to help make and give as homemade holiday gifts. Teacher gift anyone?!?
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21. Christmas White Chocolate M&M’s Bark | USA | Latina Mom Meals
This year, if you’re looking for something different, this easy Christmas white chocolate M&M’s bark recipe is perfect for gift giving.
Minimal work, cheap ingredients, and it makes a lot!
Perfect for a hotess gift or to put out for the kids (& adults) at dessert time.
22. Easy No Bake Caramel Marshmallow Treats | USA | Pura Vida Moms
These easy no bake caramel marshmallow krispie treats are gluten free, no bake and ready in 15 minutes. Sure to please any crowd- and a fun baking activity with young children.
Savoury Kid-Friendly Holiday Meals From Around The World
There is something so memorable about sitting down to a Christmas Feast, year after year.
For a few years, friends and I far from home created a Christmas Eve tradition where we chose a different country and had a themed dinner, instead of the traditional turkey. It was great fun.
Enjoy these kid friendly holiday meals and side dishes. Invite your kids to help you with some holiday cooking with kids too.
Try one of these delicious dinner ideas, or the ones below:
23. Red Pork Tamales | Mexico | by Mama Maggie’s Kitchen
24. Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani | India | by Spice Cravings
25. Leek and Sweet Potato Latkes | USA | by Babaganosh
26. Tourtiere | French Canadian | by Crumb
27. Jollof Rice | Sierra Leone | Recipes From A Pantry
This Cinnamon Spiced Jollof Rice recipe is just the thing to spice up your holiday table this year. Jollof Rice, a traditional West African spiced tomato rice dish, is served at celebrations such as Christmas, weddings and birthdays.
28. Olivier Salad | Russia | Cooking The Globe
Olivier Salad, is also known in other countries as Russian Potato Salad. It is said to have originated in Russiain the 1860son a New Year’s Eve, the most festive day of the year for Russians.
Made of potatoes, carrots, ham, cucumber, pickles, red onion, chives, sweet peas, all mixed with sour cream and mayo, it is a hearty addition to your Christmas or New Year’s festivities.
Try a Puerta Rican twist on Ensalad Rusa (they add beets and peas).
29. Vegan Yorkshire Pudding | UK | Vegan Punks
Christmas dinner wouldn’t be complete without Yorkshire puddings in the UK, and this recipe makes them easy to make! A true family favourite that everyone will enjoy.
30. Slow Cooker Cranberry and Orange Gammon | England | Slow Cooker Club
A perfect British Christmas ham recipe, slow cooker cranberry and orange gammon is an amazing combination you’ll want to cook again and again.
Perfect for entertaining a crowd, or for cooking for yourself whenever you feel like it!
31. Root Veggie Mash With Butternut Squash | England | The Reid Homestead
This Root Veggie Mash with Butternut Squash is a simple and hearty side dish from England. Traditionally served at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but is great anytime!
32. Green Beans Almondine | France | Wholesum Yum
You’ll want to add this pan fried green beans almondine to your Christmas or New Years feast as a side dish. Green beans cooked with butter, and bacon, with almonds sprinkled on top. Need I say more?
33. Air Fryer Mince Pies | England | Recipe This
Delicious homemade British mince pies made in the air fryer. An easy to follow recipe with only a small amount of ingredients. Freeze and reheat later and ideal for Christmas.
34. Instant Pot Coconut Masoor Dal Tadka (Red Lentil Curry) | India | My Plantiful Cooking
Masoor dal tadka, aka red lentil curry is super high in protein & naturally vegan. Made in the instant pot & only requires 9 simple ingredients.
If you are looking for something completely different this holiday season, or have vegans coming for dinner, this curry will make a delicious festive main course.
🎄 Add a little fun holiday decor to your festive meal times.
Easy Christmas Snack Recipes For Kids
Kids love snacks. Inspire some new culinary adventures with these easy kid friendly Christmas recipes that honor snacks from around the world.
Grab these easy kid-friendly christmas recipes for a quick snack.
35. Cuban Guava and Cream Cheese Crackers | Cuba | Latina Mom Meals
Simple sweet and classic, this Cuban guava and cream cheese cracker recipe is as Cuban as it gets.
Served at any time of day, this snack is perfect for unexpected company, to eat during homework breaks, or with your morning cup of coffee.
Add this to your list of easy fun holiday recipes, you can pull out last minute.
36. Mulled Apple Cider Popsicles | Australia | Keep Calm and Eat Ice Cream
These mulled apple cider popsicles take the wonderful fall flavours of apple and mulled spices and turns them into a delicious and refreshing popsicles. Made with non alcoholic cider they are a treat the whole family can enjoy.
37. Antipasto Christmas Wreath | USA & Italy | Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
If you’re looking for an amazing holiday appetizer to make this holiday season this Antipasto Christmas Wreath is perfect! It has bites size cheeses, Italian meats, olive, and takes minutes to put together!
38. Grinch Fruit Kabobs | USA | Sula and Spice
These grinch fruit kabobs will bring a smile to the face of young and old. Your grouchy relatives’ hearts will grow 3 sizes!
Christmas food ideas for kids and their adults.
🎄Celebrate your family adventures with Fun Travel Themed Christmas Ornaments.
39. Candy Cane Christmas Pretzel Rods | USA | Wow, It’s Veggie?!
These Candy Cane Pretzel Rods are so easy and delicious to make! Kids can even help by sprinkling the candy canes or dipping them in white chocolate.
40. Easy Stuffed Santa Strawberries | USA | Wow, It’s Veggie?!
These Santa strawberries are stuffed with icing and are a kid-favorite! They are on the healthier side so parents also love them.
I think they would also be delicious with creamcheese for the filling too.
Holidays are a great opportunity to share food with family and friends. What are some of your family favourite foods over Christmas? Let us know in the comments, or connect with us on social media. We’d love to hear from you.
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Easy Christmas Recipes From Around The World
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