6 Make-Ahead Holiday Recipes

This is a story about making your holidays a little less stressful with recipes that you can prepare ahead of time. Whenever I write a piece like this, I feel compelled to present myself as someone to whom organizational know-how comes naturally, the kind of host whose kitchen looks practically untouched by the time the guests arrive.

But I’m not. I’m always doing something at the last minute, and there are usually dishes in the sink at the start of the party. I once had my learning style assessed in grade school, and the result was “abstract random”—so you can imagine the state of things.

You know what, though? With a little effort, I’m getting more organized every year. And so can you, with recipes that slot easily into any holiday entertaining plans. There’s a fruit compote that you can make up to a week ahead, giving the flavors time to blend and intensify. You can get a three-day head start on a delicious brisket, a side of glazed roasted root veggies, and a festive punch inspired by a classic cocktail. The dessert, a delectable candy cane cheesecake, can be made two days ahead, and so can the dipping sauces for a shrimp platter (but do keep those shrimp as fresh as possible!).

This feature was originally published as “Holidays, Handled” in the November/December 2026 issue of Yankee.

Baked Brie with Spiced Fruit Compote
Jumbo Shrimp with Dipping Sauces
Braised Cranberry-Rosemary Brisket
Cider-Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables
Candy Cane Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust
French 75 Punch

Amy Traverso

Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee and cohost of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with GBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.

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