Christmas potluck ideas

'Tis the season! All across New Zealand, Kiwis are dusting off their Christmas trees, stringing up their lights and prepping for the holiday get-togethers - including the all-important Christmas dinner, family party and famous office potluck.

With the festive season notorious for being hectic, it can be helpful to have some handy holiday potluck recipes up your sleeve. Potlucks are a great way to sample plenty of incredibly delicious food, without anyone having to do all the work- and everyone should be able to find at least one thing at the party they can eat!

If you're looking to get prepared before your next potluck, our Christmas potluck ideas are a great place to start. We've put together our favourite morning tea, appetizer, lunch, dinner and dessert dishes that are sure to be a hit at your holiday table.

Looking for more Christmas inspiration? Check out the New World Christmas hub.

Christmas potluck ideas - New World's 5 top tips

Before we get into some of the best Christmas potluck ideas, let's first look at some of the general guidelines to ensure potluck success! Here are our five top holiday potluck tips.

1. Make the most of the season

Here in New Zealand, we're fortunate that our holiday season falls in Summer. The weather is warm, which means that recipes like salads, cheese and antipasto appetizers and fresh veggies are just as much of a go to as a green bean casserole might be in the Northern hemisphere. If you're keen to avoid the oven, embrace the Summer season. Instead, look for tasty seasonal no cook ideas like these Caprese skewers, made of only three ingredients: cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and bocconcini. It's like summer on a stick! Check out our Taste the season article for more great seasonal ideas.

2. Don't try to feed an army

Keep in mind that not everyone will want to try every dish at a potluck. And those who do want to try it will want a taste - not an entire hearty dinner! So if there are 20 guests invited and bringing a dish, your dish does not need to serve 20. If you want to make a large batch of a potluck meal (like this delicious bacon Herby green potato salad), keep the leftovers at home - they can feed your family and friends the next day!

3. Potluck to your own budget

Just because you're bringing a dish to share with other guests doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune. It's entirely possible for a delicious recipe to be both a crowd pleaser and budget-friendly. Desserts can often tick both of these boxes, so try to volunteer to bring a sweet dish or some baking if you're looking to save pennies. We love this Swedish berry cake that uses only five inexpensive ingredients - bake in the oven for a super easy treat that everyone will love.

4. Choose dishes that are easy to serve and eat

Keep in mind that potlucks don't always have guests seated around a table. People will often mix and mingle, which means dishes that can be eaten while standing up tend to work the best. If you have any doubts about what kind of dishes will work best, ask your host - they'll have an idea of what kind of seating is available and the vibe of the occasion.

5. Keep it fun!

At their heart, Christmas potlucks are a great excuse to gather and enjoy a holiday meal with co-workers, friends or family. Don't lose sight of this as you're planning what to cook for the occasion. There's no need to lose sleep over your potluck dish - and at the end of the day everyone will just be grateful to be enjoying each other's company. If you run out of time and need a last-minute dish, you can always grab some fresh veggies and hummus as a healthy treat, or bring along some New World garlic bread to pop in the oven.

Decided to ditch the oven and have a Summer BBQ instead? No problem! Check out our Summer BBQ Christmas menu.