What are Australia’s top 5 dishes to enjoy at Christmas Lunch?

By creammagazine, December 15, 2025

Tis the season to be jolly, and to fill your belly with so much yumminess you’ll swear you’ll go on that diet / join that gym / run those miles when the new year settles in. Well at least we have our Oura rings and Apple watches to remind us later.

We Australians do indeed eat a lot over the festive season, particularly on Christmas Day. Cream delved into the world of culinary delight to find out what five dishes are the most popular on the Aussie Chrissy Day table. And we didn’t need Curtis Stone to consult with.

Australia’s hot summer weather and coastal lifestyle shape the Christmas lunch menu for many households, blending tradition with seasonal sensibility. Together, these dishes reflect a balance between traditional holiday centre-pieces (ham, turkey), a coastal-summer adaptation (seafood, salads), and festive treats (pavlova), making Christmas lunch in Australia both culturally familiar and seasonally appropriate.

The top fiver dishes enjoyed on Christmas Day in Oz are:

01. A glazed ham: Often coated with honey, sugar, mustard or cloves, a bone-in ham is a festive favourite. It can be served hot or — as is common in the summer heat — cold or at room-temperature.

02. Sliced roast turkey: Or cold turkey if someone in the household was clever enough to cook a day or two before. Although less ubiquitous than ham, roast turkey remains a traditional centre-piece in many homes — sometimes served warm, but often pre-cooked and sliced cold to avoid heating up kitchens.

03. Seafood platters (especially prawns and oysters): Fresh or chilled prawns — frequently with cocktail or seafood sauce — are almost ubiquitous, and oysters, smoked salmon or other seafood are added when available. This reflects Australia’s love of seafood and the practicality of cooler dishes in summer.

04. Fresh salads and cold sides (e.g. potato salad, green salads, vegetable sides): To balance out meats and seafood, salads or cold vegetable dishes (and sometimes roast vegetables served at room temperature) are often included, offering a refreshing contrast on a warm day.

05. Pavlova and other light desserts: A meringue-based dessert topped with whipped cream and seasonal fruit — pavlova is practically synonymous with an Australian Christmas. It’s light, sweet, and particularly fitting for a summer lunch.