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15 Rice Recipes for a Christmas Dinner crowd 2026

Sharing food makes everyone happy! :)

Looking for the best rice recipes for Christmas Dinner or Lunch 2026? Here are easy savory recipes from India to Japan that your friends and family will love. It's the perfect way to stretch the budget further for a Christmas dinner party- you just need a bit of meat or veg for a crowd!

Kimchi Fried Rice and Golden Turmeric rice with "XMAS Asian Rice Recipes" written in between.

Rice is versatile, affordable, and delicious- uncooked white rice, if stored properly, can last for ages in the pantry, making it very convenient too!

It's a great way to stretch the budget further for a Christmas dinner party as you just need a bit of meat or veg and you can feed a large crowd! From Korea to Singapore, this collection of easy holiday rice recipes will make your Christmas meal unforgettable.

With Meat

Hong Kong Claypot Rice (in Rice Cooker)

Chinese claypot rice with sausage, mushrooms, and green scallions.
Chinese Claypot Rice (Rice Cooker)
This easy Chinese Claypot Rice is a restaurant quality Hong Kong dish made in a Rice Cooker with Chinese mushrooms and Chinese sausage- better than takeout! (For lazy days when you want to cook last-minute, I've included a no chicken version.)
Click here for the rice cooker recipe.
Chinese claypot rice with Chinese sausage and mushrooms in a bowl.

Leftover Rice? Here are the best recipes to use up extra cooked rice, including ones specifically for Japanese rice!

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice with cucumbers and tomatoes.
Along with Singapore Chilli Crab, Singapore Chicken rice is one of Singapore's most famous local dishes.

Tender chicken and fragrant rice cooked in chicken fat, Singapore Chicken Rice is a dish I've never heard anyone say they don't like! (It's 1 of the most popular Singapore street foods.)

Luckily, you don't have to take a plane to South East Asia as you can make it perfectly at home!

Tip: if not, for an easy chicken rice version, just put the rice, chicken broth, garlic, ginger, pandan leaves and onion in the rice cooker! One pot chicken rice- see below.

Singapore Chicken Rice in a Rice Cooker Pot.
Hainanese Chicken Rice (Rice Cooker)
A super easy recipe for a fragrant and delicious Singapore Chicken Rice, made in the Rice Cooker. Made from easy-to-find ingredients (I tested without pandan leaves, but also show you how to use pandan leaves if you can get them.)
Click here for the one pot chicken rice recipe.
Holding up a spoon of Singapore Chicken Rice made in a rice cooker.

Turmeric Rice

Stirring roasted cashew nuts into golden turmeric rice.
Easy Turmeric Rice (One Pot, Rice Cooker)
This delicious and easy Turmeric Rice is a one-pot recipe that is made in the rice cooker. It has a tinge of sweetness from the raisins, crunch from the cashews and a gorgeous golden color from the turmeric! Plus all the main ingredients are from the pantry!
Click here for the easy golden rice recipe.
Close-up of turmeric rice with raisins on a wooden spoon.

Pineapple Fried Rice

Because my Father worked for over 20 years in Thailand, I spent many years there so I'm a bit picky about my Thai Food. Pineapple fried rice is 1 of the few dishes that I find can be as good outside Thailand as it is in Bangkok.

Tip: if you want to make the rice more golden in color, you can add a pinch of turmeric powder.

Meatless

Kimchi Fried Rice

A plate of Korean fried rice with a sunny side egg.

Using leftover rice for fried rice helps keep the rice is fluffy and not mushy!

Tip: to make it a complete meal, serve with these fried rice sides or these Korean side dishes!

Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Fried Rice)
Kimchi Bokkeumbap, or Korean fried rice with kimchi, is so easy and delicious, it's often whipped up as a hangover meal in a Korean household and can be made perfectly the first time. Plus, it's done in 15 minutes if you have leftover rice around!
Click here for the gochujang rice recipe.
Close-up of a plate of Korean kimchi and gochujang fried rice

Nasi Goreng

Indonesian Fried Rice is a sweet, salty and savory dish that is a popular Asian breakfast, especially with a fried egg!

Spicy Thai Fried Rice

Scooping up some dark Thai fried rice with basili, carrots and peas.
Thai Basil Fried Rice (Vegetarian) (20 min)
This Vegan/ Vegetarian Thai Basil Fried Rice is a deliciously easy dish on the dinner table in under 20 minutes. It's the ultimate Asian comfort food: sweet, salty, savory, and budget-friendly! (Not including rice cooking time, if not using leftover rice.)
Click here for the quick thai fried rice.
A spoonful of vegetarian Thai fried rice with Thai basil, peas, carrots and chilies.

Pumpkin Rice

A scoop of Chinese pumpkin rice with some red chili, dried shrimp and coriander.

1 pumpkin goes a long way- here are some easy recipes to use up the rest of the pumpkin!

Chinese Pumpkin Rice
This Chinese Pumpkin rice is a super easy and flavorful rice cooker recipe: the soft pumpkin cubes melt in your mouth, contrasting with the firm bite of the white rice grains. Moreover, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare and the rest of the work is up to your rice cooker!
Click here for the easy rice cooker recipe.
Close-up of a bowl of brown coloured rice with pumpkin cubes, red chili, coriander and dried prawns.

Pandan Rice

A South East Asian feast of 2 types of pandan rice and other foods.

Pandan Rice is a very simple Asian rice that nonetheless never fails to impress thanks to its beautiful fragrance! (Leftover pandan can be used in these Asian recipes.)

Pandan Rice
2 easy Pandan Rice recipes: I show you how to cook a fragrant white rice or a pandan-flavored, olive-green, creamy rice using 2-3 simple ingredients.
Click here for the pandan rice recipe.
A Singporean meal with 2 types of pandan rice, fried egg, eggplant and sambal kangkong.

Nasi Lemak

One of the most popular breakfasts in Singapore and Malaysia, this delicious coconut rice wouldn't be the same without the sambal chili, fried ikan bills (small fish) and peanuts!

Seafood

Thai Basil Shrimp Fried Rice

A plate of Spicy Thai Fried Rice with Thai Basil and Shrimp.

For more ways to use Thai Basil, click here.

Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong)
This Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp (Khao Pad Goong) is quick easy and delicious: it's on the table in under 30 minutes if you have leftover rice. Plus making it at home means you can save money and custmise it to your desired spice level!
Click here for the spicy shrimp rice recipe.
A plate of Spicy Thai Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp and Egg.

Tuna Fried Rice

Overhead shot of a big bowl of homemade spicy Thai-inspired fried rice.

Need more canned tuna dishes, click here.

EASY Canned Tuna Fried rice (30 min)
This easy Canned Tuna Fried Rice recipe is simple, nutritious, and delicious. Done in 30 minutes, it's a great pantry meal for a quick weeknight dinner. (I also show you how to make it spicy, or non-spicy.)
Click here for the Thai fried rice recipe.
A spoon in a bowl of tuna fried rice.

Kimbap Sandwich

Close-up of homemade folded kimbap, cut in half.

This is a fun dish at a XMAS party as everyone can wrap their own sandwich!

Tip: remember to have a small bowl of water and vinegar next to you when you roll, so that you can dab your hands and prevent the rice grains from sticking!

Folded Kimbap Sandwich (Attorney Woo)
Folded Kimbap Sandwich is a fun, easy and delicious Korean street snack that shot to fame with the K-drama, Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It's simple to make and super versatile for lunchboxes: read on for some of the many possible fillings!
Click here for the rice sandwich recipe.
Folded kimbaps, stuffed with cheese, kimchi, tuna and egg, in a bowl.

Baked Sushi Casserole

Gochujang Mayo Tuna baked sushi with avocado on top.

These are fun recipes for a crowd, because everyone can wrap their rice in seaweed themselves- a DIY component always makes food gatherings more lively!

Salmon Sushi Bake Recipe
Salmon Sushi Bake is a simple but delicious Asian fusion casserole that consists of flaky salmon in a creamy sauce on top of warm rice. It lets sushi novices enjoy without having to deal with the stress of rolling the rice. Made with easy to find ingredients, it's a great sharing dish that's on the table in 20 minutes (excluding the time to cook the rice!)
Click here for the baked salmon recipe.
Close-up of a spoonful of baked salmon sushi rice.
Sushi Bake (with Canned Tuna)
Sushi bake is an easy Asian casserole that is rich and creamy and allows you to enjoy sushi without having to learn how to roll! You can even make it spicy! Made with easily available ingredients that you don't need to go the Asian grocery stores for, this pantry-ingredient-recipe is the perfect party dish for sharing with friends and family.
Click here for the tinned tuna recipe.
Close-up of a scoop of deconstructed sushi bake with avocado.

Need Christmas recipes beyond rice? Click here for Christmas main courses, for XMAS cookies, XMAS appetizers, and homemade food gifts.

Note: I've not included some rice recipes, such as rice porridge, as they're not particularly festive. For more Asian rice recipes, click here.

If these Asian rice recipes were helpful, maybe you'd like to sign up for my Asian food newsletter? Which of these Asian rice recipes for Christmas will you be cooking? Let me know in the comments!

I have other recipes you may like here! :)

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