Yule Recipes and Foods: 7 Dishes for Your Winter Solstice Feast

Yule is the longest night of the year, and the best way to spend a long, dark night is around a table full of warm, spiced, golden food.

Food has always been at the heart of midwinter. In the old farming year, the last animals were slaughtered before winter, the beer and wine from the harvest were ready, and a big feast in the darkest week was a way to celebrate surviving the year and to call back the sun. Our main Yule guide gives a quick overview of the season's foods. This article is the full kitchen companion, with what the traditional foods mean and seven recipes you can make for your own solstice feast.

How to Plan a Yule Feast in 5 Steps

1. Pick a date. The solstice itself (December 21 in 2026), the night before, or any night of Yuletide.
2. Choose one golden thing. Something round, orange or gold to honor the sun: oranges, gingerbread suns or a glazed ham.
3. Add warmth and spice. Cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg are the flavors of the season.
4. Make one dish together. Gingerbread or the log cake are perfect for children and friends.
5. Bless the table and set aside an offering. A little of each dish for the earth and the returning sun.

Traditional Yule Foods and What They Mean

You don't need to cook all of these. Pick the ones that feel like Yule to you.

Food	What it means at Yule
Oranges and citrus	Little suns: joy, abundance and the returning light
Gingerbread and spice cakes	Warmth, protection and sweetness in the dark
Ham and roast pork	An old northern European midwinter feast food, for plenty and good luck
Nuts and chestnuts	Wisdom, stored life and the promise of spring growth
Apples and cider	Health, love and the blessing of next year's orchards (think wassail)
Cranberries and red berries	The red of the newborn sun and the life force of winter
Honey	Sweetness, kindness and the sun's gold
Cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg	Warming spices for prosperity, protection and good health
Rosemary, bay and evergreen herbs	Protection, remembrance and life that endures

Read more about any of these in The Witch's Cabinet, for example cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg.

7 Yule Recipes for Your Solstice Feast

1. Wassail (Hot Spiced Cider)

"Wassail" comes from an Old English greeting meaning "be well," and the drink was carried from house to house in midwinter to toast everyone's health. This version is alcohol-free so everyone can share it.

Ingredients

• 8 cups (2 liters) apple cider or cloudy apple juice
• 2 cups (480 ml) orange juice
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 4 thin slices of fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or a few allspice berries
• 1 to 3 tablespoons honey, to taste
• 1 orange, sliced, to float on top

Directions

1. Put everything except the honey and orange slices in a large pot.
2. Bring it to a gentle simmer and keep it just below a boil for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir clockwise and name a wish for everyone's health.
3. Taste, stir in honey if you'd like it sweeter, and strain out the spices.
4. Serve hot with orange slices floating on top. Adults can add a splash of brandy or a cup of ale to their own mug.

2. Gingerbread Suns

Cut these into suns, stars or spirals to welcome back the light. They're a lovely thing to bake with children.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) molasses

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg and molasses.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. Divide it in two, wrap each half and chill for at least 1 hour.
4. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets.
5. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick on a floured surface and cut out suns. As you cut each one, you can say: Little sun, come back to us.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until just firm at the edges. Cool, then pipe on simple white icing rays if you like.

3. Honey and Clove Glazed Yule Ham

Ham has been a centerpiece of midwinter feasts in Scandinavia and Britain for centuries; the Swedish Christmas table is still called the julbord, or Yule table. The golden glaze makes it look like a little sun.

Ingredients

• 1 fully cooked bone-in or spiral-cut ham (about 7 to 9 lb / 3 to 4 kg)
• 1/2 cup (170 g) honey
• 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, plus whole cloves to stud (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Put the ham in a roasting pan, cut side down, and cover it loosely with foil.
2. Warm it in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes per pound, until it reaches 140°F (60°C) inside.
3. Meanwhile, warm the honey, brown sugar, mustard, orange juice and ground cloves in a small pan until smooth.
4. For the last 20 minutes, remove the foil, score the fat in a diamond pattern if it isn't spiral-cut, stud with whole cloves, and brush on the glaze two or three times.
5. Rest for 15 minutes before carving.

4. Chestnut, Mushroom and Thyme Soup

A rich, earthy soup for the vegetarians at your table, or a warming first course for everyone. Chestnuts have been roasted at midwinter for centuries.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 oz (225 g) mushrooms, sliced
• 7 oz (200 g) cooked, peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed are easiest)
• 4 cups (1 liter) vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) cream (or more stock for dairy-free)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the onion gently for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes.
2. Add the chestnuts, stock and thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Blend until smooth, stir in the cream, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with a sprig of thyme and good bread. Our guide to harvest bread magick has an easy soda bread that goes perfectly.

5. Rosemary and Cinnamon Spiced Nuts

Nuts hold the life of the tree through winter, so they're a natural Yule food. These make a lovely gift too.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (about 400 g) mixed unsalted nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews)
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A pinch of cayenne (optional)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a baking sheet.
2. Whisk the egg white until frothy, then toss the nuts in it.
3. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne and rosemary, and toss with the nuts until coated.
4. Spread on the sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden and dry. Cool completely; they crisp as they cool.

6. Cranberry and Orange Sauce

Red berries and a little sunshine of orange. Serve it with the ham, roast vegetables or cheese.

Ingredients

• 12 oz (340 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 3/4 to 1 cup (150 to 200 g) sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Directions

1. Put everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the berries have popped.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and cool. It thickens as it cools and keeps in the fridge for a week.

7. Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake)

This rolled chocolate cake is the sweet cousin of the Yule log burned on the hearth. It looks impressive but is easier than it seems.

Ingredients

• Cake: 4 eggs, 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar, 1/3 cup (40 g) all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, a pinch of salt
• Filling: 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Ganache: 6 oz (170 g) dark chocolate, chopped, and 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• Powdered sugar, rosemary sprigs and cranberries to decorate

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 10 x 15 inch (25 x 38 cm) jelly roll pan with greased parchment.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer for about 5 minutes, until pale, thick and doubled.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt over the eggs and fold in gently. Spread evenly in the pan.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until it springs back when touched.
5. Turn it out onto a clean towel dusted with powdered sugar, peel off the paper and roll it up in the towel from a short side. Let it cool completely, rolled.
6. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Unroll the cake, spread the cream, and roll it up again.
7. Heat the cream for the ganache until steaming, pour it over the chocolate, wait 2 minutes and stir until smooth. Let it thicken slightly.
8. Cut a short slice off one end at an angle and set it on the side as a "branch". Cover with ganache, drag a fork along it to make bark, dust with powdered sugar snow and decorate with rosemary and cranberries.

A Blessing for the Yule Table

Light a gold or white candle in the middle of the table before you eat and say:

On the longest night, we gather close. Thank you, Earth, for the food that kept us through the dark. Thank you, Sun, for coming back to us. May this feast warm our bodies, this light warm our hearts, and may we greet the new year together. Blessed be.

Set aside a small plate with a little of each dish as an offering, and leave it outside or on your altar overnight. Avoid leaving onions, garlic, chocolate, grapes or cooked bones outdoors, as they can harm animals. For more table blessings, see our Thanksgiving blessings, which work for any winter feast.

Kitchen Magick Tips for Yule

• Stir clockwise to draw in what you want for the new year: health, warmth, plenty.
• Fill the house with scent. A pot of orange peel, cinnamon and clove simmering on the stove is Yule magick in itself. See our guide to simmer pots.
• Cook in the colors of the season. Red cranberries, green herbs, white cream and golden glazes. Our guide to the colors of Yule explains each one.
• Write it down. Keep your favorite Yule recipes, with any blessing you said, in your Book of Shadows so the tradition grows each year.

For the basics of cooking with intention, start with kitchen magick for beginners. And if you'd like recipes for the other sabbats, try our Samhain recipes, Mabon recipes and Lughnasadh recipes.

Final Thoughts

A Yule feast doesn't have to be grand. A pot of wassail, a plate of gingerbread suns and a candle in the middle of the table are enough to turn the longest night into a celebration. Cook something warm, share it with people you love, and welcome back the sun together. If you'd like to understand the meaning behind every sabbat feast, our Wiccan Holidays course walks through the whole Wheel of the Year.

What's always on your Yule table? Share your favorite winter recipe in the comments!

Sources

Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996).
Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (Llewellyn, 2003).
Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn, 1985).
Ellen Dugan, Seasons of Witchery: Celebrating the Sabbats with the Garden Witch (Llewellyn, 2012).

Check out our other articles:
Yule: The Pagan Winter Solstice and How to Celebrate It
The Yule Log: History, Meaning and How to Make One
Samhain Recipes and Foods
Kitchen Magick for Beginners
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