Polish Christmas food – 14 Traditional Recipes

Are you looking to make this holiday season extra special with a touch of warmth and cheer? We have for you 14 traditional recipes from Polish Christmas food.

Why not try out these delicious, traditional Polish Christmas dishes for the Christmas eve dinner? The Poles have rightfully gained recognition for the extraordinary meals they prepare for their Christmas Eve dinners.

So, if your taste buds are tingling and you want to take home the recipe right away, simply read the article. On December 24 of each year, Polish families gather together to celebrate Wigilia, a joyous holiday derived from the Latin vigil.

Serve 12 symbolic traditional meatless dishes after the appearance of the first star in the night sky, as a tribute to Jesus’ disciples. If you’re looking for some delightful new recipes this season or you want to cook some polish Christmas eve dinner, then take a look at these fantastic Polish-inspired cuisine ideas that will make your festive feast extra special!

1. Polish Kolaczki Cookies for Christmas eve dinner

From savory dishes to desserts, Polish Christmas food is truly something remarkable. Take, for example, these kolaczki cookies, which are a delectable treat fit for any special occasion! Cream cheese and butter in the dough coupled with the delicious fruit filling make them an irresistible festive snack.

Not only do jams and jellies pair delectably with these cookies, but you’ll want to finish off your creation with a dusting of powdered sugar for an extra-special garnish.

2. Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad (Buraczki)

A must have Polish Christmas food, Buraczki is absolutely essential for any special occasion, whether it be summer or winter. Prepare this beet salad with very few ingredients and takes mere minutes to make!

To give your beets even more flavor, you can spruce them up with a shake of either balsamic or red wine vinegar. If you prefer something sweeter, lemon juice is always an excellent option for adding acidity to the dish.

Alternatively, if you’re serving this warm and want a silky texture instead of tartness from the vinegar or lemon juice, melt some butter and use it as a base—simple yet sumptuous!

3. Polish Borscht

To make this classic recipe even more authentic, try the Polish version of borscht! The key ingredients are onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, all fresh and full of flavor. This soup is a staple in many cultures, but you can guarantee it will be extra special with these unique additions.

Not only will you adore the vivid hue of this dish, but you’ll be charmed by its sweet and sour taste. Although it’s delightful on its own, you can make it even more extraordinary with a dollop of rich sour cream! The best Polish Christmas food to prepare as a Christmas eve meal.

4. Blueberry Pierogi 

Pierogi are typically associated with savory fillings. However, you can also stuff with sweet fruit-based ingredients. This recipe for Sweet and Fruity Pierogis is sure to tantalize your taste buds!

Although the traditional Polish Christmas food variant of this dish uses bilberries, you can substitute them here for blueberries. While they may seem different than their original counterparts, these pierogi will remain just as delicious!

5. Polish Christmas Eve Mushroom Soup

Indulge your taste-buds this holiday season with a traditional Polish mushroom soup, perfect for the Christmas Eve table. This simple yet scrumptious soup is sure to add an extra sparkle of warmth and flavor to any festive gathering!

When it’s freezing outside and you’re looking for something to warm your heart, try this traditional Polish dish. Filled with a mouthwatering combination of vegetables yet free from meat or dairy products.

This savory soup features a medley of earthy, dried mushrooms, flavorful herbs, and exquisite Lazanki noodles that add an indulgent layer. If you can’t locate the distinctive Polish pasta, don’t worry – you can use any wide egg noodle instead to achieve a similar delicious effect!

6. Grandma’s Golumpki -Stuffed Polish Cabbage

When it comes to classic Polish Christmas food and cuisine, nothing beats the flavor of cabbage. Whether for an everyday meal or a special occasion feast, the Poles always turn to this traditional recipe from their grandmother’s kitchen that combines boiled cabbage leaves with a tantalizing stuffing of ground beef, pork, and rice.

You won’t regret taking this tried-and-true dish out for a spin – with a mind blowing deliciousness! Even though red meat isn’t traditionally consumed on Polish Christmas Eve, take advantage of this incredible dish and enjoy it the following day!

7. Sauerkraut and Mushroom Pierogi

This succulent Christmas recipe is the perfect meat-free option for your Polish feast. The sauerkraut and mushroom filling give this dish its delightfully tangy flavor. For an even richer taste, add some prunes to the mix!

8. Polish Potato Salad – Sałatka Kartofli 

You didn’t think I’d skip a classic Polish potato dish on this list, did you? Potatoes are an essential component in many traditional recipes, and this one is no exception. All you need to make it happen is mayo, potatoes, celery stalks, onions, and dill pickles, plus sugar if that’s your thing.

The majority of Poles prefer their salad without the additional sweetener for extra tanginess!

9. Sernik – Polish Cheesecake

This holiday season, take your festivities to the next level with a delectable and distinctive Polish cheesecake. Put some extra effort into crafting something truly extraordinary that your guests won’t soon forget!

Get ready to indulge in this decadent dessert; a crunchy cocoa-dusted crust paired with an incredibly smooth vanilla pudding center will tantalize your taste buds. To make it even more irresistible, sprinkle on a pinch of sugar for some added sweetness!

10. Polish fish soup -Zupa Rybna

Poland has all manner of delicious food items, often accompanied by a hot dish of Polish seafood stew. The traditional Polish seafood soup is an authentic fasting recipe that is also very simple to prepare. Serve seafood fillets, vegetable-stuffed meats with various spices and herbs.

Fried carp is Poland’s official food, but you can consume it just once a year—on the holiday of Christmas eve. In many local traditions, fry the carp without removing a coating.

This carp has the perfect crunchy coating  For extra flavour add a simple combination of lemon, salt, and pepper. The guests will love it – I’m sure they’ll appreciate trying something new.

11. Polish Hunter’s Stew as a Polish Christmas food

With an abundance of smoky sausage, bacon, and wild mushrooms coupled with a hint of juniper berries, Bigos is an indulgent stew that will please the heartiest appetites.

Hunter’s Stew is aptly named—it brings together the finest elements of nature to create an unforgettable and delicious soup! From foraged mushrooms, root vegetables, and herbs to game meat that has been cooked with love, this stew is sure to make your taste buds happy.

12. Jewish Carp -Karp po ydowsku

Serve the Jellied pork as the main dish during the holiday. The dish does not have an individual recipe, but in general, you can serve it cold with a sweet jelly with raisins, flaked almonds. This unusual dish evolved from Jewish gefilte fish recipes traditionally prepared for the Jewish New Year, and sometimes carrot and egg slices were added.

13. Dumplings with Sauerkraut and Wild Mushrooms: Pierogi z Kapust Grzybami

Pierogi is a famous Polish food that can easily be explained without much explanation. Polish dumplings consist of thinly rolled dough containing numerous flavors, both sweet and savory.

The Christmas variation in Poland’s most famous cuisine consists of sauerkraut and dried forests like cep, always steaming hot!

14. Braised Sauerkraut with White Beans – Kapusta z Fasol

Sauerkraut is an authentic Polish culinary tradition. Sour cabbage plays a significant role in Christmas and sauerkraut with white beans, which is a typical Polish cabbage recipe.

A simple sauerkraut and white bean mixture is best served with rye bread and butter. Peas and cabbage were used in Poland almost 1,000 years ago. So it’s no surprise that they get a meatless version of this braised sauerkraut holiday recipe.

Four answered questions just for you:

What do Polish people have for Christmas?

Among some traditional christmas eve dishes are Christmas carp, Jewish carp herring, pierogi, and poppy seed desserts, sweet poppy seed cream, dried fruit compote and many more. The guests then give gifts and sing Christmas carols.

What is a traditional Polish meal on Christmas Eve?

Wigilei dinner. Fish is a major food on Christmas Eve in Poland. Carp can have several different forms: meat with aspic, gefilte fish, or vegetarian meat sweetened with onions, carrots, almonds, and raisins.

What are the 12 traditional Polish Christmas dishes?

Twelve traditional Polish christmas meals are: (Prniki -Polish gingerbread), Czyszcz Z Uszkia Barszczyz Uszkia (Redeborscht with mushrooms dumpling), Kapussta z Groszek (Cabbage in Splitpeas), Jazynowa Saaatka (Vegetable salad), Karp (carpe frying or cooking with Aspic), and Pierogis grzybimi kapustu.

What do the Polish eat at Christmas?

Polish Christmas meals include pierogis along with some ham dishes and savory makowiti noodles with poppy seeds or ground poppy seeds. Sometimes dried fruits and compote is added to the drink. The rest of the evening is devoted to stories around the Christmas trees.