The most popular dishes for Christmas Eve

When we listed Germany’s most popular Christmas Eve dishes in 2018, the picture was clear: potato salad with sausages led the way in roughly one-third of households, followed by goose, raclette, fondue and carp. The burning question today: has the country’s palate shifted-or is Germany still cooking Christmas Eve by the same script? The short answer: the script is intact. The ranking holds, with one interesting twist at the bottom.

Back then we asked, with a wink, whether Germany really serves only sausages and potato salad on Christmas Eve. The answer in 2018 was already a clear “sort of.” Today we have robust, annually repeated surveys from Statista and YouGov, and they paint an astonishingly stable picture. Here is the 2018 ranking, checked against today’s data.

1st Place: The Classic – Potato Salad with Sausages

It remains and will always remain the undisputed king of Christmas Eve. In a Statista survey from late 2024, around 36 percent said they eat sausages with potato salad over the holidays. YouGov recorded 32 percent for the same duo in the same year. Both figures are exactly where we expected them to be back in 2018: at a solid third of households. The reason is blindingly obvious. On 24 December, many families still have the gift-logistics programme to run; the salad is prepared the day before, the sausages take eight minutes in the pot. When it comes to the salad itself, opinions diverge: northern Germany favours mayonnaise and apple, Swabia broth and vinegar, every family defending its recipe like an heirloom.

Potato salad with sausages isn’t a makeshift meal. It’s the conscious choice to keep the evening free for the people instead of the stove.

2nd Place: The Roast Goose (and Its Sister, the Duck)

For a more festive touch, people turn to poultry. In the 2024 YouGov snapshot, almost one in four (23 percent) tuck into roast goose, while roughly one in five (21 percent) opt for duck. Taken together, roast fowl is nearly as common as potato salad-it just happens to be split between two birds. The charm is identical to 2018: while goose or duck slow-roasts for hours, you can calmly tend to red cabbage, dumplings and a second glass of wine. Timing is everything, because a bird weighing around four kilos needs three to four hours, depending on the method. If you start after lunch on the 24th, you’ll be eating at midnight. Pros roast the goose on the first holiday and keep Christmas Eve deliberately light.

3rd Place: Raclette – the Quiet Winner

Now things get interesting. Raclette ranked third in 2018, and it still sits in third place in 2024 with about 19 percent across all age groups. But the real story is beneath the surface: among 25- to 34-year-olds, raclette scores 30 percent, whereas the over-55 crowd clocks in at just 15. The little skillet is clearly the festive dish of the younger generation. Makes sense: raclette is sociable, undemanding to prepare and needs no rigid seating plan. Everyone tops their own little pan, the evening unfolds at a relaxed pace, and nobody stands alone in the kitchen for two hours. If any dish is going to gain ground in the coming years, this is it.

4th Place: Fondue – Not Just for New Year’s Eve

Fondue and raclette are the identical twins of holiday cuisine: both sociable, both assembled at the table, both without hours of advance cooking. In the YouGov poll, fondue registers at roughly 11 percent. Whether it’s broth, oil or the Swiss-western cheese classic, the principle stays the same: bite-size morsels, long table, lots of time for conversation. A practical tip, already valid in 2018: never plan an oil fondue for more than six people per pot, otherwise the oil cools and the meat won’t cook through. And the chocolate fondue for dessert replaces any elaborate dessert planning.

5th Place: The Christmas Carp – Regional Hero with Tradition

The carp-known in Bavaria and Franconia as “Karpfen blau”-is the most regional entry on the list. Nationwide surveys barely list it separately any more because its stronghold is clearly defined: southern Germany, Saxony, parts of eastern Germany. There, the fish simmered in salted water and bathed in vinegar holds its fixed place, traditionally served with a horseradish-cream sauce with apple and parsley potatoes. Carp is the best example of how Christmas dinner is ultimately about home. Those who grew up with it miss it every year; everyone else knows it at best by hearsay.

What Has Really Changed Since 2018

The honest assessment after six years: surprisingly little-and that’s the real takeaway. Christmas Eve in Germany isn’t a playground for food trends. While everyday life evolves rapidly, December 24 remains an anchor. The only visible shift is the generational effect with raclette: the younger the household, the more likely the little pans appear, the less likely the heavy roast. Plant-based alternatives are creeping in at the edges-vegan goose and meat-free fondue variations are gaining ground, but they’re not displacing classics; they’re adding to them. So if you’re wondering this year whether an elaborate menu will impress: save yourself the trouble. The magic of Christmas Eve isn’t in the dish, it’s in the table setting and the people around it.

For more seasonal inspiration, check out our best recipes for the colder months, and if you want to warm up the festive kitchen early with Halloween, browse our delicious pumpkin dishes.