A smooth holiday dinner often relies on some key staples. Having these 10 ingredients on hand can save your Christmas meal!

1. Milk/Cream

Rich cream and milk are essential for making appetizers, desserts, and drinks for friends and family. Heavy cream can turn into heavenly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Milk gives body to creamy soups and chowders that make hearty, comforting starters on a cold night. And you’ll need milk or nut milk to make hot cocoa, a beloved holiday treat for people of all ages. Don’t risk runny mashed potatoes or sad cocoa-less kids! Pick up a half gallon of milk or cream.

2. Butter

Butter makes everything better! From enhancing the crispiness of your roast potatoes to giving cookies and cakes irreplaceable flavor, butter is a baking essential. Compound butter with herbs and spices also makes simple yet elegant finishing touches. Butter should make it into your grocery cart.

3. Eggs

Get a carton of eggs for tasty breakfast baked goods like crustless quiche or strata that use plenty of holiday leftovers. Fluffy omelets also make a refined Christmas morning meal. Hard boil some eggs ahead of time for quick snacks or appetizers. And don’t forget, eggs help bind ingredients in holiday baked goods like sugar cookies and fruitcakes.

4. Bread

Bread forms the base of stuffing along with plenty of veggies and herbs. Rolls are great for sopping up gravy and bowlfuls of chunky soup. Garlic bread makes the simplest accompaniment but still feels special. And don’t forget the kids–grilled cheese or PB&J will always be in demand! Pick up an assortment of breads to cover all your holiday meal bases. Consider getting both white and wheat options to please the masses.

5. Stuffing/Dressing

This category deserves special mention. Whether you bake it inside the turkey or bake it separately in a casserole, stuffing is a must for holiday dinners. I love the simplicity of a basic bread stuffing softened with butter, chicken or turkey broth, eggs, onion, celery, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. The ingredients may seem simple but combined, they make magic! Adjust herbs and other add-ins to suit your family’s preferences.

6. Potatoes

Mashed, roasted, scalloped, or hashed– we all have our favorite holiday potato dishes. Stock up on russet or Yukon gold potatoes to prepare them every which way. Potatoes are one of the best canvas dishes to soak up all the delicious flavors of your meal. Don’t risk a potato-less Christmas dinner!

The next few ingredients provide oh-so-necessary flavor…

7. Onions/Garlic

Onions and garlic build a flavor base for so many recipes like gravy, roast veggies, savory pies, green bean casserole, and more. I like to have both fresh garlic bulbs plus minced garlic handy. Chopped onions are great to have too. If you’ve ever made stuffing without that life-giving shot of onion flavor, you understand why this ingredient cannot be forgotten!

8. Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs give your Christmas meal a just-prepared restaurant quality. Sprinkle them over everything from cocktails to desserts! Having a variety like parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, and sage on hand enables you to add little grace notes wherever needed. Even just some parsley or cilantro garnish goes a long way on holiday dishes.

To finish things off sweetly….

9. Flour

Sugar cookies, gingerbread people, fruitcakes, pies–baking is part of the holidays. Make sure you’ve got all-purpose flour as well as cake and pie crust flour on your list. A lack of flour could mean no Christmas cookies or other classic desserts–and that’s just sad!

10. Sugar

What would the holidays be without sweet treats? Powdered and brown sugars are also handy for sweetening coffee, oatmeal, etc. Pick up white and brown granulated sugars as well. And don’t forget the maple syrup to drizzle over pancakes on Christmas morning!

Planning Your Holiday Shopping

Making sure you’ve got all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas dinner doesn’t need to feel stressful. Follow these planning tips when tackling those crowded grocery stores:

  • Make a detailed grocery list organized by section of the store:

    Go through the holiday recipes you plan to make and write down every ingredient needed. Then categorize each item by where you’ll find it when shopping – produce, dairy, bakery, canned goods, etc. Having a master list prevents forgetting must-have ingredients in the chaos. It also saves time not having to backtrack all over the store or hunt aisle by aisle.

  • Set multiple phone reminders to collect ingredients gradually:

    We all get extra scattered keeping up with social obligations at the holidays. So give yourself alerts leading up to Christmas Eve to pick up key items. For example, set a reminder for next Tuesday to grab butter, Thursday for eggs, and Saturday for herbs. Checking things off over multiple trips prevents an overwhelming, risky one-stop shop. No more standing in front of the egg nog realizing you’ve forgotten the rum!

  • Choose to shop earlier in the day to avoid heavy crowds:

    Grocery stores often restock overnight so going mid-morning means products are freshly out on shelves before the swarms arrive. Afternoon visits tend to mean picked-over selections, stressed shoppers, and very long checkout lines. Protect your holiday peace of mind by tackling the grocery store early. You’ll breathe easier without battling other harried customers for the last can of pumpkin.

Hopefully, these expanded tips provide some handy strategies for smooth sailing through one of the most notoriously stressful holiday tasks

Wrapping Up

As this checklist covered, having these 10 holiday meal basics on hand does take the stress out of Christmas dinner:

  1. Milk/Cream
  2. Butter
  3. Eggs
  4. Bread
  5. Stuffing
  6. Potatoes
  7. Onions/Garlic
  8. Fresh Herbs
  9. Flour
  10. Sugar

Even if you do end up forgetting something in the hustle and bustle, all hope for your holiday feast isn’t lost. Visit any Fresh Farms location if you need to make an emergency ingredient run in the Chicago area. Our wide selection has rescued many frantic holiday hosts with a last-minute shortage of butter or eggs.

Here’s hoping the tips provided help make your next Christmas dinner smooth sailing. Feel free to pin this list or snap pics for easy access during future chaotic grocery trips. When the holidays roll around again next year, you’ll be ready to relax and enjoy time with loved ones, with all your cooking covered. Happy holidays to all, and all a good bite!