29 Recipes That'll Make New Year's Eve Dinner Extra Special

Hot Crab Fondue — The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Create a stunning New Year's Eve dinner menu with these special-occasion recipes that will impress even your foodie friends. Use these ideas to plan the ultimate end-of-year dinner party, with recipes included for every course, plus champagne cocktails for sipping. From oysters on the half-shell to wow-factor beef Wellingtons, creamy Champagne chicken, and indulgent glamorous desserts, you'll find everything you need here for the ultimate New Year's Eve feast.

The Best Cheap Champagnes and Sparkling Wines of 2023

01 of 29

Strawberry Vodka Champagne Cocktail

The Spruce / Loren Runion

Combine a fine Champagne and a great vodka with strawberries and you have a fantastic and easy drink. The elegant strawberry cocktail recipe pairs fresh berries with premium vodka and sparkling wine. It's nice that it's served in a cocktail glass as opposed to a Champagne flute because the wider glass allows the bubbles to swell.
02 of 29

The Happy New Year Cocktail

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Take a Champagne cocktail, forget the sugar, add some ruby port and orange juice and you have a "Happy New Year." It really is the name of this fantastic drink and it is an ideal way to ring in the new year.
03 of 29

Champagne Cocktail

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Kick off your New Year's Eve shindig on a celebratory note by serving shimmering flutes of a bubbly Champagne cocktail. This elegant, effervescent drink includes a hint of rich, fruity sweetness from Chambord liqueur, making it even more fabulously special.
04 of 29

Fried Oysters With Cornmeal Batter

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Fried oysters are a flavorful treat that can be easily made at home. Use them as an appetizer or add them to salads or simple pasta or rice dishes. Our recipe with a cornmeal coating makes these fried oysters super crispy, and the recipe is a great template for you to add to and experiment with other seasonings.

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05 of 29

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner

Whether you're hosting a party or simply want snacks as you wait for the ball to drop, these bacon-wrapped sausages are bound to be a hit. Smoked sausages, bacon, and brown sugar are the core ingredients in a recipe that's sure to be a hit.
06 of 29

Hot Crab Fondue

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

There's cheese fondue and then there's hot crab fondue. This recipe is lightly spiced and flavored with garlic, shallots, wine, cream cheese, cheddar, dill, and Worcestershire sauce. Serve hot with breadsticks, French bread cubes, and/or cocktail crackers. This fondue is filling enough to make a meal.
07 of 29

Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens

The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

Black-eyed peas and collard greens are a New Year's Day staple in the American South, where the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. As the saying goes, "Eat poor on New Year's, and eat fat the rest of the year." While they might be a sign of good fortune for the upcoming months, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy black-eyed peas and collard greens throughout the year.
08 of 29

Chicken Liver Mousse

The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

Chicken liver mousse is a classic of the French kitchen that has been adopted across the world. Why? Because it is quick to make and utterly delicious to eat. For a pre-dinner snack or as canapés at the grandest party, this simple pâté can excel in any situation.

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09 of 29

Oysters Casino With Bacon

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Tasty oysters casino, made with oysters, bacon, and green onion, along with seasonings. There's just no other way to put it, this dish is the perfect appetizer for any special occasion. Enjoy these oysters with a glass of Champagne, sauvignon blanc, or muscadet.
10 of 29

Seared Spanish Sea Scallops With Saffron

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Sweet, meaty, buttery sea scallops make a fantastic New Year's Eve appetizer. The scallops are seared hard on one side, then simmered with sweet onions, saffron, a little ham, dry sherry and finely chopped parsley. It's a great dish served simply with crusty bread and a green salad.
11 of 29

Lobster Bisque

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

The name lobster bisque conjures visions of expensive French restaurant dining. Make the rich and creamy lobster-studded chowder for your parties with this classic bistro recipe. It makes an excellent starter for fancy get-togethers or serve bowls as an entrée alongside crusty bread.
12 of 29

Instant Pot French Onion Soup

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

French onion soup is a rich, hearty soup that's special occasion-worthy. By cooking the beef broth and sweet onions with a pressure cooker, it cuts down on cook time while still developing great flavor. A topping of crusty bread and melted cheese make it a real treat.

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13 of 29

Olive Tapenade

The Spruce

This luscious olive tapenade makes a sophisticated topper for crostini. This delicious version is made with olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs, and adds roasted red peppers for extra sweetness. Whirl it up quickly in your food processor and chill in the fridge up to three hours before serving.
14 of 29

Roasted Bone Marrow With Parsley Salad

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Perfectly roasted bone marrow is so luxurious, making it a nice addition to a special occasion dinner. The marrow is cooked until it melts in your mouth and is especially good served with toasted bread and a fresh parsley salad. Serve as an appetizer or an early course.
15 of 29

Mini Beef Wellingtons

The Spruce / Donald Russell

Make individually sized mini beef Wellingtons to wow your holiday guests. Each features six ounces of tender filet mignon surrounded by buttery mushroom duxelles, then baked inside golden-brown puff pastry bundles. Top with red wine sauce and optional Gorgonzola cheese.
16 of 29

Mushroom Risotto

The Spruce

Impressive to serve but simple to make, this rich vegetarian mushroom risotto is a great secret weapon for dinner parties. Browned mushrooms add a meaty taste and hearty texture to the flavorful sauce.

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17 of 29

Easy and Elegant Baked Stuffed Lobster

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

If you're planning a celebration menu, why not create a restaurant-caliber stuffed lobster dish at home. It's a great centerpiece for a fancy meal, especially if you want to spruce up your New Year's Eve spread. The dish is then baked in the oven for a quick and elegant meal for two.
18 of 29

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon Steaks

The Spruce / Maxwell Cozzi

Meat-loving guests will be in heaven when you serve these juicy bacon-wrapped steaks. While filet mignon is an expensive cut, the incredible flavor justifies the splurge if your party budget allows it. Grill the meat simply with a salt and pepper spice mix, then wrap them up in crispy bacon slices.
19 of 29

French Boeuf Bourguignonne

rudisill / Getty Images

Tender, fall-apart chunks of beef and tasty root vegetables simmered slowly in a rich, red wine gravy makes French beef burgundy the ultimate French entrée. Tiny pearl onions are a pretty addition, but you don't really need them for this dish. If you do include them, trim the ends and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins, and aid peeling.
20 of 29

Chicken Almondine: Skillet Chicken With Almonds

The Spruce

If you're looking for a simple yet special recipe for chicken, this easy dish is an excellent choice. The boneless chicken breasts are cooked in a butter and wine sauce with a little rosemary and other seasonings and served with sautéed almonds.

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21 of 29

Classic Shrimp Étouffée

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Make a rich, spicy dish to kick off the new year that will jazz up your table. This is a Creole-style shrimp étouffée made with tomatoes, fresh shrimp, and the "holy trinity" of onion, celery, and bell pepper.
22 of 29

Succulent Roast Lamb With Root Vegetables

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Your New Year's Eve dinner will be especially impressive when you serve lamb roast as your centerpiece. In this recipe, a well-seasoned leg of lamb is cooked on a bed of vegetables until it is crispy on the outside and tender and succulent on the inside. The lamb also infuses the vegetables with lots of meaty flavor as the dish cooks.
23 of 29

Osso Buco

The Spruce / Ali Redmond

Osso buco is a rich-tasting, traditional Italian veal stew. Braise the meat and vegetables low and slow in a Dutch oven on your stovetop in a highly-seasoned broth of white wine, stock, and aromatics, for flavorful, fall-off-the-bone meat.
24 of 29

Prime Rib Roast

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prime rib roast makes a showstopping dinner party entrée and needs only a little salt and pepper for seasoning. Slice it at the table to give your guests a show, serving the meat with horseradish sauce.

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25 of 29

Potato Gratin (German Kartoffelgratin)

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

If you have ever eagerly anticipated the potato gratin at a restaurant or a friend's house only to be confronted with an angry mass of gray, underdone potatoes, this is a recipe for you. We potato gratin lovers have to band together to teach the world about the true meaning of potatoes cooked in cream and salt.
26 of 29

Champagne Cupcakes

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Deliciously elegant, Champagne cupcakes are the ultimate dessert for New Year's Eve. The recipe adds sparkling wine to both the batter and the frosting for a light, brilliantly flavored sweet. To make them even more festive, practice your piping skills and add silver or gold sparkles.
27 of 29

Chocolate Mousse

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Chocolate mousse is the quintessential French bistro dessert and a must-have for sophisticated New Year's Eve suppers. You can make it several hours before guests are due to arrive and leave it to chill in the fridge, until ready to unveil dessert.
28 of 29

Bananas Foster

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Bananas foster is more than a special treat to serve with ice cream. This flambéed dessert is also an after-dinner show. Invite guests into the kitchen to watch you pan-sauté bananas in a rich brown sugar and butter sauce with cinnamon. Then, pour banana liqueur and rum into the pan and ignite with a flame.

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Molten Lava Cake

The Spruce / Julia Estrada

What could be better than a chocolate cake for dessert? How about a chocolate cake served warm with a river of chocolate running from it? Using dark chocolate produces a molten lava cake that's better than any you'll ever get in a restaurant. This is a classic recipe that's in our rotation year-round for when we want to wow our guests.

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Recipes That Will Make New Year's Dinner Extra Special