50 Yule Recipes to Enjoy During the Winter Solstice or Your Mid-Winter Feast
From Yule logs and roasted pork to wassail, boar, and more.
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As the nights grow long and the Winter Solstice approaches, it’s time to embrace the heartwarming flavors of Yule. Below, you’ll find many Yule recipes to make during this season, whether you celebrate it near the winter solstice or in January.
You’ll find that many Yule recipes are rich in symbolism and flavor, featuring roasted meats like boar (or roast pork) and goat. Traditional drinks like wassail—a spiced cider—bring cheer to the table, while warming flavors like cinnamon and ginger add depth to the magical Yule feasts.
Whether you’re following old traditions or creating new ones, these modern and traditionally-inspired Yule recipes are sure to fill your table with the festive flavors of this ancient holiday.
What Is Yule?
Yule, a pagan holiday that was woven into Wiccan traditions and inspired many Christmas customs, has its roots in Norse religion and was known as Jol.
The meaning of the holiday depends on the spirituality of the person celebrating it. For the Norse, it’s a time of merrymaking, honoring the gods (especially Odin, Thor, and Freyr) with toasts and offerings, and boasting about your own achievements. All while sipping mead from a horn.
The Norse celebration of Yule was held on the first full moon after the first new moon after the solstice.
For many neopagans, Yule is celebrated at the winter solstice and honors the return of the light. Wiccans also welcome the light’s return but the Wheel of the Year holiday also symbolizes the battle between the Holly King (who represents darkness) and the Oak King/Green Man (who represents light, rebirth, and growth).
No matter how you celebrate, there’s usually a feast of hearty, seasonal foods.
What Are the Traditional Foods of Yule?
When it comes to enjoying the traditional foods of Yule, things get a bit murky. Sacrificing boars and goats and giving an offering to Odin was a part of the Norse experience of Yule. As was enjoying mead and wassail. But, outside of that, there aren’t a lot of historical documents that shed light on what else they ate during the holiday.
And, while we do have information on what the Celts ate during holidays like the fire festivals of Samhain and Imbolc, Yule was not part of their social calendar and there isn’t much evidence that they celebrated the winter solstice with a feast.
So, instead, I’m turning to neopagans and Wiccans to cobble together some ideas of what you can enjoy during this holiday.
Some foods of Yule include:
- Boar (or roasted pork)
- Goat
- Wassail or Mead
- Yule logs
- Sun Wheel Bread
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Oranges
Yule Recipes
1. Boar
Unless you’re a hunter, boar is a bit hard to come by, so as Ina Garten would say, feel free to substitute it for roasted pork. While doing so, make an oath to Freyr, one of the Norse gods to whom the boar was sacred.
- Wild Boar Bolognese with Pappardelle
- Wild Boar with Lentil and Bacon
- Garlic Butter Pork Chops
- Air Fryer Pork and Sauerkraut
- Crispy Beer Roasted Pork Knuckle
- Pork Chops with Apples and Squash
- Maple Glazed Pork Chops
- Pork Loin with Garlic and Herbs
- Wild Boar Stew with Mushrooms
2. Goat
The Yule Goat is a popular symbol at this time of the year. For the Norse, it was traditional to sacrifice goats (and boars) to Odin and leave him an offering. If you’re cooking one of these goat recipes, you may feel called to leave a small offering to the god.
3. Wassail or Mead
If you drink, Wassail or Mead is a must at Yule. And, if you don’t imbibe (or aren’t at the moment), there are plenty of non-alcoholic mead and wassail recipes. (https://groennfell.com/a/blog/how-to-make-non-alcoholic-mead and https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/hot-wassail/)
4. Yule Log
A baked Yule Log represents the Yule Log that the Norse would carve symbols into and bring into their homes for the duration of the holiday.
If you want the look of a Yule log without the trial and error of figuring out how to bake a Swiss roll, get this log-shaped pan.
- Yule Log with Mascarpone Cream and Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Cherry and Chocolate Buche De Noel
- Classic Yule Log
- Gluten-Free and Vegan Yule Log with Hedgehogs
- Prue Leith’s Yule Log with Irish Cream
- Black Forest Yule Log
5. Sun Wheel Bread
One way to honor the shortest day of the year and the longer days that come after is with this bread shaped like the Sun. (It’s also a perfect recipe to bake for Litha, the Summer Solstice)
6. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a warming spice used in many winter dishes. Magically, it represents abundance and prosperity. If you enjoy it, add it to your holiday recipes to usher in that energy as you step into the new year.
- Cinnamon Sugar French Toast
- Cinnamon Tea
- Cinnamon Cupcakes
- Swedish Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Donuts
- Cinnamon Apple Waffles
- Buckthorn Tea with Honey and Cinnamon
7. Ginger
Like cinnamon, ginger is a popular ingredient in holiday recipes. From a magical perspective, it speeds up intentions with its heat. Gingerbread, anyone?
- Honey Fermented Ginger
- Ginger Cookies
- Sticky Toffee Gingerbread Pudding
- Ginger Pear Turnovers
- Gingerbread Cheesecake with Caramel
- Triple Rye Ginger Cookies
- Norwegian Spice Cake
- Gingerbread Orange Cheesecake
- Spicy Whiskey Ginger
- Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
- Chai Ginger Spice Cookies
8. Oranges
Depending on the variety, you can get delicious, ripe oranges year round. And, they’re a nice addition to your solstice menu as they can represent the sun. They also look lovely cut into slices, dried, and draped around your Yule tree or placed on your altar.
