Christmas Eve in Norway is when the holiday truly happens. Families gather early, candles are lit, and the house smells of roasting meat, spices, and butter. Gifts are opened after dinner, so the meal has a special weight to it. For most households it is the most carefully planned dinner of the year, rooted in regional traditions that go back generations.
Short answer: The most common Christmas Eve dinners in Norway are ribbe pork belly with crispy crackling, pinnekjøtt salt-cured lamb ribs steamed over birch sticks, and juletorsk poached or baked cod on the coast. These are served with classic sides like potatoes, red or white cabbage, lingonberries, medisterkaker meat patties, julepølse sausage, and rich pan gravy or drippings. Dessert often means riskrem rice cream with red berry sauce or multekrem cloudberry cream, followed by coffee and a proud spread of the famed “seven kinds” Christmas cookies.
If you are visiting Norway in December, tasting a traditional Christmas Eve dinner is one of the best ways to understand the country. Let’s take a deeper dive into what ends up on the table, why, and how you can try it yourself.
The Big Three: Ribbe, Pinnekjøtt, and Juletorsk
In much of Eastern and Central Norway, the centerpiece is ribbe, pork belly roasted until the rind turns into crackling. The fat renders into the pan, giving you drippings for sauce and potatoes that taste like Christmas itself. My own family in the east starts ribbe in the late morning to let the rind dry and puff properly. Patience is the secret. You want the meat tender but the rind audibly crisp.
On the West Coast and in the north, pinnekjøtt leads. These are salted and sometimes lightly smoked lamb ribs that have been soaked in water to remove excess salt, then steamed on a bed of dried birch sticks. The method perfumes the meat with a gentle wood scent, while keeping it succulent. Norwegians from pinnekjøtt regions will insist nothing tastes more like Christmas. I will say this: serve it with kålrotstappe mashed rutabaga, a knob of butter, and a warm aquavit, and the room falls quiet.
Along the coast, especially in old fishing towns and parts of Sørlandet, you will meet juletorsk, a Christmas cod. Simple is best here. The cod is poached or gently baked and served with melted butter, boiled potatoes, carrots, and sometimes bacon bits and fried onions. For many coastal families this is the taste of home and the sea, a lighter counterpoint to the heavier meat feasts elsewhere.
Regional reality: In practice, Norwegians are loyal to their local dish. If you ask three people what “the” Christmas dinner is, you will get three confident answers. That is part of the charm.
The Supporting Cast: Sausages, Patties, Cabbage, and Potatoes
Beyond the main dish, the table fills up quickly. With ribbe, you almost always see julepølse a mild spiced Christmas sausage, medisterkaker small pork patties bound with milk and potato starch, surkål stewed white cabbage, or rødkål spiced red cabbage. Lingonberry jam and mustard sit nearby, and there is always brown gravy or the drippings from the ribbe pan. Potatoes are usually plain and boiled, because everything else already carries a lot of flavor.
With pinnekjøtt, the classic side is kålrotstappe mashed rutabaga with butter and sometimes a splash of cream. A few households serve boiled potatoes and a little of the steaming broth for moisture. The lamb is salty by design, so you need that sweet, earthy mash to balance it.
If juletorsk is on the menu, the condiments change again. Expect melted butter, parsley, and lightly cooked vegetables like carrots and leeks. Bacon bits and crisp onions are common in southern homes, and some put a few drops of vinegar or lemon to sharpen the flavors.
Christmas Eve Lunch: Rice Porridge and the Hidden Almond
Before dinner, many families eat risengrynsgrøt rice porridge at lunchtime on December 24. It is creamy, topped with cinnamon, sugar, and a generous knob of butter that melts into a golden pool. The tradition includes hiding a single almond in the porridge. Whoever finds it wins a small prize, often a marsipan marzipan pig. Kids take this very seriously, adults pretend not to, and everyone eats a bit more than planned.
Leftover porridge is not a problem. It becomes riskrem rice cream for dessert later: cold whipped cream folded into cooled porridge, served with a red berry sauce usually raspberry or strawberry. It is light and familiar, perfect after a hearty meal.
Desserts You Will Actually See
Norwegian desserts at Christmas are comforting rather than showy. Riskrem may be the most common, but many tables also serve multekrem whipped cream gently sweetened and folded with cloudberries, a tart Arctic berry that tastes like apricot and honey at once. When cloudberries appear, heads turn. Some families bake karamellpudding a Norwegian caramel custard. Others plate krumkaker delicate rolled cookies sometimes piped with whipped cream, lefse soft potato flatbreads with butter and sugar, or a slice of julekake a spiced raisin loaf.
After dessert comes coffee and the famous sju slag the seven kinds of Christmas cookies. The exact seven vary by family, but you often see pepperkaker ginger cookies, sandkaker shortcrust cups, krumkaker, fattigmann, goro, sirupsnipper, and berlinerkranser. Norwegians take quiet pride in this cookie plate, even if some of it came from a bakery box. No judgment. December is busy.
What People Drink: Juleøl, Aquavit, and Julebrus
With dinner, adults often pour juleøl a malty Christmas beer, or a glass of aquavit a caraway and herb spirit that pairs especially well with fatty pork or salty lamb. A small toast before eating is common and keeps everyone warm and cheerful. Kids and non-drinkers get julebrus, a special holiday soda that varies by region. If you are visiting, trying a local julebrus is an easy win, and people will happily explain why theirs is the best.
If You Are Cooking This As a Visitor
It is absolutely possible to cook a Norwegian Christmas Eve dinner in a rental apartment, but plan ahead. Buy the main items a couple of days in advance and read labels carefully. For ribbe, pick a pork belly piece with a thick, even rind. Dry it uncovered in the fridge the day before for better crackling. Score the rind lightly and salt well.
For pinnekjøtt, you must soak the meat in cold water for 24 to 36 hours, changing the water once or twice. If you skip this, it will be too salty. Make sure you also pick up bjørkepinner the birch sticks that go in the bottom of the pot or use a steaming rack if sticks are unavailable. Steam slowly until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone.
For juletorsk, buy the freshest cod you can find, bone-in loins if possible. Poach gently in salted water so it flakes in large, moist pieces. Serve simply with butter and boiled potatoes.
Tip from my own kitchen: Norwegian Christmas food rewards restraint. Keep the seasoning simple, focus on technique, and let each ingredient taste of itself. A hot plate and warm serving bowls keep everything cozy on the table.
Eating Out on December 24
Restaurants are often closed on the evening of December 24, especially outside the big cities. Hotels with restaurants tend to offer set Christmas menus for their guests that include ribbe or pinnekjøtt and a classic dessert. If eating out matters to you, book well in advance and confirm the time, since Norwegians eat fairly early on Christmas Eve and staff go home to their families. If you do find a spot, it is a lovely way to taste the tradition without cooking.
Breakfast and Nibbles Around the Big Meal
The day itself usually starts modestly, then ramps up. Many families put together a koldtbord cold table for breakfast or lunch with smoked salmon, gravlaks, scrambled eggs, sild pickled herring, sylte pressed pork terrine, and ribberull rolled pork. There is always butter, flatbrød crisp flatbread, and good bread sliced thick. Bowls of mandarins, nuts, and marzipan migrate around the house for grazing between church, movies, and last-minute wrapping.
Timing and Rituals Around the Plate
Norwegians eat earlier than many visitors expect. Dinner often starts between 3 and 6 in the afternoon, depending on church services and the age of any children. The table is set with candles, the best plates, and sometimes little Norwegian flags tucked into napkins. Dinner moves at a steady pace, with plenty of time for seconds. After the plates are cleared and coffee is poured, families gather by the tree to open gifts. For children, that means dinner is both delicious and a test of patience, which is why riskrem portions can get suspiciously fast near the end.
What About Turkey?
Turkey has become more common in Norway, but it is not the traditional Christmas Eve dish. If turkey appears, it is usually on the first or second day of Christmas December 25 or 26, when bigger groups gather and you want a crowd-pleaser. On Christmas Eve itself, most families stick to their regional favorite. If you are invited to a Norwegian home and see ribbe or pinnekjøtt, you are in for the real thing.
Where To Find Everything In December
Supermarkets stock special Christmas food sections from late November. Look for chillers labeled jul Christmas that hold pinnekjøtt, julepølse, medisterkaker, and ribbe. Butter, cream, cabbage, and potatoes are everywhere. For sweets and cookies, the seasonal aisles overflow. Fish counters are reliable for cod and salmon in the last week before Christmas. If you are aiming for birch sticks or a particular brand of julebrus, buy them early to avoid the last-minute rush.
How To Be A Thoughtful Guest
If you are invited to a Norwegian Christmas Eve dinner, bring something simple and festive. A box of good chocolates, a small bouquet, or a bottle of juleøl or aquavit are safe choices. Ask your host what they are serving and offer to bring a dessert sauce or extra cream. When plates arrive, try a bit of everything. These recipes carry family stories, and tasting them is a sign of respect. Compliments are appreciated, seconds even more so.
A Note On Allergies and Alternatives
Traditional dishes lean on gluten, dairy, and pork or lamb. Norwegian supermarkets carry solid lactose-free dairy, gluten-free cookies, and plant-based sausages, and many families adapt without fuss. If you have dietary needs, tell your host early. People are practical and kind about it, and no one wants a guest to go hungry on Christmas.
The Heart Of It
Food on Christmas Eve in Norway is simple, seasonal, and deeply tied to place. Ribbe, pinnekjøtt, or juletorsk might headline the table, but it is the rhythm around the meal that lodges in your memory the porridge at noon with the hidden almond, the glow of candles reflecting in the window, the first sip of juleøl, the clatter of plates, the hush when the main dish lands, and the cheerful clink of coffee cups before the tree finally steals the show. If you find yourself here in December, lean into the ritual. It tastes like home, even if it is your first time.