Trending Food Blog Recipe Themes for December

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Learn why it’s important for food blogs to post seasonal content, and find a list of the top trending food topics to post about in December!

Why Posting Seasonally Matters

If you’ve been in the blogging space for any period of time, you’ve likely noticed that traffic ebbs and flows. This is due to a variety of factors - Google updates, domain authority, social media, etc. 

However, one of the easiest ways to drive consistent traffic to your site is by posting seasonally and updating old seasonal posts when the time is right. 

By having the recipes that people are naturally searching for during the holidays, you can ensure that your traffic doesn’t dip and can even provide a buffer of traffic and revenue for slower months. 

Plus, it’s a great way to continuously provide your audience with content they want, which builds your brand authority, building loyal fans. It’s a win-win! 

Food Blog Trends for December

Below is a brief list of some of the upcoming trends you will see for December and the holiday season as indicated by sites such as Google Analytics. 

Holiday Themed Food

Christmas is, of course, a big portion of December food blog content topics, but don’t forget the other holidays! Incorporate a variety of recipes (that make sense for your blog) for the different holidays below to fit your readers’ needs. 

  • Hanukkah - Brisket, latkes, kugel, sufganiyot, rugelach, challah, roasted chicken 

  • Saint Nicholas Day  - Cookies, bread, pork, bean soup, German pancakes

  • Christmas - Ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, cookies

  • Kwanzaa - Candied yams, buttermilk biscuits, spoon bread, fritters

  • Boxing Day - Sausage rolls, turkey sandwiches, charcuterie boards 

  • New Year’s Eve - Baked brie, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, cocktails drinks

  • New Year’s Day - Pork, fish, pomegranate, black-eyed peas, beans, cornbread 

Cookies

It should come as no surprise that cookies are at the top of everyone’s must-make recipe list in December. Start with ensuring you have all the classics covered, focusing on keywords relevant to your blog’s primary niche (Ex. gluten-free, paleo, vegan). Then, move on to more specialized recipes. 

  • Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Sugar Cookies

  • Snickerdoodles

  • Cut Out Cookies

  • Crinkle Cookies

  • Peanut Butter Blossoms

  • Gingerbread Cookies 

  • Mexican Wedding Cookies

Eggnog

Love it or hate it, eggnog is a staple for many during the holiday season. Don’t just stick with the drink, though. Get creative with eggnog-flavored recipes! 

  • Homemade Eggnog

  • Spiked Eggnog

  • Eggnog Cake Recipe

  • Eggnog Cheesecake Recipe

  • Eggnog Cookie Recipe

  • Eggnog Cocktail Recipe

  • Eggnog Latte Recipe

Peppermint

From sweet treats to calming teas, peppermint flavors are everywhere during December. Some ideas for peppermint recipes include: 

  • Peppermint Patties

  • Peppermint Bark

  • Peppermint Tea

  • Peppermint Candy

  • Peppermint Mocha

  • Peppermint Ice Cream 

  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Ginger

In addition to gingerbread and sweet treats, ginger recipes see a spike in December, likely because of the benefits of ginger for digestion. 

  • Ginger Shot Recipe

  • Ginger Snaps Recipe

  • Ginger Tea Recipe

  • Pickled Ginger Recipe

  • Ginger Snaps Recipe

  • Ginger Chicken Recipe

  • Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe

  • Ginger Beer Recipe

Gifts

December is a season of gifting, and you can never go wrong with food! Provide a variety of make-ahead recipes for readers to gift to loved ones and themselves. 

  • Fudge

  • Truffles 

  • Rum Balls

  • Cookies

  • Trail Mix 

  • Granola

  • Muffins

*Note: These are just general themes for food gifts. Be sure to get specific, and target more narrow keywords! 

Diet Recipes

I don’t mean diet as in recipes to lose weight, although it’s not a bad time to start working on those with New Year’s resolutions in mind. Instead, think diet-specific recipes. Topics to focus on include: 

  • Paleo

  • Gluten-Free

  • Dairy-Free

  • Vegan

  • Vegetarian

  • Low-Carb/Keto

*Note: Only include themes that fit with your blog! For instance, if you run a Paleo food blog, you wouldn’t post indulgent, sugar-laden gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. That could actually negatively impact your authority. 

Seasonal Ingredients

As the health-conscious, homestead movement grows stronger and grocery prices continue to rise, more and more people are looking to cook with seasonal items. This is a great category to double dip with, incorporating seasonal ingredients into other trending themes! 

  • Mandarin Oranges  - winter salad, dressing, winter fruit salad

  • Winter Squash - roasted squash, pasta, air fryer

  • Kale - soup, salad

  • Cauliflower - stuffing, soup, curried 

  • Brussels Sprouts - salad, roasted, sautéed

  • Beets - pickled, salad, hummus, borscht 

I hope you found this helpful! Go ahead and save it for next season, too. Many themes tend to repeat year after year. Remember, start with the basic recipes - focusing on keywords that are specific and fit with your food blog’s niche. Then, as you grow, expand out with more focused recipes. And don’t forget to update your old posts each year! It promotes good Google karma, ya know? 

And if you’d like to remove the stress of holiday writing, I’d love to help make the holidays a little easier for you! Take a look at my food blog writing and social media services to see if we might be a good fit.