The Cuban Christmas Eve Dinner: Traditions That Bring Our Family Together
Discover the traditional Cuban Christmas Eve menu: roast pig, congrí, yuca with mojo, buñuelos and more. Complete guide with timeline and shopping list.
Cuban Christmas Eve is the most important celebration of the year for Cuban families. The traditional menu includes roast pork, congrí or moros y cristianos, yuca with criollo mojo, fried ripe plantains, salad, and desserts such as buñuelos and nougats. It is the night when Cubans, wherever they are in the world, recreate the tastes of home.
Why Christmas Eve is so important for Cubans?
For Cubans, Christmas Eve is not simply the eve of Christmas: it is THE celebration of the year. The night of December 24th is sacred. Along with the 31st, they are the two most important dinners of the year for any Cuban family.
In Cuba, the preparations began days earlier. The pig was ordered weeks in advance, the grandmothers started making the turrones, and the smell of mojo criollo filled entire neighborhoods. That tradition traveled with us to Miami, Madrid, and every corner of the world where there are Cubans.
What makes our Christmas Eve unique is that it doesn't matter how long you've been away from Cuba: when you sit at that table and taste the first bite of lechón with mojo, you're back home. It's pure magic.
At RecetaCubana we've experienced Christmas Eves in Cuba, Miami, and Spain, and after talking with hundreds of families in our community, they all agree: the lechón, the congrí, and the yuca with mojo are the three pillars that are non-negotiable.
The traditional Christmas Eve menu: dish by dish
Lechón asado: the star of the table
There is no Cuban Christmas Eve without lechón. It is the dish that defines the celebration, the one that requires the most preparation and the one everyone eagerly awaits. Whether roasted on a spit in the traditional style, in a caja china, or in the oven for those of us who live in apartments, lechón is non-negotiable.
The skin should be crispy and golden, the meat juicy and tender, and the mojo... the mojo is the soul of the lechón. That garlic, bitter orange and cumin marinade that penetrates the meat for hours is what makes the Cuban lechón unmistakable.
🔗 If you want to master the art of lechón, don't miss our complete guide: Secrets of Cuban Roast Pork
Congrí: the perfect side
Congrí rice —or moros y cristianos in Havana— is the quintessential accompaniment. That rice cooked with black beans, bacon, cumin and pepper, which absorbs all the juices of the lechón... there's nothing like it.
Some families prefer eastern congrí (with red beans), others the Havanese moros (with black beans). The important thing is that it's on the table.
Yuca with mojo: pure tradition
Boiled yuca, bathed in that hot garlic mojo of garlic, oil and bitter orange, is another must. Soft, comforting, perfect for soaking up the pork juices.
Fried ripe plantains
Sweet, caramelized, with that crispy edge... ripe plantains add the sweet touch that balances the salty flavors on the table. Some families also include tostones.
The salad
Simple but necessary: lettuce, tomato, and sometimes avocado when in season. The fresh touch that cleanses the palate between bites of pork.
Christmas Eve sweets: the crowning touch
After such a feast, there is still room for sweets. And on Cuban Christmas Eve, desserts have a special place.
Buñuelos in the shape of an 8
The buñuelos are the quintessential Cuban Christmas dessert. Made with cassava and malanga (or sweet potato), fried until golden and soaked in anise syrup. The figure-8 shape symbolizes infinity and wishes for eternal prosperity.
🔗 Discover why they have that unique shape: Cuban Christmas Buñuelos
Cuban nougats
The peanut nougat and sesame nougat are traditions inherited from Spain but Cubanized. Softer, sweeter, perfect with after-dinner coffee.
Guava wedges with cheese
That combination of the sweetness of guava with the saltiness of cream cheese is addictive. A classic that is never missing.
Other traditional sweets
Torrejas in syrup, natilla, rice pudding, milk creams... every family has its favorites.
🔗 More sweet options: 5 Cuban Christmas Desserts
How to organize your Christmas Eve dinner: practical guide
Suggested timeline
One week before:
- Order the pork (or buy it and freeze it)
- Make a complete shopping list
- Prepare homemade nougats (they keep well)
2–3 days before:
- Buy fresh ingredients
- Prepare the mojo for the pork
- Season the pork and let it marinate in the fridge
December 24 (Christmas Eve):
- Early morning/morning: Put the pork to roast (depending on size, 6–12 hours)
- Noon: Prepare the congrí
- Afternoon: Boil the yuca, prepare salad, fry plantains
- Night: Fry the buñuelos (made at the moment)
Essential shopping list
🐷 For the pork
- Leg or whole suckling pig
- Heads of garlic (many)
- Bitter oranges (or orange + lime)
- Cumin, oregano, salt
🍚 For sides
- Rice, black beans
- Fresh or frozen yuca
- Ripe plantains
- Lettuce, tomatoes
🍮 For desserts
- Yuca, taro and/or sweet potato
- Star anise, sugar
- Peanuts for nougats
- Guava paste, cream cheese
Cuban Christmas Eve outside of Cuba
One of the most beautiful phenomena of the Cuban diaspora is how we have kept this tradition alive in every corner of the world. In Miami, Christmas Eves are almost identical to those in Cuba. In Spain, we adapt some ingredients but keep the essence. Even in countries where getting a whole pig is impossible, Cubans find a way.
Common adaptations outside Cuba
🇪🇸 In Spain:
- Yuca is easily found at Carrefour, Mercadona, or Latin stores
- Pork is bought at butcher shops as a whole leg
- Bitter orange is replaced with a mix of orange and lemon
- Ingredients for fritters are available
🇺🇸 In the United States (outside Miami):
- Latin stores have almost everything
- The Chinese box has become popular
- Goya products make preparation easier
🌍 In other countries:
- Lechón can be substituted with oven-roasted pork leg
- What matters is the mojo and the spirit of the celebration
Christmas Eve traditions beyond the food
Cuban Christmas Eve is not just about eating. It's a whole experience:
🎵 Music: Cuban music in the background is a must. From Willy Chirino to tropical carols, salsa to Cuban reggaetón.
💬 The after-dinner chat: That conversation after dinner that can last for hours, telling stories, remembering those who aren't here, planning the new year.
🎲 Dominoes: In many families, after dinner comes the game of dominoes that can last until dawn.
🤗 Hugs: The moment to congratulate one another, wish each other the best and be grateful to be together one more year.
Why this tradition matters so much
In a world where everything changes, Cuban Christmas Eve remains. It's our way of telling time that some things are sacred, traditions that aren't negotiable, flavors that define us.
Every time a Cuban, anywhere in the world, sits at a Christmas Eve table with roast pork, congrí and buñuelos, they are honoring generations of grandmothers who cooked with love, families who gathered every December 24th, an island that taught us that food is much more than nourishment: it is identity, memory and love.
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Prepare Your Perfect Christmas Eve
In the RecetaCubana app you'll find all the recipes you need for your Christmas Eve dinner: from roast pork and congrí to buñuelos and nougats. Authentic recipes, step by step, with videos by Dailis.
Join Our Little Cuban Corner+145 authentic Cuban recipes 🇨🇺
Frequently asked questions about Cuban Christmas Eve
May this Christmas Eve your table be filled with flavor, your home with family, and your heart with Cuba. 🎄🇨🇺
