One of the nation’s favourite things about Christmas – the food. But how much does will your Christmas dinner cost you in energy, and how can you keep those Christmas cooking costs down? In this article, we’ll work out how much your dinner is costing you to cook, and what methods are most affordable.
As of late 2024, UK electricity prices average around 24.5p per kWh for a standard variable rate, and bills are set to rise again on January 1st. We’re all looking for ways to cut our energy bills this winter, no matter how small – it all adds up!
Your Christmas Dinner Cost In Energy
Overall, a Christmas dinner (turkey, sides, dessert) costs £7–£10 in energy, depending on cooking method and number of dishes. This could be up to double the cost of a regular roast chicken meal. which costs approximately £4–£5 in energy to prepare.
Below, we have listed some of the most common elements of a Christmas dinner, and the energy cost of preparing them.
1. Turkey
54% of Britain opt for a traidtional turkey-based roast for their Christmas meal according to YouGov – by far making it the most popular meat choice. A typical electric oven uses 2–3 kW per hour. A turkey weighing approximately 5kg takes 3-4 hours to cook, resulting in a cost of approximately £2.94. Using an air fryer, you may be able to cut this cost down. However, you’ll either need to own a very large air fryer, or, cook it in smaller parts.
Cooking a 5 kg turkey in three 3 parts in an air fryer would cost around £1.32. This method is still more energy-efficient compared to an oven because air fryers cook faster and consume less power per hour.
It might be an extra faff, but could work out more cost effective, especially if you aren’t needing all of the turkey at once. Separating it into three parts works out around 44p to cook each section!
2. Vegetables
A Christmas dinner isn’t complete without it’s range of veggies!
Brussels sprouts, despite their divisive reputation, are actually the second most popular vegetable on British Christmas dinner plates, appearing in 66% of festive meals. Close behind, 59% of people enjoy parsnips. Below, we’ve outlined some of the most popular Christmas dinner vegetables and how much it costs to cook them.
| Vegetable | Oven Cooking Cost | Boiling Cost |
| Potatoes | 61p | 16p |
| Brussels Sprouts | 41p | 10p |
| Carrots | 41p | 12p |
| Parsnips | 41p | 16p |
| Broccoli | 31p | 7p |
| Cauliflower | 31p | 7p |
Boiling is significantly cheaper than roasting your vegetables, although you may find roasting allows for more flavour.
3. Yorkshire Puddings
Yorkshire puddings, though traditionally paired with beef rather than turkey, are on 50% of our Christmas dinners across Britain.
If you’re making your own Yorkshire puddings, they’ll usually take 20-25 minutes to cook in an oven. Making a batch of Yorkshire puddings in an oven costs around £0.41 in electricity. Cooking Yorkshire puddings in an air fryer is quicker and uses less energy compared to a traditional oven, costing only 7p. Plus, the air fryer eliminates the need for pre-heating.
4. Christmas Pudding
Usually, Christmas pudding is steamed for 4–6 hours or baked for around 2.5 hours, depending on the recipe. To oven bake your Christmas pudding, it will cost approximately £1.68. Steaming your pudding costs slightly more, between £1.96 and £2.94. A store-bought pudding is much cheaper to heat up, costing less than 25p in energy.
Why Does A Christmas Dinner Usually Cost More?
1. Larger Cooking Size
Over Christmas, many of us come together to share a meal. This means larger quantities, which takes longer to cook.
2. Longer Cooking Time
A typical Christmas dinner takes longer to cook due to the different elements. For example, a turkey takes much longer to cook than a roast chicken. Oven cooking a turkey could cost £1.53–£2.04 (for 3–4 hours) compared to £0.37 (for 1.5–2 hours) for a roast chicken.
In general, a Christmas dinner will cost approximately 30-50% more in energy costs than a regular roast meal. However, the increased energy consumption is balanced by the fact that a Christmas meal serves more people.
Conclusion: How To Cut Your Cooking Costs This Christmas
The cost of cooking a Christmas dinner depends on the number of dishes being prepared, their cooking methods, and the energy consumption of your appliances. A typical Christmas dinner, which often includes a large turkey, multiple side dishes (roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, etc.), and a dessert like Christmas pudding, generally requires more energy than a regular roast dinner. Although the energy cost of a Christmas dinner is higher, the cost is spread across more servings, and usually has more elements,
By considering more energy-efficient methods, such as using an air fryer for vegetables or microwaving store-bought puddings, you can reduce some of these costs. However, it’s always likely to be a bit more expensive to prepare than a simple Sunday roast.
While we can’t help make your Christmas dinner cheaper, we can certainly assist in making 2025 more affordable when it comes to energy costs. Thanks to government-backed grants, you could save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills next year.
These grants offer a variety of free energy-efficient upgrades, including solar panels, insulation, and heat pumps. To find out if you qualify and start saving, click the button below.
