Food Holidays in January – Bloody Marys – Cream Puffs & More

This list of food holidays in January starts our year out in a tasty way. Almost every day of the month has a food or drink associated with it which makes it very easy to have fun with friends.

We are starting a whole new year, which gives us over 365 food days to celebrate. There are so many food days to celebrate during the month of January. 

From recovering after a hangover with National Bloody Mary Day on January 1, to enjoying a cup of cocoa on National Hot Chocolate day on January 31, the month is full of special days about food and drink.

Keep reading to learn more about these special days.

Many of us make resolutions in the month of January that are related to having a better diet and we gave a day devoted to helping us stick to those New Year’s Resolutions.

If you are a foodie, you may find yourself asking the question “today is national what food day?” And you will also find that you’ll be on the lookout for a special day to feature for one of your recipes or entertaining events. 

National days are the perfect way to tie food and celebrations together. Nothing quite says winter like fun snowman cake pops for World Snowman Day, does it?

We can prepare recipes to tie in with any national day, but when the day is a foodie day, it makes it all the easier! What is a national day, you might ask?

Be sure to check out this national days guide for lots of information about how these fun days get started. Be sure to also check out the printable word search puzzle for January so that you can have a list of special days handy.

What is a national food holiday?

Think of those magazines and cookbooks where on each day of the month, the author tells you what you’ll be cooking that day. (Diet cookbooks often do this to take the choice out of planning.)

National food days are the online’s way of telling you what you could cook that day based on what the national day of the month is.

It is rare to have a national day list for any given month and NOT have a national day that features food or drink in some way connected to it. 

January food monthly observances

January is a cold month for many of us, so it’s appropriate that the foods honored this month are sometimes quite warm and toasty. (National Strawberry Ice Cream Day is an odd exception!)

It is not just days of the month that are associated with food and drinks. Sometimes the whole month is known for a certain type of food or drink. For January we observe these days:

• National Hot Tea Month – Pour a cuppa your favorite tea!
• National Oatmeal Month – You can use oatmeal for meals other than for breakfast like with these apple pie oatmeal bars a la mode for dessert.
• National Slow Cooking Month – Slow cooking food brings out its most tender flavor. Great for winter stews!
• National Soup Month – What is better than a big bowl of soup on a cold winter day?
• National Sunday Supper Month – Invite the relatives over for dinner on Sunday nights this month!
• National Baking Month – Didn’t we bake enough last month?
• National Fat Free Living Month – Time to make some healthy resolutions.

Share these national food holidays in January on Twitter

If you enjoyed this posts about the special food and drink days this month, be sure to share them with a friend. Here is a tweet to get you started:

January is National Hot Tea Month. Have a cuppa to celebrate! #nationalhotteamonth #drinktea ☕ Share on X

List of national food days in January

We often think of getting a refresh with New Year’s Resolutions in early January, but the month is also filled with some decadent foods, as well. 

Here is a list of all the January food holidays to look forward to. Most are labeled national days (or international days) and others are just labeled by the food itself.

We have given you lots of ideas for recipes and other ways to celebrate these foodie national days. Have fun!

There is one special day in January where you can share most of these food treats. The day is January 26 – National Spouses Day – a day to show your special person how much you care by cooking up their favorite meals and treats.

January food day list

Some of the days in the list are links to pages on the site where we talk in detail about the food and drinks mentioned. Be sure to check back often as we add new links to this page each week.

January 1

• National Bloody Mary Day – Try this Bloody Mary Recipe to celebrate.
• National Black Eyed Pea Day  – Eating black eyed peas on January 1 is supposed to bring good luck. Find out more about lucky foods here.
• Apple Gifting Day – This is the day to five this healthy snack to a friend who is trying to eat in a more healthy way.

January 2

• National Buffet Day – Why not plan a Sunday brunch buffet?
• National Cream Puff Day – Find out more about this yummy pastry confection and get some cream puff recipes.
• Swiss Cheese Day – Check out this Swiss cheese sandwich recipe for two.

January 3

• National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day – Find out how to make your own chocolate cherries here.
• National Fruitcake Toss Day (Sometimes listed as the 1st Saturday of January) – Here is a fruit cake for you to eat, not toss! 

January 4

• National Spaghetti Day – Learn how to make homemade spaghetti and get some great spaghetti recipes.

January 5

• National Whipped Cream Day – This Orange Cream Martini has an amazing whipped cream topping.
• National Keto Day – If you follow a Keto diet, this day is for you. Get a keto broccoli salad with bacon and cheese recipe to celebrate.

January 6

• National Bean Day – Take a jar of this 7 bean mix and recipe as a housewarming gift. 
• National Shortbread Day – Make your own shortbread cookies for this national food day.

January 7

• National Tempura Day – Try making this recipe for gluten free tempura asparagus with matcha salt. 

January 8

• National English Toffee Day – Use Heath candy in these delicious English Toffee Bars.

January 9

• National Apricot Day – Make some apricot jam with ginger and mint.

January 10

• National Bittersweet Chocolate Day – Learn facts about bittersweet chocolate, and recipes using it in this post on National Bittersweet Chocolate Day. This treat is rich, decadent and so tasty!
• National Oysters Rockefeller Day – Try this delicious oysters Rockefeller recipe to celebrate.

January 11

• National Milk Day – Learn how to make home made almond milk.
• National Hot Toddy Day – Try this clementine hot toddy for a change.

January 12

• National Curried Chicken Day – Find out more about curries and try some recipes on for size in this post on National Curried Chicken Day. 
• National Marzipan Day – Learn how to make marzipan carrots.
• National Glazed Doughnut Day – Check out this classic glazed doughnut recipe.
• National Hot Tea Day – Learn fun facts about tea to celebrate this national beverage day.

January 13

• National Peach Melba Day – Spark your dessert table with this Peach Melba pavlova.
• National Gluten Free Day – Make sure you are on the right track with this list of gluten free replacements and substitutes.

January 14

• National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day – This pastrami sandwich recipe features coleslaw, Russian dressing and pastrami on rye bread.

January 15

• National Strawberry Ice Cream Day – Get some tips for an ice cream party here.
• National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day – Use fresh squeezed grapefruit juice to make ice cubes for cocktails.
• National Bagel Day – Find out how to make bagels from scratch.

January food holidays with variable dates

Some food days don’t fall on an exact date of the month, but are celebrated based on the day of the week. The variable date food holiday in January is this one:

• National Sunday Supper Day (2nd Sunday in January) – One of these delicious ham recipes would be perfect for Sunday supper.
• Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day (Tuesday of the 3rd full week in January) – Start by practicing some healthy kitchen swaps.

Food holidays in the second half of January

We are halfway through the month and look at all the national food holidays we have covered already! There is so much more to come, too!

Perhaps one of these national days in the next two weeks will be right up your alley.

January 16

• National Fig Newton Day – Time for some homemade Fig Newtons
• International Hot and Spicy Food Day – This steak fajita chili is perfect for the occasion.

January 17

• National Hot Buttered Rum Day – Learn about the history of this rum based cocktail and get a recipe to try for National Hot Buttered Rum Day.
• National Hot Heads Chili Day – Make this spicy chili in the crock pot.

January 18

• National Peking Duck Day – Make this fancy dish with a plum sauce.
• National Gourmet Coffee Day – Celebrate by making a Coffee Gift Basket for a friend.

January 19

• National Popcorn Day – Use popcorn to make a snack mix.

January 20

• National Buttercrunch Day – Celebrate with this chocolate ganache buttercrunch cake.
• National Cheese Lover’s Day – Find out how to host a wine and cheese party.

January 21

• National Granola Bar Day – The chocolate nut granola bars are Paleo and gluten free.
• National New England Clam Chowder Day – This delicious homemade clam chowder is low carb and delicious.

January 22

• National Blondie Brownie Day – Find out the differences between blondies and brownies.
• National Southern Food Day – Take a trip to the south with this crock pot Jambalaya.
• National Hot Sauce Day – Hot sauce makes these appetizers perfect for game day.

Just a week left. Which day will you celebrate?

January 23

• National Pie Day – A favorite of mine is my mother’s recipe for Butterscotch pie.
• National Rhubarb Pie Day – Find out how to make the perfect rhubarb pie here.

January 24

• National Peanut Butter Day – A delicious food day! Make these tasty peanut butter truffles to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day.
• National Lobster Thermidor Day – Having a special occasion? Try this lobster thermidor recipe.
• National Eskimo Pie Patent Day – You don’t need a patent for this homemade Eskimo pie recipe.

January 25

• National Irish Coffee Day – Learn how to make traditional Irish Coffee. If you love the drink, be sure to also check out the origin of Irish coffee story. It’s fascinating.

January 26

• Green Juice Day – Ever tried making your own green juice? It doesn’t have to be daunting with this simple green juice recipe for beginners.
• National Peanut Brittle Day – Make peanut brittle in the microwave at home.

January 27

• National Chocolate Cake Day – This chocolate cherry cake has a cheesecake center.
• International Port Wine Day – One of the many wine days during the year, International Port Wine Day celebrates this classic after dinner drink.

January 28

• National Blueberry Pancake Day – Get tips for making great pancakes here.

January 29

• National Corn Chip Day – Make your own homemade corn tortilla chips.

January 30

• National Croissant Day – Check out these easy almond croissants to celebrate National Croissant Day.

January 31

• National Hot Chocolate Day – The best way to celebrate National Hot Chocolate Day is to get some fun facts and recipes for this warm and cozy day.
• Eat Brussels Sprouts Day – Get some tips for growing Brussels sprouts here.
• Brandy Alexander Day – Bottoms up to this delicious cocktail recipe.

It is not just food and drinks that have national days celebrating them during January. All sorts of topics get made into national days.

Check out this list of national days of January for the complete list of days to celebrate.

More food holiday lists

Each month has its own list of food national days. Here are some other foodie national day pages

• January food holidays – this page!
• February food celebrations
• March food holidays 
• List of food days in April
• May national food holidays
• List of food days in June
• List of food days in July
• August national food days
• National food days for September
• October food holidays
• November food holidays
• December food holidays

January is the beginning of the year. It’s a time for new beginnings, but these national food holidays in January seem more like we are celebrating old traditions.

The holidays of December are finished but the celebrating isn’t over on New Year’s Day. Each of these food holidays is a day to have a party.

Pin this post for the food holidays in January

Would you like a reminder of this post for the January food days? Just pin this image to one of your food boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

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