Essential Easter Recipes for Brunch, Dinner, and Dessert

Grab your Easter basket—you’ll want to collect each and every one of these crowd-pleasing Easter recipes.
A chiffon cake with buttercream and strawberries partially sliced and served with Champagne.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert

Our favorite Easter recipes guarantee two things: (1) Everyone will be begging for an invite next year, and (2) the Easter Bunny will swing by again—this time for dinner.

This hub brings it all together: classic Easter brunches, show-stopping Easter desserts layered with whipped cream and meringue, quintessential deviled eggs, Easter mains like glazed ham and roast lamb, and celebratory side dishes worthy of your Easter table.

Our Easter menu ideas celebrate spring with fresh herbs, seasonal fruits, and colorful vegetables. Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just a few loved ones, these Easter recipes make it easy to plan a menu that’s festive, flavorful, and unforgettable. So what are you waiting for? Hop to it.


Easter brunch

Four honey buns on a serving platter with two additional honey buns on plate and two mugs of tea on the side.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

Your Easter Sunday brunch can be simple or show-stopping. Spoon creamy ricotta into a bowl with roasted vegetables and a fried egg—or go sweet with berries and a drizzle of honey. Make-ahead breakfast casseroles keep things fuss-free, while classics like Buttermilk French Toast or glossy honey buns take your spread up a notch.

Feeling ambitious? Perfect your favorites with our guide to the crispiest waffles or learn how to poach an egg to perfection. Whatever you choose, these Easter brunch recipes will have everyone hopping out of bed with excitement.

A few fantastic Easter breads

Biscuits and orange rolls are a must. Parker House rolls? Only if you want the best leftover ham sandwiches on the planet. And then there are cinnamon rolls, and morning glory muffins, and....well, these three beauties worth opening your eyes for:

A sliced cake baked in a round mold filled with raisins and almonds on a cake stand and dusted with confectioner's sugar.

CLASSIC KUGELHOPF

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Leslie Raney Garetto
A batch of lemon poppy seed muffins on a cooling rack.

LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
Italian Easter bread on a plate.

ITALIAN EASTER BREAD

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
Four ways to deviled egg

No Easter menu is complete without deviled eggs. Pick the variation that most appeals to your taste buds and dive in. Choose from the classic, the tunafied, or the super-easy approach—any of the three will disappear fast. Give them the spotlight with a dedicated deviled egg tray—it’s the perfect way to elevate your Easter spread.

A ceramic deviled egg tray on a marble countertop with deviled eggs and glasses of wine and seltzer to accompany story...

CLASSIC DEVILED EGGS

Photo by Travis Rainey, Styling by Joseph De Leo
Photo of tonnato eggs on a blue platter.

TONNATO EGGS

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Liza Jernow
Vegan deviled eggs on a blue patter atop a terrazo counter.

VEGAN DEVILED EGGS

Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
Jammy deviled eggs served as an easy holiday appetizer idea.

JAMMY EGGS WITH TOPPINGS

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog

Easter dinner ideas

A person slicing and serving a glazed ham.
Photo by Peden + Munk

While a store-bought ham with the premade glaze gets the job done, a quality ham roast glazed to your preferences can really shine. Try mustard and brown sugar, rosemary and bourbon, or pomegranate-orange for a flavorful twist.

Not a ham fan? A rich, gamey leg of lamb or an elegant make-ahead roast salmon makes a stunning centerpiece. And if you want to go meat-free, our impressive vegetarian Easter recipes are sure to wow your guests and make your spring holiday feast memorable.

Easter side dishes
A serving platter of green beans with some on a plate on the side a pinch bowl of pepper and two glasses of white wine.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

If ever there were a moment for roasted carrots, Easter dinner is it. But if you’re looking to go beyond the basics, try honey-glazed carrots with parsnips, shawarma-spiced carrots, or pot-roasted carrots with anchovies and sumac.

Of course, great Easter side dishes don’t stop at carrots. Think lemony Greek potatoes, a crisp wedge salad with feta and oregano, tender Green Beans Amandine, and all the best spring vegetables—leeks, asparagus, radishes—ready for their moment on your holiday table.

Our favorite Easter menus

These Easter dinner menus make planning your holiday spread effortless. Start with a chef-curated Ukrainian feast, or turn to a menu built from years of our top-rated recipes—complete with roasted asparagus, “bubble-top” brioche rolls, and a puckery-sweet lemon curd tart.

Prefer something more relaxed? There’s a breezy lunch buffet that finishes with a Key lime pie–inspired sheet cake, plus a crème-fraîche-enriched quiche you can customize with your favorite toppings. However you celebrate, these Easter menu ideas take the guesswork out of hosting.


Easter drinks

Strawberry grapefruit and chamomile punch in two glasses and a pitcher.
Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo

These fresh, fun Easter drinks set the tone for spring. Browse our bubbly cocktail recipes to find one that fits your holiday gathering. Master a gin & tonic that’s perfectly balanced, stick with a perennial favorite like the Aperol Spritz, or go large-format with a chamomile punch.

Prefer a nonalcoholic option? Natasha David’s Life of the Party punch offers the same fizzy fun with a fruity backbone from pomegranate juice.


Easter desserts

Two layered bars with banana pudding on bottom and cheesecake on top on plates beside two cups of coffee.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou

Yes, we have a go-to carrot cake recipe—but why stop there? Our favorite Easter desserts include inventive takes on the classic. Try a layer cake with golden beets and jarred sour cherries, a carrot sheet cake that travels easily, or a single-layer carrot cake finished with a fudgy, bright orange carrot-glaze.

Of course, Easter dessert recipes don’t end with carrot cake. Click through for marshmallow-topped cupcakes, springtime twists on cheesecake, and the most delicate coconut cream pie you’ll ever bake. Sweet, seasonal, and show-stopping—these desserts are guaranteed to wow your table.

More Easter baking
Overhead view of a pistachio thumbprint cookie against a green background.

OUR BEST EASTER COOKIES

Photo by Kelsey McClellan
Slices of chiffon cake with buttercream and strawberries.

OUR BEST EASTER CAKES

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
Flan de queso on a cake plate with a slice cut out.

FAVORITE SPRING DESSERTS

Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food styling by Kaitlin Wayne

Easter eggs

Vegetabledyed Easter eggs on a marble surface.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

Menu’s set—now it’s time to have some fun. Step up your Easter egg decorating game with a method that matches your mood. Start by learning how to properly hard-boil eggs. From there, go classic with pastel food dye, or try jewel-toned pickled eggs that double as a snack.

Feeling crafty? Use coffee filters for marbled, tie-dyed Easter eggs, or channel your inner illustrator with our graphic, coloring-book-inspired designs—guaranteed to stand out at the annual egg hunt. Watch Epi contributor Diana Yen demonstrate that last technique, then keep the festivities going with a little Easter candy.

Colorful Easter eggs on a blue plate.

HOW TO PICKLE-DYE EASTER EGGS

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
Four pastelcolored eggs in a purple egg carton on a bright pink surface.
Image may contain Easter Egg Food and Egg

HOW TO MAKE COLORING BOOK EASTER EGGS

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Diana Yen