Easter is a holiday that is filled with tradition - especially at the dinner table. From lamb or ham as the main dish to deviled eggs on the side and gooey brownies for dessert, there are a plethora of Easter dinner ideas that are guaranteed to make your family members smile (and leave their tummies very happy).
It's time to explore delicious Easter recipes for main dishes, sides, and desserts to help you celebrate this Spring holiday. Here are seventeen of the most popular traditional Easter dinner ideas.
Main Easter Dishes
1. Honey Butter Ham
We must start this list with a classic ham recipe, and this one from The Spruce Eats is simple and tasty. It adds a bit of Dijon mustard for an extra flavor kick, and you can either cook it in the oven or your slow cooker.
If you prefer to customize the flavor, you can add more ingredients to the simple glaze, like sautéed onion or crushed garlic.
2. Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
Start a new tradition in your family by cooking this recipe for Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin from Lite House Foods. This dish isn't as traditional as ham or lamb, but it is just as delicious and is so easy to prepare, you will have plenty of time to spend with your family.
3. Greek Lamb
For many families, there is nothing more traditional on Easter Sunday than eating Greek lamb. You can easily cook this dish in the oven, and when you do make it indoors, the scent of garlic and rosemary will fill your home. This recipe from Compass and Fork uses traditional herbs and spices as a marinade, and it leaves you enough time to entertain your friends and family.
4. Stuffed Leg Of Lamb
If you would prefer to try a stuffed leg of lamb, try this recipe from The Spruce Eats. It is a flavorful recipe that features garlic, bacon, parsley, and red wine, and is incredibly easy to prepare.
5. Garlic Herb-Roasted Chicken
You can switch things up this Easter and choose a delicious roast chicken as the centerpiece of your dinner. This flavor-filled recipe from Cafe Delites features garlic butter, rosemary, parsley, lemon, and a hint of white wine.
This dish is so scrumptious, you will want to make it more than once a year.
Side Dishes
6. Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are an Easter staple for many families, and you can either opt for a classic deviled egg recipe, like this one from Real Life Dinner, that calls for mayo, parsley flakes, white vinegar, yellow mustard, onion powder, salt and pepper, and paprika for garnish. Or, you can get a little more creative and make deviled eggs benedict with this recipe from Yellow Bliss Road, that mixes deviled eggs and eggs benedict, with some hollandaise sauce, Canadian bacon, and bites of English muffin.
7. Easter Bunny Rolls
This recipe for Easter Bunny Rolls from Plated Cravings uses homemade yeast dough to make a cute addition to your Easter dinner. But, if you don't have the time, you can also use store-bought dough. For this side dish, you shape the dough into a bunny, and then sprinkle the tail with coarse sea salt or coarse sugar if you want something sweet. These bunny rolls are fluffy, buttery, and super simple to make.
8. Potatoes Au Gratin
Everyone loves cheese and potatoes, and this recipe for potatoes au gratin from Spend With Pennies goes perfectly with ham or pork tenderloin. You can choose your cheese for this side dish, and sharper flavors like sharp cheddar or Gruyere work the best. If you want to get really creative, sprinkle in some feta.
9. Loaded Mashed Potato Puffs
Another idea from Yellow Bliss Road, this Easter side dish features Simply Potatoes traditional mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, chives, and bacon. Loaded mashed potato puffs are so yummy that they will quickly become an Easter dinner tradition in your home.
10. Smothered Green Beans
A green bean side dish at Easter dinner is an absolute must. And, everyone will request seconds when you serve this smothered green bean recipe from Plain Chicken. You can use either fresh or canned green beans, then you will add bacon, brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, and garlic. The amazing taste is absolutely ridiculous, and it takes just a few minutes to prepare.
11. Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots
If you have people in your family that don't love carrots, you might be able to change their mind with this recipe from Diethood. Garlic and butter make everything better, and that flavor combo just might get everyone in your house to fall in love with this veggie.
12. Blueberry Feta Salad
A fresh spring salad is a must at Easter dinner, and this recipe from Lemon Tree Dwelling definitely fits the bill. It combines fresh blueberries with feta cheese, almonds, and lemon poppy seed vinaigrette dressing to get that "spring" flavor on your dinner table.
Desserts
13. Cadbury Mini Egg Brownie Bars
Over the years, the Cadbury brand has become synonymous with Easter. So, take advantage of those mini eggs hitting the grocery store during the Easter season and use them for brownie batter and frosting. With this recipe from Butter With A Side of Bread, you can create the perfect Easter dessert with Cadbury mini eggs, semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt.
14. Rice Krispie Nests
Delicious desserts don't have to take a ton of time or ingredients. You can even include recipes that the kids can make. With that in mind, try this idea from Crafty Morning for Rice Krispie Nests. All it takes is butter, marshmallows, crispy rice cereal, edible grass, and Robins egg candy to make this sweet treat.
15. Homemade Chocolate Peeps
Just like Cadbury, the Peeps brand shines during Easter. Of course, you can eat these treats right out of the package. But, you can create a yummy dessert with this recipe from Raining Hot Coupons. Insert a lollipop stick into the bottom of your peep, then dip it into melted dark cocoa chips, and add marshmallows for tails before putting them in the fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate set.
16. Bunny Cut-Up Cake
A cut-up cake is a simple idea that starts with normally-shaped cakes (squares or circles) that are cut up and reassembled into fun designs. To make this bunny cut-up cake from Homan At Home, start with two 9-inch round cake pans and one cake mix split between them. One cake will remain intact, and you will cut up the other with a template.
You will then decorate with frosting and candy - there are a ton of designs to choose from - and the result will be an Easter cake that looks like a bunny!
17. Oreo Dirt Cake
Turn your Easter candy into a delicious dessert with this creamy recipe from Lil Luna. The cake is filled with Oreos, pudding, Cool Whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Then, you top it off with Peeps, edible grass, Oreos, and M&M's. Is it a sugar attack? Yes. But it will definitely be a hit at your Easter dinner.
Whether you decide to go with the classics, or start a new tradition, you will surely find that at least one of these recipes will be the perfect addition to your holiday dinner. So, start preparing your menu now because the Easter Bunny will be visiting before you know it.