30 Best Easter Recipes

Traditionally, Easter Sunday is a holy day for Christians commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. As the culmination of 40 days of Lent, a period of fasting, families historically gather to celebrate the holiday with brunch or an early dinner. As a 'moveable feast,' it's celebrated yearly on a different calendar date. Each year Easter falls between March 22 and April 25, and in 2023, it is celebrated on April 9. Feasts worldwide will benefit from the first bounties of spring, which begins on March 20.

This easy-to-make collection of Easter recipes includes make-ahead dishes to get you out of the kitchen to enjoy the holiday with your family and friends, whether you're having a religious celebration or a playful egg hunt. Since chocolate plays a significant role during this holiday, we've created sweet recipes like a simple kid-friendly Easter bark and a decadent, boozy Cadbury Egg martini for adults. No matter if you're looking for delicious brunch recipes like ham or quiche that are perfect for aprés Easter egg hunts or waiting until cocktail hour to serve a feast complete with a rack of lamb, we've assembled 30 seasonal recipes perfect for your Easter menu that you'll want to make all season long. 

Whether you're serving a formal sit-down dinner or buffet-style brunch, chances are there's ham on the menu. Ham has become as synonymous with Easter as turkey is with Thanksgiving, and for many of us, it's the only time of year we get to enjoy this protein. This simple Easter ham recipe is so delicious and versatile. It can be served hot or at room temperature and as the main attraction on the dinner plate, along with creamy garlic mashed potatoes or sandwiched between a buttermilk biscuit for the perfect brunch dish.

Recipe: Easter Ham

For some families, lamb is the centerpiece of their Easter celebration, especially in Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece. While roasting a whole leg of lamb can be a showstopper, it can also be intimating and a lot of food, whereas a tender rack of lamb flavored with garlic and fresh rosemary is the perfect entree for a family of four. The dish can go from the refrigerator to the dinner table in under 30 minutes and be prepared in the oven or grill, making it ideal for any weather.

Recipe: Tender Rack of Lamb

If you aim to impress, look no further than this steakhouse-caliber prime rib recipe. A butcher can carve this pricey cut of meat to accommodate any party size, beginning with a single rib that will feed two. While larger roasts will take a few hours in the oven, prep is minimal, leaving plenty of time to make the horseradish sauce you'll want to serve alongside. If you're looking for accompaniments, our mascarpone mashed potatoes recipe and homemade lemony grilled asparagus would surely be delicious.

Recipe: Homemade Prime Rib

This sweetened, enriched, raisin-studded baked good is traditionally eaten on Good Friday, but we won't tell if you want to serve them on Easter Sunday too. The cross-marked bun has a long history dating back to the 12th century and is typically only prepared during this time of year. While the recipe demands a few hours of your day, Easter comes only once a year, and these pillowy treats are irresistible when fresh out of the oven, so we think this baking project is worth your time.

Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

If you love a theme as much as we do, these pastel-colored deviled eggs are perfect for Easter brunch. After all, why should the kids have all the fun? Hard-boiled egg whites are soaked in water-soluble food coloring (or natural substitutes) while the yolks get the royal treatment: They're mixed with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice before being piped back onto these Easter egg-inspired shells. They're as adorable as they are delicious. If you are headed to a potluck, this dish will surely be the talk of the town.

Recipe: Easter Deviled Eggs

If you're looking for a simple appetizer that everyone will love, may we present the cheese ball? Flavored with the tastes of spring, this creamy appetizer incorporates green onion, garlic, and parsley into a sphere of soft cheese. While cheese balls are not an Easter-centric dish per se, you can't deny that creamy cheese rolled in toasted pecans is a delicious combination of contrasting textures. Our Easter cheese ball comes together in minutes — serve it with fresh veggies and your favorite crackers.

Recipe: Easter Cheese Ball

Italian Easter bread or "pane di Pasqua" is an enriched, sweetened bread similar to brioche or challah made by the faithful throughout the Mediterranean for Easter. The brightly colored bread is traditionally shaped into a wreath and decorated with dyed Easter eggs and non-pareils to symbolize life. Our braided, individual-sized loaves are a beautiful and festive addition to brunch and delicious use for a few colored Easter eggs. Although homemade bread can be intimating, recipe developer Melissa Olivieri says the most time-consuming part of the recipe is dying the eggs.

Recipe: Italian Easter Bread

Once you make this simple side dish, you'll be reaching for it anytime you're serving roasted meats. Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness and caramelizes the outside for a punch of umami flavor. Keeping the carrots whole elevates the presentation and subtly keeps with the Easter theme. Double the recipe and save some roasted carrots for a sweet component to any salad or rice dish. If you end up with extra, purée the leftovers with some vegetable stock for a silky carrot soup.

Recipe: Roasted Carrots

For over 30 years, mall shoppers nationwide have enjoyed Auntie Anne's buttery, soft pretzels, and now you can easily recreate them at home. Making pretzels on Easter is a fun way to get the kids involved. Pantry staples are thrown together in under an hour to create delicious homemade pretzels that the entire family will enjoy twisting, knotting, and folding. Stick with the classic salt topping, or sweeten the recipe with cinnamon sugar. 

Recipe: Copycat Auntie Anne's Pretzels

Like the purple crocuses dotting your lawn, asparagus is a welcome sign of spring. As one of the first crops of spring, tender asparagus is a delicious reminder that warm weather and new life are around the corner. This simple side dish steams the asparagus to create a tender veggie while maintaining that 'snap' when bitten into. Dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, this recipe allows the veggie's natural flavor to shine without masking it with overpowering spices.

Recipe: Simple Steamed Asparagus

Buttery Yukon Gold potatoes get the royal treatment when paired with leeks, thyme, and bacon in a simple yet elegant scalloped potatoes recipe. This decadent side dish pairs well with any roasted meat and is quick enough to prepare that we shouldn't save it just for holidays. Although the potatoes are baked in butter and cream, the dish is lighter than traditional scalloped potato recipes hidden under gobs of melted cheese. This may become your favorite way to cook potatoes.

Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes

We are highlighting one of the first veggies of the season with an elegant yet simple asparagus tart. This recipe makes a delicious appetizer or a beautiful vegetarian addition to your Easter brunch. Thanks to a few store-bought items, the tart can be on the table in as little as 15 minutes. Your favorite brand of puff pastry is filled with garlicky Boursin cheese and topped with asparagus spears, creating a flavor-packed bite. Serve your tart with a simple green salad (and a glass of wine) for a light lunch all season long.

Recipe: Asparagus Tart

Our baked mac and cheese recipe uses three types of cheese to create a creamy pasta dish that everyone's sure to love. Cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and mozzarella are combined with traditional elbow pasta in a quick recipe that takes 10 minutes to whip up. Our baked mac and cheese recipe is topped with panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese for a superior crunchy, salty version of your favorite store-bought boxed mac and cheese.

Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese

Holidays are a day of indulgences, and this potato au gratin recipe is a decadent addition to any Easter menu. Layered with cream, butter, and nutty Gruyere cheese and flavored with garlic and thyme, potatoes au gratin complements any protein, especially steak. From the oven directly to the table, your guests will fight over the crunchy bits of caramelized cheese blanketing the dish. You can prepare the recipe the day before and pop it in the oven 1.5 hours before serving for a delicious, time-saving casserole.

Recipe: Potatoes Au Gratin

Though it has 16th-century origins, Quiche Lorraine remains a staple on brunch menus for a reason. The classic combination of custardy eggs, bits of bacon, and nutty Gruyere cheese presented in flaky pie crust is a delicious dish, whether prepared for breakfast or brunch. Made with store-bought packaged pie crust, this easy, make-ahead recipe can be enjoyed all week long at any temperature. Serve leftover quiche Lorraine with a simple green salad for an elegant light lunch.

Recipe: Quiche Lorraine

After a dark winter, spring is ushered in with a lighter palette of pastel colors, which will be on full display on this Easter bark. Kids will enjoy making this simple dessert recipe studded with their favorite Easter candies. Melted white chocolate and peanut butter (a match made in heaven) are swirled together and topped with Cadbury Mini Eggs, M&Ms, and sprinkles in pastel hues. Use our recipe as a guide, and add your favorite combination of salty/sweet treats like marshmallows, pretzels, or other candies for a yummy treat that also makes a thoughtful gift.

Recipe: Easy Easter Bark

No matter what you make for Easter dinner, everyone will remember the dessert, especially when you serve these adorable spring-themed cupcakes. Homemade vanilla cupcakes are decorated with a speckled Robin's egg-blue frosting and topped with mini eggs. They are so cute! If chocolate is more your speed, customize the recipe with our moist chocolate cupcake recipe instead and top your Easter cupcakes with your favorite pastel-colored candy, like jelly beans, M&Ms, or Cadbury chocolate.

Recipe: Easter Cupcakes

Whether making these oversized chocolate Easter eggs for a child's Easter basket, adding them to a dessert buffet, or personalizing them with your guests' names for place cards, these adorable chocolate Easter eggs take your confectionary skills to the next level. Similar to making hot chocolate bombs, these hollow, customizable chocolate eggs are filled with mini treats. Decorate your chocolate Easter egg with drizzled chocolate in your favorite flavor and add sprinkles or small candies to create a one-of-a-kind treat your kids will love.

Recipe: Chocolate Easter Eggs

For novice bakers, baking in a Bundt pan is the easiest way to elevate your cakes. The donut-shaped, fluted cake pans, which range from simple ridges to intricate swirls and patterns, create an elegant cake even before it's decorated. Although Bundt cakes are not specific to Easter, we've adorned our vanilla sponge cake with melted white chocolate and Cadbury Mini Eggs (Easter's version of candy corn) for a spring-themed dessert perfect for Easter.

Recipe: Easter Bundt Cake

If you're looking to balance out all of the cloyingly sweet Peeps, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans, this traditional Italian Easter dessert is perfect. The flakey, double-crusted pie is filled with a rich, creamy mixture of sweetened whole milk ricotta cheese, studded with mini chocolate chips, and scented with lemon zest and cinnamon. Although we think it's worth the effort, you can save time by purchasing a pie crust. If you like cannolis, then give this subtly sweet recipe a try.

Recipe: Sicilian Easter Pie

There are certainly fancier desserts, but is there a dessert more universally loved than cookies? This easy, delicious sugar cookie recipe has a gooey center and lacy crispy edges. Pastel-colored Cadbury Mini Eggs make it a perfect addition to your Easter dessert selection but can be adapted for any holiday celebration. Kids will enjoy baking these cookies with you, and since they freeze beautifully, bake and freeze them a week earlier, then defrost them the day before. Double the recipe and enjoy them all spring. 

Recipe: Easter Egg Cookies

Two eight-inch vanilla cakes are used to create this adorable bunny cake for Easter. Frosted in a classic buttercream, coated in coconut flakes, and adorned with candy, our Easter bunny cake is as simple to make as fun. Kids will love decorating the bunny by placing licorice for its whiskers, dyed coconut for a bow tie, and jelly beans for the face. Our homemade vanilla sponge cake is easy to make, but you can cut some corners by substituting your favorite boxed mix. We won't tell anyone.

Recipe: Easter Bunny Cake

No flavor says 'sunshine' like lemon. After a long winter, these bright lemon bars are the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of spring and a delicious addition to your Easter meal. Tangy but sweet, our recipe is packed with citrus, using both lemon juice and lemon zest. A sweet shortbread dough-like crust perfectly balances the gooey, tangy filling. With just 15 minutes of prep time, this easy recipe is for anyone who loves the taste of lemon. 

Recipe: Easy Lemon Bars

Carrot cake lovers will question why we wait all year to make this incredibly moist cake when they take their first bite. Our elegant three-layer carrot cake isn't overly sweet, thanks to its naked sides. However, a rich cream cheese frosting fills each layer and coats the top of the cake. The recipe is easily adaptable for cupcakes or a sheet pan cake if you are traveling. The ring of chopped walnuts adds a lovely texture but can be omitted in the case of food allergies.

Recipe: Carrot Cake

If you love a theme, we have the perfect cocktail for your Easter menu. Recipe developer Jaime Shelbert used the beloved Easter candy Cadbury Creme Eggs to inspire this creamy after-dinner cocktail. The drink combines vanilla-flavored vodka, Créme de Cacao liqueur, and heavy cream in a chocolate-rimmed martini glass with the sweetest final detail, a Cadbury Creme Egg as the garnish. Add yellow food coloring to the cocktail to mimic the candy; adults will love it. 

Recipe: Cadbury Egg Martini

A signature cocktail is a nice touch for any gathering, and nothing says "it's a celebration" more than champagne. This French 75 cocktail recipe combines gin and champagne (Prosecco or sparkling wine would also work) with a lemony simple syrup for a slightly sweet and bright sparkling cocktail. Save some time by mixing a pitcher of lemony French 75 in advance, adding the champagne just before your guests arrive. Serve the elegant champagne cocktail in a flute with lemon peel as garnish.

Recipe: Lemony French 75 Cocktail

The Paloma is a citrusy cocktail tequila lovers will want to make all spring and summer. Our version combines tequila and grapefruit juice in a lowball glass rimmed with kosher salt, chili powder, and lime zest for a burst of flavor with every sip. We add club soda or sparkling water to lighten the cocktail. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, customize the recipe by adding some agave nectar. 

Recipe: Classic Paloma Cocktail

Stephen King wrote, "Sooner or later, everything old is new again," and while he wasn't technically referring to our cocktails, the sentiment applies here too. This classic tequila cocktail has had a resurgence for those who prefer things on the sweeter side. Layered from deep pink to orange, our ombré Tequila Sunrise cocktail is the perfect springtime concoction using tequila blanco, orange juice, and grenadine. Serve it in a lowball glass to get the full effect, and garnish the drink with a wheel of orange and a cherry.

Recipe: Classic Tequila Sunrise

Don't let the sweet, creamy taste fool you. Our Chocolate Martini packs a punch! With a 1:1:1 ratio of vodka, Baileys Irish Cream, and créme de cacao, this dessert cocktail is a boozy, sweet ending to your Easter celebration. While some recipes call for Godiva liqueur, we've swapped in creme de cacao for a more balanced cocktail with hints of vanilla. To gild the lily, serve this decadent drink in a martini glass drizzled with chocolate syrup and garnish it with chocolate curls.

Recipe: Chocolate Martini

This indulgent mid-century cocktail had a resurgence after The Dude (played by Jeff Bridges) brought it back from extinction in 1998's "The Big Lebowski," and we haven't stopped making them since. Made with high-quality vodka, Kahlúa Rum Coffee Liqueur, and heavy whipping cream, a White Russian is a decadent nightcap to serve your guests. Present it in a fancy lowball glass and add the heavy cream just before serving for the marbled effect. This creamy, potent cocktail will have you drinking your dessert at your Easter celebration.

Recipe: Classic White Russian