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. 

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

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'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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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