From Baked Ham to Carrot Cake: Easy Easter Recipes for Every Course
A delicious collection of Easy Easter Recipes! Everything from baked ham, to tasty side dishes, breads, classics and desserts!
It’s almost time for Easter dinner, hard as that might be to believe! If you’re struggling with ideas for easy items to fill your Easter table, I’m here to help. In this roundup post, I’ve collected the best Easter recipes for a delicious, stress-free dinner. I’ve collected ideas for the perfect main dish and easy recipes for simple sides, bread, and Easter desserts too. Even if this is your first time hosting a big holiday dinner, you’ll have no problem at all if you follow my advice.
Let’s get to the recipes!
Main Course Ideas
Choose your main course first to help you decide what to serve with it! My vote if “easy” is the name of the game? Ham! There’s nothing wrong with a good turkey for a holiday meal, but there’s no denying that when it comes to a simple, hands-off approach, no other main course meal can compare to a classic ham.
impress your Guests
Orange Juice Glazed Ham
I LOVE ham with glaze, as you might have figured out. This one is a bit different than the one we just talked about, but with the same results: delicious ham with a sweet, sticky, flavourful crust and enough glaze to smother the ham on your dinner plate. For this glaze, I used butter, brown sugar, honey, mustard, and orange juice. Sweet, flavourful, and perfect with the saltiness of the baked ham. Super easy to make and a sure way to impress your guests!
So easy!
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Baked ham is one of the easiest dishes to prepare for dinner. And this Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is delicious! Score the surface then drizzle all the nooks and crannies with a delicious brown sugar and mustard glaze. After roasting, the ham comes out deliciously tender with a sticky and sweet brown sugar mustard crust. You can have a delicious and tender main course on your table in less than 3 hours with this recipe. What could be easier?
Vegetable Side Dish Options
To keep your Easter dinner simple and easy, choose ONE of the following vegetable side dish recipes (two at the most). They are all delicious and will nicely complement whichever ham option you chose above.
sweet and buttery
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
If you’re looking for a delicious and easy carrot recipe, these Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots are it! They’re sweet, buttery, and salty all at the same time. This method is just as easy as boiling carrots plain, but it adds pizzazz and personality to this staple holiday meal veggie. Just simmer the carrots in butter, brown sugar, and a bit of water to achieve a subtly sweet flavour!
Ready in Less than an Hour
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
If you’re tired of the same old steamed or boiled carrots, then you should make these Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips! They’re a simple and delicious side dish that is perfect for the holidays. Plus, it’s ready in less than an hour! The veggies caramelize in their honey glaze while they roast for a truly spectacular dish that is sure to impress. (Leave out the parsnips if they aren’t your thing and just add more carrots).
Rich in Flavour
Roasted Asparagus
There is no better way to enjoy asparagus than to roast it! It’s quick, easy, and comes out bright, tender, crunchy, and rich in flavour every single time. (And since the only other ingredients you need are olive oil, salt, and pepper, you can substitute whatever vegetable you want to roast instead: green beans, beets, or carrots would be perfect as well! You could even roast a variety, sheet pan style.) Sprinkle your asparagus with a wee bit of parmesan cheese and serve it confidently as a beautiful part of your Easter feast.
A delicious complement to ham
Sage Butter Green Beans and Corn Medley
Green beans and corn pair perfectly, so why not mix them together to make one easy, quick, and delicious side dish? To complement your Easter menu ham, I suggest using an herb medley of thyme, parsley, and rosemary. Saute your corn and beans in butter and herbs for a warm and perfectly seasoned veggie dish.
Potatoes (Regular and Sweet!)
No holiday main meal is complete without the king of carbohydrates: potatoes! Whether you decide to go with the sweet or regular variety, this delicious comfort food can be prepared in a number of easy ways that are all delicious and pair beautifully with ham.
An easter classic
Simple Scalloped Potatoes
These Simple Scalloped Potatoes are creamy, rich, perfectly cheesy and so flavourful. This tried and true scalloped potato recipe doesn’t disappoint and makes a perfect side dish for Easter dinner. They’re easy to make too, you only need 15 minutes of prep time before they go in the oven to bake.
An easter classic but with a twist
Dill Scalloped Potatoes
These are not just another scalloped potato recipe…nope, these Dill Scalloped Potatoes are the most delicious twist on classic scalloped potatoes! The addition of fresh dill, cream and Swiss cheese makes these potatoes so creamy, cheesy and delicious.
The Perfect Holiday Food
Sweet Potato Casserole
This Sweet Potato Casserole is a rich and decadent holiday side dish. It consists of mashed roasted sweet potatoes mixed with cream and spices and topped with a layer of marshmallows. Really, it couldn’t be more simple. And sometimes the simplest things are the best! Who doesn’t want a large marshmallow with every bite of potato? It’s the perfect holiday food!
A Simple One-Pot Dish
Sweet Potato Gratin
This Sweet Potato Gratin is creamy, flavourful, and so delicious! It’s a simple one-pot dish that is perfect for holiday dinners. Sauté the shallots, onions, and spices in an oven-safe pan, then simmer the cream and cheese. Add the sliced sweet potato, top with cheese, and bake. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Cut Prep Time
Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Cut your prep time for big holiday dinners with these Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes! I know mashed potatoes are already the easiest thing in the world to make. But it’s just ONE MORE THING to do when you’re already busy (peeling, cutting, boiling) and one more giant pot taking up room and making a boiling mess on the stove. Make these mashed potatoes ahead of time, heat, and stir in butter and cream right before serving.
A Family Favourite
Oven Roasted Herb Potatoes
This is my go-to potato recipe. There’s just nothing quite like deliciously soft & crunchy roasted potatoes! To achieve this effect, all you need to do is boil your potatoes ahead of time and then roast them in olive oil and herbs right before mealtime! They turn out perfectly every time and require very little hands-on prep.
No Oven needed
Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes are delicious and so easy to make! Just wrap them in foil and toss them into your slow cooker, and you’ll have perfect potatoes for dinner with no oven space necessary. Once they are unwrapped and on your guests’ plates, they look just as nice as any other potatoes! Top with whatever you would like.
Breads and Buns
It’s not a true holiday table without bread! I’ve got lots of ideas for easy, homemade buns and loaves that are sure to make your guests feel comfortable and well-fed.
Cute and Delicious
Easy Bread Machine Easter Bunny Buns
These Easy Bread Machine Easter Bunny Buns are a perfect addition to your Easter dinner! They’re cute and delicious. Make the dough in your bread machine, shape it, then bake it in the oven. So easy and so fun for Easter dinner.
a favourite!
Parker House Rolls
These Parker House Rolls are the ultimate dinner roll! They’re so soft and buttery and a little bit salty. They pair with everything and also make great sandwiches with leftover Easter ham. So if you’re looking for a roll that everyone will love, this recipe is it. And bonus points for the ease of the dough being made in the bread maker!
Soft, Fluffy, and so flavourful
Bread Machine Hot Cross Buns
What’s more Easter than hot cross buns? This Bread Machine Hot Cross Buns recipe is simple and delicious. The buns are soft and fluffy, flavourful with spices, and sweet with a sugar glaze and icing. I’ve chosen to put it with the dessert, but if you want to serve it alongside the meal, there is absolutely nothing stopping you!
Let your Bread MAchine do Most of the Work
Homemade Bread Machine Dinner Buns
Let your bread machine do all the mixing and kneading for these Homemade Dinner Buns! Then, shape the dough into buns and bake them in your oven. After all, the smell of bread baking in your oven followed by eating it fresh and slathered in butter is one of the greatest joys in life, and it’s just that easy!
No fuss required!
Mozzarella and Parmesan Buttermilk Quick Bread
This Mozzarella and Parmesan Buttermilk Quick Bread is a perfect side dish to your dinner! Serve it warm out of the oven in about one hour. No kneading, no rising, and no fuss is required. It’s moist, tender, and full of cheesy flavour, and it’s divine served up warm and smothered in butter! And so perfect with ham.
The Perfect Dinner Bread
Easy French Bread
This Easy French Bread is a delicious bread machine recipe. Let the bread machine do all of the mixing and kneading, then shape the dough into 2 loaves and bake them in your oven. A perfect bread for serving with Easter dinner!
Salads
Another key element of any nice meal is the side salad! I’ve got a few options here that range from fresh green salad to creamy comfort food.
Pairs Perfectly with easter ham
The Best Creamy Pea Salad Recipe
If you feel like it isn’t a meal without peas on the table, make this salad! This Creamy Pea Salad is a perfect side for your holiday dinner. Sweet peas, crispy bacon, red onion, and chunks of cheese are all mixed in a creamy dressing that pairs perfectly with ham at Easter.
Fresh and flavourful
Broccoli Salad with Mandarins, Red Onions, and Bacon
If you’re looking for a delicious, flavourful, and fresh side dish, this Broccoli Salad is perfect! It’s a mixture of crunchy broccoli florets, sweet mandarin oranges, red onions, smoky bacon, and sharp cheddar all tossed in a creamy, tangy mayo dressing. This family favourite recipe makes appearances at many of our holiday dinners. The combo of sweet + crunchy makes it a perfect side dish to ham, and it’s a breeze to put together.
an easy make-ahead salad
Easy 7 Layer Salad
If you’re looking for a simple and classic salad recipe for your Easter dinner, this 7 Layer Salad is it! You make this salad ahead time, saving you time and stress when you’re trying to get Easter dinner on the table. This easy, make-ahead salad has layers of lettuce, peas, green onions, celery, green pepper, water chestnuts, bacon, cheese, sliced boiled eggs, and a creamy sour cream mayo dressing.
light, fresh + dill-y!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This light and bright Creamy Cucumber Salad is a delicious option for Easter! This salad is made with thinly sliced fresh cucumbers and sliced red onion tossed in a creamy dressing (sour cream + mayo) with fresh dill. It is delicious and SO easy to make. You can have it on your table in 15 minutes!
REady in 5 minutes
Simple Green Salad with Homemade Mayo Dressing
This Simple Green Salad with Homemade Mayo Dressing is a delicious and easy addition to dinner! The salad dressing is made with 3 simple ingredients: mayonnaise, milk, and sugar. Add to whatever greens you choose and your salad is ready in 5 minutes.
Desserts
Now we come to what some people would call the best part of the Easter meal: dessert! I’m sharing a few tasty little bites of heaven that are fun and easy to make and sure to impress. Be warned: We are skipping right over the fresh fruit options and going straight for the sweet treats! After all, what are holidays for, anyway?
The best carrot cake!
Carrot Cake Cake Recipe
When I think “Easter cake”, I instantly think of this Carrot Cake Cake Recipe with a Cream Cheese Frosting! It’s tender, sweet, and so delicious! What’s not to love about a moist spice cake packed with nutritious shredded carrots and smothered in creamy frosting? Plus, sheet cake is the easiest dessert in the world to serve. There’s nothing fussy about cutting cake into squares, and nothing is more delicious than this cake!
a mostly homemade cake!
Coconut Cream Poke Cake
Coconut lovers unite! If you love coconut and cake, then you need to make this mostly homemade Coconut Cream Poke Cake! Cream of coconut soaked into a soft vanilla cake base, then topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut makes the MOST delicious dessert that is absolutely perfect for Easter.
So Easy
Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
These Easter Egg Sugar Cookies are the exact same recipe I used for my Peppermint Kiss Sugar Cookies that I posted at Christmas. All I did differently was use little chocolate Easter eggs instead of peppermint kisses, which makes them perfect for Easter!
Fun for the kids
Birds Nest Cookies
If you’re looking for an easy and SO CUTE Easter treat, these Birds Nest Cookies are a great option! They’re delicious and adorable and make a perfect dessert for Easter dinner. These coconut macaroons are chewy, coconut-y and so yummy.
a family favourite Easter dessert
Peanut Butter Confetti Squares
Every Easter my family looks forward to these Peanut Butter Confetti Squares. They’re so rich and delicious and are a perfect ending to Easter dinner! Full of delicious peanut butter, butterscotch and fruity marshmallow flavours! You won’t be able to stop at one bite…trust me.
Light + so yummy
Easter Jello Whips
I love no-bake desserts, especially for holiday dinners like Easter! If you do too, then you need to try these pretty and delicious Easter Jello Whips. If you’re looking for a really simple and pretty dessert idea for Easter, these Easter Jello Whips are made with just 2 ingredients (jello and Greek yogurt).
Need Help with Easter Meal Planning?
There you have it! A whole pile of easy Easter recipes to choose from for your Easter feast! If you’re overwhelmed trying to choose, why not let me help you do the work?
A Stress Free Easter Menu
Easy Easter Dinner Menu
You can use my Easter dinner menu and grocery list to make a simple menu of delicious and easy to make dishes, AND a strategy to get it all on the table, on time, with ease.
Try something new
15 Non-Traditional Easter Dinner Ideas
And if you’re looking to try something different for Easter this year, here are some delicious non-traditional Easter main dishes.
Use Up all of that extra Ham
21+ Leftover Ham Recipes
Then, make sure to check out my ideas for how to use up leftover ham for the days following Easter when you won’t feel like cooking.
Something for everyone
Best Easter Brunch Ideas
Don’t forget breakfast! Check out this delicious collection of easy Easter Brunch recipes with both sweet and savoury ideas. Includes breakfast bakes, pancakes, crepes, salads, breads, and more!
I hope I showed you that delicious Easter food doesn’t have to be complicated! Choose the easy recipes you know your people will love and enjoy your simple, tasty meal this Easter. Now there’s nothing left to do but set the table!
Happy Easter planning!
