The Best Easter Dinner Ideas — all of the classics and a few more favorites! Whether you’re celebrating on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, or both, make it a memorable meal with spiral ham, potatoes, turkey, veggies and all the fixings!
Ready or not, Easter is coming! We’d better hop to it.
Whether you’re celebrating on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, or both this year, a memorable meal is the goal. In-laws are coming, after all. In between all the egg hunts and festivities, my aim is to get dinner sorted ASAP!
Which is why today I’m sharing a list of easy Easter dinner ideas. I’m talking about timeless recipes, from traditional Easter mains to delicious side dishes. These recipes are easy, they’re tasty, and they’re best shared with family. You’re going to love ‘em!
What is Included in a Traditional Easter Dinner?
Of course, Easter dinner can be as formal or as casual as it suits you to be. Some prefer a sit-down feast, others celebrate with Easter brunch, and others might even gather with their families potluck-style.
In general, however, a traditional Easter meal has a few key dishes that are classic to the holiday:
- A roast or cooked protein, often ham or lamb
- Side dishes like spring vegetables and traditional hot cross buns
- Fresh salads with seasonal ingredients
- And last but not least, unforgettable desserts
To help out with some inspiration, I’ve included a little bit of everything in my favorite Easter dinner recipes below!
30 Mains & Sides to Make Easter Dinner Special
Easter is around the corner! Who’s ready for all the festivities this year? Here are 30 Easter dinner recipes, from easy mains to side dishes, to make your meal one to remember.
Mains
These easy Easter mains have all the wow factor with minimal effort! Simple and delicious recipes, for less time in the kitchen and more time with family.
This succulent spiral ham is glazed in honey and warmed to perfection in the oven. It’s one of my favorite ham recipes, and it’ll be the ultimate centerpiece for your Easter table!
Another holiday tradition, this time pot roast, gets an update thanks to the Instant Pot. This pressure cooker recipe makes the most deliciously juicy fall-apart roast you’ll ever have. All the blessings!
The Instant Pot really is the jack of all kitchen trades. Cook up an insanely mouthwatering Easter ham in half the time it would take in the oven, and be amazed by how juicy it is!
Dry brining a turkey is the life hack you never knew you needed. This recipe makes the juiciest whole turkey, that’s also perfectly crispy on the outside!
If you’re more of the traditional brine type, look no further than this easy recipe for the best turkey brine! It takes 10 minutes and a simple blend of herbs and spices to make one epically flavored turkey!
Slow cookers and holidays were made for each other. Your hands are free for all the other cooking while the slow cooker takes care of this flavorful pot roast soaked in delicious gravy!
A classic roast chicken really is a work of art, but it definitely doesn’t need to be a laborious task! This is an easy recipe for the perfectly seasoned and roasted chicken that you can fall back on well after Easter dinner!
Lamb shanks always look so impressive, and they're so incredibly easy to make in the Instant Pot! Amaze yourself and your Easter guests with these tender braised lamb shanks and rich red wine sauce.
Make roast beef the right way, every time! This is a fail proof recipe for oven roasted beef that’s super tender and full of flavor. Made with only 4 ingredients!
Break from the ordinary with these sweet and savory, super easy homemade meatballs! An Easter main dish that's as unconventional as the pineapple and brown sugar flavor combination – and still, somehow, it just WORKS.
Side Dishes
Crisp spring veggies, cozy casseroles, fluffy homemade buns and more! These are the best Easter side dishes to pair with all those wonderful mains.
It's said that the "cross" on hot cross buns was originally marked in honor of Good Friday! These sweet, spiced buns dotted with raisins are an Easter staple, and this might be the easiest recipe for hot cross buns you'll ever make!
I love the rich flavors of melted cheese, savory ham, and tender potatoes in this casserole! A classic side dish for all sorts of holidays, this potato casserole is creamy, delicious, and always a hit.
Roast your carrots and potatoes all in one pan with this easy recipe for seasoned vegetables! The flavors are beautiful and these veggies will pair perfectly with any and all of your other Easter dishes.
You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn to make this homemade creamed corn. It’s an easy Easter side dish that comes together in about 25 minutes, positively smacking with flavor thanks to a buttery sauce and simple seasoning!
Sometimes simple is best, and that’s definitely the case with these perfectly roasted green beans! I love making this recipe at Easter as they have such a tender texture and suit just about every meal.
This cheesy hashbrown casserole skips the cream soups and gets straight to the good stuff: loads of delicious melty cheese and chopped potatoes!
A cream-free and hands-free recipe for creamed corn, prepared in the slow cooker! This dump-and-go side dish cooks easily in the crock pot, leaving you all the time in the world for all your other tasty dishes!
The best part about this broccoli salad? You can make it days ahead! Hardy yet tender broccoli florets will stay fresh in the fridge while they soak up all the tangy flavors of the homemade broccoli salad dressing.
Name a holiday where mashed potatoes don’t make an appearance. This garlicky mashed potatoes recipe is great for all occasions, from Easter and beyond!
Sweet and tender honey-glazed carrots are another side dish that never fails to tie a meal together easily. These carrots are sauteed in a blend of garlic, butter, brown sugar and honey for a side dish that’s big on flavor and low on effort.
Make these easy and cheesy crockpot potatoes completely from scratch! Guests are going to love this recipe for potatoes steeped in creamy, cheesy goodness.
Glazed carrots aren’t anything new around here, but carrots glazed with pineapple are! The slow cooker does practically all the work for this easy side dish recipe that’s full of sweet-savory flavor.
For something special this year, why not try making your own perogies? These homemade perogies are easy to prepare, made with bacon for loads of smoky flavor.
This is a classic, foolproof recipe for roasted veggies that takes only 5 minutes to prep! Tossed in a simple seasoning blend before the oven takes the reins, it doesn’t get easier in terms of a side dish.
If you’ve never used cream cheese as a secret ingredient in your mashed potatoes, it’s not too late to start! Trust me, one taste of this creamy mashed potatoes recipe and you’ll be hooked.
Level up your homemade dinner roll game with this easy brioche bun recipe. These are the fluffiest, tastiest, softest buns to ever grace your holiday table.
Mom knows best, especially when it comes to making rocking dinner rolls. This is a generational recipe that’s stood the test of time for a reason – you’re going to love the taste and texture of these light and fluffy buns!
This cheesy asparagus and potato tart is a feast for the senses. This recipe looks great, smells amazing, and tastes out of this world, thanks to loads of sharp cheddar and rosemary.
Pineapple stuffing is quite possibly the best variation of traditional stuffing, made with ham in mind! Your Easter ham has found its forever soulmate in this delicious and easy stuffing recipe.
Garlic and parmesan transform orzo pasta into a side dish that’s the stuff of dreams! It’s a light and creamy, cheesy one-pot recipe that saves on clean-up to boot.
Deborah Parise says
They all look so good