27 Traditional Easter Dinner Recipes for Holiday Menus

Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Find the perfect main dish recipe for your Easter brunch, lunch, or dinner with these traditional Easter recipes for ham, lamb, and chicken. Choose a show-stopping centerpiece for your spring feast from our exciting selection of main dish recipes. Impress your guests with a Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham, Ginger Ale-Can Chicken, or Braised Lamb Shanks. Hosting a casual potluck? With an easy overnight marinade, delicious Lexington-Style Grilled Chicken goes from the grill to the table in under 50 minutes. A stunning Dijon Rack of Lamb is sure to be the focus of your traditional Easter dinner. Whether you host a formal sit-down or an easy brunch, you will find the ideal main dish to make your Easter meal memorable. Be sure to check out our Easter Side Dish Recipes for delicious ways to round out your meal.

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Pork Crown Roast Recipe

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Pork Crown Roast Recipe

This tangy and flavorful pork roast is the crown winner for Easter dinner.

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Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables

Easter dinner is a breeze with this sheet pan meal, complete with salmon and roasted veggies.

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Baked Ham with Brown Sugar-Citrus Glaze

Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Baked Ham with Brown Sugar-Citrus Glaze

We added some zest to this baked ham by covering it with a citrus glaze made with fresh orange juice and orange marmalade.

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Braised Lamb Shank

Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Braised Lamb

In the words of Chef John Hall of Post Office Pies in Birmingham, Alabama, "I love braises for brunch. They're so easy. You can make one ahead of time and warm it up right beforehand." Hall remembers settling in for family meals with lamb shanks on the table, and here he shares his love for them with you. Lamb shanks, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, are browned in hot oil to form a nice crust. The meat is then cooked in a sauce of crushed tomatoes, red wine, carrots, garlic and onion until it's falling off the bone. Serve with our savory Potato Hash with Crème Fraîche for a complete meal.

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Roasted Leg of Lamb with Beets, Carrots, and Sweet Onions

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Roasted Leg of Lamb with Lemon-Herb Salt

Recipe: Roasted Beets, Carrots, and Sweet Onions

Roasted lamb is a surprisingly no-fuss dish, so if you need a simple Easter meal this may be your perfect recipe. Simply season the meat, and let it rest 12 hours. The hardest part is getting the rub ready. Then, pop it in the oven—your family will love the flavors and aromas of fresh rosemary and fresh oregano as they waft through the kitchen. The Roasted Beets, Carrots, and Sweet Onions are the perfect companion. Focus on sweet baby beets and carrots to really enhance the flavors of this dish, which can double as a garnish.

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Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham

Recipe: Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham

Ham is a staple on Southern Easter dinner tables, and this recipe takes that classic and gives it a new twist. Think of this recipe as bringing the flavors of spring to this family meal. Plum preserves spiked with fresh citrus, ginger, and crushed red pepper update the traditional Easter ham. The orange juice and lime juice add the right combination of sweet and tart, while the honey clings onto the ham to bake into the perfect glaze. You'll love just that hint of red-pepper heat. Garnish it with tropical fruits like kiwi and pineapple for a beautiful look.

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Rack of Lamb with Carrot Salad

Southern Living

Recipe: Rack of Lamb with Carrot Salad

Rack of lamb is actually pretty simple if you remember three main points:

1. Seasoning only with salt and pepper, instead of marinating, lets the flavor of the lamb come through.

2.Put the lamb fat side down in a smoking hot skillet and leave it alone for a minute until it's brown. Then flip it and let it brown; then flip it again. This crisps up the fat and gives a nice brown exterior while preventing the edges from overcooking in the oven.

3. Baking lamb at 300° keeps the meat from tightening up so that it comes out very tender. Putting the lamb on a wire rack allows the hot air to circulate around the lamb.

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Broiled Lamb Chops

Recipe: Broiled Lamb Chops

This savory lamb chops recipe only requires 10-minutes of hands-on-time, making it the perfect dish for a busy Easter.

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Honey-Curry Glazed Lamb with Roasted Grapes and Cranberries

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Honey-Curry Glazed Lamb with Roasted Grapes and Cranberries

Lamb rib roasts can be an amazing addition to an Easter dinner table, and this recipe creates a meal ready to be sliced off the bone. You'll love how this dish looks, but you will love how it tastes even more. A honey-curry glaze elevates this lamb to a whole new level. It's just a little hint of curry—a tablespoon of red curry powder—paired with sweet honey. Roasted grapes and cranberries add a festive and tasty touch to this impressive dish. Get ready to carve and plate this incredible meal for your perfect Easter dinner.

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Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits

Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits

Let your slow-cooker do the work this Easter. This decadent lamb shank recipe is complete with the ultimate Southern side: grits.

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Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken creates a beautiful presentation, since it will cook to a gorgeous golden-brown before being sliced. Begin by rubbing the parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme herb mixture under the skin, which really permeates the meat with delicate and subtle tastes. Then, aromatic apples and vegetables infuse Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken with amazing flavor, from a delicate sweetness to a rich, full earthiness. After baking, the unpeeled shallots slip easily from their papery skins adding a tasty side note to the sliced chicken. In the words of one happy online reviewer, this dish is both "tasty and pretty!"

Video: Easy Roasted Chicken Recipe for Easter

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Roasted Lamb

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Roasted Lamb

Lamb roast can be a beautiful centerpiece for a family Easter dinner, and this cooked-to-perfection roast is a classic. Part of the joy is its simple seasonings: Just rub a lamb roast with lemon, oregano, salt and pepper; place some garlic cloves around the roast; and drizzle with olive oil. In just around two hours, this will be ready to go, and you can dress it with a garnish of roasted garlic cloves, baby carrots, radishes, and lettuce leaves. If you prefer beef to lamb, you can make this dish with Boston Butt: simply increase the cooking time and don't tie the roast.

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Cherry-Port Glazed Pork Loin Roast

Photo: Justin Walker

Recipe: Cherry-Port Glazed Pork Loin Roast

Pork loin is a classic choice for Easter dinner, but the syrupy cherry glaze takes this main dish to the next level.

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Brown Sugar-Bourbon-Glazed Ham

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Recipe: Brown Sugar-Bourbon Glazed Ham

You know this dish will be a winner when the online reviews include comments like "the glaze is fantastic and delicious." It sure is. This classic recipe for glazed ham is not only delicious, but it is a beautiful dish for your Easter brunch. What's even better is that to enjoy this incredible dish you don't have to plan to spend all day in the kitchen. In three easy steps you can make this ham studded with cloves and flavored with a brown sugar-bourbon glaze. Then slice it, serve it, and settle in to see the happy faces as your family and friends savor every delicious bite.

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Joanna Gaines Salmon Recipe

Amy Neunsinger

Recipe: Joanna Gaines Salmon Recipe

Have you ever wished to have dinner in the Gaines household? Here’s your chance – kind of. Make Joanna Gaines’ beloved salmon recipe for Easter.

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Classic Beef Pot Roast

Recipe: Classic Beef Pot Roast

Grace your dinner table with this hearty pot roast.

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Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero

Recipe: Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe

Whip up this savory pot roast in a slow cooker and serve it alongside mashed potatoes.

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Ginger Ale-Can Chicken

Photo: Ralph Anderson

Recipe: Ginger Ale-Can Chicken

It is hard to get simpler, or more Southern, than Can Chicken. For this recipe, two whole chickens are marinated in a mixture that includes liquid steak seasoning, rosemary, garlic, and pepper. The chickens then get oven-baked vertically over opened cans of ginger ale until they are perfectly roasted. The secret is that in the hot oven the ginger ale steams, keeping the chicken moist. This easy roasting method also allows fat to drip through and around the chickens, giving them a rich flavor and a beautiful golden-brown color. This will taste great on the table—fresh and hot, it would certainly give "canned chicken" a whole new meaning.

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Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry Glaze

Photo: Helen Norman; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns

Recipe: Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry Glaze

This sophisticated pork dish was created by the chefs at Blackberry Farm. Elevate your Easter with this delicious dinner.

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Citrus-Glazed Ham

Photo: Ralph Anderson

Recipe: Citrus-Glazed Ham

You may expect baked ham on a Southern dinner table at Easter, but you probably did not expect one that tastes this good. Our citrus-glazed ham is sure to please your family this Easter. The key is what goes on top: a bottle of fizzy, bubbly bottled orange-juice flavored soft drink forms the foundation for a perfect glaze. Pour it on, put everything in the oven, then baste on the pan juices every 20 minutes as the ham cooks. Let it stand for 15 minutes when it comes out of the oven so the juices have time to settle. You'll savor every salty-sweet bite.

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Red Pepper, Potato, and Ricotta Frittata

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Red Pepper, Potato, and Ricotta Frittata

If you’re looking for a deliciously robust Easter dinner, the red pepper, potato, and ricotta frittata is the way to go.

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Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Arugula Pesto

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Arugula Pesto

Who doesn’t love a classic kebab for Easter dinner? This easy-as-pie recipe will be ready in just 30 minutes.

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Pan-Grilled Chicken with Fresh Plum Salsa

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pan-Grilled Chicken with Fresh Plum Salsa

The combination of sweet and spicy flavors make this pan-grilled chicken the ideal main dish for your Resurrection Day dinner.

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Spring Vegetable Frittata

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Spring Vegetable Frittata

With fresh ingredients like asparagus, onion, and feta cheese, this spring frittata will leave you refreshingly satisfied.

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Salmon with Lemony Greens and Grains

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Salmon with Lemony Greens and Grains

If you’re growing tired of pork and chicken for Easter dinner, give this delectable salmon dish a try.

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Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe with Dressing

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe with Dressing

We gave this sheet pan chicken recipe a Southern upgrade by adding chunks of cornbread to the mix.

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Glazed Spiral-Cut Holiday Ham

Photo: Helen Norman

Recipe: Glazed Spiral-Cut Holiday Ham

We love a spiral-cut ham, but we don't like the sugary mystery glaze that comes with it. Toss the packet and use one of our three easy and unique glaze recipes instead: Pineapple-Prosecco Glaze, which mixes the sweetness of fruit with the sweet-dry taste of Prosecco or Cava; Cola-Dijon-Brown Sugar Glaze, that brings the flavors of Cola and brown sugar to the spice of Dijon mustard; and Coffee-and-Pepper Jelly Glaze, that mix the boldness of coffee with the sweet heat of pepper jelly. Any of these three glazes will add distinctiveness, and delight, to Easter dinner. We're sure your family will have a favorite—it might not be the same one, though, so be prepared to enjoy them all!

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27 Traditional Easter Dinner Recipes That’ll Impress Guests

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Pork Crown Roast Recipe

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Honey-Mustard Baked Salmon with Vegetables

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Baked Ham with Brown Sugar-Citrus Glaze

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Braised Lamb Shank

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Roasted Leg of Lamb with Beets, Carrots, and Sweet Onions

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Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed Ham

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Rack of Lamb with Carrot Salad

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Broiled Lamb Chops

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Honey-Curry Glazed Lamb with Roasted Grapes and Cranberries

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Braised Lamb Shanks with Parmesan-Chive Grits

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Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken

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Roasted Lamb

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Cherry-Port Glazed Pork Loin Roast

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Brown Sugar-Bourbon-Glazed Ham

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Joanna Gaines Salmon Recipe

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Classic Beef Pot Roast

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Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe

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Ginger Ale-Can Chicken

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Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry Glaze

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Citrus-Glazed Ham

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Red Pepper, Potato, and Ricotta Frittata

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Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Arugula Pesto

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Pan-Grilled Chicken with Fresh Plum Salsa

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Spring Vegetable Frittata

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Salmon with Lemony Greens and Grains

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Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe with Dressing