Holidays & Occasions Easter Our Favorite Easter Menu Ideas of All Time By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Helen Norman Celebrate Easter with one of our creative and delicious Easter meal recipes. You will find all your favorite Easter dinner recipes included in this selection, from glazed hams to scalloped potatoes and pretty green salads. If you are hosting a formal Easter supper, we have the perfect lineup of tasty dishes that will impress your guests. Or choose a hearty breakfast casserole, break out the champagne flutes, and gather family and friends for a mid-morning brunch. If the weather promises to be nice, pull the picnic tables together for a casual potluck gathering full of everyone's favorite Easter food. Our Easter menus are loaded with recipes that are easy to assemble and transport to the party. Whether you need a menu for a small party of four or large gathering of more than 20 guests, you will find a host of ideas in this Easter menu collection. Entertaining family and friends at Easter has never been so easy. Set up the sideboard with crystal and silver or simply dust off the patio chairs and get ready for some backyard fun. These carefree Easter menus and spring brunch recipes offer something for everyone. These Easter recipes are all about fresh seasonal flavor and the supermarkets are loaded with bargains. Many have components that can be prepared ahead on Saturday, so there's no last minute scrambling before the guests arrive. Try one of our favorite Easter menus, and you'll be sure to revisit it for years to come. 01 of 08 Family Easter Dinner Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Sweet-Hot Plum-Glazed HamRecipe: Classic Parmesan Scalloped PotatoesRecipe: Oven-Roasted AsparagusRecipe: Spring Salad with Berries and BaconRecipe: Make-Ahead Yeast RollsRecipe: Classic Coconut CakeRecipe: Blueberry-Lemon Iced Tea Plum preserves spiked with fresh citrus, ginger, and crushed red pepper update the traditional baked ham. A creamy casserole of scalloped potatoes and tender Oven-Roasted Asparagus round out this family-pleasing menu. Sliced strawberries, bacon, and a tangy vinaigrette make our colorful Spring Salad with Berries and Bacon (pictured) a perennial holiday favorite. Warm, fluffy rolls straight from the oven are a must-have on Easter Sunday, and our Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls take the stress out of holiday cooking. And of course we wouldn't even think about having Easter without a coconut cake! The best part about this layered delicacy is the creamy coconut filling. 02 of 08 Laid-Back Easter Sunday Dinner Hector Sanchez Recipe: Top-Shelf Chicken Under a BrickRecipe: Roasted Tomato Macaroni and CheeseRecipe: Creamy Broccoli SlawRecipe: Strawberry-Spinach SaladRecipe: Double Citrus TartRecipe: Classic Sweet Tea This easy menu brings together familiar ingredients in fresh new ways. After church, slip the chicken on the grill and the mac and cheese in the oven. Prep for the Creamy Broccoli Slaw is minimal thanks to store-bought broccoli slaw mix. Put the finishing touches on the citrusy tart, toss the slaw, and pour the iced tea. And there you have it, Easter dinner made easier thanks to some pre-planning and simple prep work. 03 of 08 Elegant Easter Menu Photo: Helen Norman Recipe: Glazed Spiral-Cut Holiday HamRecipe: Buttermilk Drop BiscuitsRecipe: Hot Potato SaladRecipe: Field Pea, Corn, and Bacon SaladRecipe: Brown Butter Easter Egg Blondies This easy and elegant menu keeps things classic, but with an extra helping of flavor and color. Make your Easter celebration truly special with a Spiral-Cut Holiday Ham. This meaty main is already fully-cooked, leaving you with more time on your hands to whip up one of our three homemade glazes instead of using the sugary store-bought packet. Hot Potato Salad will make a wonderful addition to your Easter spread, combining the flavor you've come to love in traditional potato salad with a warm and cheesy twist. 04 of 08 Easiest Easter Ever Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Herb-Crusted Roasted Leg of LambRecipe: Garlic Parmesan Green BeansRecipe: Goat Cheese-and-Spring Onion Grits SoufflésRecipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet CakeRecipe: Strawberry-Mint Tea Any cook can conquer these fresh, celebratory recipes. For the main dish star, roasted lamb is surprisingly no-fuss. Simply season the meat the meat an hour before you pop it in the oven. Trust an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure the lamb is the perfect rosy pink in the center. The roasted green beans add a pop of color to the plate. A cheesy and fresh grits soufflé is worthy of special occasion. This side dish is the perfect blend of comfort food taste and company-worthy presentation. Juicy strawberries on our easiest ever shortcake complete the fresh springtime menu. 05 of 08 The Easter Potluck Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Tangy Potato-Green Bean SaladRecipe: Creamy Spring Pasta Bake (Julia's Pasta Bake)Recipe: Basic Deviled EggsRecipe: The Ultimate Chocolate PieRecipe: Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting (Pam's Citrus Cupcakes)Recipe: Asparagus QuicheRecipe: Champagne Punch Want to plan an everyone-pitches-in meal that still looks stunning? Here's how. Start off by choosing a theme for your gathering. Let guests know if you're planning a traditional holiday buffet or a casual get-together. Know your numbers: Decide how many appetizers, sides, and desserts you will need based on the number of people attending. Keep it organized (no duplicate dishes!) and ask guests to sign up. Make a list—two green vegetables, three starches, one chocolate dessert—and ask guests to take one. Communicate this however you feel comfortable: Make phone calls, email a sign-up sheet, etc. If your crowd will be looking forward to Aunt Susan's famous squash casserole, then ask her to bring it to the party. On Easter, label the dishes so everyone knows who brought what. Don't forget to be prepared with essential serveware, as every guest won't remember to bring a slotted spoon or pie server. Lastly, plan for leftovers. Should guests divide up any food that remains? Are to-go plates approved? Leave it up to the person who made the dish. Stock up on extra paper plates, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap so you're also prepared for the meal's end. 06 of 08 A Laid-Back Easter Lunch Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Spinach-Artichoke DipRecipe: Carrot Soup with Pea PestoRecipe: Sautéed Radishes with BaconRecipe: Bacon-Wrapped AsparagusRecipe: Baked Ham with Brown Sugar-Citrus GlazeRecipe: Angel BiscuitsRecipe: Mini Coconut-Key Lime Pies Gather the whole family for a beautiful spring meal that celebrates the best seasonal ingredients. Keep your guests satisfied when they arrive with a fresh dip. Start the meal with a beautiful spring soup. All three side dishes showcase colorful spring favorites like various radishes and asparagus. Covered in sugar-citrus glaze, this ham recipe is a showstopper worthy of the center of the table. The dough for our heavenly Angel Biscuits can be refrigerated until you're ready to bake. Finally, end the meal with a heavenly dessert of miniature Key Lime pies. They can be made ahead, too! 07 of 08 A Beautiful Easter Brunch Photographer Victor Protasio Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits with HamRecipe: Mini Cheese Grits CasserolesRecipe: Potato-Bacon HashRecipe: Fresh Fruit SaladRecipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut ButtercreamRecipe: Ginger-Orange Mocktails Make this wonderful celebration with an easy-to-prepare spread of ham biscuits, springtime salads, and a festive punch. The good news for busy hostesses? The biscuits can be cut and frozen up to two weeks in advance. We used a small 2-inch biscuit cutter, so you may want to bake extra. We served our cheese grits casseroles in mini ramekins for a more formal look and easier serving than a casserole dish. Our potato hash holds up better on a buffet than a bowl of mixed greens, but still includes plenty of spinach. A lightly spiced, sheet-cake twist on carrot cake was made for feeding a crowd and travels well if you've been assigned dessert duty at someone else's house. Keep your sparkling punch from getting watered down while it stays cool with pretty lemonade ice cubes. 08 of 08 Easter Made Easy Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Glazed Ham with Pineapple ChutneyRecipe: Southern Cobb Salad with Cornbread CroutonsRecipe: Asparagus with Cheese Sauce and Herb BreadcrumbsRecipe: Potato Salad with Dijon and ScallionsRecipe: Sugar Snap Peas with Orange Zest and Buttery Almonds Choose a classic main dish and four go-with-anything sides to design a memorable holiday menu. The ham is delicious on its own, but the spiced pineapple chutney takes it to another level. Use fresh (not canned) pineapple, and don't move the fruit around in the skillet too much at first. You want it to char a bit. If you go with the lamb, the secret is to cook it low and slow and then turn up the heat so the exterior can brown and form a crust. The result will be wonderfully crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit