Holidays & Occasions Easter 25 Make-Ahead Recipes For Easter Brunch By Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola Lisa is the Deputy Editor at Southern Living and joined the team in 2015. She works with the Southern Living Test Kitchen to create recipes for the site and print magazine, edits the magazine's food section, and writes digital food stories as well. Previously, she was the features editor at Food Network Magazine and has more than 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing photo shoots for print and digital lifestyle brands. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 17, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley After church service is done and all the Easter eggs have been found, gather the family for a crowd-pleasing meal that's already ready to serve. These make-ahead Easter brunch recipes can be made or prepped in advance so you can sit down to eat before the kids start unwrapping the chocolate bunnies. We've included dishes for the entire feast, from ham, to side salads, to desserts. Best of all, most of these recipes can be served buffet-style so everyone can help themselves—and you can enjoy the day. 01 of 25 Glazed Spiral-Cut Holiday Ham Make this ham one to two days in advance, and store it in the refrigerator before serving—it's delicious served cold or reheated. Choose from three glaze options: Pineapple Prosecco, Cola-Dijon-Brown Sugar, or Coffee and Pepper Jelly. Or you can omit the glaze if you like. 02 of 25 Ham Biscuits Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas For a more casual Easter main dish, layer slices of ham inside these pillowy soft biscuits. Set out a dish of your favorite spread or our Creole Mayonnaise so everyone can use as much as they like. 03 of 25 Potatoes Patio Iain Bagwell This rich and comforting potato casserole is delicious eaten on a patio—or dining room, or kitchen, or anywhere, really. Make it the night before, let it come to room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving. 04 of 25 Tangy Potato-Green Bean Salad Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Combine two favorite side dishes—green beans and potato salad—into one tasty and pretty side dish. Prepare all of the ingredients in advance, then dress the salad just before serving, either chilled or at room temperature. 05 of 25 How To Make Easter Peeps Pops How sweet are these handheld Easter pops? This simple, kid-friendly recipe makes a fun family activity. All you'll need are some Peeps marshmallows, melted chocolate, and your favorite toppings (sprinkles, crushed pretzels, etc.). If you've got lots of extra Peeps to spare, try wrapping them individually in cellophane and sharing them with your child's class or teachers. 06 of 25 Strawberry-Spinach Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Make the most of juicy spring strawberries with this light and lovely salad. Pungent blue cheese works well with mild spinach and sweet berries, but you can also use crumbled feta or goat cheese. 07 of 25 Best Carrot Cake Tina Cornett Carrot cake is an Easter classic, and this recipe tastes even better when made a day in advance so that the tangy-sweet Buttermilk Glaze can thoroughly soak through the cake layers. 08 of 25 Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls Laurey W. Glenn Perfect for making ahead, this recipe needs 8 hours of chill time. Make it ahead and keep in the refrigerator until ready to rise and bake, or complete the recipe through baking and store in an air-tight container until brunch. Form the dough into a variety of shapes. 09 of 25 Mini Cheese Grits Casseroles Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Individual ramekins add a special touch to Easter brunch. Make these mini casseroles the day before so all that’s required on Easter is popping them in the oven. 10 of 25 Mini Quiche with Asparagus and Goat Cheese Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Get a jumpstart on your Easter brunch by making these mini quiches up to two days ahead. To serve, let the quiches come to room temperature. You can also make one 9-inch quiche instead of individual servings. 11 of 25 Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Alison Miksch Make this casserole the night before so the croissants can soak up the creamy base. Use mild sausage instead of hot sausage for less heat. Worthy of Easter brunch or company, you’ll put this one in your weekend brunch rotation. 12 of 25 Smoky Sausage-and-Grits Casserole Alison Miksch Breakfast favorites combine in one glorious casserole—grits, sausage, and Cheddar cheese. Because you can make this earlier in the week, it’s a no-brainer for a full brunch buffet. 13 of 25 Cheesy Ham, Corn, and Grits Bake Hector Manuel Sanchez This grits casserole is a simplified soufflé. Loaded with corn, ham, and Cheddar cheese, it puffs as it bakes. It’s a satisfying brunch dish that can be made ahead and baked the day of. 14 of 25 Eggs Benedict Casserole Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Guests will be impressed to see eggs benedict on the menu. This casserole version allows you to prep in advance. The blender hollandaise comes together quickly on Easter morning. 15 of 25 Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch No Easter spread is complete without deviled eggs. These bright beauties will rival eggs from the backyard egg hunt. Their vibrant pink color comes from pickling in a beet juice mixture overnight. 16 of 25 Hash Brown Patties Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Prissy Lee Whipping up hash browns for a crowd can be a daunting task, but it can be done in advance. Make the patties as directed, then freeze them. To serve, simply rewarm in the oven. 17 of 25 Asparagus with Eggs and Prosciutto Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley This elegant one-pan dish can be prepped ahead of time and assembled the day of your brunch. Make the vinaigrette, soft-boil the eggs, and blanch the asparagus the day before. 18 of 25 Sausage Gravy Casserole with Cheddar-Cornmeal Biscuits Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall What’s better than sausage and gravy? Make-ahead sausage and gravy that you can cook, freeze, and bake when you need it. This will feed—and please—a crowd. 19 of 25 Waffle Casserole Micah A. Leal With all of the salads, sausage, and sides on the Easter brunch menu, this sweet casserole will be a welcome change. Familiar waffles are baked in a maple-bourbon custard. This sits overnight for baking the next day. 20 of 25 Overnight French Toast Casserole with Bourbon-Maple Syrup French toast casserole is a go-to make-ahead brunch recipe since it needs to chill overnight. This version uses thick baguette slices to soak up a custard flavored with cinnamon and orange. Bourbon brings out a caramel flavor in the maple syrup, but you can omit it if you prefer. 21 of 25 Cinnamon Roll Casserole Antonis Achilleos This cinnamon roll is big enough to share. Make this decadent casserole the night before, and bake it the next day. For a new flavor twist, try the Orange-Apricot variation. 22 of 25 Big-Batch Bloody Marys Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Serve bloody Marys at Easter brunch without the work of making individual cocktails. This big batch lets you do the work ahead of time, and guests can help themselves to the trimmings they like. Set out ice and a variety of garnishes, and enjoy these cocktails along with your guests. 23 of 25 Easter Punch Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Get out the punch bowl for a delightful fruity punch that’s perfect for an Easter brunch. Grapefruit juice and strawberry lemonade blend for just the right amount of sweet-tart taste. Top with rosé and fresh fruit. 24 of 25 Champagne Punch Hector Sanchez This champagne punch is a smart match for a special Easter meal. No one will guess how easy it is to pull together, with just four ingredients. Set out fruit juices and garnishes of fresh fruit and mint so guests can customize their drinks. 25 of 25 Bird's Nest Cookies Joy Howard These charming spring treats are so easy to make, how could you not add them to your Easter menu? Perfect for a dessert tray or to top a cake, these little nests will delight everyone at your gathering. These are fun to make in advance with your family’s help. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit