Our 40 Most-Popular Easter Dinner Recipes

Cook a classic Easter dinner with recipes for ham, lamb, scalloped potatoes, spring vegetables—and our best treats and cakes.

March 23, 2023

By: Food Network Kitchen

Related To:

Photo By: Tina Rupp

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Photo By: Ryan Dausch

Photo By: Anna Williams

Photo By: Teri Lyn Fisher

Photo By: Anna Williams

Photo By: Kana Okada ©Kana Okada 2012

Photo By: Matt Armendariz

Photo By: Tara Donne

Photo By: Armando Rafael

Photo By: Yunhee Kim

Photo By: Chantell Quernemoen

Photo By: Stephen Murello

Photo By: MATT BALL

Photo By: Con Poulos

Plan Your Easter Menu

Whether you’re hosting family or friends this Easter Sunday, you’re going to need a few special dinner ideas: an impressive main like ham or lamb, plenty of crowd-pleasing sides and, of course, some fun and festive desserts.That’s where we come in. We’ve rounded up all the classics—the Easter recipes that are tradition for many of us—and you’ll find them right here. You’ve got plenty of good choices but if you’re having trouble making up your mind, start with this classic glazed ham. Our recipe will walk you through the easy, albeit detailed, process of cooking it from start to finish, showing you how to trim, score, roast and glaze this bone-in beauty. This recipe even offers four different glaze options, making it the ideal choice for every celebration.

Get the Recipe: Classic Glazed Ham

Potato Gratin with Spring Onions

Chopped spring onions are used to give this gooey potato gratin an appetizing crunch.

Get the Recipe: Potato Gratin with Spring Onions

Steamed Asparagus

Olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon are all of the ingredients you need to make easy-to-steam asparagus.

Get the Recipe: Steamed Asparagus

Italian Easter Cookies

These lemony Italian cookies are traditional treats in the southern part of the country but are also often found at Italian-American bakeries around Easter time. While they have several different Italian names you will most likely see them labeled "lemon drops” in the States. They are light, not too sweet and have a tender, buttery crumb. Dipped in a thin lemony glaze and decorated with holiday-inspired sprinkles, they are the perfect festive addition to any table.

Get the Recipe: Italian Easter Cookies

Rack of Lamb

If you're buying lamb to make for dinner, lean on your butcher for help. For this dish, Ina asked her butcher to "French" the lamb, which means to scrape the meat off the tips of the bones.

Get the Recipe: Rack of Lamb

Honey-Glazed Carrots

Quick as a rabbit, these honey-glazed baby carrots are ready to serve in just 15 minutes — the perfect side dish for your springtime feast.

Get the Recipe: Honey Glazed Carrots

Macaroni and Cheese

Leave room for this decadent, Venetian-inspired macaroni and cheese. Diced ham and chopped parsley imbue the dish with fresh, springtime flavors.

Get the Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese

Hot Cross Buns

These fresh sweet buns are a classic Easter treat around this time of year. Plumped currants and a lemon-spiked glaze dress these up for the holiday.

Get the Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

Honey Mustard-Glazed Ham

Trisha Yearwood takes it back to basics with her super-juicy crowd-pleasing ham recipe. All you need is a smoked ham, brown sugar, honey and country Dijon mustard, and your Easter dinner is done.

Get the Recipe: Honey Mustard-Glazed Ham

Creamy Spring Peas with Pancetta

Sweet peas and smoky pancetta is a classic combination; Food Network Magazine finished this version with a lemony cream sauce.

Get the Recipe: Creamy Spring Peas With Pancetta

Classic Deviled Eggs

Don't fix what ain't broke, right? This is our most-popular deviled egg recipe ever — and our fans are loving it right now.

Get the Recipe: Classic Deviled Eggs

Herb-Roasted Lamb

Leave it to Ina to perfect the art of roasting leg of lamb. She blends up a paste of butter, rosemary, salt and garlic to thoroughly coat the top and sides of her lamb with. "It's going to infuse the lamb with great flavor," she says, "and when it's roasted over the potatoes, it will flavor the potatoes, too."

Get the Recipe: Herb-Roasted Lamb

Coconut Bunny Butt Cake

If you're going the cheekier route for dessert, then this one's for you.

Get the Recipe: Coconut Bunny Butt Cake

Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze

If you're really looking to pare it down for the main event, this simple recipe is the way to go: Brown sugar, mustard and vinegar are the only ingredients you'll need for this easy glazed Easter ham.

Get the Recipe: Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze

Four-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

When it comes to Easter, you gotta have cheesy potatoes with your ham. To make this decadent side dish, layer thinly sliced potatoes with heavy cream and mozzarella, asiago and raclette cheeses. Top with Parmesan and bake until bubbly.

Get the Recipe: Four-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

Crown Roast of Lamb

This is an amazing cut of meat for a special occasion like Easter, when the lamb is very much at the center of the cultural and culinary narrative. Follow Alton's lead to cook it up perfectly.

Get the Recipe: Crown Roast of Lamb

Easter Egg Sugar Cookies

We took our best sugar cookie recipe and made these festive versions for Easter. They look like they have been dip-dyed just like a classic Easter egg. By tinting a simple royal icing with your choice of colors, you can create an array of beautifully swirled cookies.

Get the Recipe: Easter Egg Sugar Cookies

Orange Baked Ham

Maybe you're looking for something citrusy? Ina dolls up her ham with a glaze that comes at you with three forms of orange flavor: marmalade, juice and zest. It glistens and gleams.

Get the Recipe: Orange Baked Ham

Asparagus and Cheese Tart

Take advantage of fresh asparagus by making this impressive springtime tart. (It's way easier than it looks.)

Get the Recipe: Asparagus and Cheese Tart

Pizza Rustica

Pizza rustica is traditionally served on Easter and for good reason — it is a showstopper and perfect to dish up on a special occasion. Although it takes a little bit of work to prepare, you can make it a day ahead and bring to room temperature before putting it on your holiday table.

Get the Recipe: Pizza Rustica

Carrot Cake

Top this dense carrot cake, a classic crowd pleaser, with homemade cream cheese frosting. Alton coats the carrots in flour before mixing in the wet ingredients to keep the carrots from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake

Glazed Smoked Ham

The apricot jelly-based glaze in this recipe does double duty—brushed on the ham while it cooks and then repurposed as a sauce for dipping and drizzling on the finished product.

Get the Recipe: Glazed Smoked Ham

Peas and Pancetta

What could possibly make shelled fresh peas more delicious? Diced pancetta.

Get the Recipe: Peas and Pancetta

Baked Mac and Cheese

In classic Southern style, this is a baked mac and cheese set in a light egg custard and flavored with sharp yellow Cheddar. Creamy and moist, it bridges the gap between those who like their mac and cheese sliceable and those who prefer to spoon it, oozing, from the pot.

Get the Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese

Bunny Oreo Balls

This no-bake dessert is the perfect way to hop into spring! White melting wafers and mini marshmallows transform these cookies-and-cream bites into impressive bunnies that are sure to be a hit all season long.

Get the Recipe: Bunny Oreo Balls

Easter Bread

This light and airy bread is just sweet enough to go along with your traditional Easter dinner. (Add up to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract with the eggs if you prefer it a little sweeter.) Make it the day before, and if you have any left over, make amazing French toast with it the day after!

Get the Recipe: Easter Bread

Easter Dinner on Two Sheet Pans

Easter dinner for four comes together easily in a little over an hour when you cook it on a pair of sheet trays. With tender asparagus, sweet glazed carrots, a decadent potato gratin, roasted ham, and even homemade biscuits, there's plenty to eat with little fuss.

Get the Recipe: Easter Dinner on Two Sheet Pans

Spring Apple and Fennel Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

This gorgeous spring salad might just be the star of your Easter dinner. With tart apples, aromatic fennel and dill and ribbons of shaved Pecorino cheese, this simple side dish looks as good as it tastes.

Get the Recipe: Spring Apple and Fennel Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Herbed Leg of Lamb

Flavor the lamb with a paste made from scallions, parsley, dill, celery and garlic, then roast alongside turnips and scallions.

Get the Recipe: Herbed Leg of Lamb With Roasted Turnips

Roasted Asparagus

No Easter menu would be complete without the all-star spring vegetable, asparagus. Roast it with oil, salt and pepper to bring out its natural flavors.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Asparagus

Baklava

Michael has been watching his mom make baklava since he was 4. We can't imagine that you'll have leftovers of this delightfully sticky treat, but if you do, you can freeze it (once the syrup is absorbed) for up to a month, then just thaw it at room temperature.

Get the Recipe: Baklava

Glazed Pineapple Ham

Ree’s easy recipe will get your Easter main dish on the table in under an hour. She cuts ham into slices and arranges them in a baking dish with pineapple slices and maraschino cherries for a quicker cook time — and a pretty presentation.

Get the Recipe: Glazed Pineapple Ham

Easter Pie

Easter pie is an Italian springtime tradition, but it's easy enough to make year round. Giada's sweet version has a ricotta-orange filling with a tender phyllo dough shell.

Get the Recipe: Easter Pie

Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

If it's not ham you're after, you could go the more elegant route with Giada's weekend pork roast. She rubs hers with a garlic-herb mixture and wraps it in pancetta for a stunning main course.

Get the Recipe: Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

Extra-Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

These sliced spuds have the most decadent texture thanks to lots of heavy cream. The finished dish is rich, savory — and perfect for Easter dinner.

Get the Recipe: Extra-Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Easter Bunny Cake

Celebrate Easter with this cute coconut-topped bunny cake. It's easy to make with our step-by-step guide.

Get the Recipe: Easter Bunny Cake

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Rainbow carrots need only olive oil, salt and chopped chives to become a colorful side dish.

Get the Recipe: Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Lemon Curd

You'd be surprised at how easy it is to make lemon curd at home, especially with the Barefoot Contessa as your guide. With a jar of this around the holiday, you can add a little springtime to just about anything.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Curd

Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Who knew that just a few simple ingredients (garlic, lemon zest, fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese) could turn roasted potatoes into the most crave-worthy side dish?!

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Bunny Butt Marshmallow Pops

These cute bunnies are so easy to put together. They make a fun Easter-basket treat when wrapped in clear cellophane bags and tied with a pastel ribbon.

Get the Recipe: Bunny Butt Marshmallow Pops

On Tonight