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Make traditional Easter dinner recipes for the main course, Easter sides, breads, and more. Fill your Easter menu with family favorite foods fit for a holiday feast! You’ll also find simple and festive hosting ideas for your Easter Sunday dinner.
I really enjoyed putting together this collection of Easter dinner menu ideas for a traditional Easter dinner. If you’re not quite sure what to make for Easter dinner, I’ve got ya covered with over 50 Easter menu ideas.
What Is a Traditional Easter Dinner Menu?
I’ve always thought of honey-baked ham as being associated with the traditional Easter meal because it’s usually been our meat of choice and what we’ve always had for this special occasion, even growing up. However, traditional Easter dinner ideas include so much more.
Yes, even roast beef, pork roast, and salmon can be part of a traditional Easter feast. I guess it just depends what your family loves to eat this time of year and what traditions have been passed down through the generations.
Main things to remember when hosting a family dinner for the first time are the invitations, traditional Easter foods and drinks, the seating arrangements, and the hospitality factor. Let’s talk a little bit about each one.
“People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
1. Make Sure to Invite Guests
Whether it’s a text message or an actual paper invitation, be sure to send out Easter dinner invitations. Otherwise, how will people know you’re even hosting dinner?
2. Plan to Make Traditional Easter Foods and Drinks
I think I’ve covered this enough below, but plan out a menu with all the Easter food ideas and drinks you want to make. Something to think about… If you’re hosting an Easter potluck, then make sure you’ve got enough people bringing sides, others bringing desserts, and so on.
3. Seating Arrangements
When I say seating arrangements, I don’t mean who sits next to who, like at a wedding; I just mean, making sure everyone has an actual place to sit, whether it’s at a table, or a seat in the living room.
Back in the day at Easter time, my family would sprawl all over my grandma’s house, from the living room to the kitchen to the back utility room. Small house for a big family, but we made it work.
You might need to think about borrowing a few extra tables and chairs from someone in the family. Or get up to the attic, and haul down all the folding chairs you have to make it work.
4. Make Your Guests Feel Welcome with Graceful Hospitality
My friend Linda, who blogs over at Life on Summerhill, has so many wonderful ideas for hosting the perfect Easter dinner, including how to create Easter table decor. Beautiful ideas she gives for Easter tablescapes inspire much creativity when it comes to setting a welcoming table for family and friends.
Not to mention all of her wonderful ideas for putting up Easter home decorations, as well. From the centerpiece to festive garland ideas and table settings, you’re sure to find loads of ideas for making your guests feel more welcome and at home.
Whew! I don’t know ’bout you, but I’m ready for all the Easter food!
Easter Appetizers
No get together or family gathering would be complete without an assortment of finger licking appetizers to whet the appetite.
Can't have Easter dinner without deviled eggs, a popular Easter dinner favorite! Mix up a batch of easy deviled eggs in 30 minutes or less with this classic deviled egg recipe.
These Greek cheese triangle pies have a savory cheese filling inside flaky, buttery phyllo pastry. These make a great appetizer or side for your Easter dinner.
Easy and delicious Vegan Roasted Carrot Soup with lentils and Moroccan spices. This velvety, rich and healthy carrot soup has a unique and perfectly balanced flavor!
Everything you've ever wanted to know about how to cook a pre-cooked ham in the oven. Tips, steps, and everything you need to get your Easter ham well on its way.
If you like a sweeter flavor to your ham, you'll love this pineapple honey glazed ham. How to get it perfectly cooked, moist, and delicious for your holiday dinner with family and friends.
This CrockPot slow cooker pineapple ham recipe is so yummy and plentiful that you could actually freeze left overs for later meals to save you time and money.
You and your family or guests will love this easy baked ham with pineapple and cherries, complete with traditional pineapple rings and maraschino cherries, with its yummy, sticky, sweet and savory brown sugar bourbon glaze!
This Southern Pecan Glazed Ham was perfection for us. Not sure I have had a better ham than this one EVER. Honey, brown sugar, sweet mustard with a hint of cloves and oranges and then smothered in pecans.
Surprisingly easy to make, Roasted Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs is an impressive, crowd-pleasing main-dish full of herbaceous deliciousness. Traditionally served at Easter, this lamb recipe has the best of everything.
Incredibly tender Slow Cooker Roast Leg of Lamb that’s tender, juicy and falling apart at the touch of a fork. This is truly the easiest way to cook roast lamb – add a handful of ingredients to your slow cooker and leave it to work its magic.
You will love this recipe for Braised Herb Lamb Shanks! The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and full of flavor from the herb blend, wine and beef broth. This makes a great Easter dinner.
Juicy, tender and ridiculously delicious, this recipe for Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary, Mint and Garlic can be made with either a bone-in or boneless version and makes an impressive meal for family and friends.
Slow Cooker Beef Ribs are a great meal to serve your guests. The flavor is amazing, and they are so easy to make. Your guests will seriously be impressed!
This recipe for Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin gives you the perfect roast every time. And an elegant beef tenderloin is the perfect centerpiece for a special dinner like Easter that is delicious and surprisingly easy to make.
Learn step by step how to make the best ever slow cooker pork roast that's perfectly pull apart juicy & tender. It's the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it recipe, so easy to make, and perfect for holiday dinners, church potlucks, or a weeknight meal!
This deliciously easy pork roast recipe with vegetables and gravy is the perfect main dish for Easter dinner. Learn how to cook a pork roast with simple seasoning in the oven.
Learn how to cook pork tenderloin, roasted to a juicy perfection in the oven. This is a very easy recipe for a delicious Easter dinner main dish, paired with simple seasonings and potatoes.
Sweet Chili Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs are so easy to make. Pair them with a sweet chili dry rub that gives them a wonderful flavor, throw them in your pressure cooker, and walk away. They’re fall off the bone delicious!
Fall-apart-tender pork shoulder cooked in the crock-pot. This super easy recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prep and can be cooked in as little as 4-5 hours on the high setting.
Homemade Ham Gravy, made with leftover ham drippings and cream, is a delicious side dish that pairs with ham, mashed potatoes, and all your Easter dinner fixings!
Homemade ham gravy with cornstarch and drippings is perfect if you've got at least one person in the crowd who's gluten-free. It's also super easy and simple to make.
This is my family's go to recipe for creamy mashed potatoes, made with yellow potatoes, cream, and butter. They are a must have potato dish at Easter dinner.
I absolutely love a cheesy hash brown casserole recipe, filled with shredded cheesy potatoes and topped with Corn Flakes. It's a quick and easy side dish perfect for a crowd or potluck on Easter day!
How to make scalloped potatoes and ham in a creamy sauce, baked in the oven. Easy, old-fashioned, homemade, cheesy casserole recipe perfect for a crowd!
Asparagus, topped with lots of fragrant garlic and fresh shredded parmesan cheese, perfectly roasted in the oven. The perfect side dish for Easter Sunday!
Bake up a Jiffy corn casserole with cream cheese and bacon. I love this simple, easy recipe because it's so cheesy and delicious; plus you can make it ahead of time. It's the perfect side dish for Easter dinner!
Throw together a Broccoli Salad with bacon, cauliflower, sunflower seeds, and peas. This salad is a staple side dish and salad recipe perfect for every family gathering.
Whip up a classic ambrosia fruit salad with Cool Whip, sour cream, fruit, and mini marshmallows. Easy southern side dish recipe for every holiday dinner!
Layered Salad is the perfect salad recipe for family gatherings. Add fresh, delicious layers like cauliflower, peas, lettuce, bacon, or whatever else your heart desires.
Crunchy Kale Broccoli Salad is a perfect side dish, especially when you load it up with tart cranberries and rich macadamia nuts in a sweet balsamic dressing!
An easy, homemade potato salad with egg is the best way to use up all those extra eggs from the Easter holiday. This potato salad recipe uses a few key ingredients including gherkins and mustard, and one little secret technique!
Honey Glazed Carrots, made with simple ingredients like butter, honey, and rosemary, make a delicious side dish. They're colorful and packed full of fresh flavor.
This easy recipe for Roasted Carrots with Dill is a simple side dish to whip up for any occasion. With 4 simple ingredients, this recipe for baked carrots with dill is a breeze to make, perfect for a family dinner but also fancy enough for holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter!
Balsamic Roasted Carrots offer a healthy side dish to your next holiday meal or weeknight dinner. The sweet honey mixed with the robust flavors of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil pair wonderfully to add flavor to this roasted carrots recipe.
These Candied Carrots are the perfect addition to any dinner! With only three ingredients, this delicious dish will be one that people ask for again and again!
These herb-infused garlic mashed potatoes are the best mashed potatoes you will ever eat. They are creamy, fluffy, buttery and so insanely delicious you will never make another mashed potatoes recipe again.
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are creamy potatoes made with Russet potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper for the must-have side dish for any holiday gathering.
If you've never had Southern Green Beans, made with bacon, onion, and ground beef, you're in for a real treat. Made in the Instant Pot, so they're super easy to make, they're a yummy side dish everyone will love and ask for at every holiday gathering.
These Instant Pot Lebanese Braised Green Beans have all the flavor you’d get with the traditional slow braise, but without all the time. Make this Easter side dish in the IP and save room in your oven for the main course.
This combo of oven roasted brussels sprouts with bacon is the perfect way to convince you that yes, brussels sprouts really can be delicious! It's the perfect dish to grace your Easter table!
Roasted Cauliflower florets sprinkled with Parmesan cheese are truly the perfect side dish for all special occasions. Includes methods for both oven-roasted and air fryer.
Bread rolls are a must have with every family member at any Easter spread. When wondering what to make for Easter lunch, definitely add dinner rolls to the menu.
These dinner rolls have been in our family beyond when I was even born. My grandma made them with love, and they were a staple on the table every Easter Sunday. They're fluffy, light, buttery, and oh so delicious!
Bake up an easy family recipe for homemade butterhorn rolls. How to make the best buttery crescent rolls, perfect for your Thanksgiving or holiday dinner.
This Best Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe turns out perfectly every time. These easy, soft & fluffy dinner rolls are, slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery and made from scratch!
Most of us live for the dessert table at family get togethers. Now you can fill Easter baskets with chocolate eggs and other goodies, something many family traditions encompass. But I think most of us agree… Easter dinner would not be complete without dessert.
Bake up an easy to make cinnamon streusel coffee cake with pecans, perfect for Easter brunch. This praline coffee cake is moist, buttery, and topped with a crispy cinnamon sugar topping.
Now that you’ve filled everyone’s bellies with good food, who’s ready for a good, old-fashioned Easter egg hunt? So many wonderful Easter traditions to enjoy!
4 thoughts on “50+ Traditional Easter Dinner Recipes for Your Menu”
Mel Lockcuff has curated a delightful array of Easter recipes, and I can’t help but reminisce about the chaotic joy of family gatherings she describes. Her account of seating arrangements in a small house for a big family struck a chord with me, echoing memories of lively Easter dinners where every nook and cranny of the house was embraced by laughter and shared meals. Now, with Mel’s extensive collection, I’m excited to recreate that warm, familial ambiance at my own Easter table.
Mel this is a fabulous post. I cannot wait to share it with my family and friends. All the yummy Easter recipes in one spot. And thank you for including my spring/Easter decor ideas. I hope everyone who reads this post has an Easter that turns out beautiful and delicious!
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Mel Lockcuff has curated a delightful array of Easter recipes, and I can’t help but reminisce about the chaotic joy of family gatherings she describes. Her account of seating arrangements in a small house for a big family struck a chord with me, echoing memories of lively Easter dinners where every nook and cranny of the house was embraced by laughter and shared meals. Now, with Mel’s extensive collection, I’m excited to recreate that warm, familial ambiance at my own Easter table.
Thank you for the great feedback! I’m glad you liked it.
Mel this is a fabulous post. I cannot wait to share it with my family and friends. All the yummy Easter recipes in one spot. And thank you for including my spring/Easter decor ideas. I hope everyone who reads this post has an Easter that turns out beautiful and delicious!
Thank you so much, Linda! I couldn’t help but share all of your beautiful Easter decor. I hope you have a wonderful Easter!