40 Inspiring Easter Recipes
Hot Cross Buns [1]
Soaking the currants in balsamic vinegar gives them a slightly tangy flavor that contrasts well with the rich dough of this classic Easter bread.
Hot Cross Buns [2]
Garlic-Roasted Chicken with Lemons and Vegetables [5]
This flavor-packed dish combines garlic-infused chicken with perfectly cooked vegetables. Roasting the lemon in the pan brings out its flavor.
Eggs Benedict with Maltaise Sauce [9]
What's Maltaise Sauce, you ask? It's just hollandaise sauce with a bit of orange zest and juice added. But you wouldn't believe how that bit of zing transforms this brunch standard.
Easter-egg rolls [13]
For Easter-egg rolls, thaw frozen dinner rolls (such as Rhode’s) according to package directions. Gently form rolls into egg shapes; let rise 1 hour. For each color, in a small bowl, whisk 1 egg yolk,
2 teaspoons water and food coloring. Brush “paint” on rolls. (For stronger color, do a second coat.) Bake as directed. Serve nestled in a basket.
Bacon-Asparagus Strata [16]
Asparagus, bacon and roasted red sweet peppers update a classic breakfast casserole mix of eggs, bread and cheese.
Chai-Spiced Compote [20]
Inexpensive chai tea bags infuse Chai-Spiced Compote with the tongue-tingling flavors of ginger, cloves and cardamom. Because the recipe calls for frozen peaches and cherries, you can make this colorful fruit dessert year-round. If you're watching fat or calories, leave off the pecans and coconut and just enjoy the flavorful fruit.
Chai-Spiced Compote [21]
Grilled Lamb Chops with Feta Salad [24]
Feta cheese adds salty punch to a colorful salad from Chef Michael Symon. He recommends serving the salad with lamb chops, but it would work great with any grilled meat.
Zippy Cinnamon Rolls [28]
Create these easy, gooey-good rolls by combining frozen bread dough and pudding mix. They'll taste like you spent all morning baking!
Zippy Cinnamon Rolls [29]
Lemon Curd Tart [32]
"The lemon curd is one of our favorite workhorses," says Patrick Groth of Incredibly Delicious in Springfield, Illinois. "My mother, who has worked for us for the last 16 years, is the only one who makes it. Hers is perfect, tart and smooth."
Lemon Curd Tart [33]
Glazed Easter Ham [36]
Choose from four glazes—lemon, stout, apricot-cherry and peach-pineapple—for your Easter ham this year.
Glazed Easter Ham [37]
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Compote [40]
Rise and shine with these special-occasion pancakes from chef Mindy Segal of Mindy’s HotChocolate Restaurant and Dessert Bar in Chicago. Ricotta makes them moist and rich; lemon curd gives sweet-tart punch.
Scrambled Eggs in Potato Nests [44]
Make this egg dish in just 20 minutes. Packaged hash browns form the nest, and the filling is a simple scramble of eggs and chives topped with cheese.
Maple Butter Twists [48]
These breakfast rolls are a family tradition with Jean Haviland of Carroll, Iowa. "My mom made these rolls with a maple-cream filling—and still does!" she says. "Mom always makes extra and freezes them for later. They're great for breakfast or any time of day!"
Maple Butter Twists [49]
Roast Rack of Lamb with Cider Glaze [52]
Roast whole apples to go with your rack of lamb, served with a simple apple cider glaze. The recipe comes from L'Etoile in Madison, Wisconsin, known for its menu that highlights locally grown ingredients.
Easter Egg Potatoes [56]
Turn small baked potatoes into Easter egg shapes by mashing the pulp with sour cream and seasonings, and then standing the potatoes on end. It's an easy side you can prepare the day before Easter.
Easter Egg Potatoes [57]
Asparagus-Ham Bake [60]
Bake a hearty breakfast or brunch casserole with cubed ham, fresh or frozen asparagus, rice and Swiss cheese. A sprinkle of panko mixed with melted butter gives the dish a crispy topping.
Asparagus-Ham Bake [61]
Spinach Quiche a la Goldmoor [64]
An easy-to-use frozen spinach souffle makes this quiche's eggy-sausage filling easy to prepare. The recipe is from the Goldmoor Inn near Galena, Illinois.
Easter Egg Cookies [68]
Get creative with your cookie-making for Easter! Try piping your designs with our Easter Egg Cookies recipe, or use a cookie cutter with the recipe for Easter Sugar Cookie Cutouts.
Wheat grass makes a cozy resting spot for spring cookies. Look for it in the produce section of major supermarkets, or check at large health food stores.
Easter Egg Cookies [69]
Blueberry Surprise French Toast Casserole [73]
Cream cheese is the secret ingredient in this casserole, which gets a generous topping of blueberry or maple syrup. You can assemble the casserole the night before your Easter brunch.
Deviled Eggs [77]
Put together a traditional version of this classic Easter dish or try our variations for Italian-Style, Greek-Style, Curry and Crab or Chipotle Deviled Eggs.
Deviled Eggs [78]
Any-Flavor Mini Quiche [81]
Talk about easy! You can prep these delicious little quiches the night before, or make them in the morning while the oven preheats. They're perfect for brunch parties, and you can use whatever meat, cheese and veggies you have on hand.
Healthy Green Bean Casserole [85]
Bread crumbs combine with tender, sweet onion to top this casserole, while low-sodium soup mixes with yogurt for the green bean sauce.
Best Carrot-Pineapple Cake [89]
Cream cheese frosting crowns a rich, moist and nutty carrot cake. Cinnamon and allspice add just the right spiciness.
Sugared Bacon Wrapped Smokies [93]
Bacon, smoked links and brown sugar combine for a sweet-and-salty brunch sausage.
Very Cherry Hazelnut Coffee Cake [97]
David Dahlman of Chatsworth, California, says this yeasty coffee cake reminds him of the old-fashioned, down-to-earth treats on his grandmother's farm table. It takes time because it's a yeast-leavened dough, but there's no kneading required.
Fingerling Potato Salad with Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette [101]
This potato salad from Chicago chef Myk Banas will bring fresh-from-the-garden taste to your Easter table.
Fresh veggie sensation [105]
Play up fresh this Easter with an easy side dish. Marinate fresh asparagus, red pepper, yellow zucchini, shaved carrots and cremini mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil with some kosher salt and black pepper. Drain off the marinade and pan-roast the mix in a sizzling-hot saute pan with 1/4 cup canola oil for 2 minutes. Add shaved garlic and minced shallots for the last 30 seconds.
Hash Brown Casserole [108]
Here's a somewhat lightened version of a popular potato casserole recipe that's great for Easter brunch or dinner.
Hash Brown Casserole [109]
Easy Banana Nut Bread [112]
Make a couple of these easy nut-filled banana bread loaves—they'll keep up to a month in your freezer. Overwrap loaf in plastic wrap and place in a freezerproof bag. Thaw at room temp.
Easy Banana Nut Bread [113]
Lazy Morning Sausage Pie [116]
Lyndy Ireland cooks breakfast favorites for her guests at Triangle Ranch in western South Dakota. She tops this Sausage Pie with refreshing salsa.
Lazy Morning Sausage Pie [117]
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes [120]
This easy-to-make layered cheesy potato dish pairs well with pork chops or ham.
Asparagus Scramble Biscuits [124]
This recipe starts with square bacon-flecked cornmeal biscuits you can make ahead. On Easter morning, scramble the egg-veggie mixture, fill the biscuits, and bake to heat and melt the cheese.
Herbed Egg-Potato Bake [128]
You can assemble the cheesy Herbed Egg-Potato Bake up to two days ahead and refrigerate it.
Very Cherry-Stuffed French Toast [132]
Take French toast to another level for Easter. Tuck cherry pie filling and cream cheese between cinnamon-flavored bread slices for this breakfast sensation from a Dale, Wisconsin, restaurant.
Patsy's Egg Casserole [136]
Midwest Living Creative Director Geri Boesen credits her mother-in-law, Patsy, for creating this easy sausage-and-cheese brunch recipe, a popular food at family holiday gatherings. "It's nice because you can make it the day ahead and put it in the fridge overnight," Geri says.
Patsy's Egg Casserole [137]
Hint-of-Orange Pancakes with Grapefruit Syrup [140]
This recipe couldn't be simpler! Just simmer grapefruit slices in maple syrup for a delicious, rosy compote to serve over waffles, French toast, crepes—or these subtly orange-flavored pancakes.
Fresh Fruit with Orange-Honey Yogurt Sauce [144]
Add a dash of color to your Easter table by borrowing from the spa menu at Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, where guests are pampered with a rainbow of fruit with yogurt sauce on the side.
Peach Cordial Mini Bundt Cakes [148]
The memory of a childhood orchard trip inspired Melinsa Murphey of Olathe, Kansas, to create this recipe. The cakes are moist and sweet and quite generously proportioned, so you may want to serve a half-cake to each person (or bake them in muffin cups instead).
Chocolate Pavlova [152]
Pavlova, a meringue dessert named for Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, gets a chocolate makeover in this recipe from Chicago pastry chef Gale Gand. Top the pavlova with whipped cream and sliced fresh fruit.
Chocolate Pavlova [153]
Tinted Angel Cake [156]
The many colors of Kool-Aid, a Nebraska invention, provide an array of choices for this angel food cake that starts with a mix. Pink lemonade Kool-Aid adds a spring pastel prettiness and a delicate flavor to Tinted Angel Cake. The Tropical Punch version gives the cake flavor that's as intense as its color.
Tinted Angel Cake [157]