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70 Easter Dinner Ideas That Go Beyond Glazed Ham

Ham, we hate to break it to you, but you’re not the only star of the Easter Sunday spread anymore. Don’t worry, you’ll still get your 15 minutes of fame at family brunch—but with mouthwatering mains like slow cooker turkey breast and foolproof spring side dishes (harissa-roasted carrots, anyone?), we think it’s it’s time to reinvent the holiday menu and celebrate in the most delicious way possible. Here are 70 Easter dinner ideas that will impress the entire table. (Just save room for dessert.)

35 Easter Cupcakes That Are Easy to Make *and* Adorable


1. Skillet Roast Chicken With Schmaltzy Potatoes

  • Time Commitment: 5 hours, 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: High-protein, one pan, special occasion–worthy

Thanks to a buttermilk brine, this burnished chicken looks and tastes impressive but is foolproof for all skill levels. (Plus, the side dish makes itself.)

2. Antoni Porowski’s Strip Steak With Harissa Butter And Parsley Salad

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy

You love to order steak in a restaurant, but you’re too nervous to cook it at home. Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski is coming to the rescue with this foolproof, flavorful NY strip.

3. Seared Scallops With Green Peas, Mint And Shallots

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy

Our biggest tip for success with scallops? Make sure they’re super dry before plopping them in a hot skillet. Otherwise, they’ll never get a gorgeous golden brown sear (and that’s kind of the best part).

4. Dorie Greenspan’s Potato-parm Tart

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes (+ chilling time)
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

Beautiful, versatile and overflowing with carbs and cheese—what more do you need to know?

5. Jammy Upside-down Onion Tart

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Under 500 calories, special occasion–worthy, vegetarian

Onions usually take a backseat in most recipes, but when offered the spotlight, they shine. Don’t believe us? Try this tart, which is deeply savory and works as a side dish or main course.

6. Strawberry, Basil And Arugula Salad With Lots Of Black Pepper

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

Proof that fruit salad doesn’t have to mean a bowl of grapes and flavorless melon.

7. Carrot, Fennel And Miso Soup

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegan, dairy free, under 500 calories

Carrots for spring? Groundbreaking. Seriously—when roasted and blitzed together with fennel and miso, you won’t believe the depth of flavor of this soup.

8. Smashed Brussels Sprouts

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegetarian, <10 ingredients, under 500 calories

Think smashed potatoes, but sub good-for-you Brussels sprouts instead of spuds. (Don’t worry, they’re dusted with plenty of Parmesan cheese.)

9. Seared Scallops With Citrus-shallot Salad

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Scallops should be at the top of your easy-yet-fancy dinner list.

10. Pommes Anna

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, one pan

Only the French could turn a vegetable that grows underground into a work of art.

11. Spicy Orange-honey Glazed Ham

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, high-protein

For the sake of tradition, we couldn’t leave it off the list. Our version is a little spicy to keep things modern.

12. Slow Cooker Turkey Breast With Orange And Herbs

  • Time Commitment: 6 hours, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

When you make a turkey in the slow cooker, there’s no basting, rotating or fiddling with tinfoil. (Plus, the oven is free for a batch of dinner rolls.)

13. Greek Chicken And Rice Skillet

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: One pan, high-protein, beginner-friendly

If one-and-done is more your speed, this dish is as pretty to look at as it is tasty.

14. Pomegranate-maple Glazed Lamb Chops

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, gluten free, beginner-friendly

Easter and lamb are like peanut butter and jelly: a no-brainer. This recipe comes together in all of 40 minutes’ time.

15. Pistachio-crusted Pork Tenderloin With Apple And Escarole Salad

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Sheet pan recipe, special occasion–worthy, gluten free, dairy free

Behold the most buttery, tender pork you’ve ever tasted. The pistachios add crust and a festive color.

16. Whole Roasted Branzino With Shaved Fennel Slaw

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, high protein, gluten free, dairy free

Cooking a whole fish at home sounds intimidating, but it’s actually so simple. Prepare to blow your dinner guests away.

17. Baked Sesame-ginger Salmon In Parchment

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Beginner-friendly, sheet pan recipe, under 500 calories

For those who love cooking but hate the post-feast cleanup, this recipe has almost none of the latter. More time for Easter baskets, right?

18. Grilled Flank Steak With Lemon-herb Sauce

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours
  • Why We Love It: Low carb, paleo, special occasion–worthy

If the weather treats you well, fire up the coals. If not, this can easily be cooked on a griddle pan on the stove.

19. Lemon And Herb Roast Chicken

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients

Tender, juicy meat? Check. Crispy, golden skin? Double check.

20. Ina Garten’s Tuscan Turkey Roulade

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, high protein, gluten free

That’s right, the Barefoot Contessa is coming over for dinner. This main looks so impressive, but it’s actually super easy to make. (That’s Ina for you.)

21. Pork Scallopini With Lemon, Capers And Radicchio

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein, low sugar

It’s ready in 20 minutes, so you can whip up a side to go with it and not lose your entire evening to the kitchen.

22. Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed With Barley Risotto

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegetarian, under 500 calories, high protein

This one goes out to the vegetarians at the table. (And even if you’re not vegetarian, you’ll want a second helping.)

23. Foolproof Cheater’s Confit

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, high protein, beginner-friendly

Confit is luxurious and elegant, albeit a little time-consuming. Our recipe is streamlined, and can be made with chicken or duck.

24. Orecchiette With Spring Greens

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <15 minutes, kid-friendly, vegetarian

Pasta is always a good idea. Dress it up in its spring Sunday best and it’s an ideal Easter dinner.

25. Dorie Greenspan’s Sheet-pan Balsamic Chicken With Baby Potatoes And Mushrooms

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, high protein

Prepare for everyone to ooh and ahh when this comes out of the oven. Just don’t tell them how easy it was to put together.

26. Creamy Vegan Lentil And Roasted Vegetable Bake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegan, one pan, crowd-pleaser

Yep, it’s plant-based, but it still tastes super indulgent thanks to a homemade cashew cream sauce.

27. Sheet-pan Honey Tahini Salmon With Chickpeas And Couscous

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Sheet pan recipe, ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser

Minimal prep, modest cooking time and almost no cleanup after? This is our idea of an Easter dinner.

28. Joanna Gaines’s Spring Vegetable Risotto

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Take a trip to the farmers market and buy whatever produce looks good. Voilà, you’re hallway done already.

29. Bacon-wrapped Black Cod With Spinach And Capers

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly

Bacon-wrapped anything gets our seal of approval.

30. Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, under 500 calories

It’s unconventional and dramatic, aka the perfect thing to serve at a holiday meal.

31. Harissa And Honey-roasted Carrots

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, sheet pan recipe

Easter side dishes have the potential to be a snooze-fest, but not these carrots. They’re smothered in a spicy-sweet harissa and honey mixture that’s irresistible at first bite.

32. The Best Potatoes Au Gratin Ever

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, vegetarian

They’re an Easter classic for a reason: cheese, cream and crispy bits. This one can be assembled ahead for ease, too.

33. Salt And Vinegar Roasted Potatoes With Feta And Dill

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, gluten free

If you’re more of a crispy-potato person, these salty spuds are sure to impress. They taste like a potato chip in the best way possible.

34. Melted Onions

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, under 500 calories, beginner-friendly, gluten free, vegetarian

Never served onions as a side dish? Tonight’s the night.

35. Whole Roasted Radishes

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegetarian, one pan, <10 ingredients

Radishes lose some of their peppery bite when roasted in the oven, so you’re left with tender, buttery goodness.

36. Cacio E Pepe Brussels Sprouts

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, under 500 calories, low carb, gluten free

Is there anything Parmesan cheese can’t improve? (That’s a rhetorical question.)

37. Zesty Chargrilled Broccolini

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients

You can make these in a cast iron pan over high heat if grilling isn’t an option.

38. Spicy Broccoli Sauté

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

The key to keeping broccoli interesting is the crispy breadcrumb topping.

39. Whole Roasted Carrots

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, beginner-friendly

Glazed carrots? Yawn. Give the veggie a modern update with onions, cumin, red wine vinegar and lots of fresh lemon zest.

40. Domino Potatoes

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients, vegetarian

These might be the most gorgeous potatoes we’ve ever seen. We’ll take another helping, please.

41. Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Beginner-friendly, under 500 calories, low carb, sheet pan recipe

Pick and choose everyone’s favorite vegetables and toss them all on a sheet pan. It doesn’t get simpler.

42. Broccoli And Cauliflower Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, high-protein

Two of our go-to cruciferous veggies, together in cheesy harmony.

43. Charred Sweet Potatoes With Pistachio-chili Pesto

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, gluten free

It’s the pistachio-chili pesto that will have everyone coming back for more.

44. Broccoli Rabe And Burrata With Lemon

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <15 minutes, low carb, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

A side dish featuring burrata is already a treat, but this one happens to be ready in ten minutes. Win-win.

45. Baby Vegetables With Orange And Thyme

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Sheet pan recipe, beginner-friendly, low carb

Everything gets cooked in its own parchment parcel, so there’s almost no cleanup.

46. Oven-roasted Beets And Potatoes

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: One pan, under 500 calories, <10 ingredients

It’s part side, part work of art. If you don’t have a mandoline for slicing, just use a sharp chef’s knife.

47. Crispy Smashed Potatoes With Horseradish And Sea Salt

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Under 500 calories, gluten free

It’s like serving French fries at your Easter spread, but fancier.

48. Cacio E Pepe Cauliflower

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

To be honest, we can’t think of a bad way to serve cauliflower. But this definitely ranks up at the top.

49. Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Sriracha And Lime

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, under 500 calories

Give the Easter feast a little kick with sriracha and lime. (Just warn everyone about the spice level before digging in.)

50. Swiss Chard Au Gratin

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: Vegetarian, under 500 calories, crowd-pleaser

Here’s definitive proof that anything can be holiday-ready when topped with breadcrumbs.

51. Spring Panzanella Salad

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Under 500 calories, beginner-friendly, ready in <30 minutes

Instead of a boring mixed greens salad, whip up a medley of spring’s finest produce.

52. Prosciutto And Fig Salad Board

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: No cook, special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly

Bowls are fine, but boards are better. Why? Because you can put all the delicious toppings on display, like a salad collage.

53. Shaved Spring Vegetable And Apple Salad With Ginger-dijon Dressing

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: No cook, ready in <30 minutes, gluten free

After a long, cold winter, this fresh salad is a sight for sore eyes.

54. Radicchio, Lentil And Apple Salad With Vegan Cashew Dressing

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Vegan, gluten free, special occasion–worthy

The cashew cream is completely dairy free, but no one would know just by tasting it.

55. Kale And Brussels Sprout Caesar Slaw

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, no cook, dairy free

Our advice? Save some for leftovers. It tastes even better the next day.

56. Minty-fresh Zucchini Salad With Marinated Feta

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes (+ marinating time)
  • Why We Love It: No cook, <10 ingredients, make ahead

This side tastes best when you make it ahead of time, which is music to our ears.

57. Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Chèvre Ranch

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, low carb, crowd-pleaser

’Tis the season for peas—why not turn them into a crisp, fresh salad?

58. Asparagus Caesar Salad

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Under 500 calories, low carb, crowd-pleaser

Ditto that for asparagus, but don’t tell anyone we’re here for the croutons.

59. Kale Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

The homemade dressing has Dijon, garlic, lemon and anchovies for a savory je ne sais quoi.

60. Citrus, Fennel And Avocado Salad

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: No cook, <10 ingredients

You can use any mix of fresh citrus you like. (Just make sure you have a ripe avocado at the ready.)

61. Cast Iron Cornbread

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

The cast iron skillet is the key to a golden-brown, toothsome edge. Serve it with lots of butter, of course.

62. Easy Dinner Rolls

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours, 5 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients

Skip the freezer-section rolls in favor of these fluffy cuties, which are way easier to make than they seem.

63. Scallion And Chive Flatbread

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, under 500 calories

It’s almost too pretty to serve—almost.

64. Pull-apart Bread With Caramelized Onions And Goat Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy

Like monkey bread, but savory and fancy for Easter.

65. 6-ingredient Peasant Bread

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours, 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

This bread comes together with just six ingredients and you don’t even have to knead it. Genius? We think so.

66. Sweet And Spicy Cornbread

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: One pan, crowd-pleaser

The cornbread gets brushed with honey before it’s done in the oven, but you should definitely serve it with extra on the side.

67. Sprightly Biscuits

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

These biscuits have a secret: They’re made with lemon-lime soda, which lends a fluffy texture.

68. Easy Pretzel Buns

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours, 40 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Are you a professional baker or something? You have us fooled.

69. Apple Focaccia With Blue Cheese And Herbs

  • Time Commitment: 12 hours, 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly

It’s part cheese plate, part carb-y side. We’re smitten.

70. Spicy Ricotta-stuffed Phyllo Rolls

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, under 500 calories

An Easter meal wouldn’t be complete without a little cheese.



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Katherine Gillen

Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...
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