52 Easter Dinner Recipes You'll Make Every Year

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.

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

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

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.

Lightly sweet and enriched with eggs and butter, this traditional Greek Easter bread is braided into a beautiful loaf and often adorned with dyed eggs for a festive touch. Soft, aromatic, and slightly citrusy, it’s a meaningful centerpiece that brings both flavor and tradition to the holiday table.

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.

This traditional Eastern European bread makes an appearance each year at Easter. Depending on which country’s recipe you’re using, the level of sweetness can vary, it can include raisins (or not) or be drizzled with a sweet royal icing. Some are even baked in coffee cans, giving them straight sides lined with ridges. Whatever variety you’re making, the base is a rich and slightly sweet dough that is perfect for spring.

There's no better way to celebrate spring than with a beautiful dish that celebrates the best seasonal produce.

Cheesy potatoes are perfect for any gathering. We spent days perfecting the BEST version—testing fresh vs. frozen potatoes and coming up with the perfect from-scratch sauce that doesn't rely on canned soup as its base. In the end, fresh potatoes won the competition, thanks to the creamy soft texture they provide and the way they soak up the silky smooth, rich homemade sauce. Of course, plenty of Cheddar tops it all off, as well as cornflakes for toothsome crunch.

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.

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.

This is a tall, moist carrot cake, light in texture and lightly spiced with cinnamon and touch of nutmeg. Heavy cream whipped into the cream cheese frosting makes it extra fluffy.

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.

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.

Tender carrots are simmered in a buttery glaze infused with toasted coriander, citrus juices, and brown sugar for a sweet-savory side with bright flavor.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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!

This whimsical take on the classic deviled egg is the perfect appetizer for a spring party. An orange-hued pimento cheese filling makes up the deviled egg carrot, while a zesty herb filling represents the greens on top.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This simple dish highlights the bounty of fresh produce available during the spring: string beans, snap peas, asparagus and more!

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."

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Spring veggies meet deviled eggs in this simple, crowd-pleasing Easter side dish.

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.

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?!

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

A show-stopping holiday centerpiece combining three different sides with a hearty main. What more do you need?

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

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.

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

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.

There's no better starter for your Easter meal than this beautiful spread of crisp, colorful veggies and savory dip.

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.