Find traditional and unique Easter dinner ideas, both main and side dishes, for your family gathering or a crowd.
Watch me to make several of our healthy and easy Easter dinner ideas!
Table of Contents
Main Dishes
Make this tender, juicy, and delicious ham with a sweet and tangy brown sugar orange glaze in the crockpot, and have one of the best slow Easter dinners ever!
2. Honey Glazed Ham
This is the BEST Honey Glazed Ham recipe ever for Easter! Either cooking it in the oven or the slow cook, you’ll have a tender and juicy meat, with a caramelized sweet glaze made with honey, brown sugar, mustard, and warm spices.
3. Baccala Recipe
This Italian cod dish consists of pan-seared cod in white wine sauce, making a centerpiece with bright, citrusy, and herbaceous flavors.
Marinate and then cook these lamb chops in just 7 minutes in the air fryer, and have a flavorful, tender, and juicy lamb dish with a crisp sear! It is one of my family's favorite mains for Easter!
Sear and then braise these Lamb Shanks low and slow in the crockpot with a rich red wine sauce until falling off-the-bone tender and flavorful. Then, serve them with mashed potatoes, and peas for a complete Easter dinner meal.
6. Fish Pie
This baked Portuguese casserole is made from well-seasoned cod and onions, topped with mayonnaise and mashed potatoes. It is a popular Easter dinner idea among Portugueses and Brazilians living in America.
Make this tasty, juicy, and tender Smoked Beef Tenderloin with just 3 ingredients, then cook it low and slow on an outdoor smoker, and serve it with an herbaceous chimichurri sauce. It’s one of the best Easter dinner ideas that you will ever try!
Although not a traditional Easter dish, this Smithfield pork tenderloin roasted in the oven makes a tender and juicy main dish for Easter. It's easy to prepare and less expensive than ham or lamb!
Juicy, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, this top-round roast beef comes seasoned with a savory rub of garlic and herbs, slow-roasted in the oven, and served with a rich gravy. It is a classic that never gets old and one of those perfect Easter dinner recipes!
This Baked Blackened Salmon makes a flavorful and unique main dish for an Easter dinner meal. It is seasoned with a mixture of olive oil, butter, garlic, and cajun seasoning, and cooked in the oven for 15 minutes.
Side Dishes
11. Savory Sweet Mashed Potatoes
This easy Easter side dish provides a sweet yet savory twist on classic mashed potatoes. It’s ready in 30 minutes and is dairy-free, gluten-free, and it can be vegan!
These seasoned vegetables are loaded with flavor & are irresistible. Cook them quickly in the air fryer, and have a healthy side dish that pairs well with many main dishes.
13. Oat Rolls
They are wholesome, easy to make, fluffy, and buttery, making the perfect dinner rolls for Easter. With a hint of sweetness from honey, these rolls have a lower glycemic index than the ones made with plain flour.
Cook this Air Fryer Asparagus recipe in just 7 minutes and have crispy veggies for your Easter dinner, without needing a ton of oil or fat!
Golden-brown on the outside and creamy and flavorful on the inside, these crispy smashed potatoes make a great alternative to boring mashed potatoes. You can cook them in the oven or an air fryer.
16. Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Tossed with a mixture of olive oil, honey, garlic, lemon juice, and rosemary, and then caramelized to perfection in the oven, they make a delicious and healthy side dish for Easter.
Broccoli Gratin with Bacon is a creamy and cheesy Easter side dish that is quick and easy to make with a few ingredients. It's one of those low-carb and gluten-free Easter dinner recipes.
18. Pea Salad with Mint and Almonds
This Healthy Pea Salad is the perfect spring side dish! It's made with fresh snap peas, mint, toasted almonds, and Parmesan cheese, and tossed in a light vinaigrette.
19. Fennel and Orange Salad
This gorgeous fennel and orange salad is a bright pop of color to accompany your Easter dinner. It's full of fresh, colorful citrus, crisp fennel, and a light orange vinaigrette dressing.
Make this easy and healthy side dish in less than 10 minutes in the air fryer! It comes tender inside and crisp outside!
FAQ’s
It will depend on each family’s tradition or religious background. However, the most popular or typical Easter main dishes are ham, lamb, and fish. As for Easter dinner sides, mashed potatoes, spring vegetables (e.g. peas, carrots, and asparagus), and dinner rolls.
Ham is the most popular Easter main dish because a pig is considered a symbol of luck and a less expensive alternative to lamb. However, lamb is still the preferred main dish among American Catholics, which is associated with Christ, the lamb of God.
Easter is celebrated in Spring time. Some popular seasonal vegetables are carrots, peas, asparagus, broccoli, and spinach, among others. However, some kinds of potato dishes (e.g. mashed potatoes) are considered a staple for Easter dinner.
How to Store Easter Dinner Recipes
- Each main and side dish has its own storage instructions. However, most of them call for storing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days.
- Most are easy freezer meals that you can make ahead!
Other Dinner Ideas
In addition to our 20 best Easter dinner ideas, check out these other dinner ideas:
- 75 Easy dinner ideas
- 30 High-protein dinners
- 30 Low-carb dinner recipes
- 55 Easy beef recipes for dinner
- 70 Easy chicken recipes for dinner
- 50+ Easy healthy crockpot meals for dinner
- 50 Easy gluten-free dinners
- 80 Low-calorie dinners
- 70 Best one-pot meals for dinner
- 15 Birthday dinner ideas
- 21 Easy summer dinners
PIN AND ENJOY!
20 BEST Easter Dinner Ideas (Mains and Sides)
Equipment
- 1 oven OR
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 pot
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes 12-16 count, 1 ½ to 2" diameter (Best substitute: Carola You may use baby/new potatoes, red or fingerling instead but be aware they will take longer to brown and won’t be as crispy)
- 1 tablespoon salt for water (plus more to season)
- Olive oil to drizzle (oil is for browning and crispness). Use about 2-4 tablespoon if cooking in the oven or 1-2 tablespoon if cooking in the air fryer!
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted (butter is for flavor. Do NOT use only butter or you’ll get burned-flavor potatoes). Use ½ tablespoon if cooking in the air fryer!
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste, or minced fresh garlic but they will burn a bit
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked to taste (you can also add a sprinkle of smoked paprika if you want)
- 2 tablespoon fresh chives finely chopped, to garnish
- 2 tablespoon Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
Oven Method:
- Boil: Place the potatoes inside of a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1-inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook them until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes depending on potato size.
- Drain: Drain them in a colander! Let them sit there for about 5 minutes to dry and cool down. This will also help to smash them without breaking them apart.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Transfer drained potatoes to a dark-rimmed baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
- Smash: Use a potato masher or the flat bottom of a drinking glass to smash the potatoes to about ½" thickness. NOTE: Please, press them gently in order to not break the potatoes apart.
- Season: Drizzle their tops with enough olive oil (about 1-2 TBSP) PLUS brush them with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle them generously with a mixture of salt, garlic powder, and black pepper to taste.
- Bake: Bake for 15 min. Flip the potatoes over with a metal spatula, drizzle the second side with more olive oil (about 1-2 TBSP) PLUS brush with the remaining melted butter. Season with more salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Bake another 12-15 minutes, or until the smashed potatoes are crisp and have golden brown edges. Your oven may take longer to crisp them up.
- Serve: Sprinkle more pepper and then garnish their tops with chopped chives and also a little of chopped parsley. Serve them warm.
Air Fryer Method:
- Follow all the steps above (from boiling to seasoning).
- Then preheat your air fryer at 400° F (205° C) for 5-10 minutes.
- Position your smashed potatoes in the basket leaving plenty of space in between each one for proper hot airflow. You may have to air fry smashed potatoes in batches.
- Air fry smashed potatoes for 10-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through (for making them crispier), or until desired crispiness is reached.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Crispy smashed potatoes make cook faster in the air fryer, but you’ll have to cook them in batches. So it will wind up being faster to roast them in the oven.
- Choose potatoes of similar size for even cooking!
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
2pots2cook says
Oh boy! I'm into Fish Pie!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I grew up having ham at Easter while my husband's family had lamb so we switch around each year. Enjoy the day.
Denise Browning says
I see! Thank you for shairng it! I grew up eating a fish dish (cod most of the time) for Easter becaue my family in Brazil is Catholic. It is so interesting to find out everyone's traditions.