Easter is the spring holiday that calls for a special meal — something that feels celebratory and seasonal without the logistical complexity of Thanksgiving. The table should feel like spring: fresh, light, and full of color.
The Easter meal is also an opportunity for kitchen activities with children. Decorating Easter cookies, making deviled eggs, and assembling spring salads are all tasks that children can do and enjoy.
The Easter Main Course
Glazed Ham (The Classic)
A bone-in ham is the easiest Easter main course — it's already cooked, requires only reheating and glazing, and is nearly impossible to ruin.
The glaze: Combine ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
The method: Score the ham surface in a diamond pattern. Place in a roasting pan with ½ cup water. Brush with glaze. Roast at 325°F (165°C) for 15–18 minutes per pound, brushing with glaze every 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 140°F (60°C). Rest 15 minutes before carving.
Roast Leg of Lamb (The Traditional)
Lamb is the traditional Easter protein in many cultures — it's the spring animal, and its flavor is perfectly suited to the season's herbs.
The method: Make a paste of garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Rub all over a bone-in leg of lamb. Refrigerate overnight. Roast at 325°F (165°C) for 20–25 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reaches 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare. Rest 20 minutes before carving.
Roast Chicken with Spring Herbs
Two roast chickens with lemon, garlic, and fresh spring herbs (tarragon, chives, parsley). Simpler than lamb, equally seasonal.
The Easter Sides
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 10–12 minutes. Finish with lemon zest and parmesan.
Asparagus is the Easter vegetable — it's at its peak in spring and pairs perfectly with ham and lamb.
Spring Pea Salad
Combine fresh or frozen peas (thawed), mint, feta, and a lemon vinaigrette. Serve cold or at room temperature.
This is the Easter salad that tastes like spring.
Deviled Eggs
Hard-boil eggs. Halve and remove yolks. Mix yolks with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pipe back into the whites. Top with paprika.
Deviled eggs are the Easter appetizer that children help make — filling and piping the eggs is a satisfying task.
Scalloped Potatoes
Slice potatoes thin. Layer with cream, garlic, and gruyère. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 65 minutes.
Assemble the day before and refrigerate. Bake on Easter day.
Spring Salad with Radishes and Herbs
Combine mixed greens, sliced radishes, cucumber, fresh mint, chives, and a lemon vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
The Easter Baking
Hot Cross Buns
Make a sweet yeast dough with cinnamon, nutmeg, and dried fruit. Shape into rolls. Let rise. Pipe a cross of flour paste on top. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes. Glaze with apricot jam.
Hot cross buns are the traditional Easter bread. Make them on Good Friday — the tradition is to eat them on the day they're baked.
Easter Sugar Cookies
Make sugar cookie dough. Cut into Easter shapes (eggs, bunnies, chicks). Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8–10 minutes. Decorate with royal icing and sprinkles.
Easter cookie decorating is the kitchen activity that children remember. Set up a decorating station with multiple colors of icing and let them create.
Carrot Cake
Make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Decorate with marzipan carrots or spring flowers.
Carrot cake is the Easter dessert that feels appropriately seasonal — carrots in spring, cream cheese frosting that's lighter than buttercream.
Lemon Tart
Make a lemon curd (eggs, sugar, lemon juice, butter). Pour into a pre-baked tart shell. Refrigerate until set. Top with fresh berries.
Lemon tart is the spring dessert — bright, fresh, and not too heavy after a substantial Easter dinner.
The Easter Table
Easter is the holiday that calls for the most color at the table. Spring flowers, pastel linens, and a centerpiece of dyed eggs or fresh tulips make the table feel like the season.
The Easter meal is also the meal where children are most involved — in the kitchen, in the egg hunt, and at the table. The food should be good enough for adults and accessible enough for children. The glazed ham, deviled eggs, and spring salad accomplish this without compromise.
The Easter Timeline
Two weeks before: Order the ham or lamb if needed.
Day before: Make deviled eggs. Assemble scalloped potatoes. Bake hot cross buns. Make lemon curd for tart.
Easter morning: Bake tart shell and fill. Decorate Easter cookies with children. Prep asparagus and salad components.
Easter afternoon: Roast the ham or lamb. Bake scalloped potatoes. Roast asparagus. Assemble salad.
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Related Articles
More holiday cooking:
Spring cooking:
- Spring Family Recipes — asparagus, peas, and fresh herbs
- Family Brunch Recipes — Easter brunch ideas
Easter baking:
- Family Baking Recipes — hot cross buns, Easter cookies
- Cooking with Kids — Easter cookie decorating
Browse all special occasions: Special Occasion Family Recipes