Our 16 Most Popular Easter Recipes
All the holiday classics are here, including everything from ham, lamb, and salmon to scalloped potatoes and asparagus. Whether you need an appetizer, main course, or dessert, you'll find the perfect recipe for your Easter celebration here.
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After a long winter of heavy roasts and stews, Easter's lighter, fresher dishes are a welcome change of pace. Even if the temperature is still chilly and the growing season has only just begun, spring dishes offer a glimmer of color and life after a long and cold winter. Here, we've gathered our most popular Easter recipes, the ones our users return to again and again.
Ham and lamb are two of the most common holiday entrées, and this collection of our top Easter recipes includes recipes for both. They're wonderful crowd-pleasers that are also easy to cook (a win-win). Uncomplicated and unfussy, salmon is another great option. Side dishes feature some of the season's best-known vegetables, such as asparagus and artichokes.
Of course, eggs are also one of the stars of Easter, and you'll find a number of ways to serve them ahead. Deviled eggs, like the version that features relish shown here, are a classic way to use up dyed and decorated hard-boiled eggs, and they also make an elegant addition to your hors d'oeuvres spread or even a lovely accompaniment to the main course. Quiche is another terrific use for eggs, and while the recipe in this gallery suggests mixing in broccoli and cheddar, you can use almost any combination of vegetables (think: asparagus, spinach or chard) and cheese (Gruyère or comte would be especially nice) that your family enjoys.
You didn't think we forgot about dessert, did you? The options we've included are just as delightful to look at as they are to eat. Feeling fancy? A carrot cheesecake topped with marzipan carrots or our Ombré Strawberry Cake are fabulous endings to a feast. Prefer to keep it simple? A low-key Lemon Bundt Cake is just the thing (and lets you save room for an Easter cookie or two).
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Roasted Leg of Lamb
Tender and delicious meat and a crisp, flavorful crust are the hallmarks of this roasted leg of lamb. Serve it with a red wine gravy to really pull out all the special-occasion stops.
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Asparagus Gruyère Tart
Especially when made with plump in-season asparagus, this dish is a sophisticated, visually pleasing appetizer. Using frozen puff pastry makes the prep work a breeze.
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Creamy Deviled Eggs
Making deviled eggs is probably the most obvious go-to for all those dyed and decorated hard-boiled eggs. This creamy recipe is a classic and for good reason.
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Carrot Cheesecake with Marzipan Carrots
This rich cheesecake, topped with marzipan carrots, takes warm spices and cream cheese icing (carrot cake's best features) and reinvents them deliciously.
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Baked Easter Ham
A traditional Easter entrée, baked ham is not only easy to make but also provides some of the best holiday leftovers. This recipe includes a brown sugar-Cognac glaze that's both sweet and savory.
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Scalloped Potatoes
It's tough to beat thinly sliced potatoes baked in a rich cream sauce and topped with grated cheese. The classic au gratin dish is nicely suited to simple main courses, offering an indulgent counterpoint at Easter and at other holidays.
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Easy Steamed Artichokes
Artichokes are leafy, mild-flavored vegetables that are one of the treasures of spring. Our method for steaming them couldn't be easier, but the result is an impressive, delicious side dish.
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Simple Poached Salmon
A beautifully poached piece of salmon is clean tasting, light, and springy. Celery, carrots, onion, and lemon add subtle flavor, and there's only one rule to making this simple entrée: don't overcook the fish.
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Martha's Easter Sugar Cookies
Martha's foolproof recipe for sugar cookie dough and royal icing is one you can use to make cookies for any holiday. Eggs, chicks, bunnies, and flowers never looked so tasty.
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Flaky Buttery Biscuits
Looking for something special for an Easter brunch? These fresh hot biscuits fit the bill. Slathered with butter, topped with a spoonful of jam, and served alongside fluffy scrambled eggs and some sort of bacon or sausage, they're the epitome of indulgence.
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Oven Roasted Asparagus
Although you'll find asparagus in supermarkets year-round, it's at its peak in spring. It's easy to prepare—blanching asparagus is a tried-and-true technique, and you can also boil asparagus. Another popular method for preparing asparagus is roasting it in the oven. It yields nicely charred stalks.
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Lemon Bundt Cake
It's the perfect addition to any spring dinner party. Adding a cupful of sour cream means this Bundt cake will be moist and creamy.
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Honey-Glazed Carrots
Humble but hearty carrots get dressed up with a tangy and sweet mixture of red wine vinegar, honey, and other staples. They're great with everything from lamb to ham.
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Ombré Strawberry Cake
This showstopping dessert fits in perfectly with Easter pastels—and, with its piped frosting, even resembles a spring flower. Five different shades of vanilla cake are layered with strawberry jam and rich Swiss meringue buttercream to make for a stunning and delicious treat.
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Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche
Here's a versatile dish that goes from Easter brunch to Easter dinner in a snap. You can use an array of mix-ins, and serve it warm or at room temperature.