Round Out Your Easter Menu with These Delicious Side Dish Recipes

By Kelly Vaughan
Updated April 01, 2020
Con Poulos
Whether you're celebrating with a brunch or a dinner, these tasty, seasonal side dishes are guaranteed to make your holiday meal a total winner.
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Con Poulos

Whether you're hosting Easter brunch or dinner, this holiday meal is always a special time to celebrate with your close family. Many Easter dinners feature a spiral glazed ham or tender rack of lamb as their main course, but when it comes to side dishes, you can make creative meals with inspired ingredients. Because Easter falls in late March or early April, it offers the perfect opportunity to showcase seasonal vegetables such as asparagus, peas (snap, sugar, or shoots are all welcome), and rhubarb. And while carrots can easily be found and cooked with year-round, we received a special request from the Easter bunny for lots and lots of side dishes featuring the orange root vegetable this year.

A recipe that is delicious for Easter is our Asparagus-and-Potato Gratin, pictured here. It's hearty and flavorful with an extra-decadent bechamel sauce made with both goat cheese and Pecorino-Romano. Sliced prosciutto makes it even more indulgent—it's a holiday, after all! Looking for something a little less decadent that still takes advantage of spring produce? Prepare this simple, stunning Pea and Asparagus Salad. It's nutritious, flavorful, and exactly what we want to eat on Easter. Another winner is our Asparagus with Almonds, Goat Cheese, and Basil, a crowd-friendly side that features a rich and sharp dressing made from a cooked egg yolk, lemon, grainy mustard, sugar, and olive oil.

We even have a recipe for the special guest on Easter; our basic but beautiful presentation of Steamed Carrots with Lemon and Sea Salt is sure to make the Easter bunny happy. Ahead, we're sharing even more easy, fresh, and all-around delicious Easter side dish recipes.

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Asparagus with Almonds, Goat Cheese, and Basil

Johnny Miller
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It's not Easter without asparagus, the ultimate spring vegetable. We're pairing it with a creamy Dijon dressing, tangy goat cheese, and plenty of basil for a side that is fresh and fragrant—it's everything we love about the season in one bite.

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Sorghum Salad with Carrots and Dandelion Greens

Louise Hagger
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So much more than an ordinary salad, this hearty side dish for Easter includes a bright assortment of crisp, colorful vegetables including sweet roasted carrots and earthy dandelion greens, plus nutty sorghum. They're all layered over a shmear of Greek yogurt mixed with sumac and garlic.

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Creamy Stone-Ground Grits

Johnny Fogg
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Always pleasing and super versatile, grits are a blank canvas for whatever else you're serving on Easter. They're a staple in the South because of their creamy texture and rich, cheesy flavor, but we don't know anyone who would turn these down.

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Stir-Fried Carrots with Coconut

Jake Stangel
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If you have any carrots left after the Easter bunny has stopped by, turn them into this spicy side. Urad dal, an Indian black lentil, is stir-fried with mustard seeds and dried hot red chiles, plus sliced carrots. Garnish with coconut, because what would the holiday be without it?

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Pea and Asparagus Salad

Armando Rafael
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Two of spring's vegetable superstars—asparagus and fresh peas—are tossed together with fresh mint leaves, toasted almonds, olive oil, and rice-wine vinegar for this Easter side dish. The vegetables are served raw so that their crisp, green flavor truly shines.

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Stacked Bibb Lettuces with Lemon Cream

Lennart Weibull
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If you're not into fussy salad recipes with a whole host of ingredients, meet your match. The only vegetable here is bright Bibb lettuce, which is tossed in a dressing made with just three ingredients—heavy cream, lemon juice, and sugar.

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Test Kitchen's Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits

Armando Rafael
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Whether you're hosting Easter brunch or dinner, biscuits are essential. The key to getting golden brown tops is by brushing the biscuits with buttermilk right before they bake in the oven.

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Sweet Peas with Shallots and Gem Lettuce

Anson Smart
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You don't need a lot of time or equipment to make this side dish for Easter. In fact, all you need to do is sauté thinly sliced shallots in a little olive oil, add the peas, followed by Little Gem lettuce leaves, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

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Steamed Carrots with Lemon and Sea Salt

The Ingalls
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Use an array of colorful rainbow carrots in this super simple side dish. It only requires 15 minutes and four ingredients.

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Asparagus with Mustardy Vinaigrette

John Kernick
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When asparagus is in season (like right now!), you don't need to do much for it to wow. Here, asparagus is blanched briefly, then served with a zesty vinaigrette on the side made with champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, and olive oil.

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Carrot Slaw with Caraway and Raisins

Lennart Weibull
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A little bunny told us that this is his favorite salad. And we know why—spiralized carrots are tossed with caraway seeds, dried currants, fresh parsley leaves, and a sharp Dijon dressing. It's a little spicy, a little savory, and all-around delectable.

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Crispy Grain Salad with Peas and Mint

Louise Hagger
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Enjoy this crunchy, crisp salad alongside lamb, ham, or any other succulent Easter main. Cooked quinoa and millet are fried until crisp, then mixed with tender baby greens such as pea shoots and baby kale, scallions, fresh mint, and fresh peas.

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Roasted-Carrot-and-Beet Tart

Bryan Gardner
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Highlight rainbow carrots and sliced purple beets in this impressive tart. They're layered with a nut-herb sauce similar to pesto, all in a store-bought phyllo dough crust.

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Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

Christina Holmes
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Who would ever say no to ooey-gooey baked macaroni and cheese? Whether or not you make it with kids in mind, we have a feeling everyone will be asking for a scoop.

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Rice Salad with Asparagus and Peas

Marcus Nilsson
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This hearty and healthy salad has fresh seasonal vegetables, creamy Arborio rice, sliced radicchio, and fresh basil. It needs to rest for about an hour before serving, so plan ahead!

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Creamed Spinach Gratin

Ngoc Minh Ngo
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Always a classic, this indulgent spinach casserole is topped with a combination of panko breadcrumbs and grated Gruyère cheese for a crunchy and golden brown crust.

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Tender Carrots and Turnips with Mint Dressing

Yuki Sugiura
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Baby spring vegetables are paired with a zippy dressing made from rice vinegar and apricot marmalade. It brings a subtly sweet flavor to contrast with the sweet, earthy root vegetables.

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Asparagus Casserole

Mike Krautter
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While this could easily serve as the main dish for brunch, it's also an exceptional side dish. Asparagus spears are layered over a rich bechamel sauce, along with crispy bacon, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and cracker crumbs and baked to casserole perfection.

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Sautéed Snow Peas and Pea Shoots

Johnny Miller
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Let seasonal greens work their magic in this snappy side. A hint of acidity comes from the juice of half of a lemon, but aside from that, the flavor is all thanks to the fresh vegetables.

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Sweet-Potato-and-Cauliflower Mash

Louise Hagger
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Holiday side dishes don't always need to be fussy. For Easter, make this easy side—just boil sweet potatoes and cauliflower, then mash them with whole milk, butter, and ground nutmeg.

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Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Almonds

Romulo Yanes
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One pan, four ingredients, and five minutes of prep work are all it takes to make this side dish that's sure to please. And it's sure to complement whatever else you're serving on Easter.

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Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Minty Yogurt Sauce

Louise Hagger
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These roasted spring vegetables are delicious on their own, but become even more magical when paired with a light, spring dipping sauce. It's a simple mix of whole-milk yogurt, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh mint, and the juice and zest of a lemon.

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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Bryan Gardner
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Save space on your stovetop by making these rich, delicious, and absolutely essential mashed potatoes (what's a holiday dinner without them?). Heating the milk and butter in a separate saucepan, then slowly stirring the mixture into the mashed spuds in the Instant Pot is the key to a smooth, creamy mash.

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Julienned-Carrot and Kale Salad

Mikkel Vang
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Make this nourishing, breezy salad of julienned vegetables for an Easter side dish. And the vinaigrette couldn't be easier to make—all you need is lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and olive oil.

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