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    Home » Recipes » Easter Recipes

    Delicious Easter Dinner Ideas

    April 13, 2022 By Sara McCleary Updated April 13, 2022 - This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Easter dinner ideas collage.

    Create the ultimate Easter menu with my favourite Easter dinner ideas. From snacks and nibbles through to desserts. No matter if you are preparing a baked ham or casual seafood brunch I have you covered.

    Easter dinner ideas collage.

    Easter is always a lot more relaxed than Christmas in our household. It may be more relaxed but it's no less delicious and filled with lots of Easter Treats.

    The holiday always starts with breakfast on Good Friday with hot cross buns.

    Then comes Easter Sunday, again breakfast is an important family ritual with eggs of all sorts. Later in the day is the family gathering where we all enjoy Easter dinner or lunch together. A casual affair, but a tasty one.

    Below are a few Easter dinner ideas, along with breakfast inspiration and brunch thoughts.

    Sara xxx

    Contents
    • Breakfast Ideas
    • My Favourite Hero Dishes
    • Sweet Easter Treats
    • Easter Dinner Ideas and Menus
    • Printable Recipe
    Hot Cross Buns (ready in 30 mins)

    Breakfast Ideas

    Breakfast is truly celebrated over Easter. It may be a hearty affair after egg hunting. Or something light before heading to church or other celebrations.

    Alternatively, you may be making the most of an extended long weekend with a leisurely and relaxing breakfast.

    • Green Eggs and Ham Recipe
    • 30 Minute Quick Hot Cross Buns Recipe
    • Deliciously Fluffy Cloud Eggs
    • Ham & Egg Hash Brown Nests

    See All Breakfast Recipes >>

    slice of bacon and egg pie
    Bacon and Egg Pie

    My Favourite Hero Dishes

    There is always one hero dish at Easter dinner or lunch. That stand out star attraction. It could be a glistening glazed baked ham with a selection of sides or even an impressive bacon and egg pie for brunch.

    If you haven't attempted to bake a whole ham before please look at our step-by-step guide on how to cook a ham.

    • Hearty Duck and Port Ragu
    • Finger Licking Peach and Bourbon Glazed Ham
    • Black Truffle Chicken Breast Baked in Milk
    • Classic Trout Almondine (Amandine)
    Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream

    Sweet Easter Treats

    One of my favourite sweet Easter recipes is hot cross bun ice cream. A recipe I created using a trick I learned from Wylie Dufresne when I was in New York.

    • Easter Chocolate Freckles
    • So Cute! Easter Chick Cookies
    • Easter Egg Nests, made in under 5 minutes
    • Cute as a button Bunny Cupcakes

    See All Easter Recipes >>

    Easter Dinner Ideas and Menus

    A few Easter dinner ideas, lunch and breakfast menu suggestions. Feel free to swap and mix dishes between them. My perfect Easter menu appears in the printable recipe card at the end of this article.

    1. Sara's Perfect Easter Menu
    2. Post Egg Hunt Breakfast
    3. Seafood Lunch
    4. Easy Easter Dinner
    Caramel Chocolate Crackle Tart Recipe: Childhood party favourite is given a dose of adulthood with the addition of rich French Caramel to create the most decadent dessert.
    Caramel Chocolate Crackle Tart

    Menu 1 - Sara's Perfect Easter Menu

    My perfect Easter menu reflects all the foods I love about Easter. Enough food to generously feed the extended family. Of course, you would need to start with piragi and a must have Easter cocktail.

    To Start
    ~ Easy Pork Veal Terrine with crusty bread
    ~ Also to go with the crusty bread Burrata Salsa Tartufata
    ~ Oysters served simply with Champagne Mignonette

    Mains
    ~ Pork Loin with perfect crackling via the air fryer
    ~ Oven baked Maple Garlic Chicken Thigh Cutlets
    ~ Garlic Butterfly Prawns (shrimp) and more bread!

    Sides
    ~ Roasted Dutch Carrots with a Buttery Honey Almonds
    ~ Super crunchy Parmentier Potatoes
    ~ Sinfully good Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

    Desserts
    ~ Caramel Chocolate Crackle Tart
    ~ Pashka, a traditional Latvian Easter dessert via Russia
    ~ Nama Chocolate and a cup of Coffee

    bunny cupcakes on a wooden board
    Cute as a button Bunny Cupcakes

    Menu 2 - Post Egg Hunt Breakfast

    After an early start with the kids hunting for eggs, everyone will need a hearty and satisfying Easter breakfast. Be sure to start with hot chocolates for the kids and strong coffees for the adults.

    A Selection to Share
    ~ An impressive Bacon and Egg Pie
    ~ 30 minute Quick Hot Cross Buns
    ~ Gozleme with various fillings
    ~ Blueberry White Chocolate Waffles
    ~ Crispy Bacon and Hard Boiled Eggs (coloured or not)
    ~ A selection of Toast, a variety of Bread, and Savoury Muffins
    ~ Cold Deli Meats and Cheeses

    A Sweet Finish
    ~ Bunny Cupcakes for the kids (or those kids at heart)
    ~ Easter Rocky Road
    ~ Tim Tam Balls
    ~ Fresh Fruit

    above view of a seafood platter
    Seafood Platter

    Menu 3 - Seafood Lunch

    Seafood is traditional for Easter. Go for a mixture of hot and cold dishes. Some that you can prepare ahead of time and others easily at the last moment.

    To Start
    ~ One bite creamy Crab Lettuce Cups
    ~ Easy Smoked Salmon Dip and dippers
    ~ Oysters freshly shucked with a variety of sauces

    Mains
    ~ A piled high Seafood Platter
    ~ Classic Trout Almondine for some French flair
    ~ Pipis in creamy white wine and garlic sauce

    Sides
    ~ Crunchy and nutty Broccolini Slaw
    ~ Zingy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
    ~ My favourite Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream
    ~ Fresh and simple garden salad
    ~ A variety of crunchy fresh bread, and soft bread rolls
    ~ 3-4 sauces for the fresh seafood like homemade mayonnaise, seafood cocktail sauce, honey mustard or chilli plum sauce.

    Desserts
    ~ Hot Cross Bun Ice Cream served simply in waffle cones
    ~ Basque Burnt Cheesecake
    ~ Easter Chocolate Mud Cupcakes

    Easter Egg Nests ~ A super easy recipe made in under 5 minutes. A great one for the kids. Only using 4 ingredients.
    Easter Egg Nests (5 mins to make)

    Menu 4 - Easy Easter Dinner

    An easy Easter dinner menu for friends and family. Filled with simple but delicious ideas to form a smorgasbord or a sit down family style dinner. All suggestions are for minimal effort on the day.

    To Start
    ~ Pork, Duck, Fig Terrine (can be made a couple of days ahead)
    ~ Selection of cold meats and cheese
    ~ Crudite Platter

    Mains
    ~ An Old Fashioned Glazed Ham
    ~ BBQ Rainbow Trout
    ~ Good quality BBQ/Rotisserie Chicken cut into portions
    ~ Zucchini Slice (made the day before)

    Sides
    ~ Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil Salad
    ~ Green Garden Salad
    ~ Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

    Desserts
    ~ Easter Chocolate Freckles (make days ahead)
    ~ Easter Egg Nests (make ahead)
    ~ Chocolate Cheesecake Crackle Pie (make ahead)

    pink bowl with Easter rocky road squares
    Easter Rocky Road

    Printable Recipe

    easter dinner menu ideas

    Perfect Easter Dinner Menu

    Recipe Author: Sara McCleary
    A printable list of dishes in Sara's perfect Easter Menu. This will give you a running sheet of what and when to prepare the dishes for the perfect celebration.
    There is enough food in this menu to comfortably feed 8-10 people as part of a shared meal.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Easter
    Cuisine American, Australian, Italian, Latvian
    Servings 10

    Ingredients

    Snacks and Starters

    • Easy Pork Veal Terrine with crusty bread
    • Burrata Salsa Tartufata
    • Oysters with Champagne Mignonette

    Mains

    • Pork Loin with perfect crackling
    • Oven baked Maple Garlic Chicken Thigh Cutlets
    • Garlic Butterfly Prawns (shrimp) and more bread

    Sides

    • oasted Dutch Carrots with a buttery honey almonds
    • Super crunchy Parmentier Potatoes
    • Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

    Dessert

    • Caramel Chocolate Crackle Tart
    • Pashka
    • Nama Chocolate
    • Coffee and Tea

    Instructions
     

    Easy Pork and Veal Terrine

    • This terrine is made 2 days in advance.
      You could also make it a month ahead and freeze it (simply defrost the terrine in the fridge the day before serving).

    Burrata Salsa Tartufata

    • Source the tartufata well in advance from a good deli, you may need to purchase it online.
      The asparagus and celery salad can be made the day before and stored in an air tight container in the fridge.
      Plate the finished dish just before serving.
      Serve this and the terrine with crusty baguette.

    Oysters with Champagne Mignonette

    • Serve oysters on a platter with a bowl of chilled Champagne mignonette on the side.
      Make the Champagne Mignonette at least an hour before serving, it can be made the day before.
      In a small bowl add ½ finely minced shallot, ½ cup champagne vinegar, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Whisk ingredients together and store in the fridge until needed.

    Pork Loin with Crunchy Crackling

    • As per the recipe start the preparation of the pork loin the day before.
      On the day take the pork loin out of the fridge 1 - 1 ½ hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
      Air fry the port loin as per the recipe (around 50 minutes), then allow the pork to rest for another 20 minutes before serving.

    Maple and Garlic Chicken Thigh Cutlets

    • Prepare the thigh cutlets and place them in a zip lock bag along with the other ingredients. Coat the cutlets well and place them in the fridge until needed. This can be done the day before.
      When ready to cook remove the cutlets from the bag and place on a baking tray. Drizzle any juices in the bag over the top of the cutlets, then proceed as per the recipe. They take around 45 minutes to bake.

    Garlic Butterfly Prawns (Shrimp)

    • Clean and prepare the prawns the morning of the day you are serving them.
      Prepare all the other ingredients ahead of time as well.
      They only take 15 minutes to cook and this is best done just before serving.
      Serve with crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices.

    Roasted Dutch Carrots

    • Trim and clean the Dutch carrots the day before, or the morning of.
      Roast them towards the end of the chicken thighs roasting time.
      Prepare the buttery almond honey sauce while cooking the prawns.

    Parmentier Potatoes

    • Prepare and par boil the potatoes the morning of the Easter dinner. Set them aside to cool and dry out before baking.
      They can be baked a couple of hours before guests arrive and then placed back in the oven before serving to bring them up to temperature and get even crunchier.

    Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

    • Can be made the day before and then reheated in the oven before serving.
      Alternatively, it can be made a month before and frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the oven.

    Caramel Chocolate Crackle Tart

    • Make the tart the day before.

    Pashka

    • This recipe needs to be started at least 3 days before serving. It is a great make in advance recipe.

    Nama Chocolate

    • Make the Nama chocolate a day or two before needed.

    Notes

    GENERAL COOK’S NOTES
    All oven temperatures are fan-forced, increase the temperature by 20°C (70°F) for convection ovens.
    All measurements are Australian tablespoons and cups. All measures are level, and cups are lightly packed unless specified.
    1 teaspoon equals 5ml
    1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
    1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
    4 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon
    I use the below unless specified in my recipes.
    Herbs are fresh | Vegetables are of a medium size | Eggs are roughly 60 grams in weight (large)
    NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION BELOW IS A GUIDE ONLY
    Keyword easter recipes
    Did You Make This Recipe?I do a happy dance when people share how they went. Tag me on Instagram or Twitter @bellyrumbles & #bellyrumbles

    Our Easter Dinner Ideas Menus were originally published on 13th April 2022 and is updated every year with new recipes and ideas.

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    photo of Sara McCleary, Founder, Belly Rumbles culinary travel blog

    Well hello there! I’m Sara McCleary a food photographer, creative recipe developer, and avid traveller (when the World isn’t in a pandemic).

    Welcome to Belly Rumbles, my slice of the Internet.

    I share Recipes discovered or inspired by my adventures and family favourites too! Come join me on my culinary adventure.

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