50 Cheap Easter Recipes
Updated 3/8/24: Celebrate Easter without spending a lot of money! Here are 50 cheap Easter recipes and ideas for entertaining.
Every Easter, I get excited to celebrate the holiday with my family and friends and cook a traditional meal. As a Christian, this holiday has deep meaning and signals not only the start of spring – but also the new life we have in Christ.
If you are planning on cooking an Easter breakfast or Easter dinner, I have 50+ cheap recipe ideas to help you get started. I’ve organized this list into categories: Easter breakfasts and brunch, main courses, vegetarian options, side dishes, breads, and desserts.
This list will help you cook a fabulous Easter meal without spending a lot of money.
Breakfast and Brunch
If you’re planning on making a pre- or post-church breakfast or brunch for Easter, look for recipes that can be made ahead of time or prepped ahead of time so you can avoid a lot of cooking and rushing around in the morning:
- Apple-cinnamon overnight baked French toast
- Breakfast croquettes
- Bacon-corn pancakes
- Glazed donut muffins
- Easter bunny English muffin sandwiches
- Bunny butt pancakes
- Mini lemon monkey bread cupcakes
- Crescent roll breakfast pizza
- Breakfast empanadas
- Extra crispy baked breakfast potatoes
- Perfect scrambled eggs (below)
Easter Main Dishes
Are you hosting Easter dinner? While there are certain foods synonymous with Easter – ham and eggs, for example – there are so many different dishes that will be appropriate for this holiday meal. Here are a few Easter main dish recipe ideas to get you started:
- Cheesy ham casserole
- Honey baked ham
- Slow cooker ham
- Grandma’s holiday ham
- Simple meatloaf (with oatmeal and veggies)
- Pineapple roasted chicken
- Chicken pot pie
- Extra creamy scalloped potatoes and ham (below)
Vegetarian Easter Recipes
Here are a few meatless options for your Easter dinner:
- Curried lentil burgers
- Pesto mac & cheese
- Southwest wild rice pilaf
- Spring vegetable tart
- A simple Easter veggie tray
Side Dishes
If you’re serving Easter dinner, consider making one or two main dishes as well as several side dishes for your guests:
- Best-ever crock pot mashed potatoes
- Mashed carrot potatoes with bacon
- Honey-mustard roasted vegetables
- Buttery baked carrots
- Twice-baked potato bake
- Roasted Brussels sprouts with Applewood smoked bacon
- Fully loaded Brussels sprouts
- Easy cornbake
- Deviled eggs
- Zucchini-cheddar hush puppies
- Sweet corn spoon bread
- Raisin glaze for ham (below)
Salads
A salad with freshen and lighten your dinner up. These Easter salad suggestions a quite varied, from green salads to sweet, dessert-like salads that add something welcome and sweet to your guests’ dinner plates.
- Easter salad with berries and goat cheese
- Strawberry pretzel salad
- Roasted carrot and Feta salad
- Layered Jell-O salad
- 1905 salad
- Lentil, feta, grape, and walnut salad (below)
Bread
Every Easter dinner needs at least one good bread options. Hot cross buns are a traditional option, but there are lots of options to explore:
- Dinner rolls shaped like little birds
- Cheddar drop biscuits
- Classic popovers
- Parmesan popovers
- Buttermilk baking powder drop biscuits
- Hot cross buns
- Rainbow bread
- Gorgonzola cheese straws
- Perfect dinner rolls (below)
Desserts and Easter Treats
We can’t forget the Easter desserts! Consider making one of two of these recipes, or ask a guest to bring one if you’re open to a potluck-style Easter meal.
- Peeps cake
- Cadbury Creme Egg brownies
- Easter bunny nests
- Easter muddy buddies
- Easter snack mix
- Easter nest cupcakes
- No-bake carrot cake balls
- Salted caramel Easter popcorn
- Strawberry pie
- Lemon-blueberry Bundt cake
- Homemade peanut butter Easter eggs
- Carrot spice cake made with Greek yogurt
- Fondant carrots (to decorate carrot cake)
Leftover Ham Recipes
If you have leftover Easter ham (lucky you!), make one of these recipes:
- Ham salad (for ham salad sandwiches)
- Ham and cheese sliders with honey mustard
- Ham and corn chowder
- Ham balls
- Kitchen sink fried rice with ham
Or reheat ham and eat as-is: You can eat the leftover ham cold, or reheat it in the oven in a baking dish, with a bit of broth or water. Heat at 325F for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through.
And don’t forget the lent & Easter activities for kids! Check out these free lent coloring pages and fun Easter activities, and Easter board books. It’s fun to involve the whole family when you’re planning an Easter meal and celebrating the true meaning behind Easter – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Happy Easter!
Thanks for the mention! Pinned these ๐ Great roundup! Happy Easter!
Thanks for including my French Toast Haley!
Thanks for the link love! This looks like a fantastic resource for affordable holiday dinners. ๐
Thank you so much for including me in this wonderful list. I would love to eat my way through it. I am pinning! Happy Easter Heather!!!
Way to list it up! This is a fantastic collection (thanks for including Carpe Season!) Happy Easter!
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Thanks for including my Easter Candy Nests! You found so many wonderful ideas for your round-up. I can’t wait until next spring to try some of them!
Great Easter roundup! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing some great recipes. Am definitely going to try some of these. I love Easter!
Thanks for including my no bake carrot cake balls. What a great roundup for Easter. ๐