Traditional Easter Dinner Ideas (with Menu Plan)

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These traditional Easter dinner ideas are sure to make your family Easter dinner a big success. You can’t go wrong with any of these tried-and-true classics. A traditional Easter dinner includes ham, side dishes, salads, and, of course, desserts.

As an added bonus, check out our sample Easter menu plan below (including recipes).

Side view of an Easter Dinner Ideas with cheesy potato casserole, asparagus, eggs and ham. Bowl of rolls on the side.
Traditional Easter Dinner Plate: Crockpot Ham with Homemade Glaze, Cheesy Potato Casserole, Sweet Sautéed Asparagus, Deviled Eggs, and Homemade Dinner Rolls.

Traditional Easter Dinner

Every year our family gathers together on Easter Sunday to enjoy a traditional ham dinner. On the side, we serve a potato dish, a hot vegetable, and hot homemade rolls. We have our traditional menu plan below, or you can mix and match the recipes below to create your own special Easter dinner.

Easter Appetizers

As family and friends start to gather, we like to set out an appetizer or two. We’ve handpicked four fantastic recipes to elevate your Easter gathering.

Easter Main Dish Recipes

According to marthastewart.com, ham became the meat of choice for Easter dinner because it was more readily available than lamb. However, if ham isn’t your main dish of choice, a roast lamb, pork roast, or a roast beef can also be served for your Easter feast.

As mentioned above, our go-to Easter main-dish is ham. However, we have enjoyed other main dishes as well. If you are looking for a less traditional Easter meal, try one of these recipes using chicken, fish, beef, or pork.

Easter Side Dishes

Hot Potato Side Dishes

You can’t serve a ham dinner without a good hot potato side dish. Typically Easter potatoes are served “casserole-style” in a casserole dish with some kind of sauce and cheese. Some examples of this are funeral potatoes or potatoes au gratin. Our readers have commented saying that they have loved serving our creamy potatoes with peas or our parmesan crusted potato halves with their ham dinners as well. Check them all out and decide for yourself what suits your family best! Any of these Easter dinner ideas will be a winner!

Hot Vegetable Side Dishes

A hot vegetable side dish adds variety, color, and nutrition to an Easter dinner spread. Choose a hot vegetable that will complement the other side dishes on your Easter menu.

Easter Salads

The possibilities are endless when it comes to Easter salads. It’s fun to incorporate hard boiled eggs and spring flavors, like strawberry and lemon. We find ourselves using the following salads time and time again.

Easter Breads

Nothing quite compares to the aroma and taste of freshly baked bread. Homemade rolls are always a good idea. Make extra so you can have ham sandwiches for leftovers! Our classic Easter bread also looks beautiful on the table.

Easter Desserts

When it comes to Easter Desserts and Treats, we don’t mess around. In fact, we love Easter desserts and treats so much, we created an entire, separate post dedicated to them. These tasty treats can be served along with Easter dinner or even as surprises in Easter baskets. They are as fun to make as they are to eat! We featured our Chessmen Banana Pudding with our menu plan below. Here are a few more of our favorites.

Cakes

Pies

Bars and Cookies

Bonus: Leftover Ham Recipes

I don’t know about you, but we ALWAYS seem to have leftovers from Easter dinner. Here are some ideas to help you use up that delicious leftover ham:

Easy Easter Dinner Menu with Recipes

Here is a sample menu plan for a delicious and easy traditional Easter dinner. It features Slow Cooker Ham, Cheesy Potato Casserole, Sautéed Sweet Asparagus, and a Chessman Banana Pudding for dessert. See the recipe notes for tips on timing it all out perfectly. We are taking all of the stress out of it just for you! Please enjoy your beautiful, well-planned Easter dinner!

How to Make a Traditional Easter Dinner

Easter Dinner Ideas with Homemade Rolls, crockpot ham, cheesy funeral potato casserole, and asparagus. Side of deviled eggs.

Traditional Easter Dinner Menu

5 from 350 votes
Recipes for a delicious Easter Dinner along with help for timing the preparation (see Recipe Notes).  These recipes will serve a dinner party of up to 12.  
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Video

Ingredients

Slow Cooker Spiral Ham

  • 8 pound spiral- cut ham (cooked)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup canned pineapple juice (do not use fresh)

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Sweet Asparagus

Four Layer Banana Pudding

Instructions

Slow Cooker Spiral Ham

  • Remove the ham from packaging and place ham, flat-side down, in a large slow cooker (7 quarts or larger).  
    Slow Cooker with a whole Spiral Ham.
  • Generously rub brown sugar all over the ham.
    Slow Cooker with brown sugar on top of a Spiral Ham.
  • Pour maple syrup and pineapple juice over the ham.
    Maple syrup pouring on a Spiral Ham in the Slow Cooker.
  • Place lid on slow cooker and cook for 2-3 hours on low heat.  
    Lid covering a Crockpot with Spiral Ham inside.
  • 30 minutes prior to serving, remove lid and spoon the juices over the ham.  Cover and cook for 30 more minutes.
    Spoon with juices of Spiral Ham in the Crockpot.
  • Remove ham from slow cooker and serve.
    Plated Slow Cooker Spiral Ham with layers cascading forward.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

  • Mix all ingredients, except optional toppings, in a large bowl.  Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  
    Bowl of Cheesy Potato Casserole mixture with a wooden spoon.
  • Optional toppings: 
    Corn flake crumb topping:  BEFORE baking Sprinkle corn flake crumbs over casserole.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted better over the corn flake crumbs.  Bake.
    Melted cheese topping:  Prepare casserole and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove casserole from oven and evenly disperse 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese over the casserole.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
    Cheesy Potato Casserole in a baking dish with a wooden spoon for scooping.

Sautéed Sweet Asparagus

  • Rinse asparagus.  Snap off the bottoms of each stalk and discard the bottoms.  
    Cutting off the ends of asparagus with a knife on a cutting board.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add asparagus to the skillet and sprinkle sugar over the stalks.  
    Tongs holding Sweet Sautéed Asparagus over a skillet.
  • Sauté asparagus over medium-high for 5-7 minutes or to your preferred doneness.  Serve immediately.
    Platter of Sweet Sautéed Asparagus with butter.

Four Layer Banana Pudding

  • Line the bottom of a 9×13 pan with one layer of Chessmen cookies.
    Chessman cookies laid out on the bottom of a glass baking dish
  • Place sliced bananas on top of the cookie layer.
    Chessman cookies and banana slices layered in the bottom of a baking dish
  • In a large bowl, combine milk and pudding mix. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
    Vanilla pudding mix combined with milk in a large bowl
  • In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
    Sweetened condensed milk mixed with cream cheese
  • Add the two mixtures together and stir until well combined. Pour mixture over the banana layer.
    Chessman cookies, banana slices and banana pudding layered in a glass baking dish
  • Top with another layer of Chessmen cookies (the picture side up) and refrigerate until ready to serve.
    Banana pudding topped with Chessman cookies in a baking dish

Notes

Suggested timing for Easter Dinner preparation:
  1. Prepare the Four Layer Banana Pudding.  This can be made the morning of, or the day ahead.  It can also be made just after starting the Slow Cooker Ham and still have time to refrigerate so it can be served nice and cold.
  2. Prepare the Slow Cooker Ham and take a break for an hour.  Set the table, clean the kitchen, or watch a show on Netflix. 🙂
  3. After the ham has been cooking for about an hour, prepare the Cheesy Potato Casserole.  Once it’s in the oven, you can take another 45 minute break.  If you are making a green salad or other sides, now is a good time to do it.
  4. At this point the ham has been cooking for about 2 hours.  Take it out of the slow cooker and cut it into slices.  Place the slices back in the juices in the slow cooker to keep them warm while you sauté the asparagus.
  5. Sauté the asparagus.  
  6. Dinner is ready to go!  Place the asparagus in a pretty serving dish with a spoon or tongs, place the sliced ham on a nice platter with a serving fork, remove the potatoes from the oven and set on the table with a serving spoon.
  7. When you are ready, cut the Four Layer Banana Pudding into slices and serve.
 
 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 1584kcalCarbohydrates: 113gProtein: 80gFat: 91gSaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 302mgSodium: 4869mgPotassium: 1858mgFiber: 5gSugar: 80gVitamin A: 2020IUVitamin C: 19.1mgCalcium: 408mgIron: 7.2mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We as everyone else had the t radio nap ham. We definitely had potatoes we had potatoes every nie. Of course we had several vegetables like green beans, broccoli, and corn. The dessert had to be pie for my dad, but the real star was the bunny cake. My mom had a mold for the bunny and it was all decked out in white icing and covered in coconut. The best part of dinner was having all of us together. My four brothers and one sister, my grandmother/( who I miss every day for the past53 years), and sometimes Sister Christina my cousin and Monsigner? Herman Brieght. Now we each have our own traditions but I do miss the family get togethers. Hope your Easter holiday holds A lot of good memories.

  2. 5 stars
    I love banana pudding and I adore the King Chessmen cookies. I lived in Greece for many years and it would not be Easter without sweet cheese pies, lamb, goat, and a sweet braided bread with a red egg in the middle as a decoration. Easter is the best time of the year in Greece and I don’t think there is a Greek food I don’t like. I try, since moving back to the states, to always have a few Greek dishes at Easter such as an egg lemon soup and fried sweet cheese pies.

  3. 5 stars
    I want to try all your recipes! Each looks like a winner 100%. Being disabled, I will pick at least 2 to add to my husband’s menu.
    Growing up, our Great Aunt had at least 7 or more families over after church. Mother’s always contributed, but what a feast she had! A huge table and non stop food passing of everything. I was a big girl when I got to sit at the big table.
    I have 2 crock pots. So I’m going to try the slow cooker ham with glaze and the potatoes au gratin. Winners for sure.
    Wishing all a Blessed Easter.

  4. 5 stars
    My favorite Easter dinner is leg of lamb with scalloped potatoes and asparagus. Then maybe chocolate pots de creme for dessert 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    My traditional Easter meal is ham. I like corn casserole, yams, grandpas party potatoes, and some good macaroni and cheese. I like this banana pudding recipe. I’ll try it. I am not much on desserts. But my family enjoys them!

  6. 5 stars
    My usual Easter Dinner consists of Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Corn Casserole, Salad, Rolls and 2 or 3 Desserts.

  7. 5 stars
    BAKED HAM, MASHED POTATOES, TORTILLA PINWHEELS WITH CREAM CHEESE AND SWEET PEPPERS, GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, CINDY’S 4 BEAN CASSEROLE, FRESH ROLLS, DEVILED EGGS, FRESH FRUIT SALAD, CARROT CAKE, CHOCOLATE LAYERED PUDDING DESSERT– WE USED TO GATHER WITH LOTS OF FAMILY MEMBERS AND HAD EVEN MORE CHOICES. SOMEONE ALWAYS BROUGHT A NEW RECIPE THEY WERE TRYING OUT. SO FUN.

  8. 5 stars
    We usually have a spiral ham with deviled eggs glazed carrots mashed potatoes and fresh hot rolls. Then we have hot apple pie Al a mode. We use the ham bone to make ham and beans for another meal.

  9. 5 stars
    I love Ham, Potato Salad, Baked Beans , corn pudding, Rolls, Coconut cream pie and a coconut cake. Usually have peas, deviled eggs, pickled beets, and a few other sides .

  10. 5 stars
    My traditional Easter meal is a ham, mashed potatoes with corn on the cob and fresh green oh and homeaid biscuits n gravey. Mmmmmmyummy for my tummy good stuff.

  11. 5 stars
    I have ham, potato salad macaroni and cheese, string beans and deviled eggs. I color the eggs with food coloring. I have brown sugar pie for dessert
    This year I will make yeast rolls from the recipe you had
    They are easy and delicious 😋 Happy Resurrection Day❤️✝️

  12. 5 stars
    I love all these recipes. I especially love the banana pudding recipe and plan to make it for our Easter dessert

  13. 5 stars
    I don’t have many traditional Easter memories regarding food, but my grandmother used to always make deviled eggs. Oreo delight is also an amazing thing down here in the south, it’s always gone too quick!

  14. 5 stars
    I’ve never heard of 4 layer banana pudding but sounds delicious, I must try it!
    My family Easter celebrations have been hit and miss throughout my life so I can really say I have am absolute favorite, but I do like spiral ham and I must be pretty original because I’ve only thought of wrapping it with tin foil and heating it in the over, lol.

  15. 5 stars
    My favorite is the Honey Baked Ham in the Crock pot, the 4 layer banana pudding is the BEST as is all your reciepes. I love the homemade bread and of course the kids and babies enjoy making the cookies and Easter treats. Thank you for sharing all your homemade receipes for me to share with my children and as they grow up, they will share them with their children. Happy Easter & May God Bless You All.

  16. 5 stars
    I love a glazed ham with some lovely veggie sides like root vegetables, green beans and Brussels sprouts! Also, some fresh, warm rolls. Dessert can be anything from lemon squares to cheesecake or pavlova!

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