47 Ways to Make Easter Brunch Your Main Spring Holiday Meal
You wake up on Easter Sunday, thinking you’re ready to go head-to-head for the annual Easter egg hunt win—but you’re not. Easter brunch must come first. You need the fuel that can only come from croissants, mimosas, waffles, and quiche, and we’re here to provide it.
Yes, Easter dinner is important too. We wouldn’t want you to be without that big, beautiful braised leg of lamb centerpiece or those maple-roasted carrots (or any of your other favorite Easter side dishes; just remember to save some for the Easter bunny.) But Easter brunch sets the tone for the day. It’s what gives you permission to eat both fried eggs and chocolate, starting at 10 a.m. So, here are 47 Easter brunch ideas to help you honor this special part of the holiday.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua1/47Eggs en Cocotte
Easter brunch goes to France with this eggs en cocotte recipe from culinary legend Jacques Pépin. He has you steam the eggs in ramekins set in a water bath on the stovetop, which takes about five minutes—because an easy Easter is as important as a delicious Easter.
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Cheesy Slice-and-Bake Crackers
Think of these appetizers as cheese and crackers rolled into one. Our favorite part might be the poppy seeds sprinkled all over the exterior, providing color contrast and some extra crunch.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore3/47
Whipped Ricotta Toast With Date and Rhubarb Compote
We urge you to make extra rhubarb compote, the tartness of which is mellowed by earthy, sweet Medjool dates. It works with pancakes, oatmeal, or yogurt—or packaged up as a gift for your brunch guests to take home.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca4/47
Make-Ahead Egg and Cheese Sandwiches
If you perfect just one recipe for eggs, let it be this one. Because you assemble it ahead and reheat it as needed, it’s great for mornings on the go, but it’s just as satisfying at a proper sit-down meal.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Paola Andrea5/47
Spinach With Garlic and Crème Fraîche
This springy side dish is a lighter take on classic steak house–style creamed spinach: garlic sautéed in olive oil, wilted greens, crème fraîche, and salt and pepper are all you need.
- Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio6/47
Granola Scones
Granola, but make it (crunchy, fiber-rich) scones. And to the reader who has plans to enter them into next year’s state fair competition, we salute you.
- Photograph by Joe Lingeman, food styling by Shilpa Uskokovic, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua7/47
Carrot Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Whip
Even Easter brunches need Easter desserts. Inspired by Brazilian bolo de cenoura, this iteration of carrot cake skips the tedious step of grating the roots. Instead, you’ll purée the veggies in a blender with the rest of the wet ingredients before mixing them into the dry.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Claire Saffitz8/47
Baked Cinnamon Toast With Fruit
This Easter recipe might confuse you, because while toast and fresh fruit might say breakfast, ice cream says dessert. Don’t worry about how to classify it; just enjoy.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro9/47
Migas With Green Salsa
Sometimes confused for chilaquiles, a dish of tortilla chips coated with salsa and often topped with a fried egg, migas is instead made of fluffy scrambled eggs with fried strips of corn tortillas and grated cheese stirred into the mix.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by JoJo Li10/47
Radishes With Nori-Lemon Butter
If you need to buy yourself a little more time in the kitchen, feed your guests this savory appetizer made using store-bought ingredients: sliced radishes, butter, seaweed snacks, lemon zest, and salt and pepper.
- Photograph by Allie Holloway, food styling by Taneka Mooris.11/47
Herby Dutch Baby With Smoked Salmon
This oh-so-green savory pancake hits that elusive middle ground of festive and fast. It gets its striking color from the addition of spinach and fresh herbs and turns into a complete meal thanks to fatty smoked salmon.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman12/47
Guava and Goat Cheese Phyllo Pie
This showstopping dessert-for-breakfast dish is inspired by the guava and cheese pastelitos at Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami, but is much simpler to execute. (Thanks, store-bought phyllo dough!)
- Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou13/47
Honey-Dunked Sfenj
Sfenj, hand-pulled, no-knead Moroccan doughnuts dripping in cinnamon-infused honey, are best eaten immediately—and with a lot of napkins. The dough, though, can be made 12 hours ahead.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua14/47
Crispy, Crunchy Chicken and Waffles
A hot sauce, fresh herb, and buttermilk brine and a dredge in a cornstarch-flour mixture seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper are the keys to this juicy, flavor-packed fried chicken.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens15/47
Greens Eggs and Ham
The springtime breakfast casserole of Dr. Seuss’s dreams, this dish has it all: country-style bread, hardy greens, thick-cut bacon, fresh herbs, eggs, cream, and Parmesan cheese.
- Photographs by Josephine Schiele. Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich16/47
Ham and Cheese Hand Pies With Honey Mustard
Bless store-bought frozen puff pastry dough and sliced Swiss cheese and ham from the deli counter, which make these portable, individual, savory pies much easier to make.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell17/47
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is ideal for serving at a large brunch party. Good thing you have one of those planned. (And good thing that leftovers are also excellent with the coffee you’ll be having the morning after Easter.)
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Gerri K Williams18/47
Cabbage Quiche With Apple-Radish Salad
A custardy quiche—packed with caraway-scented sliced cabbage and leeks, no less—is best served with a bright, crisp, and crunchy apple and radish salad. Those are just the rules.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca19/47
Brown-Butter Banana Nut Muffins
You can choose walnuts or pecans, but do include nuts. You can choose semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, but do include chocolate. Overripe bananas are nonnegotiable.
- Photograph by Guang Xu20/47
Creamy Crab and Boursin Omelet
This omelet is filled with store-bought Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese gently folded in with chunks of sweet jumbo lump crabmeat and topped with crushed Ritz crackers. Is there anything more we need to say?
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens21/47
French Toast Casserole
This French toast casserole recipe is the ultimate hands-off Easter brunch dish. Set it up the night before; all you’ll have to do in the morning is brush it with butter and bake.
- Photograph by Guang Xu22/47
Crispy Crepes With Dark Maple Syrup
Unlike the pale, delicate French kind, these crepes get cooked quickly in nearly burnt butter, resulting in maximum nutty-toasty brown butter flavor and dark, crispy, lacy edges.
- Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio23/47
Tater Tot Egg Bake With Bitter Greens Salad
Sort of like tortilla española but with some crispy hash brown vibes, this tater tot egg thingy is a real crowd-pleaser. (Trust us: It won’t matter to anyone that you don’t know what exactly to call it.)
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Paola Andrea24/47
Sparkling Preserved Lemonade
Lemonade screams Easter—it’s Peeps-colored, after all (wink)—but it can get a little boring. This funky version gets its briny flavor from preserved lemons and its bubbly texture from bittersweet tonic water.
- Photograph by Paola + Murray, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophia Pappas25/47
Roast Salmon With Citrus and Coconut-Chile Crunch
This is basically a fruit salad (go for citrus such as grapefruit, oranges, or tangerines) gone savory and bumped up with protein. A coconut flake and peanut topping brings the crunch.
- Photograph by Alex Huang, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi26/47
Cheesy Green Pea Fritters
Bet you wouldn’t guess the ingredient that gives these lemony, herb-filled green pea fritters moisture and richness. It’s cottage cheese. One bite and the importance of its role is revealed.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk27/47
Leeks With Hazelnuts and Tarragon
We’re all for something green on the Easter brunch table. Something with vegetables amid all the eggy, bready dishes. Something simple but decadent. Something just like this.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua28/47
Extra-Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
Okay, back to sugar and dough. Nutty, toasty brown butter ups the ante on the typical cinnamon-brown sugar filling, and a tangy cream cheese frosting offsets those deep, rich notes.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by D’mytrek Brown, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime29/47
Yuzu Kosho Deviled Eggs
These are not your average deviled eggs. Mixed into the filling, green yuzu kosho provides a jolt of heat and citrus. One reader suggested using wasabi powder instead of mustard if you’re eating kosher for Passover, and we’re into that idea (even if you’re not).
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Pearl Jones, props by Nicole Louie30/47
Spring Panzanella
You don’t have to wait until tomatoes are in season to enjoy the iconic Italian bread salad known as panzanella. This spring-y green version features asparagus and sugar snap peas with a tangy buttermilk dressing.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling and Prop Styling by Emilie Fosnocht31/47
Mochi Waffles With Maple–Brown Butter Bananas
Mochiko, or sweet rice flour, gives these waffles a delightfully bouncy chew and a crisp crust that lasts way after it comes off of the iron.
- Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susan Ottaviano, prop styling by Sophie Strangio32/47
Blistered Asparagus Frittata
This low-waste, no-flip frittata recipe uses a whole bunch of asparagus and gets bulked up with Gruyère cheese and arugula.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, styling by Judy Mancini33/47
Eggs Benedict for a Crowd
We tackled elements of the classic eggs Benedict and optimized them for a crowd. With this recipe, you can poach your eggs in advance and the hollandaise sauce will hold for an hour.
- Laura Murray34/47
Pea and Prosciutto Salad
An Italian-ish side dish, this salad has all our favorite spring vegetables: fresh green peas, sugar snap peas (or snow peas if you see great-looking ones), and arugula.
- Alex Lau35/47
BA's Best Morning Buns
This makes 24 sticky, buttery, sugar-coated buns. Is that too many morning buns for your Easter brunch crowd? Halve the recipe; it’ll work just as well.
- Ted Cavanaugh36/47
Cheesy Grits With Scallions and Jammy Eggs
This one’s for the sharp cheddar-y grits lovers. Isn’t that all of us? Yes, this one’s for all of us: grits topped with soft-boiled eggs and fried scallions and jalapeño.
- Photograph by Isa Zapata. Food Styling by Judy Kim.37/47
BA’s Best Buttermilk Pancakes
This recipe makes about eight pancakes, so it serves four people, but if you’ve got more than that to feed, just double the recipe and keep the pancakes warm in a 250° oven between batches.
- Alex Lau38/47
Breakfast Rice Bowls With Smoked Fish
Whether it’s part of a Japanese breakfast or a classic bagel spread, we are pro smoked fish in the morning. The various homemade elements are what take these bowls to the holiday level: scallion jam, sweet-and-sour pickles, and a daikon-yogurt sauce.
- Elizabeth Cecil39/47
Buckwheat Crepes with Creamy Leeks and Baked Eggs
There’s no reason not to go all out just because you’re feeding only a couple of people. This brunch dish, which serves two, looks and tastes luxurious (but is deceptively easy to make).
- Ted Cavanaugh40/47
Whole Grain Salad With Jammy Eggs and Shallot Yogurt
If you’d like to consider the lighter side of Easter brunch recipes, we won’t stop you. The al dente chewy nuttiness of the rye berries in this hearty salad is so satisfying.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz41/47
BA’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits
Stacking and flattening the dough creates lots and lots (and lots) of flaky layers that beg to be pulled apart and slathered with softened butter.
- Alex Lau42/47
Mango Toast With Hazelnut-Pepita Butter
It’s time to go beyond avocado toast. This next-level recipe has you make your own nut butter by roasting and blending hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds, then top it with juicy mango slices and a DIY blueberry-red pepper mixture.
- Alex Lau43/47
Gluten-Free Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles
Nutritious waffles do exist. These contain buckwheat flour, flaxseed meal, coconut oil, and dark brown sugar, among other gluten-free ingredients. Top them with ricotta and sesame seeds.
- Alex Lau44/47
Green Shakshuka
You may have seen the more classic red shakshuka, made with tomatoes, but this green version with Swiss chard and loads of cilantro and dill feels fresh. Note: It’s good for dinner too.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou45/47
Bacon in the Oven
If bacon isn’t on your brunch menu, is it even Easter? This oven method feeds a crowd and frees you from needing to constantly tend the bacon while it turns perfectly crisp.
- Alex Lau46/47
Salad for Breakfast
There’s a time and a place for hard-boiled eggs, and Easter brunch is not it. These eggs, boiled for 6½ minutes, have that jammy center that feels makes them feel decadent.
- Photo by Laura Murray, styling by Judy Mancini47/47
Ricotta Pancakes With Blueberry Compote
This Easter brunch, we want you to ask yourself the important questions, like: Who needs wreath-shaped Easter bread when you have fluffy lemon-ricotta pancakes? Not us is the answer. Not us.
