62 Easter Brunch Ideas That Are Quick, Easy and Festive (original) (raw)

There will be ham (and so much more)

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easter brunch universal

Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

March 31 is Easter Sunday: This is not the time for soggy cereal and toast. If you’re celebrating the day with brunch (you know, in between the holiday crafts and copious amounts of candy), might we suggest one of these 62 Easter brunch ideas? They’re festive and spring-y—think kale quiche, feta tart and carrot cake doughnuts—while still being ridiculously easy to prepare, which means you’ll have plenty of time for an egg hunt.

easter brunch ideas: breakfast shakshuka

1. Individual Breakfast Shakshukas

While traditional shakshuka calls for serving bread on the side, this riff calls for baking the eggs and tomato sauce in its own bread boats. The carbs-to-protein ratio is on point, and you’ll score bonus points for the Insta-worthy presentation.

easter brunch ideas: strawberry and cream stuffed croissant french toast

2. Baked Strawberry and Cream Stuffed Croissant French Toast

Decadent? Yes. Impressive? Oh yeah. If there’s ever a morning to splurge for the OTT brunch, Easter morning is it. (Cut yourself a break and use store-bought croissants—you deserve it.)

easter brunch ideas: classic banana bread

3. Classic Banana Bread

We’ve found the perfect use for those sad, sagging bananas you’ve been “saving” on your counter for weeks. A stand mixer will make this recipe come together the fastest, but you can also use a hand mixer. And if you don’t have sour cream, it can be swapped in equal amounts for plain yogurt.

easter brunch ideas: sweet potato, bacon and broccoli egg muffins

4. Sweet Potato, Bacon and Broccoli Egg Muffins

Want to shake things up? Swap the veggies for whatever you have. Just don’t skip the bacon.

easter brunch ideas: poached egg with frisee and arugula

5. Poached Egg with Frisée and Arugula Salad

This feels like a fancy restaurant salad even though it’s super easy to pull off in your own kitchen. (Just don’t tell anyone that.) The secret to a perfectly poached egg lies with vinegar, which helps it hold its shape as it cooks.

easter brunch ideas: french toast sticks

6. French Toast Sticks

Sure, you could serve these with maple syrup. But we think our honey-vanilla dipping sauce is also worth a try.

easter brunch ideas: avocado deviled eggs

7. Avocado Deviled Eggs

We really do like green eggs, at least when they’re these delicious bites. A touch of hot sauce is optional, but adds welcome flavor—just warn your guests beforehand.

easter brunch ideas: sheet pan pancake

9. Sheet Pan Pancakes with Chocolate Chips

It’s Easter and you don’t have time to flip pancakes while everyone hunts for eggs. With this sheet-pan wonder, you don’t have to flip a thing.

easter brunch ideas: veggie niçoise salad with red curry green beans

10. Veggie Niçoise Salad with Red Curry Green Beans

Come for the tender potatoes; stay for the impeccably cooked hard-boiled eggs. Instead of the usual tuna, we loaded this salad with perfectly cooked vegetables.

easter brunch ideas: cherry tomato galette

11. Cherry Tomato Galette with Garlic and Herbs

This is like a fancy pizza that got dressed up in its Sunday best. (Psst: The crust is store-bought puff pastry.)

easter brunch ideas: doughnut muffins

12. Doughnut Muffins

The only thing tastier than a dozen doughnuts? A dozen of these fluffy, sugary treats, which are brushed with butter before getting a generous coating of confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon.

easter brunch ideas: meyer lemon loaf

13. Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake

Is it a cake or is it a quick bread? We’re not sure, but we’re definitely having a second slice. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, just use the regular ones.

easter brunch ideas: cheddar pesto egg boats

13. Baked Cheddar Pesto Egg Boats

Your BEC just reached new heights: These fluffy, cheesy eggs are speckled with pesto and topped with bacon, all tucked inside a crispy-edged ciabatta. The everything bagel seasoning is optional, yet highly encouraged.

easter brunch ideas: tempeh bacon bagels

14. Tempeh Bacon Bagels

Even non-vegans will gobble up these breakfast sammies. The four-ingredient glaze gives the dish its smoky-meets-sweet, bacon-like flavor.

easter brunch ideas: chocolate banana bread

15. Chocolate Banana Bread Babka

She is beauty, she is grace and she is positively going to steal the brunch show. The bananas add tons of moisture to the dough, so the end result is basically the opposite of the sad, dry babka you might be used to.

easter brunch ideas: breakfast caprese with soft boiled eggs

16. Breakfast Caprese with Soft-Boiled Eggs

Salad for breakfast is a thing, guys. And it’s better than you’d expect. Slice the eggs and drizzle on some olive oil and it basically makes its own dressing.

easter brunch ideas: dressed up deviled eggs

17. Deviled Eggs, Three Ways

It isn't Easter without a bunch of deviled eggs. The real question is: What will it be, roasted garlic, sriracha or capers? (The correct answer is all three.)

easter brunch ideas: eggs benedict with easy hollandaise sauce

18. Eggs Benedict with Easy Hollandaise Sauce

The secret to making rich, creamy homemade hollandaise lies with your blender. Trust us, it’s much easier than whisking until your bicep starts to hurt.

easter brunch ideas: nutella stuffed pancakes

20. Nutella Pancakes

Slathering chocolate-hazelnut spread on top of a stack is fine, but we much prefer to stuff it inside. You know, for effect.

easter brunch ideas: egg in a hole

21. Eggs In a Basket

Since the entire dish is baked in the oven, you can quickly assemble and let it cook while you sip coffee and catch up with guests (or dip into the hidden Easter baskets).

easter brunch ideas: citrus fennel avocado salad

22. Citrus, Fennel and Avocado Salad

You know how on Easter it’s usually freezing, raining or snowing? Thank God we have citrus to remind us of the sunny days to come.

easter brunch ideas: beet tart

23. Beet and Goat Cheese Tart

A good cook always has a little frozen puff pastry hidden up her sleeve…er…in her freezer. Not a fan of beets? Swap in potatoes, no problem.

easter brunch ideas: pizza dough cinnamon rolls

24. Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls

Store-bought dough will shave hours off the prep time. Tell everyone you’ve been up since 4 a.m.

easter brunch ideas: green shakshuka

25. Green Shakshuka

The original is made with tomato sauce, but we like to mix things up every once in a while, so this one features jalapeños and spinach. (We never skip the crusty bread for dipping, though.)

easter brunch ideas: slow cooker mediterranean frittata

26. Slow Cooker Mediterranean Frittata

Drop everything into the slow cooker the night before, then wake up to brunch ready and waiting for you. Even better, you only need eight ingredients.

easter brunch ideas: mini carrot cakes

27. Mini Carrot Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re going to serve a post-brunch dessert, Easter is the time to do it. And mini carrot cakes? C'mon, they’ve got to be bunny-approved.

easter brunch ideas: cherry almond baked oatmeal

28. Cherry-Almond Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is usually reserved for weekdays. This baked version, however, feels special enough to serve to a crowd. Prep it the night before for the ultimate convenience.

easter brunch ideas: monkey bread danishes

29. Monkey Bread Danish

Cinnamon streusel, meet cream cheese filling. You’re going to be best friends, we can tell. Can you guess the secret to making these pastries at home? (It’s our BFF, store-bought puff pastry, once again.)

easter brunch ideas: bacon egg cups

30. Bacon-Wrapped Eggs

When it comes to entertaining, we’d be lost without our muffin tin. These babies are going to disappear the minute you pull them out of the oven.

easter brunch ideas: waffle iron sweet potato hash browns

31. Waffle Iron Sweet Potato Hash Browns

The ratio of crispy-to-soft spuds is going to rock your world. (The three-item ingredient list will too.)

easter brunch ideas: bacon, egg and cheese breakfast muffins

32. Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Muffins

They’ll think you made regular old muffins until they take a bite. Use any melty cheese as the topping—we’re partial to cheddar.

easter brunch ideas: kale quiche with cheddar rice crust

34. Kale Quiche with Cheddar-Rice Crust

The easiest way to get your requisite greens is to bake them into a pie. Since the crust is made with rice, it’ll be hit for any gluten-free guest at your gathering.

easter brunch ideas: carrot cake doughnuts with cream cheese glaze

35. Carrot Cake Doughnuts with Cream Cheese Glaze

Is it breakfast or dessert? All we know is that it’s delicious, no matter when you eat it. Baking doughnuts is, in our opinion, way easier than deep-frying. The only tradeoff? You’ll need a doughnut pan. We like this nonstick one from Wilton.

easter brunch ideas: whole wheat feta tart with caramelized onions and herbs

36. Whole Wheat Feta Tart with Caramelized Onions and Herbs

The easy press-in crust and quick filling make this impressive savory pie a no-brainer addition to your spread. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit salty and extremely delicious.

easter brunch ideas: spicy orange honey glazed ham

37. Spicy Orange-Honey Glazed Ham

Glazed ham for brunch? On Easter, it’s fair game. Green eggs optional, Sam I Am.

easter brunch ideas: sunday morning french toast

38. Sunday Morning French Toast

It’s a classic with the best kind of twist: A whole batch is made in one pan, so you can skip the frying-slices-at-the-stove thing.

easter brunch ideas: johnnycakes with rhubarb and sour cherries

39. Johnnycakes with Rhubarb and Sour Cherries

Rhubarb season will be gone in the blink of an eye, so take advantage if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on some. (FYI, johnnycakes are kind of like pancakes but with cornmeal for added texture.)

easter brunch ideas: maple candied bacon

40. Maple Candied Bacon

Sweet and salty is our favorite flavor combination. This treat is way easier to make than you might think.You just slather thick-cut bacon in maple syrup, sprinkle it with brown sugar and a hint of black pepper and wait for everyone to say, “Ohmygosh, I need another piece.”

easter brunch ideas: giant cinnamon roll

42. Giant Cinnamon Roll

You have two options here: Slice it into pieces and plate it like a fancy-pants, or set out forks and let everyone dive right in.

easter brunch ideas: asparagus, pea and ricotta vegetable tarts

43. Asparagus, Pea and Ricotta Tarts

Spring produce + store-bought puff pastry = the crowd-pleaser that looks much more sophisticated (and time-consuming) than it is.

easter brunch ideas: gluten free sweet potato crust quiche

44. Quiche With Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Crust

We guarantee at least one person at the table won’t be eating gluten. Luckily, this beauty will please the whole guest list. It’s filled with kale, leeks and cheese, but you can try any combination of greens and aromatics. (Garlic and Swiss chard? Sounds delish.)

easter brunch ideas: mini citrus monkey bread

45. Mini Citrus Monkey Bread

They’re even better than the ones from that upscale bakery down the street, and no one needs to know that you started with store-bought pizza dough.

easter brunch ideas: everything bagel tomato galettes

46. Everything Bagel Tomato Galettes

Quick, easy, cute and ready to eat straight out of the oven. You might want to make a double batch.

easter brunch ideas: smoked salmon dip

47. Layered Smoked Salmon Dip with Mini Bagel Chips

Everything tastes better when it’s three times smaller, even bagels and lox. This also takes ten minutes to put together, so everybody wins.

easter brunch ideas: creamy potatoes au gratin

48. The Best Potatoes au Gratin Ever

If you’re going the savory route, we highly recommend something cheesy or potato-y. If it checks both boxes, even better. This crowd-pleaser can be assembled ahead of time and held in your refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it.

easter brunch ideas: baked pancakes with peaches and strawberries

49. Sheet Tray Pancakes with Peaches and Strawberries

Pancakes that don’t need to be flipped are like the best thing since sliced bread. You can swap the fruit for whatever looks best at the farmers market.

easter brunch ideas: slow cooked salmon

50. Slow-Cooked Salmon

Not everyone is a ham person. We get it. Serve them a fancy (yet secretly easy) fillet of salmon instead. This method involves cooking the fillets undisturbed over super-low heat, so it’s basically foolproof.

easter brunch ideas: broiled citrus ricotta toast

51. Broiled Citrus Ricotta Toast

Regular old buttered toast just won’t cut it on a holiday, but add a schmear of ricotta and honey-soaked citrus and now we’re talking.

easter brunch ideas: glazed blueberry cake

52. Glazed Blueberry Cake

Cake for breakfast? We wouldn’t dare. Cake for brunch, on the other hand…you better pass us another slice. Especially when it's topped with a mountain of blueberries.

easter brunch ideas: mimosa bar

53. Mimosa Bar for a Crowd

Orange juice is fine and all, but this Easter we’d like to switch things up. So what’ll it be? Paloma, tropical or strawberry-basil? (One of each is an acceptable answer too, if you’re seated next to the uncle who asks personal questions at brunch.)

easter brunch ideas: german potato salad

54. German Potato Salad

Save the mayonnaise-based salad for your next picnic; this vinegar-seasoned number somehow feels more appropriate for a sit-down brunch. Serve it warm, or make it ahead and dish it up at room temperature.

easter brunch ideas: spring pea soup

55. Spring Pea Soup with Mint

To keep this soup from tasting one-note, it starts with lots of aromatics—here, leeks, celery and garlic. Any mix of soft herbs will work, but we’re partial to the flavor combination of parsley, mint, dill and chives.

easter brunch ideas: bitter greens salad with herby ranch

56. Bitter Greens Salad with Herby Ranch Dressing

All delicious feasts should have a fresh salad to brighten up the menu, and Easter brunch is no exception. A mix of frisée and radicchio is pleasantly bitter, while the creamy dressing balances everything out.

easter brunch ideas: carrot tarte tatin

57. Deb Perelman’s Carrot Tarte Tatin

This gorgeous tart is as impressive as it is (shockingly) easy to pull off. Stash a round of prepared puff pastry in your freezer and you’ll be the talk of the Easter table.

easter brunch ideas: bacon roasted rainbow carrots

58. Bacon Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Drumroll, please…introducing a four-ingredient recipe that proves side dishes don’t need to be overly complex. If you can’t find rainbow carrots, use the standard orange. They’ll taste just as good.

easter brunch ideas: spanakopita egg muffins

59. Spanakopita Egg Muffins

Inspired by the savory Greek pastry, these egg bites are packed with feta, spinach, parsley and mint. They’ll keep in the fridge for three to four days, so feel free to make them ahead.

easter brunch ideas: hawaiian roll french toast

60. Hawaiian Roll French Toast

These mini slices are sweet, fluffy and (obviously) kid-pleasing, so making a batch for the kid’s table is a given. Serve them with maple syrup, fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar to gild the lily.

easter brunch ideas: spring pea fritters with whipped feta

61. Spring Pea Fritters with Whipped Feta

This light and fresh spring appetizer seems high-effort, but it actually comes together in one bowl (all in less than an hour). If you have frozen peas and eggs on hand, you’re essentially already halfway there.

easter brunch ideas: white shakshuka with roasted crispy eggplant

62. White Shakshuka with Roasted Crispy Eggplant

Unlike the tomato- or herb-based shakshuka you’ve had before, this version stars dairy. The yogurt base, seasoned with lemon and herbs, turns almost ricotta-like, while the eggplant gets crispy on top.

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Former Senior Food Editor