Traditional Southern Easter Dinner Recipes

If you’ve lived in the South for any length of time, you know that we take our holidays seriously. We take our holiday dinner menus even more seriously. We want our holiday dinners to have aesthetic appeal, be full of flavor and provide the ability to create long-lasting memories. We have gathered some of the best traditional Easter dinner recipes from the Southern culinary repertoire of the internet for you to try this year.

Beverages

Sweet Iced Tea

You can’t say Sweet Iced Tea and not automatically think of the South. This Southern classic is at every holiday meal. Try this easy recipe from Add a Pinch to bring this essential drink to your Easter Table.

Fresh Lemonade 

With spring in the air it’s time to taste the sun. The best way to serve a sip of a bright, clean flavor is by making homemade lemonade for your guests. The Spruce Eats has a simple, classic recipe for you to follow that will add a refreshing element to your dinner table.

Appetizers

Deviled Eggs 

Deviled Eggs have grown to be elaborate in garnish and flavor profiles over the years but the classic deviled egg is still a Southern favorite. Try out this recipe from Deep South Dish.

Pimento Cheese Dip (Southern Living)

Since moving to The South, I have discovered how sacred pimento cheese is. From pimento chicken salad to pimento cheese beignets, if there is a way to make it, Southerners have discovered it. Easter dinner is time consuming enough so making this crowd-pleasing Pimento Dip from The Recipe Critic is sure to keep everyone satisfied while they wait for their big meal.

Side Dishes

Butter Steamed Potatoes

Butter Steamed Potatoes from Deep South Dish create an indulgent, carb-cheat day delight for everyone. Cooked in butter with fresh herbs, this side dish is a simple but tasty accent to your main course.

Home-Style Green Bean Casserole 

Anyone can look on the back of a soup can to get a recipe for green bean casserole, but a true Southern cook will take joy in making this Home-Style Green Bean Casserole from Southern Living. Whip the sauce, vegetables and crunchy topping up from scratch and bake it all in under an hour! Everyone will surely taste a difference from the generic and be impressed by your efforts.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese is another traditional Southern staple. Don’t you dare forget it at your holiday table – whether it be Thanksgiving or Easter. This Southern Mac and Cheese from Dinner at the Zoo will be a new favorite due to the ease of essentially “dumping” all the ingredients into one pan to bake. Nobody will truly know how easy this recipe is if they’re never told.

Buttermilk Biscuits 

Rich, buttery and flaky – what every Southerner dreams of when it comes to their biscuits. Biscuits are a must-have at almost every meal. In fact, we have restaurants around Nashville dedicated to creating menus with all of the ways to use a biscuit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jenn Segal from Once Upon a Chef provides a classic Buttermilk Biscuit recipe you can master in 30 minutes.

Main Course

Bourbon Glazed Ham

A touch of Bourbon and a touch of Creole is what you’ll find in this delicious main course. A hearty and flavorful centerpiece for Easter dinner, My Recipe’s Honey Bourbon Glazed Ham will wow your guests.

Easter Lamb Shanks 

Lamb and Easter go hand-in-hand just like turkey and Thanksgiving. So many can be so easily intimidated by lamb but with Love and Duck Fat’s easy Easter Lamb Shanks recipe you can walk boldly into your holiday kitchen. With flavors of onions, bay leaf, rosemary and classic red wine it will be difficult for anyone to walk away disappointed.

Dessert

Southern Ambrosia 

Ambrosia means “food of the gods” according to Merriam-Webster, and the people of The South generally agree. Made up from fruit, frozen whipped topping and a few fixins’ for garnish it will be a light, sweet finish to your big meal. Try this Southern Ambrosia for Southern Bite.

Sweet Potato Praline Casserole

We close out our meal with another Southern staple: the sweet potato. Mix a sweet potato with a casserole and you have a Southern dream. Kathy G. has created a Sweet Potato Praline Casserole recipe that will top off your Easter celebration in the most unforgettable of ways.