75 Easter Side Dishes To Complete All Your Holiday Meals
Step aside, ham. The real stars have arrived.
Hot take time: When Easter rolls around, we're all about the side dishes. Sure, glazed ham and tender lamb might *look* like the stars of the show during Easter dinner, it's the side dishes that really make the meal. We might even bet these festive, delicious Easter sides have the potential to completely upstage that roast showstopper. Cheesy baked asparagus, hot-honey glazed carrots, and potatoes au gratin are just some of our favorites, but we went ahead and attempted to perfect perfection by adding our own spins on the classics with every single one of these 75 must-try Easter side dishes!
Asparagusp, one of spring's best vegetables, is an obvious favorite for getting creative in the kitchen this holiday. Whether you go with asparagus, brie, & prosciutto baked bundles, our Parmesan asparagus fries, or our cheesy bacon-asparagus casserole, you really can't go wrong with any of these low-fuss yet impressive side dishes. And you'll definitely want to keep some carrots to yourself (sorry, Easter Bunny!) to make these miso roasted carrots, garlic-Parmesan roasted carrots, and carrot ginger soup.
With all these sides, you'll want to make sure your main dish is just as impressive. This cherry-bourbon glazed ham might be our favorite way to cook up a pre-cooked ham that's nothing like your grandma's ham. Unsure of what brand of ham to buy? Here are our 6 favorite hams to save yourself a whole lot of prep time. Using up leftover ham is never a problem for us, and we have plenty of ideas on how to use up your honey-baked ham, especially if it means we get to make a Croque Madame.
Want even more Easter ideas? We've got plenty of Easter recipes for your entire feast, including Easter desserts, Easter treats, as well as lots of ideas for your lamb leftovers too!
Cheesy Bacon-Asparagus Casserole
You can think of asparagus casserole as the spring version of green bean casserole. Asparagus gets topped with a bacon cream sauce, plenty of cheese, and the best part of all—Ritz crackers, which add the perfect crunch.
Southern Baked Mac & Cheese
Millie Peartree's baked mac & cheese is famous for a number of reasons. Our major takeaway—layering cheese and an eggy custard makes for the MOST creamy, saucy, and decadent dish ever. You might never make it another way again.
Get the Southern Baked Mac & Cheese recipe.
Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Carrots
This recipe made us wonder, Why don’t we roast carrots more often? When they roast, their flavor concentrates and sweetens. Pair that with copious amounts of umami-packed Parmesan and just a touch of lemon, and you’ve got a super-irresistible dish that you’ll come back to again and again. Try it for yourself—carrots might just become your new favorite go-to side.
Parmesan Roasted Green Beans
This side is like if green beans dressed up as cheesy garlic bread. 😍 Tossed in garlic and black pepper and showered with cheese, this simple, yet irresistible side will steal the spotlight at every holiday table.
Get the Parmesan Roasted Green Beans recipe.
Spring Cobb Salad
Everyone’s favorite Cobb salad just got a spring-y makeover. This lightened-up version has lots of crunchy in-season veggies, homemade croutons, hard-boiled eggs for protein, and a creamy lemon-dill dressing spiked with raw garlic. Yum!
Get the Spring Cobb Salad recipe.
Mashed Potato Casserole
This recipe begins—as you might expect—with classic mashed potatoes. We then add herb-infused milk and some cream cheese, then fold in the secret ingredient—eggs! Eggs are stirred in before baking to lighten up the potatoes, and they help the mixture “soufflé” a bit in the oven. You might never make regular ole mashed taters again.
Get the Mashed Potato Casserole recipe.
Fluffy Potato Rolls
Fluffiest. Dinner. Rolls. EVER. Fresh out of the oven, each roll has a crispy bottom, buttery top, and unbelievably soft center (thanks, potatoes!).
Get the Fluffy Potato Rolls recipe.
Asparagus Soup
This soup is so refreshing while providing a bit of richness and some pure asparagus taste. We marry it with a touch of butter and some garlic to soften the grassy notes, simmer it with broth until tender, then blend it until smooth with a healthy dose of cream. MMM.
Get the Asparagus Soup recipe.
Antipasto Potato Salad
Though a traditional creamy dressing is delicious, it can sometimes be heavy and leave too little room for the main event (hello, ham!). If you’re looking to lighten up your usual potato salad, look no further—this version is bursting with all the flavors of your favorite antipasto.
Get the Antipasto Potato Salad recipe.
Peas & Carrots
Peas and carrots go together like, well, peas and carrots. We season these simply with salt and pepper before topping with our favorite honey mustard sauce.
Get the Peas & Carrots recipe.
Skillet Cornbread
Not only does this cornbread involve less cleanup (we love an oven-to-table vessel), but it promotes the ideal texture of crackly crust around moist, decadent corn cake. Pouring the batter into a preheated cast-iron creates a sear to the batter (nothing like that sizzling sound when it’s poured in) and speeds up the bake time. Wins ALL around.
Get the Skillet Cornbread recipe.
Miso Roasted Carrots
These sweet-savory carrots are topped with the most delicious mix of crunchy nuts and spices. It’s easy enough to chop the nuts on the cutting board and smash the coriander seeds with the back of a knife, but they can also be pulsed in a food processor as well.
Get the Miso Roasted Carrots recipe.
Cheesy Baked Asparagus
Meet our favorite way to prepare asparagus as a fancy side. Topped with garlic, a little cream, and plenty of cheese, even veggie-haters won't be able to resist.
Get the Cheesy Baked Asparagus recipe.
Coleslaw
No warm weather holiday potluck is complete with coleslaw, and we think ours is the BEST. Our top tips: shred your own veggies, add some vinegar, and wait to dress it until you're ready to serve.
Get the Coleslaw recipe.
Greek Chickpea Salad
We’re no strangers to a great chickpea salad, so coming up with a Greek-inspired one was a no-brainer. It’s got all the flavors you love from Greek salad, turned into something more substantial and filling that pairs well with almost anything. It's wonderful paired with ham for dinner, or served alongside something lighter for lunch.
Get the Greek Chickpea Salad recipe.
Egg Salad
While we love our variations, (lookin’ at you, Cobb egg salad), it’s always a good idea to have a tried-and-true recipe up your sleeve. Our standard centers around just 6 core ingredients; use it as a base for creative mix-ins and variations, or enjoy as is for a truly classic recipe.
Get the Egg Salad recipe.
Hot Cross Buns
We bet you know the song, but maybe not the pastry itself. They're a yeasted roll that's sweet, spiced, usually studded with dried fruit, and traditionally eaten for Easter. Sometimes you can find chocolate hot cross buns as well!
Get the Hot Cross Buns recipe.
Melting Potatoes
These melt-in-your-mouth potatoes got their name for good reason: With a tender, soft middle and an herby topping, one bite and you'll get it. These impressive potatoes are the perfect side dish for any (and every) meal you can think of this Easter.
Get the Melting Potatoes recipe.
Bacon Pea Salad
When you think pea salad, you probably think about the heavy mayo-ridden ones. Ours, on the other hand, is fresh, crunchy, and has the most delicious bacon vinaigrette that you'll be tempted to pour over everything.
Get the Bacon Pea Salad recipe.
Greek Orzo Salad
Move aside plain ol' pasta salad—orzo is here to shake things up. While we love it in comforting, warming dishes (we're looking at you, creamy Tuscan orz0) it also makes for a great salad base. This easy, fresh recipe is filled with all of our favorite bright Mediterranean flavors and mix-ins, like sweet tomatoes, briny olives, cucumber, and tangy feta.
Get the Greek Orzo Salad recipe.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine and if wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
