Updated March 2026

Easter is a wonderful time to gather with family, celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and enjoy a special meal together. If you’re looking for an easy Easter dinner menu, this simple plan includes comforting recipes that are perfect for feeding a family without spending the entire day in the kitchen.

Many traditional Easter dinners include ham, but our family prefers something a little different. This simple Easter dinner menu features a hearty slow cooker roast, easy side dishes, and a sweet Easter treat. The best part is that most of these recipes are simple to prepare, allowing you to spend more time enjoying the holiday and less time cooking.

Some families also enjoy serving Easter brunch, especially after church. Below you’ll find a few brunch-style ideas along with a simple Easter dinner menu that keeps the focus on spending time together.

Simple Easter Dinner Menu

If you’re wondering what to serve for Easter dinner, this easy menu includes a comforting main dish, flavorful side dishes, and a sweet treat to celebrate the holiday.

Main Dish

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

Side Dish

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

Vegetable

Green Beans with Bacon

Sweet Bread or Dessert

Resurrection Rolls

Main Dish: Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

Let’s start with the main dish! Every holiday meal needs a protein, and while many families serve Easter ham, my family has never been big fans of it. I’ll be honest — I’m not a huge fan of leftover ham either.

Instead, we usually serve roast beef on our Easter dinner menu, and this slow-cooker beef pot roast is one of our favorites. It’s simple enough for a weeknight meal but special enough for a holiday main course.

The best part is that it cooks low and slow while you’re away at church or enjoying family time. When it’s finished, the meat is tender and practically falls apart — my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Another reason I love this recipe is the leftovers. You can serve the roast beef on dinner rolls as slider sandwiches later in the day or enjoy it throughout the week.

If you’re planning to serve it earlier in the day, simply cook it on high for 4–5 hours instead of on low.

👉 Get the full Easy Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast Recipe here.

You can even cook it ahead and leave it on the warm setting while you’re at church or out enjoying your Easter egg hunt.

If you’re planning an egg hunt for your kids, you might also enjoy this fun glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt idea.

If roast beef isn’t your preference, you could also grill pork tenderloin or make a slow-cooker turkey breast as alternative protein options.

Side Dish: Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

If you saw our Family Dinner episode on Magnolia Network, you may already recognize this recipe. This cheesy hash brown casserole is a true family tradition.

It’s basically like a big warm hug from my mom to every member of the family.

No Easter dinner menu feels complete without a potato dish, and these cheesy potatoes are always one of the first things to disappear from the table. Made with cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, and more, they’re packed with flavor and incredibly comforting.

One of the best things about this dish is that it can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to bake it.

👉 Find the full Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole recipe here.

A little warning, though… one year, my mom only made one pan, and my sister went through the line and took more than her fair share. The entire family was up in arms!

Ever since then, whenever we all gather for Easter, my mom makes two pans.

You’ve been warned.

Vegetable Side: Green Beans with Bacon

There wasn’t an Easter meal growing up that didn’t include my grandma’s famous bacon green beans.

Honestly, once you’ve had green beans cooked with bacon, you may never want them any other way again.

This recipe is simple, flavorful, and cooks up quickly, making it a perfect vegetable side for your Easter dinner menu.

👉 Check out the full Green Beans with Bacon recipe here.

Sweet Easter Treat: Resurrection Rolls

One of our favorite Easter traditions is making Resurrection Rolls, also known as Empty Tomb Rolls.

Not only are they delicious, but they are also a meaningful way to share the story of Jesus’ resurrection with guests both young and old.

My kids love helping make these in the kitchen, and the best part is they take less than 15 minutes to prepare, making them an easy addition to your Easter meal.

We often make them for Easter breakfast as well, so you could easily double the batch and rewarm them for Easter lunch or dinner.

👉 Get the simple Resurrection Rolls recipe here.

A Few More Simple Easter Dinner Menu Ideas

My Grandma MaryAnn always used to say:

“A Heath bar tastes great on a silver platter.”

And honestly, she was right.

Not everything needs to be homemade. Sometimes in our effort to make everything from scratch, we stress ourselves out and miss the real purpose of the meal — gathering together and celebrating our risen Savior.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider adding a few of these simple side dishes to your Easter dinner menu.

Bagged Salad Kit

Grab a bagged salad kit and toss it into a pretty bowl. It’s an easy side dish that takes almost no time to prepare.

Fruit or Veggie Tray

Another easy addition that even the tiniest sous chefs can help prepare. Wash and cut vegetables ahead of time or buy a pre-made fruit or veggie tray and place it on your own serving platter.

No one will ever know the difference!

Simple Fruit Salad

Mix together fresh berries like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries for a light and refreshing side that balances the richness of the rest of the meal.

Refrigerated or Frozen Bread

Crescent rolls or frozen bread dough can easily be baked and served in a towel-lined basket. You can even make them ahead and warm them in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

Easter Dessert Idea

Easy Ice Cream Pie

If you’re looking for an easy dessert to add to your Easter dinner menu, this ice cream pie is always a hit.

The great thing about this recipe is how flexible it is. You can use almost any flavor of ice cream. We love making it with mint chocolate chip, but the possibilities are endless.

Make several pies with different flavors and let guests choose their favorite — or maybe they’ll want a slice of each.

Even better, this dessert is best made ahead of time, so it requires zero work on the day of your Easter dinner.

👉 Get the full Ice Cream Pie recipe here.

Get Ready to Plan Your Easter Dinner Menu

Now it’s time to plan your Easter menu!

If you need a place to write down your recipes and grocery list, check out this meal planning journal.

Remember, a special Easter dinner doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful. My goal is always to enjoy the holiday with the people I love most. Food is simply the way we gather around the table together.

Enjoy the egg hunts, the Easter baskets, and the celebration of our risen Savior.

Hopefully, you’ll discover a few new favorite Easter dinner ideas to add to your holiday traditions.

Happy Easter!

Need More Easter Ideas?

5 Fun Easter Family Activities 

Glow in the Dark Easter Egg Hunt Activity

Simple Easter Basket Ideas for Toddlers to Tweens