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Add a festive touch to your Easter morning with these Easter brunch menu ideas. The best way to prepare your meal for the holiday is to plan out your Easter brunch menu. When hosting a large holiday, it is fundamental to consider prep time, savory and sweet dishes, and classic Easter menu favorites. These easy Easter breakfast ideas are sure to inspire you when hosting your Easter brunch for any crowd.
Easy Easter Menu
First things first – sit down and brainstorm some ideas for your easy easter menu. Think about how many people you plan to serve, and how much time you have to prepare and cook your Easter brunch menu.
Consider whether you want the menu to be savory, sweet, or a mix of both. When hosting Easter brunch, you should have dishes that satisfy your guest’s sweet tooth as well as hearty, savory breakfast menu items.
For a well-rounded Easter brunch menu that serves between 8 and 12 guests, I recommend including at least one egg dish, one savory main dish, two savory sides, a cold salad, and a fruit-based dish or a warm dessert. Here is an example of the menu I outlined above.
- Roast pork loin with apricot glaze
- Four-cheese quiche, with cheddar, gouda, swiss, and parmesan
- Spicy shakshuka with herbs and warm flatbread
- Roasted asparagus with hollandaise
- Spinach and strawberry salad with poppyseed vinaigrette
- Carrot cake bread pudding casserole
Of course, you can always change out the actual dishes themselves to fit your needs best, but this is a great example of a balanced Easter brunch menu. Almost all these dishes can be prepared ahead of time, and only require reheating to serve.
Easter Brunch Recipes – Make Ahead
Making your Easter brunch recipes ahead of time may be a great option if you need to save time. Do you plan on going to church with your family, watching your kids open their Easter baskets, or preparing an Easter Egg hunt for the little ones? If so, your best bet is to find easy Easter brunch recipes that you can make ahead.
Examples of make ahead Easter Brunch recipes that will work for large groups are breakfast casseroles. You can make a breakfast casserole with seasonal vegetables; like artichokes, asparagus, or spinach. Here are some examples of different flavor combinations for breakfast casseroles that you can make ahead for your Easter brunch menu:
- Asparagus and mushroom, roasted new potatoes, eggs, goat cheese and chives
- Cubed French bread, sauteéd leeks and onions, bacon, egg custard
- Frozen hashbrowns, bell peppers, ground pork sausage, pepper jack cheese and parsley
- Torn pieces of croissant, sauteéd apples, cinnamon, and brown buttercream
First, sauté the vegetables or fruits you want to include in your Easter brunch casserole. Add a layer of shredded potatoes, cubed French bread, or grits to the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with your sautéed seasonal vegetables or cooked proteins. For savory Easter brunch casseroles, add a layer of whisked eggs, and top with a good melty cheese, like cheddar, goat, or parmesan. For sweet Easter brunch casseroles, make a sweet egg custard, and garnish with a sticky caramel sauce.
I recommend baking your Easter breakfast casserole ahead of time, and simply reheating when it’s time to serve. Be sure to place your hot casserole dish on a decorative Easter pot holder so you don’t burn your guests. You can garnish the Easter breakfast casserole with some fresh chopped herbs, or a side of crème fraîche. Not only is this the perfect Easter brunch casserole for a crowd, but it’s super easy to prep. It will save you time by making it ahead so that you can enjoy Easter brunch with your family.
Easter Brunch For a Crowd
When planning your Easter brunch menu, it’s important to find the balance between breakfast dishes that everyone will enjoy and brunch recipes that are easy to prepare. Being responsible for cooking eggs to varying degrees of doneness for 12 people, sounds challenging. It may be best to familiarize yourself with cooking tips and tricks before you undertake cooking Easter brunch for a crowd.
Eggs for Easter brunch seem like the most obvious choice, but how you prepare them for a crowd matters. A frittata is simply a baked mixture of scrambled eggs, cheeses, meats, and vegetables. It is a super versatile dish and an easy Easter brunch menu idea.
To make your frittata, sauté your vegetables and meats in a cast iron skillet. Arrange them in the bottom of the pan before adding your scrambled egg mixture over the top. Do not stir! Allow the egg mixture to fill in the cracks of the vegetables by tilting the pan. Sprinkle with cheese before baking in a 400 degree oven for 15 mins until the edges are golden brown.
Much like the breakfast casserole, you can be creative with your Easter brunch fritatta’s different flavor combinations. Here are some of my favorite Easter brunch for a crowd menu ideas:
- Panchetta and spring peas, goat cheese, and chives
- Satueéd button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, gouda cheese and thyme
- Blistered tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh torn basil
- Green onion, shredded roast chicken, green chiles and cheddar cheese
Easter Brunch Buffet
Depending on the size of your crowd, preparing an Easter brunch buffet may be the best way to host breakfast or lunch for the holiday. You could even ask your guests to each bring a dish and host an Easter brunch potluck.
You can create an Easter brunch buffet at home easily. With crockpot Easter brunch recipes, food can be kept warm for guests until they serve themselves.
Preparing your Easter brunch menu on your outdoor grill can be fun if you plan to have your Easter brunch buffet al fresco. If this seems like a daunting task, feel free to read the grilling for beginners guide. Below is an example of an Easter brunch buffet menu that can be prepared on the grill and with crockpots:
- Grilled chicken thighs with orange glaze
- Crockpot chorizo and cheese hashbrown casserole
- Crockpot pulled pork hash with southwest salsa
- Crockpot zucchini and feta cheese frittata
- Grilled asparagus with lemon butter
- Grilled peaches and poundcake served with whipped cream
Classic Easter Brunch Menu
Of course, no Easter brunch can be complete without the classics. Picture a spring-time spread that captures the essence of tradition, featuring timeless Easter favorites of many generations.
Including classic Easter brunch menu items not only satisfies everyone in the family but will also evoke a sense of nostalgia. While every family may have their favorite Easter recipes, the dishes outlined below are considered classic Easter brunch recipes:
- Deviled eggs
- Quiche Lorraine
- Glazed ham with cloves
- Hot cross buns
- Waldorf salad
- Poached asparagus with sauce bérnaise
- Strawberry shortcake
- Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
- Mimosas or grapefruit spritz
While each of the Easter brunch menus above would all be fantastic options, find what works for you. Feel free to use these Easter brunch menu ideas as outlines, or pick and choose from them to create a unique Easter breakfast menu for you and your guests. If you need help finalizing your Easter brunch menu, leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you!
