As far as holidays go, Easter is a lovely time to celebrate with loved ones for brunch. The weather is finally turning in our favor, centerpiece flowers are blooming and a plethora of fresh spring produce is popping up at grocery stores and farmers’ markets alike.
One of the best ways to put those springtime goods to use is by preparing an Easter brunch worthy of the season. With ingredients such as spring peas, asparagus, leeks, rhubarb and berries at their peak, they incorporate seamlessly into all kinds of seasonal recipes, from savory baked eggs and casseroles to muffins and quick breads. It’s never been easier to create the Easter brunch lineup of your dreams with these recipes.
We tried to keep these recipes as quick and easy as possible so that you can spend more time celebrating — and some can even be made the night before (that means less work in the early morning hours). Whether your guests crave something sugary in the morning or they’re more the ‘bacon and eggs’ type, there is a variety of options to choose from. With recipes this simple, you can be sure to make a little something for everyone. Meat eaters will love sausage-packed frittatas and breakfast casseroles and your little ones won’t be able to resist the bunny-inspired egg cups. Of course, there will be enough hot cross buns to go around for everyone.
Brunch is served!
Savory Easter brunch ideas
Courtesy Joy Bauer
Get The Recipe
Easter Bunny Egg Cups
Joy Bauer
A combination of whole eggs and egg whites is used to make these adorable edible bunnies that are perfect for Easter brunch. Greek yogurt keeps the eggs moist as they bake, while fresh herbs and cheddar cheese add plenty of flavor. Use small balls of aluminum foil to form the muffin liners into bunny shapes, then decorate the tops with sunflower seed eyes, rosemary whiskers and olive noses.
Courtesy Grace Elkus
Get The Recipe
Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Frittata
Grace Elkus
Making a frittata is a simple way to prepare eggs for a brunch crowd. This cheesy skillet bake is filled with earthy broccoli rabe and crispy crumbles of Italian sausage. The best part? It can be served at room temperature, so it’s a great dish to make ahead of time while you finish cooking the rest of your menu.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Bagel and Lox Breakfast Casserole
Siri Daly
Skip the schmear: get all of the flavor of a bagel with lox and cream cheese, but in an easy casserole that can feed a lot of hungry people. Bites of seeded everything bagels, smoked salmon, cheddar and cream cheese are baked in an airy egg custard. This deli-inspired breakfast casserole is guaranteed to be a hit.
Joy Bauer
Get The Recipe
Joy Bauer's Eggs Benedict
Joy Bauer
If you don’t have too big of a crowd joining you for Easter brunch, eggs Benedict are a great option. Slices of Canadian bacon, tomatoes and poached eggs sit atop toasted whole-grain English muffins. The hollandaise sauce couldn’t be easier (or healthier!) — instead of the usual butter and eggs, the sauce gets its classic yellow color from a bell pepper.
Grace Parisi / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Pizza Rustica
Grace Parisi
This fully loaded Easter pie is a traditional part of the menu in Italian-American households. The crust is made with baking powder and eggs, making it a little more bready than an ordinary pie dough. The filling is a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs and five varieties of meat for a hearty, savory slice.
Courtesy Ed Anderson
Get The Recipe
Cacio e Pepe Eggs with Olive Oil Toast
This twist on eggs Benedict brings everything we love about cheesy cacio e pepe pasta onto one brunch plate. Instead of traditional hollandaise, the poached eggs are drizzled with a peppery Parmesan-infused vinaigrette. Thick slices of garlic-rubbed toasted bread are perfect for dunking into the runny egg yolks.
Debbie Koenig
Get The Recipe
Quiche Lorraine with Hash Brown Crust
Debbie Koenig
What’s even better than a flaky pie dough crust? Potatoes. This classic quiche gets an upgrade with a buttery hash brown crust. The filling has everything you’d expect from a classic Quiche Lorraine — salty bacon, Gruyere cheese and plenty of cream.
Casey Barber
Get The Recipe
Spring Asparagus Breakfast Tart
Casey Barber
Nothing says spring quite like in-season produce. To make this tart for Easter brunch, quickly blanch slender stalks of asparagus before adding them to a pie crust and topping with a cheesy egg custard. You’ll know the tart is ready when the eggs are just puffed and set.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Broccoli Cheese Quiche
Elizabeth Heiskell
We love this hearty quiche because it starts with store-bought pie dough. Broccoli florets, bacon and three kinds of cheese add so much flavor to this baked quiche. If broccoli isn’t your favorite, try other seasonal vegetables, such as asparagus or spring peas.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Easy Italian Sausage and Peppers Breakfast Casserole
Kristin Sollenne
Sausage, peppers and onions are an infamous Italian-American trio, especially when piled onto toasted hero rolls. This breakfast casserole combines those flavors to make a satisfying and hearty addition to your brunch menu. Add in a few handfuls of spinach for a pop of green color — and definitely don’t skimp on the cheese.
Becca Jacobs
Get The Recipe
Best Egg Salad
Becca Jacobs
Egg salad is a classic, and it’s a great way to add something quick and easy to your Easter brunch menu. The silky mixture only has four ingredients — hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, red onion and dill pickles — and can be served between slices of bread, spread on crackers or piled onto beds of spring lettuce. This recipe is super simple, but you could add fresh herbs like dill, parsley or chives if you like.
Courtesy Joel Gamoran
Get The Recipe
Zucchini, Leek and Parmesan Frittata
Joel Gamoran
This simple frittata takes about thirty minutes from start to finish. The flavors are mild, so none of the ingredients overpowers the others. Leeks and zucchini cook down until tender before being folded into the egg mixture and baked.
Laura Vitale
Get The Recipe
Asparagus Tart
Laura Vitale
For such a simple recipe, this tart is brimming with fresh spring flavor. Tender asparagus pairs perfectly with spreadable garlic-herb cheese and a flaky puff pastry crust. This is also a great make-ahead recipe and can be assembled the night before so it’s ready to pop in the oven and bake.
Courtesy Elena Besser
Get The Recipe
The Best, Easiest Deviled Eggs
Elena Besser
No Easter brunch is complete without a platter of deviled eggs. If you have an extensive brunch menu, most of the components for this recipe can be made in advance so all you have to do is pipe in the filling and set them out for folks to enjoy.
Casey Barber
Get The Recipe
Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Casey Barber
This recipe really is as simple as layering a bunch of ingredients with a mixture of milk and eggs. Breakfast sausage, frozen potatoes and spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese are responsible for the bulk of the fillings in this casserole. You could use any meats, vegetables and cheese that you have on hand — perfect for a last-minute addition to the brunch menu.
Kelly Vaughan
Get The Recipe
Bacon and Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits
Kelly Vaughan
No one is going to turn down a warm biscuit, especially when served with butter on the side for smearing. You’ll find bits of smoky bacon and extra-sharp cheddar cheese hiding between each flaky layer. Pro tip: the colder you keep the butter and cheese, the better — cold dairy means flaky biscuit layers.
Charlotte Hu
Get The Recipe
Egg Strata with Caramelized Onion, Gruyère and Thyme
Katie Quinn
If you were going to eat French onion soup for breakfast, this would be the way to do it. Hunks of crusty sourdough bread, caramelized onions, sliced mushrooms and Gruyere cheese bake in a fluffy egg custard, like savory bread pudding. This recipe is best when left to rest overnight, so make it the day before and pop it in the oven before brunch.
TODAY
Get The Recipe
Savory Stuffed French Toast
Priyanka Naik
This French toast not only veers from sweet to savory, but its flavors are uniquely inspired by Indian cuisine. Slices of vegan cheese are sandwiched between thick pieces of hearty bread, then coated in a spiced chickpea batter. They are pan-fried just like traditional French toast, then served with both sweet and savory condiments.
Joy Bauer
Get The Recipe
Spring Frittata with Asparagus and Artichokes
Joy Bauer
Asparagus and artichokes are what springtime is all about. A combination of whole eggs and egg whites keeps this frittata light and fluffy. Our favorite way to finish it off is with a drizzle of basil pesto and balsamic glaze.
Courtesy Joy Bauer
Get The Recipe
Sheet-Pan Omelets
Joy Bauer
Cooking omelets for a crowd is no small feat — unless, of course, you make them in a sheet pan. And the best part is that you can experiment with a few different flavors, all on the same pan. Just pour the whisked eggs onto the pan and scatter your favorite add-ins (think: fresh herbs and vegetables) over the top.
Kelly Vaughan / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Breakfast Potatoes
Kelly Vaughan
These are no ordinary roasted potatoes. The trick to making potatoes that are crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the center is to par-boil the potatoes before sautéing. These potatoes sizzle with peppers and shallots in bacon fat until crispy and tender.
Courtesy Justin Coit
Get The Recipe
Brooklyn's Brunch Casserole
Vanessa Lachey
This layered casserole recipe is one of the easiest there is. The only real hands-on cooking involves sautéing the sausage and onions. From there, it’s just a matter of layering store-bought buttermilk biscuits with all of the other savory ingredients for a crowd-friendly bite.
Sweet Easter brunch ideas
Laura Vitale
Get The Recipe
Easter Sweet Bread
Laura Vitale
Impress your brunch guests with this stunning centerpiece. The festive yeasted bread is decked out with pastel sprinkles as a nod to the season. It’s perfect for dipping into a mug of coffee with brunch or a cup of your favorite herbal tea at the end of the day.
Kelly Vaughan
Get The Recipe
Best Popovers
Kelly Vaughan
It only takes four ingredients and a whisk to make these perfectly puffed popovers. They work much like soufflé, where the eggs help the batter rise to lofty heights — be sure to keep the oven door closed while they bake (letting any air in can cause the popovers to sink). Serve them as is, or pair them with a sweet homemade maple butter.
Kayla Hoang
Get The Recipe
No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
Checka Ciammaichelli
This no-fuss recipe gets a batch of cinnamon rolls on the breakfast table in a fraction of the usual time. There’s no yeast in these rolls, so you don’t have to wait hours and hours for the dough to rise. The cream cheese frosting remains unchanged, though — it still has the same tangy sweet flavor that cinnamon rolls demand.
Courtesy Vallery Lomas
Get The Recipe
Hot Cross Buns
Vallery Lomas
No Easter brunch would be complete without hot cross buns. The milky dough is loaded with fragrant orange zest, dried cranberries and fresh apple. A paste of flour and water is piped over the tops of the buns to give it its iconic cross pattern, plus a honey butter glaze for sweetness.
Courtesy Vallery Lomas
Get The Recipe
Hot Cross Buns Pudding
Vallery Lomas
If you make the hot cross buns early (or have leftovers from the Easter meal), you can turn them into a brand-new breakfast treat. The buns aren’t overly sweet to begin with, so you only have to add a touch of brown sugar to bring out their flavor. Stale buns work best here — they will absorb the custard even better when they’re a little on the dry side.
Nathan Congleton/TODAY
Get The Recipe
Cinnamon-Spiced Brioche French Toast
Tom McKenna
This is no ordinary French toast. Slices of bread are cut in half and soaked in spiced custard before being coated in cornstarch and deep-fried. The golden brown pieces are crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside — each gets another dash of spice from a final sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
Tyler Essary / TODAY
Get The Recipe
French Toast Casserole with Mixed Berries
Justin Chapple
This decadent baked French toast is an easy addition to any brunch table, but the fresh berries are particularly perfect for a springtime vibe. The frozen berries break down as they bake and become sweet and jammy. Take some time to prep this casserole the night before you plan to eat it — that way, it can go straight from the fridge to the oven the next morning.
Riley Wofford
Get The Recipe
Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Bread Pudding Muffins
Riley Wofford
It’s hard to think of a way to make bread pudding even more decadent, but using buttery croissants does just that. These mini bread puddings are baked in muffin cups, so everyone can have their own individual serving. The croissants soak up the egg custard, and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar adds a sparkly crunch to the top of each muffin.
Renee Comet / Food Network
Get The Recipe
Double-Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Whipped Cream
Sunny Anderson
This recipe is as indulgent as it comes. From the combination of flaky croissants and cinnamon-raisin bread to the double hit of chocolate (in the form of chocolate chips and chocolate sauce), this bread pudding can pass for a sweet breakfast or dessert. Top it with a dollop of bourbon-flavored whipped cream.
Courtesy Melissa Knific
Get The Recipe
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Melissa Knific
No one will be upset when they're served a slice of classic coffee cake, complete with a sweet and spiced crumble topping.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Baked Pull-Apart French Toast
Mary Giuliani
This year, turn your Easter brunch into an interactive feast. Instead of slicing, soaking and frying individual pieces of toast, make this crowd-friendly batch. To make it, cut through a whole loaf of your favorite bread to form a grid pattern. Pour the egg mixture into all of the nooks and crannies before baking, then guests can pull off as many pieces as they like to dip into maple syrup.
Becca Jacobs
Get The Recipe
Coffee Cake Babka
Becca Jacobs
You get all the flavors of cinnamon-spiced coffee cake in this recipe, but instead of cake, the base is a yeasted babka dough. The dough is moistened with sour cream and twisted around a spiced brown sugar filling. And of course, no coffee cake (babka-inspired or not) would be complete without a buttery streusel topping.
TODAY
Get The Recipe
Dutch Baby with Berry Compote
Anne Burrell
Despite how simple it is to make, all eyes will be on your Dutch baby when it comes out of the oven. The batter comes together in just a few minutes, and the eggs puff in the oven to create the showstopping souffle-like texture. Keep the toppings simple — we like berry compote, whipped cream, fresh mint and bits of shaved chocolate.
Courtesy Laura Vitale
Get The Recipe
Cheesecake-Stuffed Baked French Toast
Laura Vitale
If you like cheesecake, you’ll love this luxurious baked French toast. A sweetened cream cheese mixture is sandwiched between pieces of bread before being doused in custard and baked. There’s so much flavor in this French toast, it hardly even needs a drizzle of maple syrup.
Getty Images
Get The Recipe
Martha's Famous French Toast
Martha Stewart
If anyone knows how to do French toast, it’s Martha Stewart. The custard for this French toast is flavored with citrus zest and brandy. Brioche or challah is the perfect bread to soak up all of the rich egg mixture — a soft loaf will keep the centers of each slice nice and creamy.
Williams Sonoma
Get The Recipe
Al Roker's Skillet Cornbread, 2 Ways
Al Roker
You could keep this cornbread recipe simple or spice it up with fresh jalapeños, red onion and melty Monterey Jack cheese. Either way, it’s best enjoyed hot from the oven with a smear of butter or a drizzle of honey. Baking the cornbread in a cast-iron skillet helps develop a golden bottom crust while keeping the batter moist.
Courtesy Angie Mosier
Get The Recipe
Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Elizabeth Heiskell
Anyone who appreciates a good blueberry pancake will love this baked French toast. Fresh blueberries burst in the oven, releasing their electric purple juices. This casserole has a similar vibe to cream cheese-stuffed French toast, with small cubes of cream cheese hiding throughout the dish.
Joy Wilson
Get The Recipe
Baked Brown-Butter Banana Bread Doughnuts
Joy Wilson
Take ordinary banana bread to the next level by turning the batter into sweet baked doughnuts. It’s a great way to use up bananas that are past their prime. Dip each doughnut into a silky smooth vanilla glaze and finish them off with a crumble of buttery cinnamon-spiced streusel.
TODAY All Day
Get The Recipe
Baked French Toast with Bananas Foster Sauce
Elena Besser
This French toast casserole achieves the perfect custard-like texture of regular French toast without the hassle. While the French toast bakes, you can focus on the star of the show — the bananas foster sauce. The bananas are sautéed and coated in a rum-infused stovetop caramel sauce.
Frances Largeman-Roth
Get The Recipe
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN
Poppyseed muffins don’t usually get the credit they deserve. They may seem old-fashioned, but these are bursting with fresh lemony flavor. They have a light, delicate texture and are a quick and easy addition to the brunch table.
FeaturePics
Get The Recipe
Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Tiffani Faison
It wouldn’t be a true Southern biscuit if buttermilk wasn’t involved. Baking powder gives the biscuits just enough lift; a generous amount of butter contributes to the flaky layers; and buttermilk adds that classic tang. Mix the dough in the food processor for easy cleanup.
Maggie Shi / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Cinnamon Rhubarb Bread
Maggie Shi
When you think of spring fruit, rhubarb is usually at the top of the list. Its short season just so happens to fall around Easter, and this is the perfect recipe to incorporate it into. Toasty pecans add a bit of crunch in each bite, and the rhubarb’s sourness mellows out as it bakes.
Zach Pagano/TODAY
Get The Recipe
Siri's Dark Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Siri Daly
Bread pudding doesn't need to be complicated to be rich and decadent. Embrace pain au chocolat vibes by pairing buttery croissants with chunks of dark chocolate. Everything is baked in a creamy custard, and the top of each croissant is coated in a shimmering sugar crust.
Kelly Vaughan
Get The Recipe
Vanilla Bean Scones
Kelly Vaughan
Vanilla bean paste pulls double duty in this recipe — it’s incorporated into the dough and the powdered sugar glaze that is drizzled on top. A combination of all-purpose and cake flour keeps the scones soft and tender, and both white and brown sugars contribute just enough sweetness. Our best trick to perfectly layered scones is to grate the butter so it incorporates seamlessly into the dough.
Patty Lee / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Al's Lemon Vanilla Dutch Baby with Blueberry Sauce
Al Roker
If you need a last-minute addition to your brunch menu, this Dutch baby won’t disappoint. Blending the batter gives the eggs some volume, so they’ll puff even higher in the oven. Make a quick lemon-kissed blueberry sauce while the pancake bakes.
Tyler Essary / TODAY
Get The Recipe
Coffee Caramel Monkey Bread
Shauna Sever
Frozen bread dough (like ready-to-bake dinner rolls) are a quick hack for making monkey bread. Instead of making a yeast dough, just snip the thawed dough into smaller pieces and coat them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Layer the dough into the pan with a coffee-flavored caramel sauce — it’ll become sticky and sweet, and drip into every crevice of the monkey bread.
Riley Wofford
Get The Recipe
Easy Banana Bread
Riley Wofford
Few things are easier to make than a loaf of banana bread. And it’s the perfect make-ahead baked good to serve at brunch because the bananas, eggs and milk keep the loaf moist and tender for days. Keep it traditional by stirring in a handful of chopped walnuts or add even more sweetness with semisweet chocolate chips.
Nathan Congleton/TODAY
Get The Recipe
Sunny Anderson's Easy Basic Pancakes
Sunny Anderson
Guests will be thrilled to see a thick stack of fluffy pancakes when they arrive for brunch. You can add whatever you like to this simple recipe — fold fresh fruit or chocolate chips into the batter or top each short stack with whipped cream and caramel. Don’t worry about the pancakes getting cold — you can keep them warm in a low oven until people arrive.
Joy Bauer
Get The Recipe
Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Holes
Joy Bauer
Don’t fuss with a pot of messy frying oil — try out these baked doughnut holes instead. Would you believe they’re made with applesauce and boxed cake mix? This combination creates a soft, cakey texture — all they need is a quick toss in cinnamon sugar to make them perfect.
Zach Schiffman / TODAY
Get The Recipe
3-Ingredient Cinnamon Monkey Bread with Berries
Alejandra Ramos
Store-bought cinnamon rolls are great on their own, but they’re even better when transformed into monkey bread. The balls of dough are tossed in butter and scattered into a Bundt pan with mixed berries, which caramelize into a jammy consistency. Use the icing that comes with the cinnamon rolls to create a sweet glaze.
Shutterstock
Get The Recipe
Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins
Joanne Chang
If you’re feeding a lot of people, might we recommend adding a simple muffin to the mix? This recipe is perfect for spring when berries and rhubarb are bursting at the farmers' markets and grocery stores. Crème fraîche adds moisture and flavor, but sour cream works great too.
Kelly Vaughan
Get The Recipe
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Kelly Vaughan
If lemon poppyseed muffins are your jam, these scones are the next best thing. Poppyseeds add nuttiness, crunch and an unmistakable look to each tender scone. And we use the whole lemon for this recipe — the citrus zest is incorporated into the sweet glaze while the fresh juice flavors the scones themselves.
Tyler Essary/TODAY
Get The Recipe
Siri Daly's Homemade Strawberry Breakfast Pockets
Siri Daly
Nostalgia alert! You’ll never go back to eating store-bought breakfast pastries after making these. Mounds of sweet strawberry jam sit between squares of flaky homemade pie crust. A drizzle of powdered sugar glaze is a must, and you might as well add a festive scattering of sprinkles while you’re at it.
Riley Wofford
Riley Wofford is a freelance recipe developer and food stylist based in NYC. She has spent the last decade in the culinary field, transitioning from large-scale catering to editorial and commercial food media. Previously, she was a food editor at Martha Stewart Living and an in-house food stylist at Marley Spoon and Dinnerly. She loves teaching people how to cook, especially when it comes to plant-forward meals. In her free time, she enjoys spontaneous road trips, baseball games, and hanging out in the park with her dog, Millie.