Easter Dessert Ideas for Your Home

Everyone will save room for dessert at Easter. Breads, cakes, pies, and treats, Easter is probably one of the sweetest holidays. Here are 20 of our favourite desserts and treats for Easter to inspire you.

Dessert	Prep Time	Cook Time	Servings
Simnel Cake	25 min	2 hrs	10–12
Hot Cross Buns	30 min	20 min (+rises)	12
Italian Easter Bread	30 min	35 min (+rises)	12
Paska	25 min	45 min (+rises)	8–10
Pastiera Napoletana	40 min	60 min	10–12
Italian Easter Rice Pie	25 min	50 min	8–10
Colomba di Pasqua	40 min	45 min (+rises)	12
Polish Easter Babka	30 min	45 min (+rises)	10–12
Carrot Cake	20 min	35 min	12
Easter Lamb Cake	25 min	60 min	10
Lemon Bars	15 min	35 min	24 bars
Strawberry Shortcake	20 min	15 min	6–8
Coconut Cream Pie	25 min	20 min	8–10
Mini Cheesecakes	20 min	20 min	12
Raspberry Tart	30 min	25 min	8
Pavlova	20 min	90 min	8
Bunny Sugar Cookies	25 min	10 min	24
Chocolate Bird’s Nest Cookies	15 min	No-bake	20–25
Rice Krispies Treat Eggs	20 min	No-bake	9–12
Easter Chocolate Bark	15 min	Chill 45 min	16 pieces

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Traditional Easter Desserts

Cultures around the world that celebrate Easter often have special desserts associated with the holiday. Many symbolise renewal, family, and spring, and all of them are delicious. These traditional Easter desserts are worth making, especially if you want to try something new this year.

Simnel Cake

Simnel cake is a fruitcake layered with marzipan. It's traditionally topped with 11 almond balls symbolising the apostles. This British classic is a great way to add international flair to your Easter table.

Ingredients

• 2 cups mixed dried fruit
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup marzipan, apricot jam

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Cream butter + sugar; beat in eggs. Fold in flour, spices, and fruit.
3. Spread half into lined tin; cover with marzipan disc; top with rest of batter.
4. Bake for 2 hrs until set. Brush with jam, add marzipan balls, grill lightly.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns are sweet, spiced yeast buns. They've been eaten on Good Friday for centuries. Marked with a cross, they're to Easter what pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving desserts.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 packet yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• ½ cup sugar, ½ cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins or currants

Instructions

1. Activate yeast in warm milk + sugar.
2. Mix flour, butter, egg, spices; add yeast mix. Knead for 10 min.
3. Rise for 1 hr; divide into 12 buns. Pipe crosses with flour paste.
4. Bake for 20 min at 400°F. Brush with sugar glaze.

Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)

This colourful Italian bread is braided and baked with dyed eggs inside. This is a great showstopper for your table. Delicious and symbolic, this is a sweet bread with hints of citrus. It's like the Easter version of panettone for Christmas.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs + 2 dyed eggs (decoration)
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 packet yeast
• Zest of 1 orange

Instructions

1. Make yeast dough with flour, milk, sugar, eggs, butter, zest. Knead.
2. Rise for 1 hr. Divide into 3 ropes; braid; tuck in dyed eggs.
3. Rise for 45 min. Bake for 30–35 min at 350°F.

Paska (Ukraine/Eastern Europe)

Paska is a bread baked in Eastern European homes to celebrate Easter. It's commonly decorated with braids or icing and is soft, eggy, and sweet. It's good on the day but can also be toasted the next morning.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup warm milk
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 packet yeast
• Raisins, citrus zest

Instructions

1. Make yeast dough with flour, milk, sugar, eggs, butter.
2. Knead; rise for 1 hr. Add raisins + zest.
3. Place in tall mould or pan; rise again.
4. Bake for 45 min at 350°F. Glaze if desired.

Pastiera Napoletana (Italy)

This Neapolitan tart is filled with ricotta, wheat, candied citrus, and flavoured with orange blossom water. It's typically baked ahead of Easter so that the flavours can deepen as it rests. A unique addition to any holiday meal.

Ingredients

• Shortcrust pastry
• 1 cup cooked wheat (or rice)
• 2 cups ricotta
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup candied citrus peel
• 1 tsp orange blossom water

Instructions

1. Roll pastry into tart pan.
2. Mix wheat, ricotta, sugar, eggs, peel, flavouring.
3. Fill shell; top with pastry lattice.
4. Bake for 1 hr at 350°F.

Italian Easter Rice Pie (Pastiera di Riso)

This is a lighter version of pastiera. It uses rice simmered in milk for the filling and is creamy, fragrant, and sweet. If you love custard pies, this is a great option.

Ingredients

• Shortcrust pastry
• 1 cup cooked rice in milk
• 1½ cups ricotta
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp orange zest

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix rice, ricotta, sugar, eggs, zest.
3. Pour into lined tart shell.
4. Bake for 45–50 min until golden.

Colomba di Pasqua (Italy)

The "Easter Dove" is an Italian bread similar to panettone. As the name suggests, it's in the shape of a dove. Top it with almonds and pearl sugar, and it makes a great centrepiece.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup candied peel
• Almond glaze, pearl sugar
• 1 packet yeast

Instructions

1. Make enriched yeast dough with flour, sugar, eggs, butter.
2. Rise for 2 hrs. Knead in peel.
3. Shape in dove mould. Proof for 1 hr.
4. Glaze with almonds + sugar; bake for 40–45 min at 350°F.

Polish Easter Babka

Babka is a tall, yeasted cake that's baked in a bundt pan and glazed with icing. Rich and airy, it's flavoured with citrus or raisins. This is a classic Polish treat, and it's delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup warm milk
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 packet yeast
• Raisins, zest (optional)

Instructions

1. Make dough with flour, milk, yeast, eggs, butter, sugar.
2. Rise for 1 hr. Pour into bundt pan.
3. Rise again; bake for 40–45 min at 350°F.
4. Glaze or sugar-coat.

Carrot Cake

Great in spring, a moist carrot cake is a welcome addition to Easter dinners. It's one of the best Easter desserts in the US and beyond. Spices, carrot, and even sometimes pineapple give it its signature flavour. The dark colours and orange decoration mean you could also adapt carrot cake into a Halloween dessert if you're looking for ideas.

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated carrots
• 2 cups flour
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg
• Cream cheese frosting

Instructions

1. Mix flour, sugar, spices.
2. Beat in eggs + oil. Stir in carrots.
3. Bake in two pans at 350°F for 35 min.
4. Frost with cream cheese icing.

You could also try this carrot cake recipe, too. Play around until you find your own recipe.

Easter Lamb Cake

This cake is baked in a lamb-shaped mold and decorated with frosting and coconut for the "wool". In many American homes, especially those in the Midwest, this cute and festive dessert is a cherished tradition. Thanks to its aesthetic, it also doubles as decoration.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Frosting, shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Make cake batter. Grease lamb mould; pour in batter.
3. Bake for 50–60 min. Cool, frost, decorate with coconut "wool."

Fruity and Spring Desserts

Since Easter falls in spring, it's a great time to make lighter and fruitier recipes. Citrus, berries, and even tropical flavours can brighten a spread and balance out some of the heavier foods you might be serving. Here are some Easter dessert ideas that are refreshing and colourful.

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are bright and tangy and can offer a refreshing alternative to traditional Easter desserts. They're also easy to make ahead of time. Complete with a buttery crust and zesty lemon filling, they won't last long once they're brought out.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup lemon juice + zest

Instructions

1. Bake crust for 15 min at 350°F.
2. Mix eggs, sugar, lemon juice.
3. Pour over crust; bake for 20 min. Cool, cut.

Strawberry Shortcake

Sweet cream biscuits with strawberries and whipped cream make for a great dessert. Fresh and fruity, strawberry shortcake is excellent for the spring. This Easter dessert also adds a nice splash of colour to your table.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup cream
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced + sugared
• Whipped cream

Instructions

1. Make biscuit dough; bake for 15 min.
2. Split biscuits; fill with strawberries + cream.

Coconut Cream Pie

It's hard to resist a coconut cream pie. A flaky crust, creamy coconut custard, and whipped cream combine to create a delicious and tropical treat. It's also a nice change from some of the heavier desserts out there.

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust
• 2 cups milk or coconut milk
• 3 egg yolks
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• Whipped cream

Instructions

1. Bake crust; cool.
2. Make coconut custard; pour into crust.
3. Chill for 2 hrs; top with cream + coconut.

Mini Cheesecakes

You can bake individual cheesecakes in muffin tins. Top them with pastel candies for that Easter aesthetic or use fruit or whipped cream. Fun and versatile, they're great for Easter parties.

Ingredients

• 1 cup graham crumbs + ¼ cup butter
• 1 and 3/4 cups cream cheese
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Press crumbs into muffin cups.
3. Beat cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla. Pour, bake for 20 min.
4. Chill; top with berries/candy.

Raspberry Tart

The crisp crust and creamy filling of a raspberry tart are sure to be welcome in most homes. Use tart raspberries to balance the sweetness. This is an elegant and light dessert option for Easter.

Ingredients

• Sweet pastry crust
• 2 cups pastry cream
• 2 cups fresh raspberries

Instructions

1. Bake tart shell.
2. Fill with pastry cream.
3. Arrange raspberries on top. Chill.

Pavlova

This meringue-based dessert has a crisp shell and gooey inside. Topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, it's a great-looking and great-tasting option. Since it's so airy, it tastes delicious without being heavy.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vinegar
• Whipped cream + fruit

Instructions

1. Whip whites + sugar to stiff peaks. Fold in starch + vinegar.
2. Bake low at 250°F 90 min.
3. Cool in the oven. Top with cream + fruit.

Cute Easter Treats for Kids

No Easter celebration is complete without activities for the kids. Why not make dessert one of them? Here are some easy Easter desserts that kids can join in with.

Bunny Sugar Cookies

When it comes to bunny sugar cookies, it's as much about making them as it is eating them. Kids love decorating these cookies with sprinkles and candies. A festive and cute Easter dessert that doubles as a fun activity for the little ones.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Royal icing

Instructions

1. Make cookie dough; chill for 1 hr.
2. Roll, cut bunny shapes; bake for 10 min at 350°F.
3. Cool; decorate with icing.

Chocolate Bird’s Nest Cookies

Chocolate and crunchy noodles for the nest with pastel candy eggs. These are a quick, no-bake option. Kids and adults will love making them as much as they enjoy eating them.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chow mein noodles
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup peanut butter
• Candy eggs

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate + peanut butter.
2. Stir in noodles; shape nests.
3. Cool; add candy eggs.

Rice Krispies Treat Eggs

Turn classic Rice Krispies treats into an egg shape for an Easter twist. Food coloring or hidden candy can make them even more fun. These are another dessert that kids can help make.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Rice Krispies
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 cups marshmallows
• Food colouring, candy fillings

Instructions

1. Melt butter + marshmallows. Stir in cereal.
2. Shape in greased egg moulds.
3. Cool, decorate.

Easter Chocolate Bark

Melted chocolate with candy eggs and sprinkles. Simple to make, even easier to break into pieces and eat. A fun Easter treat for the whole family.

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/3 cups chocolate (white/dark)
• 1 cup candy eggs
• Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate; spread on a lined tray.
2. Top with candies + sprinkles.
3. Chill; break into pieces.