27 Easy Easter Desserts Anyone Can Make

Make Your Easter Even Sweeter With These Festive Desserts

By
Laurel Randolph
Photo of Laurel Randolph
Laurel Randolph
A fervid lover of the culinary arts and all things Instant Pot, Laurel has been writing about food for 10 years. One of her cookbooks was the #2 cookbook of 2017.
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Updated on 03/8/22
hollow chocolate easter egg hero

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Easter simply isn't Easter without delicious sweets. Instead of just inhaling bags of Cadbury eggs and marshmallow Peeps, make a homemade dessert for the whole family. These fun recipes are so easy that you can make them with kids and all can be prepared ahead of time. It'll free you up to enjoy the egg hunts and family meal while still ending on a sweet note.

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  • 01 of 27

    Ukrainian Easter Babka

    Ukrainian babka recipe

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Ukrainian babka and paska are two sweet yeast breads served at Easter. Unlike fluted Polish babka, Ukrainian babka is tall and cylindrical like Italian panettone. It can be iced or left plain.

  • 02 of 27

    Easy Hot Cross Buns

    Easy Hot Cross Buns

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

    Good Friday could never be the same without a warm, buttery hot cross bun. This hot cross bun recipe is an easier and lighter recipe than a traditional recipe, which requires a starter dough and a slow rise. The recipe may be quicker but in no way is the taste compromised: the sweet, spiced buns taste just as good as the traditional ones.

  • 03 of 27

    Zucchini Carrot Cake

    Zucchini Carrot Cake

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Homemade carrot cake with decadent cream cheese frosting is a perfect springtime dessert. This single-layer cake is even more tender with the addition of zucchini and crunch from pecans. It may easier than a layer cake, but is filled with just as much joy.

  • 04 of 27

    Pizzelle

    Pizzelle

    The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

    Italian pizzelle cookies are a beautiful treat for Easter and they freeze well so you can make them in advance. The delicately adorned and crisp waffle cookies are made in a special iron. You can stick with the anise-flavored batter or opt for vanilla, citrus, or chocolate cookies. They can even be shaped while still warm to hold custard, fruit, or whipped cream.

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  • 05 of 27

    Hollow Chocolate Easter Egg

    hollow chocolate easter egg hero

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

    Fill these beautiful, edible hollow chocolate eggs with candies, toys, love notes, or anything else you can think of! A homemade chocolate egg makes a wonderful, thoughtful Easter gift.

  • 06 of 27

    Classic Rhubarb Custard Pie

    Classic Rhubarb Custard Pie (With Crust Recipe)

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

    This fabulous rhubarb custard pie is a simple recipe, especially if you use a frozen or ready-made pie crust, it takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare. A small amount of nutmeg adds flavor to the pie but feel free to use ground cinnamon instead.

  • 07 of 27

    Easy Banana Pudding

    Easy banana pudding recipe

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

    Everyone loves banana pudding, and this version is as easy as it gets. Make a day or two in advance or whip it up an hour before eating—it'll taste great either way. The sweet, light dessert is an especially good way to end a big Easter meal.

  • 08 of 27

    Bunny Butt Cake

    bunny butt cake

     Leah Maroney

    This may look too cute to eat but coconut fans will not be able to resist this bunny butt cake. A coconut-flavored homemade cake batter is baked and then assembled, frosted, and covered in shredded coconut. Crushed Oreos are used for the dirt, green-tinted coconut for the grass, and pink jelly beans for the pads on the bunny's feet.

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  • 09 of 27

    Fresh Strawberry Cake

    Fresh strawberry cake recipe

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

    Fresh berries just taste like spring, and they're on full display in this simple but flavorful cake. If strawberries haven't arrived in your region of the country yet, use thawed, frozen strawberries. Add a few drops of red food coloring to prepared or homemade vanilla frosting for a pleasing pink hue.

  • 10 of 27

    Carrot Cake Cookies

    Carrot Cake Cookies

    The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

    Carrot Cake Cookies are the perfect mix of carrot cake and oatmeal cookies, and are an especially easy and unique Easter dessert. Color the cream cheese icing in pastel shades to make them holiday-ready.

  • 11 of 27

    Lemon Bars

    lemon bars stacked on a dessert plate
    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    The sweet flavor of lemon is ideal for a spring occasion. A perfect way to enjoy that taste is with delightfully delicious lemon bars. This particular recipe is heavy on the lemon, so they have a great zing trapped inside the fluffy cake.

  • 12 of 27

    Easy Macarons

    Easy Macarons

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

    Macarons are little delicacies that are surprisingly easier to make than you may think. These macarons are sure to impress anyone at Easter dinner. Plus, you can get creative with flavors and fillings.

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  • 13 of 27

    Coffee Meringues

    Coffee meringues recipe

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

    A light dessert that is easy to serve for Passover or Easter, these coffee meringues are sure to become a new family favorite. You can make these little cookies a few days in advance and they require just a few basic ingredients.

  • 14 of 27

    Cozonac: Romanian Easter Bread

    Cozonac: Romanian Easter and Christmas Bread

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

    Romanian Easter bread is a sweet bread that is a baker's dream. Traditionally served at Easter and Christmas, this slightly sweet yeasted bread recipe includes raisins, rum, and walnuts in a beautiful loaf to adorn your dinner table. Bulgarians call this bread kozunak. It's considered the Italian panettone of the Romanians.

  • 15 of 27

    Rosca De Pascua: Argentinian Ring Bread

    Argentinian Easter Bread

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

    Rosca de Pascua is a sweet brioche-like bread, shaped into a ring and decorated with pastry cream, nuts, fruits, and even chocolate eggs. In Argentina, this cake-like bread is popular on Easter Sunday; it is a close relative of many traditional European loaves of bread made during Easter as well as the New Orleans-style king cake traditionally enjoyed during Mardi Gras.

  • 16 of 27

    Babka Wielkanocna: Easy Polish Easter Babka

    Babka Wielkanocna: Easy Polish Easter Babka

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Babka is a sweet Polish yeast bread that can be made with rum-soaked raisins and iced, or left plain. It's an Easter favorite that often takes pride of place in a swięcone basket that is taken to church to be blessed on Easter Saturday. In fact, every Eastern European country has its own traditional Easter bread.

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  • 17 of 27

    Easter Cupcakes

    easter cupcake

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    These little bird nest cupcakes are perfectly cute for an Easter brunch. They’re so easy to make, but they look like they came from a professional bakery. All you need is your favorite cupcake (we included a recipe for a delicious lemon-vanilla cake), some cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut, and Easter egg candy. 

  • 18 of 27

    Italian Easter Cookies

    finished Italian Easter cookies

    These lightly sweet and adorable Italian Easter cookies go by many names, such as uncinetti, anginetti, and taralli dolci. No matter what you call them, these cookies are sure to be a favorite at your Easter brunch or supper. The little knots of sweet and tender dough are coated in a lemony icing and topped with cute, festive sprinkles.

  • 19 of 27

    Thin Mint Cookie Pie

    thin mint cookie pie

    The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

    Try something a little different this holiday. Thin Mint cookie pie is cool, creamy, and full of chocolate and mint flavor. The crust is made from your favorite Girl Scout cookies, and some of them are crushed inside the creamy filling too. It’s topped with whipped cream and more crushed cookies.

  • 20 of 27

    Italian Easter Bread

    Traditional Italian Easter Bread

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

    A festive recipe with a delightful icing, an Italian Easter bread is a fantastic way to show off your baking skills. You can form small loaves or have fun braiding this bread. Either way, you'll love the sweet taste of lemon and anise inside each bite.

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  • 21 of 27

    Strawberry Poke Cake

    Strawberry Poke Cake pieces on plates

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

    A poke cake is one of the most delightful and easiest desserts to prepare. The cake itself is made from a boxed cake mix that is "poked" when warm, creating tunnels into the cake. Boiling water mixed with powdered gelatin is then poured over the warm cake and the brightly-colored liquid goes create a "leopard-striped" slice. A thick topping of whipped cream serves as the frosting. 

  • 22 of 27

    Sweet Easter Bread With Sprinkles

    Sweet Easter Bread With Sprinkles

    The Spruce / Sonia Bozzo

    Surprise your family Easter morning with a freshly baked loaf of this soft and sweet yeast bread coated with a glaze and cute colored sprinkles, similar to a traditional Italian Easter bread. The dough is studded with raisins and tinged with orange zest, making for a bread with a bit of tang and nice texture.

  • 23 of 27

    Easter Rice Krispies Treats

    Easter Rice Krispies Treats
    Kellogg's.

    Rice Krispies treats are easily sculpted into cute little baskets for this egg hunt treat. Top with dyed-green shredded coconut and jelly beans or chocolate eggs for a holiday-ready dessert.

  • 24 of 27

    Easter Egg Cake Pops

    Easter Egg Cake Pops

    The Spruce / Elizabeth LaBau 

    Another fun project for kids and adults alike, these Easter Egg Cake Pops are a totally adorable crowd-pleaser. Customize your pops by using whichever cake and frosting flavors you like. Get creative and decorate them with candies, colored sugar, sprinkles, and more.

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  • 25 of 27

    Pavlova

    New Zealand-Style Pavlova

    The Spruce 

    Pavlova's can be intimidating, but it's all about the success of the meringue. To get more volume, it's necessary to have the egg whites at room temperature before beating them. A variety of fruit can be used, including berries, kiwi, and bananas.

  • 26 of 27

    Easy Strawberry Shortcut Cake

    Easy Strawberry Shortcut Cake

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

    The shortcut is in the simple cake mix base, and fresh strawberries make it taste and look completely homemade. The one-layer cake is baked and then inverted to reveal the strawberry and marshmallow topping. Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh sliced strawberries for the garnish.

  • 27 of 27

    Basque Burnt Cheesecake

    basque cheesecake with slice removed and placed on plate

    The Spruce / Michael Young

    This seemingly "burnt" cheesecake—inspired by the ones found in Spain's Basque region—bakes at a high temperature for an extended amount of time to achieve its signature intense caramel crust. The outside layer forms a protective barrier between the smooth high-fat batter which sets beautifully once thoroughly cooled.