7 Deliciously Easy Easter Brunch Recipes Your Guests Will Love

This Sunday is Easter and if you’re celebrating you’re probably trying to pull together a menu right about now. Especially if you forgot it was Easter until a few days ago because the actual date of this holiday fluctuates, so it seems to just suddenly appear on the calender and you can never keep track. It works for a holiday with food traditions that can play fast and loose themselves. Sure, a ham is usually cooked and some sort of roll is usually made but you’re not tied down to these traditions as much as you are on days like Thanksgiving, or even Christmas. In keeping with that spirit, below are some of my favorite recipes that might not scream “EASTER!” at first glance, but are perfect for a brunch on this Sunday.

Image Credit: Michelle Lettrich

Coffee Cake Muffins {via cook’s illustrated via alexandra cooks}
I am having a hell of a time trying to describe these without sounding hyperbolic or exaggeratory because the only words coming out right now are exactly that: “the best” “so amazing you’ll want to die” and “you won’t be able to stop thinking about them, ever.” If you are a coffeecake muffin fan, you’ve got to make these for Sunday. I only made them for the first time a few months ago and have already made them multiple times since. Hands down the best muffin that has ever come out of my kitchen and that’s saying something from a girl who makes muffins quite often. These have pecans in them so if you have a nut allergy just replace the nuts with an equal amount of oats and it’ll work beautifully.

Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Gruyere Strata {via bobby flay}
Even at brunches, strata’s don’t really get their due. The token savory dish seems to be a frittata or quiche but I think that strata’s are much more interesting then either of those. Essentially a savory bread pudding, a strata has the leg up on other egg dishes because it includes bread. Bread being involved just makes everything better, especially when it’s left for hours to soak in a custard and then baked until it’s gooey on the inside and crusty on the outside. This particular strata—with all it’s caramelized onion, spinach, and melty, nutty gruyere goodness—is the ultimate savory centerpiece for your brunch. Bobby Flay sautes cherry tomatoes to put on top, which only pumps up the flavor, but isn’t entirely necessary if you’re looking to cut some corners.

Image Credit: dolanh on flickr

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding {via brown eyed baker}
Not everybody digs savory brunch dishes so to make everyone happy, serve this cinnamon roll bread pudding alongside the strata. If there will be kids (or me) at your house, I have to imagine they’ll choose this one over the savory strata too. Where the spinach and gruyere might be too much for them, the cinnamon and sugar will be just right. This bread pudding uses cubed cinnamon rolls in place of the bread—that’s right, cut up CINNAMON ROLLS are the base of this dish. You can be an overachiever and make cinnamon rolls from scratch a day early to use but when they are going to be soaking in an egg-y custard, I see no problem with making the ones right out of a can.

White Pizza Dip {via how sweet eats}
Out of everything here, this might be the dish that disappears the quickest. Sure it seems like it’s “only a dip” but when said dip has 4 different cheeses, roasted grape tomatoes, fresh herbs, and is baked until bubbly…can the word “only” still be applied? If you are a white pizza or just a cheese fan, this might be the best dip you’ve ever had. If you are alive, this might be the best dip you ever had. I strongly suggest that you time this so it comes out of the oven once your guests are already there, otherwise you are going to need to pray for the willpower of a thousand burning suns to keep you from digging into this before company arrives. I speak only from experience.

Pasta Primavera {via giada de laurentiis}
The quintessential spring pasta dish. Pasta Primavera is such a lovely dish to make this time of year because it uses so many of the vegetables that are coming into season. This pasta this actually meant to be served warm and as a main dish, but I really love serving it cold and having it be a pasta salad on the side. If this is your plan too I’d highly suggest making this tomorrow and then letting it sit in the fridge over night. The flavors will meld together even more, it’ll be perfectly cold for Sunday, and the best part? One less thing you have to worry about the morning of.

Image Credit: Jessica Merchant

Carrot Cake {via alton brown}
Why is it that Carrot Cake is associated with Easter? I’ve always wondered why of all the cakes to be linked with Easter, it’s one whose flavors actually go more in line with Fall that was picked. Is it because of the animal that’s become the mascot for the holiday? That somehow carrots being his favorite food means we need to make this cake on Sunday and then promptly forget about it for the next 364 days? No matter the reason, no complaints here, because carrot cake is actually one of my favorite types of cake. Spice cakes are often forgotten in a sea of chocolate and vanilla but in my experience they almost always have a flavor and moistness that can sometimes be lacking in their more-popular counterparts. Carrots lend their juices and sweetness here, which is really what sets this cake apart from the others.

White Strawberry-Lemon Sangria {via kitchen treaty}
Every brunch needs booze because it’s technically not brunch until you pour some alcohol into juice. I love drinking Sangria on Easter because Spring just began, meaning lots of delicious berries and summer fruits are making their way into season. Muddling them with wine and some sparkling juice/soda/whatever you’d like really gets me excited for all the nice weather we’re about to have (especially after the brutal Winter many of us experienced). White wine sangria like this one is my favorite to drink around this time, but there’s nothing wrong with the traditional red wine sangria either.

What do you make on Easter? Do you have a brunch or celebrate with dinner?