If you’re looking for Easter dessert recipes to serve as the finale at an Easter meal, I have you covered. Light and fresh springtime flavors abound, like lush lemon, fluffy coconut, and juicy berries. And you may be surprised at how easy it is to make homemade Easter chocolates, like these peanut butter Easter eggs and chocolate buttercream Easter egg candies.
And if carrot cake is on the menu (a certain somebunny’s favorite!), I have several variations.
Easter Dessert Ideas
As a published baking cookbook author, I’ve made my fair share of seasonal and holiday treats. I particularly love Easter desserts because they’re filled with fresh flavors, florals, lots of lemon and coconut, plus plenty of pretty pastel colors.
Whether you’re planning an Easter brunch or dinner, my team and I know first-hand that hosting, cooking, and/or baking adds a lot to your plate (literally). Plus, it can feel overwhelming to select a dessert for a holiday! We want to make it easier for you to find dependable recipes that turn out right and always taste delicious.
*On the first try.*
The following list includes some of my highest-rated Easter dessert recipes—from show-stopping cakes to easy kid-approved goodies—each reviewed and loved by bakers around the world. I have a lot of Easter dessert ideas, so let’s hop to it!
My favorite? Easter cookies are always a specialty, and a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially if you have young bakers looking for an activity. Break out those cookie decorating supplies!
Are you thinking about brunch? My Easter brunch recipes page has all my favorites for the holiday.
30+ Favorite Easter Dessert Recipes
Easter Sugar Cookies
These festive Easter Cookies are soft and buttery with hints of vanilla and almond. Pretty in pastel shades, they’re decorated like PEEPS-inspired bunnies, Easter eggs, and carrots. I have a couple icing recipes you can choose from depending how detailed you want to get with decorating.
My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe
This popular carrot cake sets the standard for carrot cakes everywhere. It’s deeply moist, filled with toasted pecans, and topped with classic cream cheese frosting. Most of its flavor comes from brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and carrots.
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
I tested this recipe until it was perfected with a creamy lush coconut filling, crispy pie crust, mounds of sweet whipped cream, and toasted coconut on top. This is so much more than vanilla pudding with coconut!
Beautiful Blackberry Lavender Cake
Blackberry and lavender flavors come together in this superbly moist and tender blackberry lavender cake. The reverse creaming method guarantees a soft crumb and the lavender milk and soaking syrup promise an aromatic, but not overpowering flavor.
Coconut Cheesecake Brownies
These coconut cheesecake brownies combine an easy homemade brownie batter with a coconut cream cheese swirl. They’re the perfect choice if you like your coconut with a side of chocolate (or vice versa)!
Coconut Easter Nest Cake
This beautiful springtime nest cake is easy enough for cake decorating beginners (and if you have any fledglings in your nest, they love to help). Top the subtly sweet coconut Bundt cake with creamy lemon cream cheese frosting, feathery sweetened coconut, and, of course, plenty of candy-coated chocolate eggs!
Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies
You need just 9 easy ingredients to make these soft drop sugar cookies. No rolling pin or cookie cutters required! Press a few jellybeans into the warm cookies after baking for a simple yet festive Easter treat nobunny could resist.
Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
This super popular lemon cake is moist and soft, somewhere between a vanilla layer cake and pound cake. Silky cream cheese frosting is the perfect finishing touch to this zingy blueberry-speckled beauty—it literally tastes like spreadable cheesecake.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These carrot cake cupcakes are everything you love about the cake—outstanding spice flavor, super moist crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting—in a portioned cupcake wrapper!
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
My lemon meringue pie recipe has a billowy and toasty meringue topping, a balanced sweet/tart lemon filling, and an extra thick and flaky pie crust. I worked on this recipe for a long time, making at least a dozen meringue pies until it was perfect.
Easter Egg Peanut Butter Candies (GF)
Everyone’s favorite dessert flavor combination comes together in these easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter Easter egg candies! They’re like a homemade version of the popular Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, only a bit softer and sweeter, which makes the crisp coarse salt on top a wonderful addition.
Easter Egg Buttercream Candies (GF)
A step away from the peanut butter version! You can flavor the buttercream filling with a variety of extracts, or even add shredded coconut. Give them a dunk in chocolate and let each bite completely melt in your mouth.
Lemon Bars With Shortbread Crust
Learn how to make the BEST lemon bars with a buttery shortbread crust and creamy thick lemon curd filling. Everyone needs this recipe. No need to cook the filling on the stovetop, either.
Fluffy & Moist Coconut Cake
Homemade with love for coconut enthusiasts everywhere, this coconut cake is flavorful, soft, and extra moist. Not a coconut lover? This cake will convert you.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
With its caramelized brown sugar fruit topping and soft, buttery cake below, this pineapple upside down cake is a fun retro favorite. The fruit juices seep down into the cake, adding even more luscious flavor and texture.
Homemade Banana Cream Pie
Creamy and smooth from-scratch custard joins bananas, whipped cream, and a buttery flaky pie crust to make one epic banana cream pie. This classic dessert is an excellent make-ahead option because the layered beauty needs to set before garnishing and serving.
Strawberry Coconut Macaroons (GF)
Delicious gluten-free strawberry coconut macaroons are moist and chewy on the inside and slightly crisp around the edges. Speckled pink with fresh, sweet strawberries, these cookies are incredibly easy!
Cheesecake Swirl Carrot Bundt Cake
This carrot Bundt cake is rich, tender, and flavorful just like my original carrot cake recipe, and rippled through each slice is a creamy ribbon of cheesecake. No complicated assembling, piping tips, or frosting techniques required!
Perfect No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe
And 1 more! By following this easy no-bake cheesecake recipe, you’ll be gifted with a smooth, light, and creamy dessert that sets up beautifully in the refrigerator. (Another ideal make-ahead dessert!)
Coconut Chocolate Easter Cupcakes
These ganache-filled Easter cupcakes feature the most moist and deeply chocolate cupcake ever, and a smooth tangy coconut cream cheese frosting. Top with coconut and festive Easter egg candies.
Caramel Coconut Macaroon Thumbprints (GF)
These naturally gluten-free caramel coconut macaroon thumbprints are sweet, moist, and chewy, with a delightfully crisp and toasty exterior. This upgraded version features a decadent pool of salted caramel in the center, and a drizzle of chocolate to top it all off.
Greek Yogurt Lemon Bars
With only 8 ingredients, these bars are perfectly balanced—not too sweet—allowing the bright, bold lemon flavor to take center stage. If you love tart and tangy lemon flavor and creamy, dreamy desserts, you’ll love these!
Hummingbird Bundt Cake
With its signature flavors of banana, pineapple, pecans, and spice, this hummingbird Bundt cake is topped with a cinnamon-spiced cream cheese frosting and more toasted pecans for a truly memorable dessert.
Iced Lemon Pound Cake
This bright and cheery citrus version of pound cake is supremely moist and bursting with lemon flavor. A creamy lemon icing that sets on top is the only decorating this small-yet-stunning cake requires.
Angel Food Cake
You only need 6 simple ingredients to bake this beautifully tall, light, and airy angel food cake. Each delicate, cloud-like piece pairs perfectly with fresh whipped cream and seasonal berries.
Lemon Berry Trifle
This show-stopping lemon berry trifle recipe includes lemon pound cake, fresh berries, a lemon cheesecake filling, and fresh whipped cream. Use store-bought cake if you’re short on time!
Caramelized Banana Pudding (With Cinnamon Whipped Cream)
Layers of brown sugar-caramelized bananas, from-scratch pudding, wafer cookies, and fluffy cinnamon-spiced whipped cream combine for one incredibly comforting dessert dish.
Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
This reader-favorite cake has been compared to a bright burst of sunshine! It has a soft, creamy, and buttery crumb, is filled with your choice of mixed berries, and is conveniently decorated with a simple lemon glaze.
Pistachio Drop Cookies
These soft and crumbly pistachio cookies are made from real pistachios and topped with a dreamy brown butter icing. The cookie dough is made from 6 easy ingredients and requires just 1 mixing bowl and only 30 minutes of dough chill time.
Blueberry Cream Cupcakes
Blueberry cream cupcakes feature plenty of vanilla flavor and juicy blueberries. Top with a lightly sweetened lemony whipped cream cheese frosting and they’ll be a new favorite at first bite!
Gluten-Free Easter Dessert Ideas
Just in case you’re looking for gluten-free options, here are a few:
And, finally, here is a super simple recipe for Easter Bunny Bark. You’ll need 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (or milk chocolate) and 8 ounces of white chocolate, plus your favorite Easter candies.
Description
You need just a couple ingredients for this super easy Easter dessert recipe. Kids love to help sprinkle on the candies!
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate. Use a double boiler or microwave. If using the microwave, stop and stir the chocolate every 20 seconds to help avoid seizing. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread out into a large rectangle. Set in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes or until no longer wet-looking.
- During this time, melt the white chocolate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before pouring on top of the cold bottom layer. (The high heat on the cold bottom layer may prevent the two layers from sticking together.) Spread the white chocolate into an even layer on top, then decorate with candies.
- Allow the bark to set at room temperature in a cool, dry environment—this usually takes around 45 minutes. If needed, you can stick it in the refrigerator to help speed things up. Once hardened, break into pieces as large or as small as you want.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Store bark in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Double Boiler or Glass Mixing Bowl
- Chocolate: Do not use chocolate chips or morsels. Pure chocolate is best for easy melting and best taste. I like Ghirardelli, Baker’s, Lindt, or Trader Joe’s pound plus bars.
And don’t forget about classic hot cross buns, which can be served any time of day!
