25 Easter Dessert Recipes for a Show-Stopping Centerpiece
Make your Sunday celebration even sweeter with stunning pies, cakes, and cupcakes galore!
Everyone knows that Easter is one of the sweetest holidays around, thanks (in no small part!) to marshmallow Peeps, chocolate bunnies, and candy-filled Easter eggs. But if you're planning a full menu, you'll want to save room for more than just store-bought Easter candy. This list of homemade Easter desserts is here to help, with delicious options for every kind of sweet tooth.
Whether you’re serving a big Easter brunch or a plated Easter dinner, these treats will end your special meal on the sweetest note. You’ll find seasonal flavors like bright lemon, sweet strawberry, nutty coconut, and spiced carrot cake, plus lots of festive toppings, like pastel-colored candy, edible flowers, and cheery sprinkles. A few of these desserts are even shaped like the Easter bunny or Easter eggs!
If you’re short on time and need something quick and easy, no-bake Easter desserts are a game changer. But for an impressive centerpiece that’s guaranteed to wow your guests, opt for one of the many show-stopping treats below, such as a towering carrot cake trifle or an elegant lemon tart. Hosting a large group? There are plenty of choices perfect for feeding a crowd, like Easter cookies that yield 40 servings or strawberry cupcakes that come in a batch of two dozen. You’ll even spot hassle-free recipes that the kids can lend a hand with!
No matter what, every recipe on this list is fun, flavorful, and easy to pull off. From rich cheesecakes to refreshing pies, these Easter desserts will make your Sunday celebration one for the books!
Bird’s Nest Cookies
Topped with pastel candy-coated chocolate eggs and fluffy yellow Peeps, these bird’s nest cookies will look adorable on your Easter table. Since the prep takes just five minutes, you can easily make them with the kids—even up to five days ahead!
Get Ree’s Bird's Nest Cookies recipe.
Carrot Cake Cobbler
Give classic carrot cake a fun upgrade by turning it into a gooey cobbler—topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, of course! This Easter dessert gets its ultra-moist texture from a quirky baking method that involves dousing the batter in boiling water before sliding the skillet into the oven.
Lemon Bars
These lemon bars will add a cheery pop of color to your Easter dessert spread. Each square has a buttery crust, a silky-smooth citrus filling, and a soft powdered sugar dusting that’s utterly divine. They’re part sweet, part tangy, and wholly irresistible.
Get Ree’s Lemon Bars recipe.
Coconut Pound Cake
Whether you serve it during Easter brunch, grab a slice for a midday pick-me-up, or dig in after Easter dinner, this coconut pound cake will be a big hit! Moist cake coated in a thick glaze and crunchy coconut shavings is an Easter dessert worth celebrating.
Get Ree’s Coconut Pound Cake recipe.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
A pretty pink treat deserves a spot on your Easter dessert table, especially when it’s bursting with the sweet taste of seasonal strawberries! The velvety cheesecake layer is stuffed with strawberry swirls and layered with a dense cookie crust.
Get the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Easter Bark
This colorful no-bake bark is almost too cute to eat. Swirled candy melts, pastel sprinkles, and chocolate candies make it the perfect Easter basket treat—and the kids can help decorate, too!
Get the Easter Bark recipe.
Easter Egg Cookies
These rich chocolate cookies are rolled in sprinkles and topped with candy eggs for a treat that's just as festive as it is delicious. Make them ahead or bake them as a fun activity on Easter Sunday. Either way, they'll go fast!
Get the Easter Egg Cookies recipe.
Carrot Cake Trifle
A towering trifle is as impressive as it gets, but making it is pretty easy. In fact, you can use boxed carrot cake mix, then layer it up with whipped cream, pudding, and crushed cookies. For the finishing touch, add candied carrots on top!
Get the Carrot Cake Trifle recipe.
Lemon-Blueberry Sheet Cake
If you're a fan of Ree's famous chocolate sheet cake, you'll love this fruity version that's perfect for spring. It's moist, zesty, and oh-so-easy to whip up!
Get Ree's Lemon-Blueberry Sheet Cake recipe.
No-Bake Easter Cheesecake
This festive cheesecake has a coconut-graham cracker crust, a creamy filling with crushed chocolate eggs, and sweet little chocolate nests on top. It doesn't require an oven, which means more space for your Easter ham!
Get the No-Bake Easter Cheesecake recipe.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These tender, spiced cupcakes are a sweet twist on Ree's all-time favorite carrot cake. Topped with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of pecans, they're perfect for Easter potlucks or spring get-togethers.
Get Ree's Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe.
Baklava Bites
You'll certainly find baklava during Orthodox Easter celebrations, but you don't have to be Greek to enjoy the nutty sweetness. This version is easier to assemble thanks to store-bought shells.
Get the Baklava Bites recipe.
Lemon Cake
This gorgeous cake is sure to steal the spotlight at your holiday celebration! It’s bright, elegant, and decorated with pretty white chocolate curls and edible flowers.
Get the Lemon Cake recipe.
Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
Chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven, but the combo is even cuter when it's shaped like Easter eggs! They look just like the store-bought variety, but with fun sprinkles and decorations to boot.
Get the Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs recipe.
Coconut Cream Pie
This classic pie recipe will make you feel like a kid again. It’s both comforting and tropical all at the same time thanks to the buttery crust and silk coconut custard.
Get the Coconut Cream Pie recipe.
Strawberry Pavlova
This light, airy meringue looks impressive, but don't worry if it cracks! You'll cover it with a pile of sweet, juicy strawberries and whipped cream so no one will ever notice.
Get the Strawberry Pavlova recipe.
Carrot Cake
This carrot cake recipe has been part of Ree's collection of Easter desserts since she was a kid. It's "carrot-y and exceedingly spring-y," she says.
Get Ree's Carrot Cake recipe.
Bunny Cake
Thanks to boxed chocolate cake mix, you're just a hop, skip, and a jump away from this adorable bunny cake! Get the kids to help decorate the face and ears using coconut, sprinkles, and black licorice candy.
Get Ree's Bunny Cake recipe.
Easter Bread
As far as show-stoppers go, this Easter bread takes the cake! It's all thanks to the tender dough, the colorful dyed eggs, a sweet glaze, and some rainbow sprinkles.
Get the Easter Bread recipe.
Lemon Tart
This lemon tart is fabulously simple, but you can also dress it up with a few dollops of whipped cream. Either way, it's sure to impress!
Get the Lemon Tart recipe.
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