35 Easter Appetizer Recipes for the Perfect Easter Brunch
What better way to embrace the spring season’s joyous vibes than by gathering friends and family for a festive Easter brunch? Whether you’re hosting an egg hunt for the little ones or simply relishing in the warmth of the season, a spread of delectable appetizers is sure to set the tone for a memorable gathering.
Check out our selection of Easter appetizer recipes designed to add a dash of springtime magic to your table.
1. Cheese & Bacon Filled Puff Pastry Carrots
If you’re in search of an inventive option this Easter, these puff pastry carrots filled with a delectable cheese, bacon, and chives cream are the perfect choice.
2. Taramosalata: Greek Fish Roe Dip
Salty, tangy, creamy, and bursting with umami flavor, taramosalata goes perfectly with Greek pita bread and olives. The process of making it is very much the same as making mayonnaise: you simply have to add oil slowly and steadily while mixing the fish roe until it emulsifies.
3. Easy Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs are a must for an Easter brunch – and this simple recipe bets on Dijon mustard and lemon juice to create just the right balance. Of course, you can add other ingredients to your egg filling, such as sriracha or harissa.
4. Mushroom Arancini
Arancini, an Italian appetizer originating from Sicily, has gained widespread popularity throughout Italy.
These golden, crispy spheres are stuffed with a savory blend of mushrooms, creamy risotto, and melted cheese, making them an irresistible treat for any occasion.
5. Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus with Reduced Balsamic
The crisp asparagus gets wrapped in slices of prosciutto – and adding a balsamic vinegar reduction hits the perfect taste trifecta: salty, sweet, and tangy. It’s a good choice for big brunches with a lot of people around, as it takes little time to make.
6. Creamy Tuna with Crackers
This is a fast and easy appetizer that bursts with flavor, and you need just a few ingredients to make it. Canned tuna is a very versatile protein, and, in this recipe, it’s turned into a delicious creamy spread, with tangy, briny, and sour notes from the capers.
7. Paska Bread with Sour Cream
This delicious Easter dessert is very popular in Eastern Europe and has much in common with a cheesecake, except that it uses sour cream instead of cheese. Because of that, it’s creamier than your regular cheesecake and with intense tangy notes that make it irresistible.
8. Fried Cheese Balls
Fried cheese balls are a crowd-pleaser – and this recipe will make everyone, kids and adults, very happy. They’re made with Parmesan, so you know that the taste will be amazing. You can serve them with a dipping sauce of your choosing, but something sweet and spicy works perfectly.
9. Shrimp Pasta Salad
Fresh, colorful, filling, and delicious – everything a spring dish should be. The combination of basil pesto and yogurt with some olive oil makes for a vibrant and fragrant dressing, while the protein from shrimp and boiled eggs turn it into a healthy, full meal.
10. Hungarian Easter Twisted Bread (Fonott Kalács)
This Hungarian dessert will remind you of Italian Pandoro – it’s a fermented dough enriched with butter, milk, and eggs. It’s not overly sweet, and has a springy and soft consistency. It keeps very well for a few days, in an airtight container.
11. Tahini & Lemon Asparagus Soup
This recipe makes creative use of asparagus, and the end result is a soup with earthy, nutty, and tangy notes. With its unique, bright green color, it definitely is an exquisite starter for your family’s Easter lunch.
12. Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Mushrooms are always delicious, but, in this recipe, they’re stuffed with Italian sausage, cream cheese, Parmesan, and herbs – and topped with breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter. That pretty much says it all. You can prepare the mushrooms ahead of time and bake them right before serving.
13. Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie (Spanakotiropita)
After heavy winter meals, welcome the spring with this pie that’s full of greens and aromatic herbs – plus some creamy feta cheese. The crunchy phyllo pastry is the cherry on top. You can prepare this appetizer ahead of time. It’s one of the most popular Greek Easter foods.
14. Lemon Basil Orzo Salad
This salad is colorful and reminiscent of spring – but it’s also quite filling, with ingredients such as orzo, avocado, and beans. However, the real kick comes from the amazing dressing, based on lemon juice and basil, balanced with maple syrup, tahini, and pine nuts.
15. Asparagus Puff Pastry
These starters look fancy, taste amazing, and are a breeze to make. Use store bought puff pastry dough and fresh asparagus for the recipe. The mayonnaise and Dijon mustard spread use for the inside of the pastries adds a burst of flavor, while the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese are perfect pairings for the asparagus.
16. Crab Cups with Dill & Mandarins
This is a simple yet very impressive appetizer, consisting of phyllo (or any other type of pastry) cups filled with crab meat and mandarin slices. The crab meat is mixed with mayonnaise, fresh cream, and dill, making it creamy and flavorful, while the canned mandarin brings sweet and tangy notes.
17. Croatian Easter Bread (Pinca)
This Croatian sweet bread is truly a treat, enriched with raisins and flavored with rum and citrus zest. You can have it for breakfast, next to your drink of choice, or as a welcomed addition to your Easter brunch spread.
18. Hortopita: Greek Greens Pie
A multitude of greens come together in this delicious and healthy pie that smells and tastes of spring. Leeks, spinach, chard, chervil, dill, are just some of the ingredients of this Greek appetizer perfect for Easter.
19. Mediterranean Fish Soup with Shrimp & Mussels
This is a light, yet satisfying soup. Start by making a fish stock, then enrich it with seafood, herbs and veggies, and spices. It certainly stands out at any meal, and your guests will be more than impressed by this delicious dish.
20. Ukrainian Borscht
With its rich, deep red color, Ukrainian borscht is a festive dish perfect for all special occasions. The earthy flavor from the beets is perfectly complemented by the tanginess of the vinegar and the sweet and creamy notes lent by the rest of the veggies and the sour cream.
21. Torta Pasqualina with Chards and Ricotta
An iconic Italian Easter dish, this savory pie hails from the Liguria region and combines some of the first greens of spring, sweet chards, with creamy, rich ricotta, cherry tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. The flaky crust makes it even more irresistible.
22. Taralli Recipe (Italian Pretzels)
This classic Italian snack has just a few ingredients – basically, all you need is white flour, white wine, and olive oil. And, of course, your favorite herbs and spices. Traditionally, the pretzels are flavored with fennel, caraway, or thyme seeds, but you can let your imagination fly.
23. Caprese Salad
This quintessential Italian dish, with its bright colors and fresh flavors, will look amazing on your Easter brunch table. Just make sure you are getting high quality ingredients, as they can make or break the entire dish.
24. Taramokeftedes: Greek Fish Roe Fritters
These fish roe fritters will satisfy your cravings for crunchy, salty appetizers – it’s a great recipe to make when you have stale bread in the kitchen. The fish roe and stale bread mix is flavored with herbs and spices, and deep fried in sunflower oil.
25. Apple Gorgonzola Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette
If you’re in the mood for something sophisticated and impressive yet easy to put together, then this salad is just the thing for you. Sweet and salty, and a little bit tangy from the vibrant blueberry dressing, it works perfectly alongside a light, spring-themed menu.
26. Radicchio Salad with Blue Cheese, Honeyed Walnuts and Cabernet
Tender spring greens such as radicchio and watercress are paired with blue cheese and walnuts roasted with honey and Cabernet grapes. The result is a cozy, delicious salad that’s crunchy, sweet, and salty, all at once.
27. Easter Charcuterie Board
Big meals with your entire family or group of friends are one of the best things about Easter – and you don’t even have to cook for hours. Put together a charcuterie board with meats, cheeses and veggies, throw in some breads, spreads and dips, and enjoy the company, instead of slaving away in the kitchen.
28. Chimichurri & Shrimp Salad
The shrimp in this recipe gets brightened by the fresh chimichurri dressing, while the chili pepper brings a little bit of a kick. It’s a great starter for an elegant lunch or dinner, or a nice addition to a buffet-style meal.
29. Tomato Mozzarella Bruschetta
Simple yet perfect, these delicious Italian appetizers will enchant your guests. You need some crusty bread that toasts well and fully ripened tomatoes. The purple onion adds crunchiness, while the balsamic vinegar brings all the flavors together.
30. Crispy Rice with Creamy Salmon Tartare
Crunchy and creamy textures and delectable salmon tartare that borrows some heat from sriracha – these bite-size appetizers will elevate your dining experience. Making the crispy rice takes a little bit of time, but it’s well worth it.
31. Turkish Köfte Recipe
These tasty meatballs made of beef and lamb can be an appetizer or even the main course next to a side dish and a salad. They are equally delicious warm or cold, which means that you can prepare them a day in advance.
32. Salată de Boeuf: Romanian Beef Salad
This colorful salad bets on root vegetables, meat, and pickles, to create the perfect combo of sweet and sour flavors. It’s also quite filling. Don’t skip making your own homemade mayonnaise: it’s a very important component of this beloved Romanian appetizer.
33. Easy Parmesan Scones Recipe
These scones are easy to make as they use baking powder as a rising agent instead of yeast. They’re also buttery, soft, and crumbly, and the Parmesan and basil combo takes them up a notch. If you feel creative, you can use other flavors as well.
34. Olive all’ Ascolana (Fried Stuffed Olives)
These fried balls of goodness contain olives, veggies, and meat (beef, chicken, and pork). The ingredients are mixed and stuffed inside green olives, breaded and deep-fried. The end result is a crunchy appetizer that literally bursts with flavor.
35. Turkey Scotch Eggs with Siracha Mayo
Eggs are the main star of Easter celebrations, so these scotch eggs made with turkey sausage hit just the right spot. There’s a modern twist to them, as ingredients such as ginger, anchovies, and confit onions are used for extra flavor.
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