Benjamin Dearnley
Mix and match these Easter lunch recipes for an impressive long weekend lunch. We have everything from canapés and extraordinary side dishes to show-stopping mains and desserts worthy of a festive gathering.
Start your Easter feast off right with Dan Pepperell’s devilled Easter eggs for a retro throwback, or opt for Pinbone’s anchovy and tomato bruschetta. For mains, we’ve gone beyond our top lamb recipes, rabbit and fish dishes; and we bring the humble carrot to life with Ester‘s recipe for carrots with garlic, ginger, and smoked chilli butter. For more excellent Easter recipes, we have fish dishes for Good Friday, our best baking recipes for Easter and a selection of our all-time favourite Easter recipes.
For dessert, we turn our attention to more traditional Easter dessert recipes such as Russian kulich and Greek Tsoureki, plus some crispy hot cross bun-inspired cannoli. But for more decadent desserts, check out our best Easter dessert recipes, Easter-appropriate cakes, and chocolate recipes for Easter — from a decadent ganache tart to Flour & Stone’s flourless wonder. Of course we have recipes for hot cross buns, too.
Here are out best Easter lunch recipes to impress your guests over the holiday.
The best Easter lunch recipes for 2026
Barbecued butterflied lamb leg with green fattoush and mint yoghurt
Boldly spiced lamb balanced with a refreshing mint yoghurt and fattoush — this lamb dish has it all.
Roast pumpkin, labneh and hazelnuts
Lightly roasted pumpkin paired with creamy labneh and hazelnuts is a match made in heaven.
Spanish devilled eggs with crisp jamón
Devilled eggs are a retro cocktail party classic, and this Spanish twist amps up the flavour.
Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with rosemary pesto
Succulent lamb with a swipe of this herbaceous rosemary pesto is a flavourful take on the classic Sunday roast.
Crunchy chilli and lemon potatoes topped with goat’s cheese
Goat’s cheese adds a creamy finish to dreamy, roasted lemon potatoes.
Bodega’s hot cross buns recipe
This recipe offers a savoury take on classic hot cross buns, courtesy of Sydney’s Bodega.
Cheesy polenta chips with Manchego and bravas sauce
Our Spanish take on polenta fritti is all cheesy goodness.
Spiced apple lattice pie with ginger semifreddo
Golden, flaky goodness, made to bring cosy comfort during the cooler months.
Plum, blackberry and almond crostata
Serve this crostata with a scoop of vanilla gelato.
Christian Ryan’s fennel, honey and ouzo baba with peaches and cream
Flavours of fennel and honey give this baba a Greek upgrade.
Tuscan rosemary buns
Tired of your usual breakfast? These soft, savoury buns are the answer.
Soft garlic and poppyseed pretzels with wholegrain beer mustard
Recipe for soft garlic and poppyseed pretzels with wholegrain beer mustard.
What does it take to make the best hot cross buns?
We tested three hot cross bun versions from three cookbooks, and combined them to create the best hot cross buns recipe of all time.
Pinbone’s anchovy and tomato bruschetta
This simple appetiser is big on flavour, contrasting salty anchovies with the sweetness and bite of tomatoes. Every bite is like a taste of Italian summer.
Dan Pepperell’s devilled Easter eggs
Dan Pepperell recipe for devilled Easter eggs from 10 William St, Sydney.
Automata’s pickled eggs and onions
“These pickled eggs are a cross between an Asian style (with the boiled eggs soaked in soy sauce) and a European pickled egg,” says Clayton Wells. “They have added richness from the black garlic and from the herbs.”
10 William St’s kingfish ham
Recipe for kingfish ham by 10 William St chef Dan Pepperell.
Saint Peter’s cured ocean trout, fennel crème fraîche and brioche toast
Saint Peter’s cured ocean trout, fennel creme fraiche and brioche toast- For brioche dough, combine yeast and milk in a small jug and stand in warm place until foamy.
Danielle Alvarez’s slow-cooked ocean trout with peas, and Meyer lemon and fennel salsa
This recipe for slow-cooked ocean trout comes courtesy of chef Danielle Alvarez.
Roast ocean trout with cucumber and preserved lemon salad
Excellent served warm or cold, so you could cook the trout a day ahead and just whip up the salad before serving.
Eight-hour lamb shoulder with pearl couscous and labne
The ultimate Sunday roast.
Pinbone’s lamb shoulder ragù with gnocchetti
Could this be the hit dish from Pinbone’s Italian pop-up, Mr Liquor’s Dirty Italian Disco? It certainly gets a vote from us.
Roast lamb neck with kale, feta and dill
The classic pot roast lamb gets a contemporary kick with kale, feta and dill.
10 WIlliam St’s braised rabbit with sauce pearà
Recipe for braised rabbit with sauce pearà by Dan Pepperell from 10 William St in Sydney.
Torta Pasqualina
This Ligurian specialty is perfect for Easter picnics – just transport your pie in its tin.
Mushroom parcels
These roasted mushrooms are simply prepared with thyme and garlic, allowing the vegetables to shine. Pair with toast, polenta or roast chicken – this dish is all about versatility.
Carrots with garlic, ginger, spring onion and smoked chilli butter
Carrots, but with a spicy upgrade.
Freekeh and shaved cauliflower salad with herb dressing
While we love cauliflower roasted, using it raw and shaved whisper-thin adds a lovely textural element to salads.
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Potato, leek and silverbeet gratin
A sumptuous recipe for potato, leek and silverbeet gratin.
Pumpkin, fennel and olive ring loaf
Recipe for pumpkin, fennel and olive ring loaf.
How to make tsoureki (Easter bread)
Yes, it’s laden with tradition and symbolism, but tsoureki is also a really tasty treat.
Cuddura Cull’ova (Sicilian Easter biscuits)
These playful Sicilian biscuits are traditionally given on Good Friday for good luck. The dough is also incredibly forgiving – if you stuff up rolling the shapes the first-time round, just re-roll.
How to make kulich
Sweet yeasted bread studded with fruit? Come Easter, the hot cross bun is one answer. Pastry chef Catherine Adams introduces another, the traditional Easter bread of Russia.
Dan Pepperell’s hot cross cannoli
It’s the flavours of a spiced hot cross bun whipped into a cloudy ricotta filling, then coddled into a crisp chocolate shell. This is going to be a good Easter.
Chocolate and almond simnel cake
An Easter dessert recipe for chocolate and almond simnel cake.
Guillaume Brahimi’s salted caramel and chocolate ganache tart
It doesn’t get much better than praise-worthy dessert.
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