Ham, who? These company-worthy vegetarian Easter recipes include gorgeous springtime salads, fluffy quiches, and comfort food classics like baked pastas and casseroles.

64 Vegetarian Easter Recipes and Dinner Menu Ideas

Eggplant Rollatini
Eggplant Parmesan lovers, this one is for you! Thinly sliced eggplant is rolled around a creamy ricotta cheese filling to make the ultimate vegetarian main course. Opt for large, straight-sided purple globe eggplants, which are easier to cut into even slices.
Vegan Potpie
This hearty, comforting potpie is stuffed with fresh and frozen veggies as well as vegan chicken. We make the vegan pie crust from scratch, but you can always start with a store-bought one if you’re running short on time.
Asparagus Casserole
Turn vibrant spring asparagus into a golden casserole by topping it with Parmesan and Ritz-style crackers. The light dish works well with many different types of melting cheese, like mozzarella, Gruyere or fontina, so feel free to experiment.
Dinner Rolls
It doesn’t matter what you make for your main course: These fluffy dinner rolls will steal the show. If you like your rolls on the chewier side, swap in bread flour for some of the all-purpose flour.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
This mac and cheese recipe is extra-creamy thanks to a thick roux-based cheese sauce made with Velveeta and lots of cheddar. A roux is a mixture of equal parts fat and flour that helps thicken a sauce, creating a smooth and luscious dressing for pasta.
Spinach Tortellini Soup
For a filling vegetarian meal that’s ready in under 20 minutes, this tortellini spinach soup hits the spot. The broth-based soup is lovely as a first course, but it easily works as the main dish when accompanied by homemade dinner rolls and colorful Easter salads.
Paska Bread
This beautifully braided bread is an Easter staple in Ukraine, but it will make a festive addition to any holiday feast, no matter where you live. Nonfat dry milk powder gives the Easter bread its tender texture and incredible flavor.
Pasta with Asparagus
Asparagus is one of those spring vegetables that makes a meal feel extra-special. This quick pasta recipe has just a few other ingredients like garlic and Parmesan cheese, plus crushed red pepper flakes and a few dashes of hot sauce to add a little zip.
Roasted Radishes
Radishes are usually served raw—chopped up and thrown into a salad without a second thought. However, they become slightly sweet when roasted and develop a lovely softened texture. When picking out radishes at the supermarket, make sure the greens are brightly colored and perky for the freshest flavor possible.
Peas in Cheese Sauce
This cheesy vegetable dish turns a bag of frozen peas into the ultimate comfort food. To make this dish vegan, use nondairy milk instead of 2% milk and swap in cashew cheese (or another plant-based cheese alternative).
Pickled Eggs and Beets
It’s not Easter without eggs, and these pink-hued pickled eggs are absolutely eye-catching. They taste great on salads and can even be turned into deviled eggs. The beets give the eggs their lovely pink color and add an earthy, sweet-and-sour taste.
Smashed Potatoes
These crunchy golden brown potatoes become extra-crispy thanks to a two-step cooking process. They’re boiled whole, then smashed and roasted. After roasting, you can top the potatoes with grated cheese for an extra layer of indulgence.
Potato Galette
Shallots bring a hint of sweetness to this elegant (and impressive-looking) French dish. Fresh thyme is key for adding a bright, woodsy herbal flavor that goes so well with starchy potatoes.
Spanakopita
This flaky spinach pie will be a treat for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Look for phyllo dough in the frozen section at the grocery store, and make sure to give it enough time to thaw briefly. The phyllo dough is the secret to this dish’s crispy texture.
Ravishing Radish Salad
Radish salads have earned their place on any Easter table. The crunchy, slightly spicy spring vegetable is colorful and vibrant, especially when paired with lots of fresh herbs and a great salad dressing. The sweet and tangy vinaigrette made here with honey and champagne vinegar is practically good enough to drink by the glassful.
Potato Gnocchi
Homemade fresh pasta is an excellent choice for a celebration-worthy vegetarian entree. These small, tender potato dumplings are delicious sauteed with butter and sage or tossed with the best jarred pasta sauce.
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa salads are nutty, nutrient-dense and usually packed with crunchy fresh vegetables. Mint and parsley bring this salad together with bright, springy flavor. Opt for flat-leaf parsley, which has a softer texture than the curly kind.
Creamy Polenta
Top this comforting polenta with roasted vegetables or sauteed mushrooms to create a filling meal. For the smoothest possible polenta, look for fine- or medium-grind cornmeal. If you like a coarser texture, go for stone-ground cornmeal.
Mushroom Quiche
This beautiful mushroom quiche gets its buttery, flaky base from a premade pie crust. When it comes to the filling, you can use any type of mushrooms, but cremini or portobellos have more umami flavor than the button variety.
Red Potato Salad
As far as potato salad recipes go, this one is hard to beat. The tangy mayonnaise-based dressing gets a hint of sweetness from sweet pickle relish.
Rhubarb Rosemary Flatbread
Looking for a gorgeous homemade bread to use as a vibrant centerpiece? This one stars pink springtime rhubarb. We like to drizzle this flatbread with honey before serving to complement the tartness of the rhubarb.
Roasted Carrots with Thyme
These naturally sweet, Easter bunny-approved carrots are simple yet oh, so satisfying. Fresh thyme brings woodsy herbal notes and an elevated feel, but you could easily swap in rosemary.
Simple Waldorf Salad
This creamy retro salad features an explosion of textures from the crispy apples and celery, crunchy walnuts and chewy raisins. Gala or Honeycrisp are the best types of apples for maximum sweetness and crunch.
16-Bean Soup
Don’t worry; you won’t have to buy all 16 beans separately! Most grocery stores sell a soup mix with an assortment of beans. If you’re watching your sodium intake, don’t use the seasoning packet that comes with the mix. Instead, use a mixture of chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder, then season the soup with salt to taste.
Asparagus Galette with Goat Cheese
We don’t know what it is about goat cheese, but it has this way of making simple dishes feel fancy. This gorgeous galette with sweet roasted asparagus and tangy goat cheese is a feast fit for a big occasion like Easter. In general, galette recipes are a tasty option for people who don’t have the patience for pie pans.
Angel Biscuits
Unlike most biscuit recipes, angel biscuits use yeast to create an especially light and heavenly texture. Shortening ensures maximum flakiness, while brushing the biscuits with melted butter adds a lovely sheen.
Artichoke Spinach Lasagna
Calling all spinach artichoke dip enthusiasts: This is the pasta of your dreams. Water-packed artichoke hearts and frozen chopped spinach are the perfect match for a jar of roasted garlic Alfredo sauce.
Greek Salad
Crunchy, bright, tangy and zesty, Greek salads always hit the spot—but this one may be the best. I recommend using deep purple kalamata olives for their slightly fruity flavor and marinated feta for a bit more briny goodness. Top the salad with crispy falafel to add plant-based protein.
Creamy Lemon Pasta
In this decadent pasta dish, bright lemon cuts through creamy homemade Alfredo sauce to create a silky dressing for fettuccine. Feel free to use another type of pasta like spaghettini, linguine or tagliatelle if that’s what you have in the pantry.
Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
This soup’s velvety-smooth creaminess comes from an unsweetened nondairy milk alternative, while a small splash of white wine vinegar brightens the overall taste. Before you start cooking, make sure to wash mushrooms the right way so they don’t get slimy.
Asparagus Pastry Puffs
This spring appetizer combines frozen puff pastry, cream cheese and bright asparagus. Frozen puff pastry recipes are ideal for entertaining because they require almost no prep. Of course, homemade puff pastry is flakier and more buttery, if you have time to make it.
Spinach Pasta Salad
Turn a bag of baby spinach into the tastiest Mediterranean-inspired pasta salad, complete with juicy kalamata olives and crumbly feta. Since fresh minced garlic is vital to the vinaigrette’s zippy flavor, I recommend minc ing it yourself rather than using the jarred stuff.
Vegan Potato Salad
Your guests will never guess that this ultra-creamy potato salad is vegan! Buttery avocado and vegan mayonnaise give the egg-free, dairy-free dressing its luscious texture.
White Bean Salad
This no-fuss bean salad calls for celery stalks and leaves, which add herbaceous notes similar to parsley. The salad is plenty hearty as it is, but you can mix in cooked farro or any type of rice to turn it into a meal-in-one.
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
Protein crumbles and umami-rich mushrooms bring meaty vibes to this comforting vegetarian shepherd’s pie. It’s even topped with fluffy dairy-free mashed potatoes, so the recipe can be vegan if you use the right plant-based meat substitute. Some frozen vegetarian meat crumbles aren’t fully vegan, so feel free to swap in extra vegetables or add lentils, tofu or tempeh.
Asparagus Quiche
This asparagus-studded, custardy quiche would make an attractive Easter dinner (or brunch!) centerpiece. It’s a versatile recipe that can be made with virtually any vegetables or cheese you have on hand. Bonus: It’s super easy to prepare ahead of time.
Carrot Ginger Soup
Zesty ginger and sweet carrots pair perfectly in this cozy, warming soup. The carrots become so velvety smooth when blended that the soup tastes as if it contains heavy cream.
Spinach Manicotti
Meaning “little sleeves” in Italian, manicotti is the ideal pasta shape for stuffing with spinach and ricotta cheese. The resulting in a crowd-pleasing main course. Swap in arugula or fresh watercress for a little more peppery oomph.
Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Onion
What did we do before packaged potato gnocchi became easy to find at the supermarket? While we love homemade gnocchi, the premade stuff is absolutely delicious in this cozy (and fast!) vegetarian main dish.
Carrot and Raisin Salad
Thanks to pre-shredded carrots, this crunchy, creamy side dish comes together in 10 minutes or less. It tastes great with everything, but it’s especially fabulous with quiche or rich casseroles.
Leeks au Gratin
With a more delicate flavor than onions, leeks practically melt when baked in the oven—and they turn super sweet too. To save time, make sure to clean leeks the easy way.
Lemon-Pepper Broccoli
Broccoli, lemon, almonds and olive oil are all you need to prepare this zesty side dish. Although broccoli is in the recipe title, this recipe also works well with asparagus or green beans. For a fun finish, drizzle the roasted broccoli with chili crisp at the end.
Creamy Coleslaw
Unlike most coleslaw recipes, this super-rich slaw gets its tangy character from sour cream instead of vinegar. Green cabbage is a classic choice, but you can make the dish more colorful with a broccoli slaw mix or shredded purple cabbage.
Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce
Why choose between tomato sauce and cream sauce for pasta when you could have both? Of all our tortellini recipes, this one is on the more decadent side, so it’s perfect for a holiday meal.
Dill & Chive Peas
Elevate frozen peas with herbs like fresh dill and chives, plus a pat of rich butter for good measure. Those additions certainly make this one of our best frozen pea recipes.
Greek Orzo Salad
This zippy, briny salad holds up wonderfully in the fridge, so make it ahead of time to let the flavors marinate together. Other ingredients like canned artichoke hearts and pepperoncini work well in this recipe, or add chopped fresh spinach to get your greens in.
Lemony Mushroom Lasagna Roll-Ups
In addition to looking cool, this vegetarian version of lasagna roll-ups bakes faster than a traditional lasagna. Plus, the rolls are easier to serve a crowd because they’re already portioned, so no messy cutting is required.
Potato Salad
Inexpensive, comforting and versatile enough to go with just about anything, this eggy potato salad tastes extra-creamy thanks to the evaporated milk in the dressing. A glug of white vinegar adds the perfect complementary tang.
Five-Cheese Ziti al Forno
It doesn’t get more celebratory than cheesy baked ziti. This version is an Olive Garden copycat recipe loaded with a whopping five types of cheese: ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano and provolone.
Lentil Loaf
This vegetarian twist on meat loaf gets its “meatiness” from brown lentils, while cooked brown rice and eggs bind the ingredients together. Give the loaf a sausage-inspired flavor profile by adding oregano and fennel seeds.
Asparagus Tart
Fontina is a rich, slightly nutty Italian cheese that melts well, so it’s a great addition to this elegant tart. Serve the dish with simple side salad recipes for a pop of freshness and a contrast of textures.
Polenta with Mushrooms and Spinach
A store-bought tube of polenta can be sliced into 1/2-inch pieces to serve as the tasty grain base for umami-rich mushrooms and spinach. If you’d rather go the homemade route, spoon the veggie topping over a hot bowl of grits or polenta.
Green Bean Potato Salad
Take a break from mayo-based potato salads and try a simple zippy vinaigrette. Mixing in green beans adds a snappy crunch and freshness to this lightened-up potato dish.
Chickpea Salad
This zesty chickpea salad recipe is packed with crunchy chopped veggies and salty feta cheese. To make it even more filling, mix in diced fresh avocado.
Grandma's Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Homemade bread recipes add a special touch to Easter brunch or dinner, and these fragrant, buttery rolls will make your holiday feast extra memorable. The rolls get their beautiful golden color from a simple egg wash.
Lentil Tabbouleh
This refreshing Middle Eastern dish traditionally features bulgur wheat, but this recipe swaps in lentils to increase the protein. Using fluffy quinoa to make quinoa tabbouleh is another tasty, protein-rich option. Either way, the real star is a simple herby dressing made of olive oil and lemon juice.
Swiss Cheese Potatoes
Potatoes, butter and Swiss cheese—what else could you want in life? This simple yet showstopping baked potato dish is broiled for the last five to eight minutes to give it a bubbly, golden brown finish.
Grape Salad
Crunchy pecans and sweet brown sugar top juicy grapes in this classic midwestern potluck salad, while sour cream and cream cheese make an irresistible sweet-tart dressing. You can definitely whisk the dressing by hand, but a hand mixer will help ensure it’s smooth and lump-free.
Peach Caprese Salad
Even salad skeptics will be won over by this colorful lettuce-free recipe, thanks to juicy peaches, tomatoes and creamy mozzarella. For the best results, use fresh mozzarella or ultra-creamy burrata.
Pasta Primavera
Primavera means “spring” in Italian, so this springtime pasta is ideal for a springtime holiday. Our colorful version features asparagus, carrots and a light cream sauce. Feel free to add whichever veggies you enjoy, such as broccoli, snap peas or zucchini—just make sure to saute them first.
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
This satisfying one-pot meal is packed with all-natural protein and fiber, thanks to beans, brown rice and veggies. If you’re not a fan of beans, feel free to swap in your favorite plant-based meat brand.
Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
This aromatic Tuscan-inspired recipe smothers the stalky vegetable in olive oil, garlic, zesty lemon (juice and zest), and Parmesan cheese. A topping of buttery pine nuts brings it all together.
Broccoli Casserole
An irresistibly cheesy, creamy sauce and French fried onions turn humble broccoli into comfort food heaven in this top-rated casserole recipe. Thawed frozen broccoli does the trick, but feel free to use fresh if you have it in the fridge.
Vegetable Quiche
Simple yet elegant, quiche is one of the most famous French dishes for a reason. For a quicker (and gluten-free!) meal, skip the crust and coat the pie plate with butter before layering in the filling, as is done in this crustless spinach quiche recipe.
Vegetarian Easter Recipes FAQ
What is the best vegetarian main dish for Easter dinner?
The best vegetarian dinners for Easter are crowd-friendly, festive and filling. Think golden brown casseroles, cheesy baked pastas, stuffed peppers, polenta, gnocchi or quiches galore. It’s a springtime holiday, so round out your main dish with Easter salads featuring in-season produce.
What plant-based vegan recipes can I make for Easter dinner?
The holiday may be known for glazed hams, Easter eggs and cheesy side dishes, but Easter is also a wonderful time to enjoy spring fruits and vegetables like asparagus, snap peas and rhubarb, to name a few. For the main course, consider whipping up vegan pasta recipes or soul-warming vegan soups. Thankfully, plenty of homemade bread recipes are vegan too!
Are Easter eggs vegetarian?
Most vegetarians choose to eat eggs because they’re one of the best ways to get protein on a plant-based diet. However, they are an animal product, so they’re not vegan.