35 Healthy Easter Recipes Perfect for a Light Holiday Feast
These dinner (or anytime!) good-for-you Easter recipes will bring your holiday meal to the next level.
Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays in spring, and there isn't a better occasion to honor the freshest bounty of the season: Asparagus, carrots, radishes, apricots, and grapefruit are all on the table! Harvesting the flavors of healthy springtime vegetables and fruit is easy if you're planning on shopping a farm-fresh menu. Our healthiest Easter ideas are often anchored on a bountiful mix of herbs, spices, lean proteins, and plenty of fresh additions that are perfect for a family-style meal. Whether you're choosing to serve a formal dinner or a cozy brunch, these healthy Easter recipes are designed to please everyone in your family.
Since temperatures can still be quite chilly during Easter Sunday, many home cooks love to carve up a hearty protein as a show-stopping entrée. Sourcing organic or heritage turkey or chicken to roast alongside garden vegetables is a proven way to impress at Easter dinner, but these birds aren't the only lean proteins you can cook easily. Sliced pork loin and lean flank steak can also suffice, and more delicate dishes make use of flaky fish, including salmon, halibut, and cod. Using your oven to expertly bake a seasoned protein alongside a medley of vegetables is one of the easiest ways to get a healthy Easter dinner on the table.
But even lighter dishes, which are also perfect to serve at an Easter brunch, make use of spring greens like romaine, spinach, or arugula. Bountiful salads can be made beforehand, and lighter snacks (plenty of deviled eggs!) can also keep little ones happy between bites of Easter candy. Whichever route you choose, this collection of healthy Easter recipes will truly hit the spot at any time during the holiday.
Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast
You may think that bacon can't possibly be part of a healthy dinner; but a full serving of this juicy turkey roast contains only 4g of saturated fat while offering a whopping 56g of protein. Plus, at just 450 calories, you have plenty of room for Easter chocolate.
Honey-Ginger Cedar Plank Salmon
Basted in soy sauce, honey, and sriracha, this grilled salmon gets another flavorful edge from the cedar plank it is roasted on. If you're feeding a large family, this fish recipe is for you.
Orange-Ginger Roast Chicken With Fennel and Radicchio Salad
Meaty mushrooms beef up this garden-fresh fennel salad made with eye-catching radicchio. Paired with a quarter of this citrus-infused chicken, the entire meal has 345 calories and 32g of protein.
Get the recipe for Orange-Ginger Roast Chicken With Fennel and Radicchio Salad »
Skillet Lemon Chicken With Artichokes
Fresh artichokes from your produce section (or the garden!) are simmered in zesty lemon juice alongside tender chicken thighs. You can serve this spring-forward trio straight from your cast iron pan.
Cioppino
If you decide to skip meat altogether, this seafood medley is just as hearty; fresh shrimp, cod, and mussels are steamed to perfection in a single pot. It can be served alongside whole grain pasta or rice (and maybe just a slice of bread or two!).
RELATED: Healthy Side Dishes That Can Pair Well With Any Protein
Wild-Salmon Cakes With Quinoa Salad
A supercharged take on traditional crab cakes, these salmon cakes are enriched with heart-healthy quinoa and flavored with orange zest and fresh basil.
Almond-Crusted Creole Salmon
A luscious pan sauce made with zested lemon, Greek yogurt, and robust Creole seasoning adds a tangy bite to this roasted salmon dinner. A bed of fresh asparagus makes it the perfect dish.
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
If you're on the hunt for a healthy Easter menu appetizer, why not use your Instant Pot to your advantage? This warm, delicious, rustic interpretation of a classic soup is ready in just 30 minutes.
RELATED: 33 Healthy Appetizers That Are Seriously Satisfying
Mini Carrot Pot Pies
Two things make this usually heavy dish so much lighter: A smaller serving size (individual ramekins are so cute, too!) for one, and a veggie-forward filling (carrots, anyone?).
Soy-Braised Beef & Tomato-Mint Salad
Trimming the fat off a lean beef brisket makes this flavorful cut so much better for your waistline. Paired with zesty onions and fresh tomatoes, this slow-roasted beef dinner contains a mere 290 calories.
Chimichurri Cauliflower "Steaks"
Vegan guests? Don't sweat it. You can serve a substantial entrée course devoid of meat with fresh cauliflower; it's roasted and topped with a blitzed green sauce.
RELATED: 30 Delicious Cauliflower Recipes to Upgrade Your Veggie Game
Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata
When you've finished hunting for Easter eggs, it's time to eat them all up — and no one will complain about a hearty frittata at brunch. A side salad and a few strips of turkey bacon rounds this brunch idea out nicely.
Egg Pepper Rings With Carrot Salsa
A brilliant brunch idea, these whimsical eggs are bathed in a toothy crudité-infused salsa made with fresh carrots. You can serve over bread or an English muffin, or cut more carbs by doubling down on a bed of snappy veggies.
Roasted Lamb and Seasoned Potatoes
Hacking your way through roasting a carved protein to serve at the dinner table has never been so easy. This tender cut of lamb is propped up among well-seasoned potatoes that sizzle in the natural juices of the lamb, allowing it to be evenly roasted.
Perfectly Steamed Asparagus
If Easter had an official side dish, it would be this zippy green fibers stalk; asparagus is at peak freshness right before summer hits.
Waldorf Salad
Celery and snappy Granny Smith apples can stand up to the crunch of fresh walnuts, but all the elements of this hearty salad are made even more irresistible thanks to a mayo-based dressing. It can be served at dinner or at brunch.
Roasted Salmon With Green Beans and Tomatoes
Believe it or not, there are two fishes hiding in this sea of spring veggies: Salmon and anchovies. This 300-calorie dinner is ready in just 20 minutes.
Get the recipe for Roasted Salmon With Green Beans and Tomatoes »
Cayenne Grilled Eggplant With Fresh Tomato Salad
If you can dine al fresco, why not fire up the grill? We love this vegetarian-friendly medley of hefty eggplant and delicate grape tomatoes.
Get the recipe for Cayenne Grilled Eggplant With Fresh Tomato Salad »
Pimiento-Cheese Deviled Eggs
Deviled eggs can be all kinds of creative for most home cooks, but the simplest treats add just a few ingredients, like this Pimiento cheese take. At 150 calories each, sampling one or two definitely won't break your diet before dinner.
Zee Krstic is a health editor for Good Housekeeping, where he covers health and nutrition news, decodes diet and fitness trends and reviews the best products in the wellness aisle. Prior to joining GH in 2019, Zee fostered a nutrition background as an editor at Cooking Light and is continually developing his grasp of holistic health through collaboration with leading academic experts and clinical care providers. He has written about food and dining for Time, among other publications.
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