How to Host Easter Brunch at Home

Easter is synonymous with spring and it’s the perfect time to welcome the season with Easter brunch, pretty table decorations, delicious cocktails, and overall fun.

This is the stuff memories are made of, and I love to start things off with a gorgeous table setting. Keeping it simple, seasonal and festive is the key.

Table Setting

Set an Easter brunch tablescape with an updated take on traditional design. Create the table with more of a spring theme than one with bunnies or eggs.

Tablecloth. Use a pastel-colored cloth, a floral pattern or a large check pattern. Colors like pink, green, blue and yellow say spring is here!

Setting the table. Arrange the table with plates, glasses, utensils and napkins.

Start with what you have, like white dinner plates, and add something new like pretty pink salad or dessert plates.

Follow a color scheme. In this case I stuck with pink as the main hue.

Incorporate flatware with white handles for a modern touch.

Use name cards for a touch of formality.

Add colorful glassware like vintage juice glasses or new stem glasses that have the look of vintage.

Put little candy holders at each place setting so grown up guests have a treat to take home too.

Centerpiece. Create a simple centerpiece with tulips. They’re the quintessential spring flower and couldn’t be easier to arrange. Just place them in a tall vase and let them hang over the sides. 

You can also add holiday touches like Easter eggs, or bunny and chicks figurines.

More Easter Tablescapes

• Pink & green Easter table
• Beautiful colorful Easter tablescape
• Easter table setting with Hadley Pottery

Decorations

Add Easter decorations around your space on side tables, buffet tables, or the drink station. Include dishes filled with Easter themed candy, bowls of decorated Easter eggs, bunnies, and flowers.

Setting Up

Keep in mind these logistical considerations when you’re preparing to host Easter brunch.

• Is there enough seating or will you need to use portable folding tables. Don’t forget extra chairs!
• Do you have all the dishes you need?
• Do you have serving platters and utensils?
• Is there a designated space or activity for kids?
• Set up your tables a day or two in advance. If you need to, you can put sticky notes on the buffet table to remind you what goes where.

Buffet

Serve the food buffet-style if your brunch is a larger gathering. If there’s only 6 or 8 guests you can make it part of the table setting and eat family-style. 

Keep hot foods warm with chafing dishes or warming trays.

Add these finishing touches to the buffet table.

• Flowers
• Food labels
• Coordinate the décor with that of the dining table.

Tips for Kids

Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re hosting Easter party with family and friends of all ages attending.

• Set up a kids table and add a touch of whimsy. Add some cute Easter themed melamine, or paper plates, cups and bowls.
• Place small stuffed animals at each place setting to be taken home as a party favor.
• Use an Easter basket and animal figurines as a centerpiece, and tie on a few Easter-themed balloons to the backs of chairs or to the handle of the Easter basket.
• Place small baskets filled with candy or treats at each place setting.
• Provide some fun activities to help pass the time for the littles. Grab some themed coloring pages, purchase Pin the Tail on the Bunny game, set up some old fashioned yard games. 
• If there are babies or toddlers coming over, you might want to set up a nap area or a place to set up a pack-n-play bed for when they need their regular nap time.

Easter Egg Hunt

• Consider having 2 or 3 rounds of Easter egg hunts for different age ranges. One round can be small and quick for the youngest toddlers. A second round can be for most children, and a final round can be for older kids, even teens. 
• Fill the eggs according to age range. Keep choking hazards away from the toddlers. Fill teens’ eggs with money, tickets or coupons to events.

Drinks

Set up a drink station with coffee, iced tea, milk and juice. You can also offer a signature drink like raspberry champagne cocktails, or bubbly mimosas. Here are some favorite drink ideas for brunch.

• Family friendly punch recipe
• Flavored lemonade bar for all ages
• Pimm’s Cup Pitcher
• Kahlua & Coffee with Irish Cream

Expert Tips

• You can start brunch as early as 9am, but optimal time for Easter brunch may be between 11am and 2 or 3pm. That way people can go to a church service if they want. 
• Serve buffet style.
• Prep ahead as much as possible. Unlike hosting Easter dinner, you don’t have all day to prepare. Getting chores done early in the week and making food that’s easy to assemble the night before makes morning entertaining easier. 
• Decorate and set the tables up to 2 days before.
• Be sure you have enough food for everyone. Or, if it’s a potluck party make sure everyone is accounted for and knows what they’re bringing. 

Plan the Menu 

Plan the menu and shop in advance for non-perishables.

• Include an array of brunch recipes to cover savory, sweet, hot and cold items.
• Incorporate make-ahead dishes for easiest hosting. That includes recipes you can assemble the night before and cook before guests arrive.
• When guests ask, “what can I bring,” take them up on it! Have them fill in any gaps in the menu, make a specialty dish they’re known for, or send them a recipe you were planning to make, to help take the load off of you. 

PARTY TIP: Since brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch, you can serve breakfast recipes as well as luncheon recipes. It’s that combination of styles that makes it so delicious!

How Much Food?

• Appetizers. Plan on 4-6 appetizers to nibble on while waiting for the main meal. Keep it light so as not to fill them up beforehand.
• Quiche. 2 slices per person – pre-cut slices so they’re easier to serve. Cut them smaller than normal because people tend to try a little bit of everything.
• Casserole. Cut firm casseroles into 4” x 4” squares. For a spiral ham, a serving size is 3 to 4 ounces.
• Biscuits, toast, bagels, croissants. 1 ½  pieces per person if you’re having a variety; 2 per person if you’re only having 1 or 2 options.
• Green salad. 1 ½- 2 cups per person
• Fruit salad. ½-1 cup per person
• Sweet muffins or pastries. 1 ½ per person
• Bacon or sausage. 3-4 pieces per person
• Party sandwiches or wraps. 1 ½ per person; some people will eat more than one while others eat only one so the amount balances out.
• Drinks & Ice. Always have plenty of ice on hand. The rule of thumb is 1 ½ pounds per person so go ahead and grab a few bags from the store. Better yet, assign this potluck item to someone else to bring, who doesn’t cook.

Prepping and Cooking

As with most holidays, there are some essential steps you want to take so you’re sure to be prepared.

• Create your menu early enough so you can assign dishes to other guests if needed. 
• Shop early for non-perishables so you don’t have to worry about the store being out of stock. You also avoid crowds!
• Create a timeline so you know exactly when you need to prep, assemble or cook each dish.
• Utilize different cooking methods including stovetop, oven, slow-cooker, or something to make ahead and keep refrigerated.
• Clean out the fridge so you have room to store everything, and room for leftovers afterward. 

Main Dish Ideas

Here are the most popular entrees for Easter. You can add one of these options to cover the “lunch” side of brunch, alongside breakfast casseroles and quiches.

• Ham is the most traditional and one of my favorites due to its ease in preparation and versatility.
• Lamb is popular due to its symbolism. It’s also a good special occasion dish. 
• Roast beef, prime rib or beef tenderloin is also good for holidays. 
• Pork tenderloin may be just as tasty as beef but is a little more affordable.
• Roasted chicken or slow cooker turkey breast are good options if you’re having a smaller gathering or just want to fill in with another protein.
• Salmon with roasted red pepper coulis is fancy enough for entertaining but is simple to make. Plus, you can make the sauce ahead and freeze it for several months.  
• A vegetable quiche is a good option without meat. Goat cheese and red pepper quiche is full of flavor.
• Pasta is another alternative for your vegetarian guests, especially fettuccini alfredo.

Highlight Spring Produce

Easter is a great time to highlight seasonal fruits and vegetables. Shop your local farmer’s market or serve some classic spring options such as these.

• Asparagus
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Peas
• Mushrooms
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Kale
• Pineapple 
• Strawberries
• Citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit)

Fresh fruit salads are easy to mix up, or prepare a fruit platter with a sweet dip on the side.

PARTY TIP: Use fresh fruit to garnish your glasses, or to help flavor pitchers of water or juice.

Dessert

Dessert is pretty easy to accommodate for Brunch because there are so many sweet options that include muffins, pastries and coffee cake.

• Feel free to serve purchased baked goods for Easter brunch entertaining.
• Expand your offerings to more traditional sweets like strawberry angel cake or banana pudding mini desserts.
• Set up a donut toppings bar for the ultimate indulgence.
• Fill in with fresh fruit or a fruit flavored dessert like easy lemon tartlets.