How to Create a Simple but Special Easter Buffet

Celebrate Easter with an Easter buffet menu that's special enough to impress your friends and family, but that's simple enough to put together in just a couple of hours.* We'll show you how with suggested recipes and a simple timeline to help you organize your day.

We've hand-picked these easy recipes for your Easter buffet menu and included make-ahead tips just in case you want to get a jump on the preparations.

*Note: On this sample menu, you'll make the carrot cake the day before. The rest of the menu can be made on party day.

A Classic Easter Buffet Menu

1. Honey-Glazed Ham

Prep: 20 minutes | Ready in 1 hour 35 minutes.

"This ham tastes like the famous honey-baked ham but costs much less," says Colleen. "Buy the ham pre-sliced to make it easier. It is very good."

Get the Recipe: Honey-Glazed Ham

2. Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep: 10 minutes | Ready in 40 minutes.

This is a great recipe to prep in advance and store in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.

Get the Recipe: Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole

3. Lemon Green Beans with Walnuts

Prep: 15 minutes | Ready in 30 minutes.

To save time, trim and steam the beans the night before, and reheat them the next day in a steam basket or for a few seconds in the microwave. Just undercook them slightly so they don't overcook when you heat them.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Green Beans with Walnuts

4. Angel Biscuits II

Prep: 35 minutes | Ready in 1 hour 45 minutes.

You can form and freeze these biscuits up to a month in advance! Cut out the dough and place the unrisen biscuits on a lined baking sheet to freeze solid, then store them in a freezer bag. On Easter morning, put the frozen biscuits on a lined baking sheet and let them thaw and rise. This could take 4 or 5 hours. Then bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Get the Recipe: Angel Biscuits II

5. Sam's Famous Carrot Cake

Prep: 20 minutes | Ready in 1 hour 40 minutes.

Make this cake the day before, and it's sure to be moist and delicious for your Easter buffet. A carrot cake is often better after it's had a day for the flavors to blossom.

Get the Recipe: Sam's Famous Carrot Cake

How to Set Up an Easter Buffet

Use this timeline if you're doing all the cooking (except for the cake) on party day.

• The night before, bake and ice the carrot cake; toast the walnuts for the green beans.
• Two hours before the meal, make the angel biscuits and let them rise.
• Cook the ham, glazing periodically as instructed.
• Boil the sweet potatoes and prep the casserole while the ham is baking.
• Remove the ham from the oven; bake the sweet potato casserole.
• Steam the green beans while the sweet potatoes are in the oven. Garnish with the toasted walnuts
• Bake the biscuits.

Easter Buffet Decoration Ideas

• Set the table with pastel or cream-colored linens. Clean and ready serving dishes. Find a nice basket (or brightly colored Easter basket) to hold biscuits.
• Line miniature pots of spring flowers — daffodils or tulips — down the center of the table. Later, the flowers can be planted in the garden or in outdoor pots.
• Keep your centerpieces low so that guests can see each other. Use tall arrangements for dramatic displays near the serving area or on side tables. Try setting out florist buckets of forsythia or pussy willow branches in addition to the traditional lilies.

Check out our complete collection of Easter Recipes, with appetizers, Easter breads, main dishes, sides, desserts, and more.