If you’re taking on Easter dinner this year and feeling the pressure to prepare a Southern spread with soul food flavors, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with dozens of easy, soulful Southern Easter menu ideas. These suggestions will help you create something special with less stress and plenty of heart and soul.
Traditional Southern Easter food ideas
Black folks know how to eat on the holidays (and every other time of the year too!) From honey-baked ham and crown roast to roasted carrots and mashed potatoes, you can’t go wrong with these Southern soul food Easter favorites.
If that doesn’t sound appetizing, some folks indulge in prime rib, scalloped potatoes, or fried fish—and we can’t forget carrot cake for dessert!
And, what is Easter without deviled eggs? These are just a handful of the Southern Easter menu favorites that answer the ever-popular question: What do Southern people eat for Easter?
Soul food Easter menu mains
The star of every Easter dinner is the main dish! An African American family meal might include Easter recipes like Black folks pineapple glazed ham, butter-rich Southern green beans, roasted asparagus, Brussels sprouts, deviled eggs, deep South dish sweet potato pie, and baked macaroni and cheese. And, of course, Southern Easter dinner favorite – carrot cake.
Start here and meal plan with these mouth-watering Easter soul food menu ideas! Your guests will exclaim, “Everything looks so yummy! When do we eat?”
This brown sugar-glazed ham is the perfect Easter ham recipe. African Americans are renowned for their flavorful ham and sweet glaze recipes, especially those featuring pineapple and brown sugar.
Crispy skin and moist, juicy, flavorful meat define this Southern turkey recipe. It’s an exceptional centerpiece for your soul food Easter dinner menu.
Easter dinner doesn't have to be complicated or costly. These Instant Pot turkey legs provide an easy alternative to a whole turkey. They're a welcome addition to your Southern soul food Easter menu!
This soul food Cornish hens recipe is prepared in the traditional Black cooking style, ensuring the hens are moist, juicy, and bursting with flavor! They're an easy alternative to an Easter ham or turkey.
Southern corned beef and cabbage is pressure-cooked and full of intense flavor. It's a tender, seasoned main dish paired with buttery-rich cabbage, making it a favorite Southern comfort food for Easter!
Here's a quick and easy Easter dinner idea— a whole chicken in the Instant Pot! This recipe is more than just traditional. It's flavorful, tender, and juicy, bursting with soul food flavor!
Blueberry chicken is a delightful Easter dish! The blueberry brine is easily made in the Instant Pot, resulting in tender, juicy, and delicious chicken that's sweet and savory with every bite!
The Easter celebration doesn’t always have to start at noon! Hosting an Easter breakfast or brunch can be a great way to expand your menu options while enjoying time with friends or family who may have other celebrations to attend in the afternoon! Your guests will love traditional Black folks Southern fried chicken and waffles or shrimp and grits!
This delightful Southern dessert is a traditional Easter brunch recipe. Sweet biscuits, also known as tea cakes, are cherished in the South and are a historical African American treat that dates back to the 1600s.
This recipe offers a modern take on Southern soul food pork jowl. It provides a new twist on a classic dish, cooked faster, more easily, and still perfectly in the air fryer!
This soul food pasta salad recipe is a fresh dish for spring and summer, featuring a zesty sauce, irresistible steamed shrimp, and delicious seasonings. It's an excellent addition to Easter brunch!
Spring is the perfect time to enjoy refreshing flavors like juicy watermelon and tangy tomatoes. This recipe for a tomato and watermelon salad, featuring feta cheese, pickled onions, pickled peppers, and zesty cilantro, captures the essence of Southern cuisine. It's an elegant dish ideal for Easter brunch or dinner!
Black people enjoy sweet recipes, so it's no surprise we've embraced this fruity and bubbly Italian Moscato wine, especially as an Easter brunch treat! As is our tradition, we began creating our own recipes — like moscato sangria!
A traditional Southern soul food chicken salad is more than just mayo and chicken chunks! It's bursting with flavor and is perfect for Easter brunch, balancing savory, crunchy, and sweet.
Do you know the true meaning of Easter colors? At Easter, the color white symbolizes purity, grace, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is why many Black people celebrate Easter, so the festivities often include food palettes featuring white and pastel hues, as seen in Easter bread and sometimes Easter cake.
In addition to the food, Black folks are known for their elaborate and colorful attire on Easter Sunday for church services, which includes vibrant dresses and stylish pastel suits. Just as our fashion choices are bold and expressive, we also like to think beyond traditional dinner rolls when it comes to Easter bread options.
Cornbread is best enjoyed with Sunday soul food dinners and Easter dishes like ham, turkey, and Southern collard greens. Impress your guests with this warm, sweet, and flavorful recipe!
Coco bread is a soft, airy, buttery bread that melts in your mouth with every bite! This delicious Jamaican delicacy has gained popularity in various parts of the world. It's perfect for a springtime Easter dinner feast!
Instant Pot banana bread is quick and easy. Mix a few ingredients in a bowl, pour the mixture into a cake pan, and place the pan in the pot. Then it's ready to serve straight to the Easter dinner table!
When preparing Easter dinner, we spend a lot of time thinking about the main dish. But, let’s be honest, it’s the soulful, flavor-packed sides that really steal the show!
Sides like collard greens and macaroni and cheese have everyone coming back for seconds (and thirds), carrying the legacy of Southern soul food traditions in every bite.
What are the best sides for an Easter dinner? Begin with this simple recipe for brown sugar-glazed carrots, a favorite on the Southern soul food Easter dinner table!
Black folks' Southern potato salad recipe is essential for a soul food Easter! It features a creamy yet tangy dressing balanced with soulful seasonings and flavors.
How do Black people make coleslaw? With plenty of flavor! This soul-food Southern coleslaw is a classic recipe perfect for pairing with smoky BBQ meats for a mouthwatering Easter dinner feast!
This Southern cabbage recipe, cherished by Black families, is warm, sweet, and bursting with savory soul food flavors. It's a delicious way to enjoy one of the South's favorite side dishes during Easter!
What is a collard greens recipe in soul food? A collard greens recipe from the Black community is a quintessential dish for any Southern soul food dinner and is essential on the Easter menu.
Macaroni salad is an essential part of Black culinary traditions and a springtime delightful addition to Easter dinner. The choice of ingredients honors tradition, while a selection of soulful seasonings and spices elevates the flavor.
This Southern comfort food recipe served for Easter is made the Black folks' way. Rich and creamy, cheesy goodness envelops the tender pasta, plus soulful seasonings and spices offer comfort in every bite!
What makes this a soul food specialty is the spices! Cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla combine with fresh apples to make this flavorful baked apple slices recipe an Easter dinner must!
This homemade creamed corn recipe will surely be a hit at your next Easter dinner. Aside from its delicious Southern soul food flavors, the best part is that it's made from scratch, resulting in a fresh and vibrant taste!
Add to your Easter dinner menu this Southern creamed corn casserole. The corn's delightful sweetness is complemented by the savory flavors of parmesan cheese, onion, and garlic.
Soul food Southern black-eyed peas are seasoned in a thick sauce, rich with smoky and spicy flavors. They are warm, comforting, and flavorful on the Easter dinner table!
Candied yams are a traditional Southern African-American dish. This sweet potato side is a staple on Easter dinner menus, featuring a delicious cinnamon-brown sugar glaze.
This old-fashioned Southern cornbread dressing recipe is a classic deep South dish for Easter. It combines a delectable blend of sage-infused, buttery-rich cornbread, onions, celery, thyme, and rosemary with savory chicken broth and egg.
When a whole turkey or chicken wasn't available, legacy soul food cooks utilized various chicken parts, such as in this Southern Easter recipe for cornbread dressing with gizzards.
What are the best type of easter eggs? Deviled eggs, of course! They are a Southern staple and a popular dish at any gathering in the Black community. Additionally, there are many other Easter recipe appetizers that can help kick off your Easter meal.
A Southern Easter is incomplete without deviled eggs on the table. The heart of the egg is boiled, perfectly seasoned, and then stuffed into the egg whites, making for a delicious and flavorful appetizer!
Charcuterie makes a stunning Easter appetizer and centerpiece for brunch or dinner. Use these ideas to impress your guests this holiday with a perfect presentation of vegetables, fruits, and cold-cut meats!
Easter desserts without carrot cake? That question deserves a puzzled expression and a “Whatchu talking bout, Willis?” response!
So, let’s begin with my great-grandma’s soul food carrot cake recipe, which includes secret ingredients that ensure a moist homemade cake paired with rich cream cheese frosting. If you’re not a fan of carrot cake, coconut cake is also a beloved Easter treat!
Be sure to explore all the other delicious Easter dessert recipes available here. What better way to celebrate Easter than with a fun and easy dessert?
Carrot cake is a Southern dessert specialty that many African American families enjoy as a favorite Easter holiday tradition. Black families often make a spiced carrot cake with classic homemade cream cheese frosting.
A sweet potato pie recipe rooted in Black soul food traditions is a delightful dessert for all holidays, including Easter, packed with flavorful seasonings and spices.
Experience a new twist on an old classic treat that evokes warmth and comfort: the beloved purple sweet potato pie, reimagined with incredible soul food flavors and a regal Easter hue!
This recipe is similar to my original Black Folks' Sweet Potato Pie™ and is perfect for Easter. It embodies Southern charm with a thin layer of homemade cream cheese frosting spread on top, allowing you to enjoy the sweet taste of Southern hospitality!
Southern banana pudding is a delightful dessert that captures the essence of Easter and springtime. Its creamy layers and sweet banana flavor create an irresistible treat that melds together in every spoonful!
A Southern soul food classic, pig pickin cake is a homemade, moist yellow cake topped with whipped pineapple frosting. It includes vanilla pudding and sweet mandarin oranges baked right in. Unique in both its name and flavor, this cake is often found on dessert tables during Easter celebrations in the Deep South!
Ambrosia salad is a traditional Southern dessert made with tropical and citrus fruits such as mandarin oranges, pineapple, and shredded coconut. While the ambrosia of the gods granted immortality to those who ate it, human ambrosia offers a delightful and refreshing taste, perfect for enjoying after a festive Easter meal!
Having Southern pecan pie for Easter? This classic soul food recipe celebrates African American culinary traditions and delivers a sweet flavor in every bite. Brown sugar blends with a syrupy pecan filling, caramelized, and then baked to perfection.
What makes this apple pie a Southern Easter specialty? It's all about the flavor! This soul food apple pie recipe features fresh apples sweetened with brown sugar and flavored with a blend of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Let's combine rhubarb and strawberries to create a delicious Easter dessert! The pairing of tart rhubarb, tangy strawberry, and buttery crust produces an irresistible flavor that will leave you craving more!
Strawberry pretzel salad is a delightful combination of strawberries, crunchy pretzels, and whipped cream cheese. This Southern dessert is a great way to include fresh spring strawberries during Easter!
Imagine this: a perfect, sweet, flaky crust, bite-sized with your favorite seasonings, cinnamon and nutmeg, and sugar sprinkled on top. You just imagined pie crust cookies! The perfect little Easter treats.
Dole Whip remains the best-kept secret in the frozen dessert world! It becomes even more special when you can make this Disney Park favorite at home for a fantastic Easter treat!
This easy, no-bake chocolate chip marshmallow dip is perfect for Easter. It’s made by simply combining cream cheese, brown sugar, whipped cream, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate chips, also known as Big Booty Dip!
What represents Easter and spring better than lemon’s bold, bright, and zesty flavor? Enjoy a light, refreshing, tangy lemon dip with your favorite juicy fruits!
Lemon meltaway cookies are a delightful Southern dessert that tastes like Easter and spring! They're crumbly lemon cookies made with fresh lemon juice and zesty lemon icing.
With so many soul food Easter recipes, which ones will you add to your menu?
Southern Soul Food Easter Carrot Cake Recipe
Soul food carrot cake is a Southern dessert specialty cherished by many African American families as a sweet Easter holiday tradition. Soul food versions tend to include more spices while still featuring the classic homemade cream cheese frosting.
KitchenAid stand mixer slicer/shredder attachment (optional)
Flour sifter
9-10″ Bundt cake pan
Baker’s cooling rack
Ingredients
Ingredients for Black folks soul food carrot cake
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1 ½cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
½teaspoonbaking soda
1 ½cupssugargranulated
½teaspoonsalt
2teaspoonsground nutmeg
1teaspoonground cinnamon
1cupvegetable oil
3eggs yolks
3egg whites
2 ½teaspoonswaterhot
1cupcarrotsgrated
1cupblack walnutsfinely chopped
½cupblack walnutsfinely chopped to garnish
Ingredients for Black folks soul food carrot cake cream cheese frosting
8ouncescream cheesesoftened or whipped cream cheese
¼cupbuttersoftened
2 ½cupspowdered sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions for the carrot cake
Grease and flour a 9-10″ Bundt cake pan and set it aside.
Mix the vanilla extract, sugar, vegetable oil, egg yolks, and hot water in a medium-sized bowl.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a separate mixing bowl.
Gradually pour the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredient mixture and electric mix to combine.
Add the grated carrots and stir in by hand.
Then add the chopped walnuts and also stir in by hand. The mixture will then become slightly stiff.
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. (When you lift up your beater, you want a nice peak that holds its shape and stands straight up.)
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until the whites disappear. The mixture will then significantly loosen.
Pour the batter into the greased and floured cake pan.
Keep an eye on the carrot cake while it’s in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the carrot cake from the oven and set the cake pan on a baking rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and onto a baker’s cooling rack.
Allow the carrot cake to cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours before optional frosting.
This Southern soul food homemade carrot cake recipe is usually served with cream cheese frosting garnished with finely chopped walnuts. (Frosting instructions below.)
Instructions for the cream cheese frosting
Add the butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes or until stiff.
Turn the mixer down to low and gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
Once the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer up to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.
Spread the cream cheese frosting onto the cooled carrot cake.
Optionally, garnish with chopped walnuts, crushed walnuts, or carrot cake crumbs, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Pro tips:
This recipe has my great-grandma’s secret carrot cake ingredient, the addition of beaten stiff egg whites to moisten the cake batter.
Refrigerating a cake with cream cheese frosting for a few hours will give it a firm texture, making slicing easy upon serving.
Freeze carrot cake by the slice and wrap individual pieces in parchment paper or plastic wrap. And then in foil before freezing for manageable portions that you can thaw and enjoy quickly!
What is soul food? Soul food recipes are African-American recipes full of flavor! A legacy of Southern cooking the Black way. Check out this collection of the best soul food recipes!