With Easter just a few days away, here is a little roundup of my favorite Easter-inspired French recipes from the blog: breakfast and brunch ideas, mains for hosting, springy sides and delicious chocolate desserts. Bon appétit, happy Easter, or as we say in France: Joyeuses Pâques !
The Traditional French Easter Menu
The French Easter meal is traditionally enjoyed on the Sunday or Easter Monday, which is a public holiday in France. The meal usually consists of chicken or lamb, served with roasted potatoes and sides of vegetables – usually seasonal carrots. As asparagus come into Season, they are often served as a starter or as a side as well. A large cheese platter served before dessert is a must during any French meal, and Easter is no exception. Finally, for dessert, Easter classically calls for either a big chocolate dessert (like a Queen of Sheba Cake, a Moelleux Chocolate Cake or individual chocolate mousse cups) or a strawberry dessert, like a Classic French Strawberry Tart. And of course, a typical Easter feast is always finished off with an Easter egg hunt in the backyard or nearby park – for the kids and kids alike.
That said, the French nowadays tend to get more and more creative with their Easter menu, making the most of seasonal ingredients. While we tend to stick to tradition when it comes to the Christmas menu, it is safe to say we allow more modern takes for the Easter menu. So, here are a few ideas to get you inspired in the kitchen!
Breakfast & Brunch Ideas for Easter
French-Style Dutch Baby Pancake 
Orange Anise Sugared Easter Brioche
Classic French Butter Brioche (Brioche Pur Beurre)
Chouquettes (French Sugar Puffs)
Classic French Toast (Pain Perdu) 
Starters
Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Classic French Celery Root Remoulade
Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche
Sauce Gribiche on Crisp Asparagus
Mains for Easter
One-pan Garlicky Lamb Chops with Carrots & Potatoes
Roasted Chicken with Dijon Herb Butter
Creamy French Tarragon Chicken
French Chicken and Mushroom Tourte
Sides for Easter
Classic French Potato Gratin Dauphinois
Classic French-Style Potato Salad
Chickpea Salad with Olives, Anchovies & Celery
Whole Cauliflower with Crumbled Egg Vinaigrette
Vichy Carrots (French-style Glazed Carrots)
Desserts for Easter
Classic-French Strawberry Charlotte Cake
Classic French Strawberry Tart
Classic-French Lemon Pie (Tarte au Citron)
Lemon Poppy Seed French Yogurt Loaf
Classic French Chocolate Pots de Crème
Classic French Chocolate Mousse
Don’t hesitate to leave a comment to share your traditional Easter menu! If you do make a recipe from this French Easter roundup, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram.
18 comments
OMG-can we come to your house?? All of these dishes look amazing.
Thanks so much! I hope this gives you some Easter inspiration!
My oh my ! Heavenly good ! Pinned !
Thank you!
Everything looks so delicious , can’t wait to try some of these recipes!
Thank you Susan!
I recently made the Bordeaux-style Fish Gratin with wild haddock. Easy & delicious. It’s now a favourite fish recipe. Thanks!
Amazing, thank you Tanya!
Hi Audrey, this is Fran from G’day Souffle” blog. Gosh, so many good recipes to try- where do I start? I am most interested in your Charlotte recipe. Several years ago, I made Julia Child’s ‘Charlotte Mallakoff which tasted great (very rich). However, my lady fingers stuck a little to the side of the pan, so they were a bit raggety looking. Next time I’ll try using a removable bottom pan, as you uggested!
Thank you Fran, and happy baking!
Love your recipes. I want to make EVERYTHING!! Such classic, elegant recipes!
Thanks so much Carol!
These all look amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Happy Easter!
Thank you!
La premiere fois que je vous rencontre. Je continuerai a lire et cuire vos recettes. Merçi beaucoup. Micheline
Merci!
I have tried so many of your recipes and they all turned out fantastic. I even went out to buy your book. Well done!
Thank you!