Easy Vegan Easter Recipes for a Compassionate Easter Sunday

The Easter Bunny is ready for his big day — but are you?

If you're hoping to plan an eco-friendly Easter Sunday, one of the best ways to do so is to serve vegan Easter recipes for your guests.

Additionally, instead of buying single-use Easter decorations, make DIY Easter decorations out of upcycled materials laying around the house. If you're holding an Easter egg hunt in your house or backyard, a great way to lower the impact of the hunt is to invest in wooden Easter eggs that can be reused year after year, rather than using plastic eggs or hard-boiled eggs. And speaking of chicken eggs…

Vegan meals always have a lower environmental impact than meals centered around animal products. A University of Oxford study found that going vegan is one of the most positive lifestyle changes we can make to protect the Earth. That makes sense, considering the high emissions, water, and grain involved in the animal agriculture industry — for example, to produce 1 pound of meat, 16 pounds of grain are required. Not only that, but eating vegan also helps reduce harm to animals and to human health.

No need to eat an adorable lamb this Easter. Read on for 10 easy vegan recipes perfect for the holiday — most of which use simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

According to the USDA, most lambs are slaughtered when they are between 6 and 8 months old. Even though eating lamb is a tradition on Easter for many, you can enjoy Easter just as much (if not more!) when you replace the baby on your plate with a vegan alternative, such as this recipe for a Vegan Rack of Lamb by the blog Gourmandelle. The recipe uses the white parts of leeks or scallions to create cruelty-free bones, and is sure to impress.

If crafting a vegan rack of lamb is a little too complicated for you (same), consider making Oh She Glows’ Ultimate Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf as your main dish instead. Made primarily from lentils, walnuts, and vegetables, this lentil loaf is so hearty and flavorful that no one will miss the animal-based meat.

So many of us have potatoes in our kitchens right now, since they stay fresh for weeks at a time — and if you have small potatoes, you have the perfect base for Vegan Deviled Eggs. This recipe by YouTuber Nikki Vegan is super simple, healthy, and looks just exactly like traditional deviled eggs.

Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, two days before Easter Sunday, and BBC Good Food’s Vegan Hot Cross Buns look like the perfect recipe.

Asparagus comes into season every spring, making it a fixture at many Easter tables. This year, consider making this recipe for Herb-Crusted Asparagus Spears, developed by Naked Food Magazine and published by the official Forks Over Knives blog. The spears not only sound delicious (and reminiscent of parmesan-crusted asparagus), but they’re also packed with nutrition.

Scalloped potatoes, aka potatoes grand mere, is another Easter dinner classic. This recipe for Vegan Scalloped Potatoes from the blog Nora Cooks is made with a creamy cashew-based sauce, which lusciously brings the savory dish together.

Minimalist Baker’s recipe for Cheesy Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip is a real crowd-pleaser. Cashews and nutritional yeast help create a creamy base for this glorious, perfect-for-Easter dip.

Keep things sweet with these vegan dessert recipes that are all perfect for Easter. No judgment if you make and devour all three.

Make your very own Cadbury Creme Eggs, minus the dairy! Blog It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken’s recipe for indulgent Vegan Chocolate Creme Eggs uses super simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry. This recipe works best with a chocolate egg mold, but the blog also provides instructions for forming the chocolate eggs by hand.

Even though the carrot-loving Easter Bunny may not be attending your quarantined Easter celebration this year, you can still impress him from afar with a delicious carrot cake. The Edgy Veg’s recipe for Vegan Carrot Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting is fluffy, moist, and indulgent.

You can never go wrong with a classic chocolate cake. This recipe by Lauren Toyota of hot for food (as published by Chatelaine) uses basic ingredients to create a sweet, moist, and rich Classic Chocolate Cake using 100 percent plant-based ingredients.

This article, originally published on April 24, 2020, has been updated.