38 Best Make-Ahead Easter Side Dishes to Make Cooking Easier

This luscious, crunchy, flavorful salad gets a big kick from quick-pickled veggies, but it's the pine nuts and goat cheese that really makes it extra special. Make the pickled veggies ahead of time and this salad is easy to toss together!

Get the recipe for Spring Salad with Pickled Vegetables.

These restaurant-worthy spiced taters are easy enough to make at home!

Get the recipe for Smashed Potatoes with Paprika and Cumin.

Chock full of bacon and salty cheese, pecorino Romano, or Parmesan, this is sure to be a guest-favorite salad at your Easter celebration.

Get the recipe for Spinach and Frisée Salad.

The cabbage and potato stuffed buns are an uncomplicated delight: Easy to make, they make the house smell amazing when they cook up, and they tend to disappear as soon as they're cool enough to eat!

These can be made two or three days ahead and simply warmed back up in the oven before serving.

Get the recipe for Piroshki.

We're big fans of panzanella. Make the croutons and dressing ahead of time, and you'll have a super easy and delicious salad to set out on your Easter table.

Get the recipe for Asparagus, Cucumber, and Herbs Panzanella.

Creamed spinach should be served at every holiday meal throughout the year. It's just so good, and so easy to make.

You can make it up to a week ahead, and simply store in the fridge. Warm it up on the stove, or in the microwave before serving.

Get the recipe for Easy Creamed Spinach.

We love a good quick-pickled veggie any time of the year, but in the spring, when radishes are ascendent, this is the recipe we turn to. These sweet little guys will add color and flavor to your Easter spread.

Best part: the longer these sit, the better they taste! Make them up to 3 weeks before the big day.

Get the recipe for Quick Pickled Radishes.

This is a dish you have to make ahead! The cured egg yolks need about a week before they're ready (it takes five minutes to assemble) and then you can grate them over the asparagus like Parmesan!

Get the recipe for Steamed Asparagus with Salt-Cured Egg Yolks.

If creamed onions are a part of your holiday feast tradition, consider switching it up this year with a tasty update. Whole pearl onions, boiled and seared in a sweet vinegary sauce gives you that great roasted onion flavor in a manageable package, as well as adding color to the table.

These will easily keep up to a week ahead, and can be warmed up just before serving, either on the stove or in the microwave.

Get the recipe for Sweet-and-Sour Onions.

These classic flaky biscuits are about as perfect an Easter side as it gets. Both the butter and the biscuits can be made ahead. The biscuits will keep on the counter 2-3 days, or even longer in the fridge or freezer. Thaw them overnight on the counter if freezing, then warm them in the oven for the best effect.

Get the recipe for Cornmeal Butter Biscuits with Chive Butter.

Carrots are traditional at Easter, but that doesn't mean your choices are limited to raw or roasted. This soup makes a delightful first course.

And soup is, of course, the ultimate make-ahead dish! Keep the granola on the counter for up to a week, and put the soup in the fridge. Warm it on the stove before serving!

Get the recipe for Spiced Carrot Soup with Savory Sesame Granola.

There's nothing like a good root vegetables and cheese recipe to go with the Easter ham. By using a variety, it's both colorful and flavorful.

You can prep this all the way up through step 2 and then just put it in the fridge for up to a week. Let it come back to room temp before baking.

Get the recipe for Easy Root Vegetable Gratin.

You'll want to add crispy capers to all of your side dishes after tasting this delicious salad. And the best part: The flavors will just marry if you make it ahead of time.

Get the recipe for Farro-and-Tomato Salad with Crispy Capers.

This classic Southern side is creamier (and healthier) with some blended cauliflower. Prep it to the last step, then wrap the dish in foil and chill up to two days ahead of time. You can just bring it to room temp and bake it on Easter!

Get the recipe for Cauliflower Mac 'n' Cheese.

Called Tsoureki in Greece and Pane di Pasqua in Italy, this braided sweet bread, served room temp, is dotted with dyed eggs.

You can make it a day or two ahead and store it in a bread box or loosely wrapped bag on the counter—or wrap it tightly and freeze it a week or even two ahead of time, and then warm it up in the oven just before serving on Easter.

Get the recipe for Easter Bread.

Earthy mushrooms and spring leeks top a mustard and parm sauce that is absolutely delightful. To make ahead, just prep it all the way until it's ready to bake, then wrap and chill 1-2 days. Bake it off right before serving so it's fresh and hot!

Get the recipe for Mushroom-and-Leek Tart.

Halved onions turn sweet and delicious in this super simple side dish. To make ahead, simply prep the breadcrumb mixture, and store in an airtight container, then bake the onions, let cool, wrap, and store 1-2 days in the fridge. You can top the onions with the breadcrumb mixture for the final 5-minute bake on Easter day.

Get the recipe for Baked Onions.

This couscous, with its snappy peas and flavorful leeks, will only taste better if it's made ahead.

Get the recipe for Pearl Couscous.