With a little planning and a few clever swaps, you can set a table that looks and tastes truly festive — think golden roast chicken, creamy scalloped potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, a bright spring salad, and a stunning lemon cake — all for a surprisingly modest total. These recipes are written for 6 to 8 people and are designed around ingredients you’ll find at any grocery store, often on sale in the days leading up to Easter.
Below you’ll find five complete recipes plus a handful of shopping and prep tips to keep the whole meal stress-free.
Budget Tips That Actually Work
Smart Shopping Checklist
- Buy a whole chicken instead of a leg of lamb — you get more meat per dollar and the leftovers are incredible.
- Check flyer deals the week of Easter; carrots, potatoes, and eggs are almost always on special.
- Swap heavy cream in the scalloped potatoes for whole milk and a little butter — nearly indistinguishable.
- A box of powdered lemon pudding mix takes a homemade cake from good to spectacular for about $1.50.
- Make the cake and the salad dressing the night before to reduce Easter Day stress (and dishes).
- Use chicken drippings from the roast to make a quick pan gravy — free flavour, zero waste.
Spring Pea Soup with Mint Cream
A bright, vibrant bowl that screams spring — and uses just a bag of frozen peas. The swirl of mint cream on top makes it look like it came from a restaurant.
Spring Pea Soup with Mint Cream
Silky, bright, and ready in under 20 minutes. Uses frozen peas so it’s a pantry-friendly crowd-pleaser.
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups (500g) frozen peas
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- Zest of half a lemon
- Sauté onion in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add peas and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Blend until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Mix sour cream with mint and lemon zest to make the mint cream.
- Ladle soup into bowls and swirl a spoonful of mint cream on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Estimated Cost: ~$8–10 for 6–8 servings
Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken with Pan Gravy
A golden, crispy-skinned roast chicken is one of the most impressive things you can put on an Easter table — and it costs a fraction of a roast lamb. The key is a generous herb butter under the skin and a hot oven.
Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken with Pan Gravy
Golden skin, juicy meat, and an effortless pan gravy made from the drippings. The ultimate budget-friendly centrepiece.
- 1 whole chicken (about 4–5 lbs / 2kg)
- 4 tbsp softened butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt & freshly cracked pepper
- 1 lemon, halved (for cavity)
- 1 onion, quartered (for cavity)
- 2 tbsp flour (for gravy)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Pat chicken dry inside and out — this is the secret to crispy skin.
- Mix butter with garlic, herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Gently loosen skin over breasts and thighs and push herb butter underneath.
- Season the outside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with lemon halves and quartered onion.
- Roast for 20 min per pound plus 20 minutes extra, or until juices run clear and thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest 15 minutes before carving.
- For gravy: pour off most of the drippings, whisk flour into the remaining fat over medium heat for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in broth. Simmer until thickened. Season to taste.
Estimated Cost: ~$15–18 for 6–8 servings
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
Thin-sliced potatoes baked in a garlic cream sauce until bubbling and golden on top. Decadent-tasting but made with humble pantry ingredients.
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
Layers of tender potato in a silky, cheesy sauce. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser that reheats beautifully the next day.
- 2 lbs (900g) russet potatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup chicken or veg broth
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt, pepper, nutmeg
- Fresh chives to serve
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Make the sauce: melt butter in a saucepan, sauté garlic for 1 minute. Whisk in flour, then slowly add milk and broth, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add mustard, ½ cup cheese, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Layer half the potato slices in the dish. Pour over half the sauce. Repeat with remaining potatoes and sauce.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with remaining cheese, and bake another 20–25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Rest 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped fresh chives.
Estimated Cost: ~$7–9 for 6–8 servings
Honey-Glazed Roasted Carrots
One of the most underrated Easter sides: roasted carrots caramelized with butter and honey, finished with a touch of thyme and a squeeze of orange. Beautiful colour on the table, ready in 30 minutes.
Honey-Glazed Roasted Carrots
Caramelized edges, sweet honey glaze, and a hint of orange. One of the easiest, most colourful sides you can make.
- 2 lbs (900g) carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- Zest and juice of ½ orange
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment.
- Toss carrots with olive oil, honey, melted butter, orange zest, juice, and thyme. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until tender and caramelized at the edges.
- Transfer to a serving platter and scatter with fresh parsley. Drizzle any pan juices over the top.
Estimated Cost: ~$5–6 for 6–8 servings
Lemon Bundt Cake with Glaze
This cake looks like it came from a bakery, but it’s made with a simple box of cake mix as the base and punched up with lemon pudding mix, fresh lemon zest, and a bright drizzle glaze. Nobody will know — and honestly, it doesn’t matter.
Lemon Bundt Cake with Glaze
Impossibly moist, sunshine-bright, and dressed to impress — a crowd favourite that starts with a box mix secret.
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 box (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding mix
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup water or buttermilk
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- — For the glaze —
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3–4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a Bundt pan very thoroughly — this is the step that prevents disaster.
- Beat together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake 45–50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely before glazing.
- Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cooled cake and finish with lemon zest. Slice and serve.
Estimated Cost: ~$8–10 for 10–12 slices
Full Easter Dinner for 6–8 People
Starter · Roast Chicken · Scalloped Potatoes · Honey Carrots · Lemon Bundt Cake
Prices based on average Canadian grocery store prices, April 2025. Actual costs will vary by region and store.
The whole point of a budget Easter dinner isn’t to cut corners — it’s to be clever about where the money goes. A good roast chicken, properly seasoned and rested, is just as celebratory as an expensive cut of meat. Scalloped potatoes made with milk and a little cheddar taste just as luxurious as a cream-laden gratin. And that lemon cake? Nobody at your table will ever guess it started with a box.
Happy Easter. May your table be full and your grocery bill be mercifully short.
