Embark on a culinary journey this Easter with a magnificent collection of authentic Ukrainian Easter Recipes. For Ukrainians, Easter, or Velykden, is far more than just a holiday; it’s a profound spiritual celebration rich with age-old traditions, deep-seated symbolism, and, of course, an abundance of delicious, soul-satisfying food. If you’re looking to honor these cherished customs and create a truly special Ukrainian Easter feast, you’ve arrived at the perfect destination.

We’ve meticulously gathered an exceptional selection of essential Ukrainian Easter dishes. This curated list features beloved recipes from our own kitchen and contributions from talented fellow food bloggers, ensuring a comprehensive guide to crafting a memorable holiday spread. From the iconic sweet breads to hearty main courses and delectable desserts, prepare to immerse yourself in the flavors of Ukrainian heritage.

Our collection spans a wide array of popular dishes, including traditional Ukrainian breads that symbolize life and resurrection, savory main courses deeply rooted in family history, and delightful new favorites that complement the classic spread. You’ll discover recipes for tender cottage cheese Perogies (varenyky), fragrant sweet yeast breads like Paska and Babka, savory Kovbasa (Ukrainian sausage), and comforting Holubtsi (cabbage rolls). Each dish carries a story and contributes to the joyous tapestry of a Ukrainian Easter celebration.

For generations, Easter Sunday at Baba’s (grandma’s) house was always an extraordinary occasion, filled with warmth, family, and an unparalleled feast. Beyond the excitement of Easter chocolate received at home, we eagerly anticipated a special Ukrainian spread that tantalized all senses. The aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with savory meats, creating an atmosphere of pure delight. It was, without a doubt, a day of immense joy and delicious indulgence, cementing memories that last a lifetime.

Delightful Ukrainian Easter Appetizers

Starting your Easter feast with flavorful appetizers sets the tone for a truly traditional meal. While Baba might have spent hours perfecting every detail, modern life often calls for clever shortcuts. These recipes offer authentic tastes with practical preparation times, ensuring you can enjoy the celebration without endless kitchen time.

Beef Borscht (with canned beets) Recipe

This homemade Ukrainian Beef Borscht soup offers a fantastic shortcut without compromising on authentic flavor. Using canned beets means no chopping is required, making it incredibly easy and quick to prepare with a cook time of just 15 minutes. It’s not only delicious and hearty but also healthy, low in fat, and Weight Watchers friendly, making it an ideal starter for your Easter meal. The vibrant red color is truly festive!

Check out this Borscht recipe!

Easter eggs, particularly pysanky (beautifully decorated eggs) and krashanky (dyed eggs), hold profound meaning in Ukrainian culture. They symbolize integrity, new life, and the resurrection of Christ. More broadly, they represent the basis of everything, the symbol of the Universe, spiritual fullness, prosperity, and continuous movement and rebirth. Serving them on Easter Sunday is a celebration of these powerful concepts.

Dill Deviled Eggs recipe

These Dill Deviled Eggs are a treasured family recipe and an absolute favorite at any gathering. They offer a simple yet distinctive twist on traditional deviled eggs, crafted with perfectly hard-boiled eggs, fresh dill, creamy mayonnaise, and a secret ingredient that elevates their flavor. These delectable bites are both gluten-free and Weight Watchers friendly, making them a perfect, crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack for your Easter table.

Check out this Dill Deviled Eggs Recipe

Hearty Ukrainian Easter Main Dishes

The main dishes for Ukrainian Easter are typically robust and satisfying, forming the centerpiece of the festive meal. These recipes often feature flavorful meats, symbolizing abundance and celebration after the Lenten fast. They are dishes that bring families together around the table, creating cherished memories with every bite.

Ham and sausage carry significant symbolism in the Ukrainian Easter tradition. They represent a fattened-up calf, reminiscent of the Biblical parable where the father orders a feast upon his prodigal son’s return. This symbolizes divine forgiveness, reconciliation, and the joy of homecoming, embodying spiritual renewal and blessing.

📋 Picnic Ham (with Orange Glaze) Recipe

This Picnic Ham with Orange Glaze is an absolutely perfect choice for your Easter ham, or indeed for any celebratory dinner throughout the year. It comes with simple, clear directions on how to expertly score, baste, and cook a picnic shoulder to juicy perfection. The sweet and tangy orange glaze adds a bright, festive touch that everyone will adore, making it a delicious and impressive centerpiece.

Check out this ham recipe!

📋 Air Fryer Kielbasa (Kovbasa) Recipe

This air fryer kielbasa (also known as kovbasa in Ukrainian) recipe provides an incredibly quick and easy method to savor this traditional Ukrainian sausage. By using the air fryer, you avoid heating up your entire house with the oven or stovetop, and it’s remarkably energy-efficient. The result is perfectly cooked, juicy kovbasa with a delightful crisp exterior, ready in minutes for a convenient and authentic meal.

Check out this Kovbasa recipe!

Buzhenina (Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin)

Discover this succulent Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, known in Ukraine as Buzhenina. This traditional Ukrainian recipe is remarkably simple, requiring just four key ingredients, yet it consistently delivers an unforgettable, tender, and flavorful roast. It’s a dish that impresses with minimal effort and is always a crowd-pleaser, perfect for your festive Easter table.

Check out this Ukrainian Roast Pork (Buzhenina) recipe!

Essential Ukrainian Easter Side Dishes

No Ukrainian Easter feast is complete without an array of hearty and flavorful side dishes. These accompaniments not only complement the main courses but often stand as beloved dishes in their own right. From savory dumplings to comforting casseroles, these sides add texture, flavor, and tradition to your holiday table.

📋Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies Recipe

This Potato and Cottage Cheese Perogies recipe comes directly from the master perogy maker herself, Grandma Mary Rudy! These homemade, traditional perogies are crafted with a perfect blend of dry cottage cheese and fluffy potatoes, encased in a simple, tender perogy dough. Once boiled, they’re fried in butter and generously smothered with caramelized onions, crispy bacon, and a dollop of sour cream, ensuring every bite is both authentically delicious and incredibly satisfying.

Check out this Perogy recipe!

Garlic Mushrooms in Sour Cream

These Garlic Mushrooms in Sour Cream are a testament to simple ingredients creating profound flavors. This dish is a perfect, easy-to-make side dish or a luxurious topping, promising to be a winner for all garlic and mushroom enthusiasts. The creamy, savory combination is utterly irresistible and a wonderful addition to any Ukrainian meal.

Check out this Mushroom recipe!

📋 Healthy Potato Salad Recipe

This Healthy Potato Salad is wonderfully easy to prepare and absolutely packed with wholesome ingredients like tender potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and crisp fresh vegetables. It’s thoughtfully made with light or low-fat mayonnaise to significantly reduce the calorie count without sacrificing any of the creamy, classic flavor. A perfect lighter side for your festive meal!

Check out this recipe

📋 Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls Recipe (with ground beef and rice)

These hearty, savory cabbage rolls, known as holubtsi in Ukrainian, are prepared in a delicious Scottish style. Each roll is generously stuffed with a flavorful mixture of seasoned ground beef, fluffy rice, and earthy mushrooms, then slow-cooked and smothered in a rich, tangy tomato sauce. To make preparation even quicker and easier, the cabbage leaves are cooked in the microwave, cutting down on traditional cooking time and making these stuffed cabbage rolls more accessible for your holiday feast.

Check out this Cabbage Roll recipe!

Ukrainian Beet Salad (Vinegret)

Learn how to effortlessly prepare this vibrant and incredibly nutritious Ukrainian beet salad, traditionally known as Vinegret. This colorful salad is a delightful medley of tender boiled vegetables, tangy pickles, crisp onions, and a simple, flavorful olive oil dressing. It’s a refreshing and healthy addition to any meal, bursting with natural goodness and a beautiful presentation.

Check out this Ukrainian Beet Salad recipe!

Ukrainian Egg Noodle Casserole

Indulge in the comforting flavors of this Ukrainian Baked Egg Noodle Casserole, a cherished recipe from childhood. This dish features tender egg noodles baked to perfection with a rich blend of milk and eggs, creating a delightful custard-like center and a wonderfully crunchy, golden-brown top. It was always my absolute favorite after-school snack, bringing warmth and satisfaction with every spoonful, and it’s perfect as a hearty side dish for Easter.

Check out this Baked Egg Noodle Casserole recipe!

Craving the classic taste of Holubtsi (cabbage rolls) but short on time? This Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls recipe delivers all the authentic, heartwarming flavor of traditional Holubtsi, yet eliminates hours of rolling and meticulous preparation. It’s the perfect solution for enjoying this beloved dish with minimal effort.

📋 Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls Recipe

These Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls miraculously capture the exact, comforting taste of regular meat and rice cabbage rolls, but ingeniously transformed into a convenient casserole form. All the deliciousness without any of the tedious rolling! What’s more, they are also Weight Watchers friendly, making them a fantastic option for a hearty and healthy family meal.

Check out this Lazy Cabbage Rolls recipe!

In Ukrainian culture, bread is revered as one of the holiest and most fundamental foods—it is a powerful symbol of life itself, sustenance, and divine blessing. It’s not merely sustenance but a sacred offering. On Easter Sunday, intricately decorated sweet breads like Paska and Babka are brought to church to be blessed as part of the Easter basket, signifying renewal and gratitude. Beyond religious rites, bread is traditionally used to greet honored guests at home, a gesture of deep respect and hospitality. Sweet breads, in particular, are a cornerstone of Easter tradition, filling homes with their intoxicating aromas and embodying the sweetness of the holiday.

I vividly recall the enchanting aroma of Paska and Babka bread baking in Baba’s warm oven. The entire house would be suffused with this sweet, yeasty, comforting scent, signaling the arrival of the most joyous holiday. Each time I prepare these traditional Ukrainian Easter breads, I’m instantly transported back to those glorious Easters of my childhood, filled with family, warmth, and an overwhelming sense of love and tradition.

📋 Ukrainian Babka Recipe (Bread Machine)

This tender, cakelike Ukrainian Babka is a quintessential traditional Ukrainian Easter bread recipe, enriched with plump golden raisins. The beauty of this sweet bread is that its rich, flavorful dough is effortlessly prepared right in your bread machine, saving you time and effort. It is then baked to golden perfection in the classic traditional way, often in coffee cans or tin cans, which gives it its iconic tall, cylindrical shape.

Check out this Babka recipe!

📋 Paska Bread Recipe (Bread Machine)

This traditional Paska bread, a quintessential Ukrainian Easter staple, is made incredibly easy with the help of a bread machine for the dough preparation. Once the dough is ready, this sweet Easter bread is then artfully decorated with simple yet meaningful designs before being baked for a short time to a beautiful golden finish. The result is a tender, slightly sweet bread that is both symbolic and delicious.

Check out this Paska recipe!

Beyond the delicious foods, other elements also hold deep symbolic resonance for Ukrainians at Easter. Candles, often placed within the Easter basket or on the table, symbolize the divine light of Christ and God’s grace, illuminating the world and guiding believers. Doves, particularly when crafted from bread, are a beautiful symbolic celebration of spring, peace, and the Holy Spirit, representing new beginnings and hope.

🕊️Ukrainian Easter Bread Doves Recipe (Holuby)

Discover the art of making Ukrainian Easter Bread Doves, known as Holuby, with this simple-to-follow tutorial and accompanying recipe! These charming edible ornamental doves are a traditional adornment for the Ukrainian Easter Basket, often gracing the tops of Ukrainian Easter bread like Paska, and even the majestic Korovai (wedding bread). They beautifully symbolize the arrival of spring, peace, and new life, making them a delightful and meaningful addition to your holiday traditions.

Check out this Holuby recipe!

Sweet Ukrainian Easter Desserts

After a lavish savory meal, Ukrainian Easter desserts offer a sweet conclusion that is both traditional and utterly delightful. These treats range from rich tortes to light pastries, often incorporating ingredients like poppy seeds, cheese, and fruit, reflecting the bounty and joy of the holiday season.

📋Lemon Poppy seed Torte (with Raspberry Curd filling) Recipe

This exquisite Lemon Poppy Seed Torte is a truly traditional Ukrainian cake that marries the delicate crunch of poppy seeds with a bright, zesty lemon flavor. It’s elegantly filled with a tangy homemade raspberry curd and topped with a luxurious, creamy white chocolate whipped cream frosting. This torte is surprisingly easy to decorate, yet it boasts an elegant appearance that makes it perfectly suited for any special occasion, especially your Easter dessert table.

Check out this Poppy Seed Torte recipe!

Ukrainian Cheesecake (Easter Syrnyk)

Experience the unique delight of Ukrainian Cheesecake, affectionately known as Easter Syrnyk. Unlike conventional cheesecakes made with cream cheese, this traditional Easter dessert is crafted with dry curd cottage cheese, imparting a distinctive texture and subtly tangy flavor. Also referred to as Ukrainian sweet cheese, Syrnyk is a rich, comforting, and authentic sweet treat that perfectly embodies the spirit of the holiday.

Check out this Ukrainian Cheesecake recipe!

🍩 Pampushky – Ukrainian Doughnuts

This Pampushky (Ukrainian Doughnut) recipe yields incredibly light and airy raised doughnuts, traditionally made without a filling. These classic Ukrainian donuts are re-imagined into modern mini, Stampede-style doughnuts and generously sprinkled with fragrant cinnamon and sugar, just precisely how my Baba used to prepare them during my childhood. Each bite brings a nostalgic taste of comfort and tradition.

Check out this Pampushky recipe!

📋 Ukrainian Walnut Torte Recipe

Follow these clear, step-by-step photo instructions to create a truly traditional Ukrainian Walnut Torte. This exquisite dessert is notably flourless, making it a wonderful option for those avoiding gluten, and features rich layers generously filled and frosted with a delightful coffee whipped cream. It’s a show-stopping cake that combines robust nutty flavors with a delicate, creamy finish, perfect for your Easter celebration.

Check out this Ukrainian Walnut Torte Recipe!

Symbolic Foods & Ingredient Significance

Beyond their delicious flavors, many foods in a Ukrainian Easter spread carry profound symbolic meaning, enriching the celebration with layers of cultural and spiritual significance. Understanding these symbols adds depth to the feast and connects participants to generations of tradition.

Butter and cheese are cherished symbols that represent the essential connection between people and Jesus Christ. Just as a child draws life, strength, and vital energy from its mother’s milk, so too are Christians believed to be nourished and enriched by the sacred energy and grace of Jesus. This symbolism highlights spiritual sustenance and divine care.

Butter, especially when artfully shaped into a lamb or a cross, is a powerful Christian symbol. The butter lamb, a beloved tradition, represents Christ, the Lamb of God, reminding us of His purity, sacrifice, and resurrection. It also serves as a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness of Christ and the vital importance of sharing our blessings and bounty with others, fostering generosity and community.

My dear friend Susan has been meticulously carving these breathtaking Butter Lambs for Easter for many years, and without a doubt, her creations are the most exceptional and lifelike I have ever encountered! Each lamb is a miniature work of art, bringing a truly special touch to the Easter table.

If you’re inspired to try crafting your own butter lamb, be sure to check out this How to make a butter lamb video!

Salt is a profoundly symbolic element at the Ukrainian Easter dinner. It represents the inherent bitterness and trials that every Christian is called to experience in the process of spiritual cleansing and atonement for sin. More importantly, salt consecrated at Easter is traditionally seen as a powerful protector from evil. It is widely believed that if the threshold of a home is sprinkled with this holy salt, no malevolent person or negative influence will be able to enter the house, offering both spiritual and physical safeguarding.

Horseradish, with its pungent flavor and strong root, is a powerful symbol of strength, health, and resilience. It particularly symbolizes the strong root of faith that underpins the belief in the resurrection of Christ. Its potent taste serves as a reminder of the bitter suffering Christ endured before His glorious triumph, yet its enduring vitality speaks of unwavering hope and renewal.

❔Recipe FAQs for Your Ukrainian Easter Feast

We hope this curated selection of recipes inspires you to create the perfect Easter meal, honoring the rich traditions and incredible flavors of Ukraine. From starters to sweet endings, your Easter table will be overflowing with delicious, meaningful dishes.

And if you’re eager to explore more incredible Ukrainian cuisine, be sure to check out our 25 Delicious Modern Twists on Traditional Ukrainian Recipes for fresh takes on timeless favorites!