If you're looking for delicious and authentic Ukrainian Easter Recipes to make your celebration special, you've come to the right place! For Ukrainians, Easter is a time filled with rich traditions and delicious food. And if you're planning to celebrate Ukrainian Easter in style, I've got you covered. I have rounded up a great selection of Ukrainian Easter recipes from my own recipe collection and from my fellow food bloggers.
I have many popular dishes, including traditional Ukrainian bread, other traditional Ukrainian Easter food, and new favorites. There are recipes for cottage cheese Perogies, sweet yeast bread (paska and babka), kovbasa (Ukrainian sausage), and holubtsi (cabbage rolls) as well.
Easter Sunday at Baba's was always a special time. In addition to the Easter chocolate we got at home Easter morning, we were also treated to a special Ukrainian feast! It was indeed, a great day.
Appetizers
Most of us don't have hours to spend in the kitchen like Baba did. That's why this SHORTCUT Borscht with a 15 minute cooking time is ideal!
Easter eggs symbolize integrity. They are the basis of everything, the symbol of the Universe, spiritual fullness, prosperity, and movement.
Main Dishes
Ham and sausage symbolize a fattened-up calf, which the father ordered to be slaughtered after his prodigal son returned home. It’s a symbol of forgiveness.
Side Dishes
Baked Egg Noodle Casserole is a recipe from my childhood. Egg noodles baked with milk and eggs produce a custard like centre with a crunchy top. This was my favourite after school snack.
This Lazy Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls recipe gives you all the authentic flavor of traditional Holubtsi, but without hours of rolling!
Ukrainians regard bread as one of the holiest of foods- it is a symbol of life. Not only is it brought to church on Easter Sunday as an offering, but bread is also used to greet honored guests at home; sweet breads are an Easter tradition.
I can still remember the aroma of Paska and Babka bread baking in Baba's oven. The whole house would be filled with this sweet, yeasty aroma. Whenever I make Ukrainian Easter bread, I'm transported back to those glorious Easters gone by.
Candles symbolize light and God's grace, and doves are a symbolic celebration of spring!
Desserts
🥘Ingredient Notes
In addition to the Ukrainian foods above, here are a few other foods that have significant symbolic meaning for Ukrainian people at Easter dinner:
Butter and cheese symbolize the connection between people and Jesus Christ. As a child receives life, strength, and energy from the mother’s milk, so Christians are enriched by Jesus with sacred energy.
Butter, often shaped into a lamb or a cross, is a symbol of Christ and reminds us of the goodness of Christ, and the importance of sharing with others.
My friend Susan has been carving these amazing Butter Lambs for Easter for years, and hers are the best I have ever come across!
If you want to make your own butter lamb, check out this How to make a butter lamb video!
Salt is a symbol of the bitterness that every Christian should experience in cleansing themselves from sin. Salt consecrated at Easter is a protector from evil. It is believed that if the threshold is sprinkled with holy salt, no evil person will be able to enter the house.
Horseradish is a symbol of strength and health. It symbolizes a strong root that gives faith in the resurrection.
❔Recipe FAQs
A Ukrainian Easter basket typically includes:
Paska (sweet Easter bread) – Represents Christ, the Bread of Life
Eggs (pysanky or krashanky) – Symbolize new life and resurrection
Salt – Represents purification
Horseradish – Symbolizes strength and health
Cheese & Butter – Represent prosperity and kindness
Ham & Sausage – Symbolize joy and abundance
A traditional Ukrainian Easter meal includes Ukrainian Easter recipes such as Paska and Babka (sweet Easter breads), kovbasa (sausage), holubtsi (cabbage rolls), perogies, borscht, ham, and various egg-based dishes. These foods are rich in symbolism and reflect Ukrainian heritage and religious traditions.
A traditional Easter dinner menu often includes a mix of appetizers, main dishes, and desserts such as:
Appetizers: Deviled eggs, beet salad, borscht, pickled herring
Main Dishes: Ham, kovbasa, roast pork (buzhenina)
Side Dishes: Perogies, cabbage rolls, potato salad, baked egg noodle casserole
Desserts: Poppy seed torte, Ukrainian cheesecake, pampushky (Ukrainian doughnuts), walnut torte.
So if you're looking for the perfect recipes for your Easter table, you'll love this Easter meal recipe roundup!
And if you love Ukrainian food, be sure to check out my 25 Delicious Modern Twists on Traditional Ukrainian Recipes!
⭐ Reviews
Ready to create your own Ukrainian Easter feast? Start with these recipes and share your creations with us on social media! #UkrainianEaster #FoodMeanderings
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Iryna Woloshyn
Ihad a recipe for Easter Egg Sauce (that you put on meats/cold cuts). Can't find it. Would you share with me your recipe? Thank you.
Terri Gilson
Hi Iryna,
I'm sorry but I don't know that recipe. Can you give me an idea what's in it/what it tastes like? Maybe I can see if I can find out somewhere (in one of my cookbooks).
Thanks,
Terri