Easter Potluck Ideas: Dishes, Tips, and Sign-Up Sheets

Easter Potlucks Made Easy

An Easter potluck is one of the easiest ways to host a crowd without doing all the cooking yourself — and one of the best ways to make sure everyone shows up with something they're proud to share. The trick is a little coordination upfront so you end up with a balanced spread instead of four pasta salads and no dessert.

Here's everything you need to plan the menu, organize your guests, and set up a sign-up sheet that actually works.

👉 Ready to jump in? Use our Easter Potluck Sign-Up Sheet Template — set up categories, assign dishes, and send automatic reminders in minutes

Easter Potluck Dishes by Category

Main Dishes

Easter mains tend to lean toward the celebratory — this is a meal people look forward to, so it's worth anchoring the table with something substantial. Assign one or two mains depending on your headcount, and let the sides fill in around them.

Popular Easter potluck main dishes:

• Glazed ham (a classic for a reason — easy to transport and feeds a crowd)
• Deviled egg pasta salad (bridges the main and side categories beautifully)
• Quiche or egg casserole (great for a brunch-style potluck)
• Baked salmon with lemon and herbs
• Honey garlic chicken thighs
• Pulled pork sliders (casual, crowd-pleasing, easy to portion)
• Spring vegetable frittata (a strong vegetarian anchor)
• Lamb chops or leg of lamb if your crowd leans traditional

Sides and Salads

Sides are where Easter potlucks really shine — spring produce is at its best, and there's a natural palette of fresh, bright flavors that work well together. Aim for a mix of warm and cold sides so the table has variety and not everything needs oven space at once.

Fresh and Cold Sides:

• Spring pea and mint salad
• Strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing
• Cucumber and radish salad
• Broccoli salad with cranberries and sunflower seeds
• Classic coleslaw
• Caprese salad with fresh basil
• Deviled eggs (always the first thing to disappear)
• Fruit salad with honey lime dressing

Warm Sides:

• Roasted asparagus with parmesan
• Scalloped potatoes or au gratin
• Glazed carrots with brown sugar and thyme
• Green bean casserole
• Roasted baby potatoes with rosemary
• Corn pudding
• Baked mac and cheese
• Dinner rolls or pull-apart bread

Desserts

Easter dessert is a chance to go seasonal and festive without a lot of effort — pastel colors, spring fruits, and anything involving lemon or strawberry fits the occasion perfectly.

• Lemon bars
• Carrot cake (the Easter dessert)
• Strawberry shortcake
• Easter sugar cookies (decorated, always a hit with kids)
• Lemon pound cake
• Spring fruit tart
• Robin egg cake or nest cupcakes
• No-bake cheesecake with berry topping
• Banana pudding
• Dirt cups with gummy worms (kids love these)

Drinks and Beverages

Don't forget to assign drinks — they're easy to overlook and expensive to cover on your own.

• Lemonade or strawberry lemonade
• Sparkling fruit punch
• Iced tea (sweet or unsweetened)
• Mimosa bar setup (champagne plus a few juice options)
• Flavored water station with citrus and cucumber
• Coffee and tea for brunch potlucks

Easter Potluck Ideas for Work

An office Easter potluck has a few different constraints than a family gathering — you're working with a break room or conference room, no one has time to cook something elaborate on a weeknight, and you want dishes that travel well and don't require reheating.

Stick to dishes that work at room temperature. Salads, dips, finger foods, and baked goods are your friends. Hot casseroles that need to be eaten immediately are risky in an office setting.

Good office Easter potluck ideas:

• Deviled eggs (always popular, easy to portion)
• Pasta salad or tortellini salad
• Veggie and hummus tray
• Fruit skewers or a fruit platter
• Cheese and cracker board
• Mini sandwiches or sliders
• Brownies, cookies, or lemon bars
• Store-bought items dressed up (a good charcuterie spread takes five minutes to assemble)

Keep dietary needs in mind. Office groups often include a wider range of dietary restrictions than a family gathering, so make sure your sign-up has a notes field where people can flag what they're bringing and whether it's vegetarian, gluten-free, or contains common allergens.

For workplace potlucks, a sign-up sheet is especially useful — it removes the awkward "what should I bring?" back-and-forth over email and gives the organizer a clear picture of what's covered without having to chase anyone down.

[CTA: Set up your Office Easter Potluck Sign-Up — assign dishes, collect RSVPs, and send reminders all in one place.]

How to Organize an Easter Potluck Sign-Up

The difference between a great potluck and a chaotic one usually comes down to one thing: whether anyone was tracking what people were bringing. A sign-up sheet — digital or printed — solves this problem completely.

Here's how to set one up so it actually works.

Assign Categories, Not Just Slots

Instead of posting a generic "bring a dish to share," break your sign-up into specific categories: mains, cold sides, warm sides, desserts, drinks, and paper goods. This ensures you get a balanced spread and makes it easy for guests to know what's still needed.

Set Quantities Intentionally

Think about your headcount and how many dishes you need in each category. A group of 30 people might need one or two mains, four to six sides, two or three desserts, and two drink options. Build those slot counts into your sign-up so it fills proportionally.

Include a Notes or Dish Name Field

Asking people to write in what specific dish they're bringing (not just "a side") prevents duplicates and lets you spot gaps — like if three people claimed the dessert slot and they're all bringing brownies.

Send a Reminder

People sign up with good intentions and then forget. A reminder a few days before the potluck — especially one that includes their specific assignment — dramatically improves follow-through.

For workplace potlucks, send the sign-up link over email or Slack so people can claim a dish without any back-and-forth. For family or church potlucks, a shareable link people can open on their phones works best.

👉 Use our Easter Potluck Sign-Up Sheet Template — set up categories, assign dishes, and send automatic reminders in minutes

Easter Potluck Template

▶️ Prefer to build your sign up from scratch? Watch our How to Create a Sign Up Video.

Easter Potluck Tips for Hosts

Balance Your Menu Categories Before You Open the Sign-Up

If you have 25 guests and you open an uncategorized sign-up, you'll end up with whatever people feel like bringing — which is usually heavy on desserts and light on mains. Set your categories and slot counts first, then share the link.

Make It Easy for People to Bring What They're Good At

If you know someone in your group makes an incredible deviled egg or a famous carrot cake, reach out personally before the sign-up opens and ask if they'd be willing to bring it. People love being asked for their signature dish.

Don't Forget the Basics

Ice, serving utensils, napkins, plates, and cups often fall through the cracks because no one thinks to assign them. Put them in your sign-up as their own category.

Plan for a Serving Table That Makes Sense

Group mains together, sides together, and desserts at the end. Label dishes with cards so guests know what they're eating, especially helpful for allergy awareness.

Have a Few Backup Dishes Ready

Even with a sign-up, someone will cancel last minute. A simple backup — a bag of rolls, a store-bought pie, a big bowl of chips and dip — saves the spread.

Ready to Create Your Sign Up?

Manage every part of Easter from potlucks to egg hunts and Sunday service all from one place with SignUpGenius.

Create your account and get started for free!