Planning a small Easter dinner but fretting over your tight budget? Stress not! We’ve got some easy money-saving tips for an inexpensive Easter dinner.
Whether you’re feeding your family or feasting with a few friends, here’s how you can serve up a fabulous Easter dinner for four people for under $50.
Get on board with the grocery sales
You can save significant dollars and cents by poring over your local grocery store circulars and buying grocery items that are on special. Plan your budget-friendly Easter dinner around ingredients that are on sale. You can even download a grocery app to help you find the best prices in your area.
Buy wisely
Once you have your inexpensive Easter dinner menu set, buy only what you need for the holiday feast. You may be tempted to buy sale items in bulk, but if your wallet is already stretched, just buy the amount of goods that you need. Stock up on groceries when you’re not in the throes of holiday dinner planning.
Streamline your Easter dinner menu
Though big multi-course feasts are typical for the Easter holiday, you don’t have to overfeed your small party of four to enjoy the evening. After all, your family and friends are the real centerpieces for your holiday gathering. An Easter dinner menu featuring an appetizer, an entrée, two sides and a dessert will easily satisfy your hungry guests.
Egg-cellent Easter appetizer: deviled Eggs
You can always buy eggs on the cheap around the holiday. Take advantage of their low price and make deviled eggs as your Easter appetizer. Since you’re only offering a single finger food, make it memorable by whipping up gourmet-style deviled eggs. Try these shrimp cocktail deviled eggs from Home.Made.Interest or these dill pickle deviled eggs from Spend With Pennies.
You will need four deviled eggs per guest. Eggs cost around $1/dozen and the rest of the deviled egg ingredients can cost $5 to $10. This is a cheap and easy Easter appetizer.
ALSO TRY: 20 delightfully different deviled egg recipes
Mouthwatering Easter Entrée
Ham is generally a best buy around Easter, but if you’re making dinner for four, it can be a big expense. Look for small hams or choose a different entrée.
If turkey is on sale, consider buying a small boneless turkey breast instead of a whole bird.
You can often find lamb on special around the Easter holiday — for a traditional lamb-based main course, we recommend buying just four lamb chops and forgoing a hefty leg of lamb.
You can even dare to be nontraditional and serve salmon, chicken or steak, if they are on special. Search your grocery store flyers and plan your main course around the most budget-friendly meat, poultry or seafood.
You will need around a half-pound of boneless ham (around $2.50/pound) or turkey (around $3.50/pound). Expect to pay $10 to $15 for your main course.
You will need about a half-pound lamb chop per serving. At $6.50/pound, you can expect to pay around $15 for your meat. A simple sauce will set you back only a few dollars.
Satisfying Easter side dishes
You can offer a balance of flavors and textures with just two side dishes. Make a light vegetable or salad, like this beautiful farmers market cauliflower salad, or build your own colorful salad with an assortment of inexpensive vegetables.
You’ll need about 1 cup of greens and one-half to 1 cup of vegetables for a substantial salad. Expect to pay around $5 for the salad and a homemade vinaigrette.
Partner your salad with a side dish of belly-warming comfort food, like these chunky mashed potatoes from Budget Bytes, which will only set you back about $2.
ALSO TRY: 9 delightful Easter side dishes for your dinner
Decadent Easter desserts
No Easter feast is complete without a scrumptiously satisfying dessert. A budget-friendly way to approach the Easter dessert is to serve one stunning treat. Making a variety of desserts may be fancy but your wallet might take a hit. Instead, present a platter of elegant chocolate-dipped strawberries or bring a showy cake to the table.
Dip your own strawberries and expect to pay $5 or less for a pound of strawberries and the chocolate.
This coconut Easter nest cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction is an Easter dessert that your family and friends will remember. Expect to pay $5 to $10. Be sure to use your leftover candy eggs.
ALSO TRY: 15 Easter desserts that are unique and delicious
Approximate total cost for an inexpensive Easter dinner menu for 4 = $42 (before tax)
Easter appetizer: $10
Easter entrée: $20 for lamb chops with a sauce
Easter side dishes: $5 for a salad, $2 for mashed potatoes
Easter dessert: $5 for chocolate-dipped strawberries