Easter is a celebration of resurrection and rebirth, so it is the perfect occasion for everyone – veggies and non-veggies alike – to enjoy a delicious meat-free meal.

Avoid stress when vegetarians and meat eaters will be at the same meal. See our Surviving a holiday dinner page for suggestions on:

• Catering to vegetarians (when you aren't one yourself)
• Being invited to a home where meat is being served
• Inviting non-vegetarians to your home
• Time saving tips

For alternatives to using factory-farmed eggs for decoration see Hunting for an ethical Easter egg?

Sections below:
Easter recipe links
Veggie Challenge quotes
Pork, the other guilty meat
PETA's Easter ad
E-cards

Musubi Easter Eggs

Vegan Lunch Box has a post about making Easter eggs out of Japanese sticky rice.

"I pressed the sticky rice into a plastic Easter egg sprayed with nonstick spray to start forming the egg, then used my hands to solidify and finish the shaping. I pushed the filling in where an egg yolk would be. These are filled with cashew butter but tart, salty umeboshi plum is traditional."

Hot Cross Bun recipes

Hot Cross Buns, marked with a symbolic cross, are a traditional around Easter.

Hot Cross Buns
This recipe from Gourmet magazine is not vegan, but you can substitute ingredients.

Recipe Zaar has 30 Hot Cross Bun recipes, and two of them are vegan. Vegan Hot Cross Buns calls for vegan egg white, but you can just brush them with oil. Hot-cross Buns (gluten, Dairy and Egg Free) includes a variation for using a bread-making machine. "These are great for Easter or leave off the crosses for fruit buns. Serve hot."

Vegan Hot Cross Buns
A simple recipe from VegWeb.com.

Easter recipe links

VegCooking.com
This Vegan recipe site by PETA has a special Easy, Elegant Easter Dinner menu. 

Recipe Zaar
30,000+ | Ratings | Nutrition info | Change servings | Flag recipes | Many photos
They have over 380 recipes marked as vegetarian and Easter. Excellent search and sort feature.

VegWeb.com
2,000+ | Ratings | All vegan | Flag recipes | Some photos
Seven vegan Easter recipes. 

Epicurious
2,600+ | Ratings | Gourmet | Flag recipes | Many photos
This gourmet recipe site from the publishers of Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Self, and Parade magazines has a large meatless section. 40 recipes are marked as Easter. Not many are vegan but you can often substitute the ingredients.

See our Top recipe sites page for more links.

For Jewish holidays including Passover – see Jewish Veg's excellent list of recipe links.

Veggie Challenge quotes about Easter and Lent 

On Ash Wednesday I decided to try to become vegetarian throughout the duration of Lent. I felt at peace with myself and the world. Lent will give way to Easter next week but I have no plans of going back to my meat eating life anymore. A vegetarian I am now, tomorrow and for always.
– Amy, age 40's, Toronto

Your Veggie Challenge inspired me to go vegetarian during the Holy Week leading up to Easter. Giving up meat is a traditional reminder of Christ's sacrifice of his flesh and an exercise in discipline over one's bodily and sensual appetites. Our appetites often dominate our relationship with things, comforts, and pleasures; and distract us from our more important relationships with God and other people.

Abstaining from meat also reminds me of the poor, especially those in the developing world whose plight is aggravated by my luxurious North American lifestyle. Abstinence from meat also reminds me that my appetites corrode not only my soul, but also the very Earth, since my excess contributes to the poisoning of the environment.
– Brent, age 30's, Toronto

For the period of 40 days starting from Ash Wednesday up to Easter, I refrain from meat and become vegetarian. It's hard at first, seeing different people around me eating meat, while I can't. But it helps me learn and become strong, and I like the different variety of vegetarian dishes available.
– Dalton, age 20's, Toronto

"Pork: the other guilty meat"

The Christian Science Monitor has a good article about a woman questioning the baked ham that has always formed the centre piece of her family's Easter dinner. 

"We will go to any lengths to save a baby bird that has fallen from its nest. Yet, when it comes to the remarkably intelligent creatures that we carve up for dinner plates, we shrug. Considered as smart as or smarter than dogs, pigs have been trained to discern images on a computer screen, and of course, to sniff out truffles. Clearly complex, they are ... capable of feeling pain and frustration, joy and excitement. They are kind, social animals capable of becoming domesticated and affectionate. They need company (as do we), and keeping them immobilized and in solitary confinement from birth to death is barbaric."

PETA's Easter message

PETA is not one to shy away from controversial ads. This one promotes vegetarianism by showing a crucified chicken.

The text reads: "Before dying he was struck, humiliated, burned, mistreated, and agonized for hours. We can change the history if we react on time. Think before you eat chicken."

Was Jesus vegetarian?

"Jesus' message is one of love and compassion, yet there is nothing loving or compassionate about factory farms and slaughterhouses, where billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths.

Christians have a choice. When we sit down to eat, we can add to the level of violence, misery, and death in the world, or we can respect His creation with a vegetarian diet."

PETA presents their case based on historical evidence and scripture. Also see their FAQ pages.

E-cards

PETA has several holiday cards at their E-card web site. Most are animated, and several have moral messages such as "don't buy animals as presents."