The cost of celebrating Easter can add up: new outfits for the family, going out to brunch, making that honey-baked ham for dinner, plus all the sweet treats that we associate with this spring-time holiday.
But there’s no need to dip into your nest egg for all those Easter eggs.
Whether you’re putting together treat bags for family and friends, embellishing an Easter basket dropped off by the Easter bunny or making a tasty dessert to bring to a gathering, here are six recipes you can make for $10 or less.
Got a little more time and money on your hands? Check out the most popular Easter desserts on Pinterest right now.
1. Flower Pretzel Bites
What you need:
1 bag of tiny twist pretzels: $3
11.4-ounce bag of pastel M&M’s: $3
White candy melts: $3.50 or less
Total cost: $9.50
What it is: For those who love salty snacks as much as sweet ones, you’ll love this sweet treat courtesy of Dessert Now Dinner Later. White chocolate is melted over pretzels and then adorned with pastel M&Ms to look like pretty springtime blooms.
Difficulty level: Easy
2. Bunny Chow
What you need:
1 bag of Cadbury mini eggs: $3
2 bags of Chex Mix Snack Mix Muddy Buddies: $6
Total cost: $9
What it is: A springtime spin on “Puppy Chow,” this “Bunny Chow” idea is inspired by Suburban Simplicity. OK, OK. We’re cheating here a little bit here by buying pre-packaged Muddy Buddies mix. You could make your own Chex Mix, and if you’ve got everything in the refrigerator and pantry, it’s pretty simple. (You need peanut butter, Chex cereal, butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar). The Suburban Simplicity recipe calls for white chocolate chips, too. Or, you can just mix in some pastel mini eggs to the pre-made Muddy Buddies snack mix and call it a day.
Difficulty level: Super easy
3. Goldfish Carrots
What you need:
Goldfish crackers: $2
Disposable decorating bags you put icing in: A dozen for $4
Green ribbon: $2
Total cost: $8
What it is: Come Easter weekend, your house is probably brimming with sugar. For an alternative treat, these cutesy bags filled with Goldfish snack crackers, and created by Clean & Scentsible, look like mini carrots and are snack-worthy.
Difficulty level: Easy
4. Peeps Easter Garden Cake
Note: We’re scaling this one back a little bit. If you were to buy all of the ingredients, it would come out to about $13. The colored icing adds on about $6, but you can make a cool garden without the extra dollops of icing. You’ll also need some oil and eggs for the cake mix, which we’re not factoring into the costs.
What you need:
A box of Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil’s food cake mix: $1.50
A container Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting: $1.80
A cup of chocolate cookie crumbs: $2.50
8 to 12 Peeps marshmallow bunnies: $2
Total cost: $7.80
(Optional: 1 6.4 oz can of Betty Crocker orange decorating cake icing and 1 6.4 oz can of Betty Crocker green cake icing)
What it is: Create a garden, where the soil is cookie crumbles, the bunnies are of the marshmallow variety and the plot of land is a delicious chocolate cake. To stick in the $10 range, just embellish your garden with the green decorating icing. If you’ve got some food dye and shredded coconut in the pantry, you could get the grass effect that way. Or, just rely on a pop of springtime color with the multi-colored Peeps. This recipe is courtesy of Betty Crocker.
Difficulty level: Moderate
5. Marshmallow Candy Carrots
What you need:
Rice Krispies Treats: $2 (a box of 8 is $2, but the recipe just calls for 4)
6 oz orange candy melting chips (like Wilton): $5 (Most bags are 12 ounces. You can get cheaper candy melts in a brick, and then use food dye to color it orange as it melts.)
Edible Easter Grass: $2.80
Total cost: $9.80
What it is: These Rice Krispies Treats cut into triangles and dunked into melted orange-colored chocolate were dreamed up by Cincy Shopper. Do they count as a vegetable serving?
Difficulty level: Easy
6. Peeps S’mores Dip
Note: This recipe also calls for a 1/2 cup of peanut butter. If you’ve got that in your pantry, add it in. But even without it, you can get a gooey, s’mores treat. You could also trim the costs here by melting down some of that leftover Easter bunny or other chocolates.
What you need:
3 cups chocolate chips: $5
Peeps marshmallows: $2
Graham crackers for serving: $3
Total cost: $10
What it is: Even those who aren’t sold on those sugary Peeps might want to give them a second chance after seeing this recipe from How Sweet It Is. You’ll get an early taste of summer by dunking graham crackers into a skillet of gooey marshmallows topping melted chocolate. Pro tip: Varying colors of Peeps will give this a layer of pretty pastels.
Difficulty level: Moderate
What are your favorite Easter recipes when you’re on a budget?
About the Author
Brittany has contributed to publications including Men's Journal, Forbes, Women's Health, American Way, TripSavvy, Eat This, Not That!, Apartment Therapy, Denver Life Magazine, 5280, Livability, The Denver Post, Simplemost, USA Today Travel Tips, Make it Better, AAA publications, Reader's Digest, Discover Life and more. More.
