Parties

Easter brunch ideas: a menu for 10, an egg hunt plan and games for all ages

5 min read

November 11, 2026

Family of three generations at a long Easter brunch table with a glazed ham, deviled eggs and a bowl of dyed eggs, sunlight through a window

Short answer

For an Easter brunch of 10, plan a 5 lb ham, 24 deviled egg halves, one egg casserole and 15 pastries. Start at 11 am, eat at 11:30 and run the egg hunt at 12:30. Hide 10 to 15 plastic eggs per child in height zones by age, and keep the real eggs for the table.

Ham, casserole and deviled eggs made or prepped the day before.food
Plastic eggs, a color per child and a fixed number each.hunt
Games that pair a child with an adult, so every age plays.games
Leftovers back in the fridge within 2 hours of serving.safety

Easter Sunday falls on March 28 in 2027 (Old Farmer's Almanac). That is early, so plan for a cool morning and have an indoor version of the hunt ready.

Key facts

Easter Sunday 2027: March 28.
Cooked eggs: out of the fridge for 2 hours at most, 1 hour above 90°F.
Hard-cooked eggs keep 1 week in the fridge, in or out of the shell.
Fully cooked ham from a USDA-inspected plant: reheat to 140°F.
Egg hunt: 10 to 15 eggs per child, 6 to 8 for toddlers.

Easter brunch menu for 10 guests

Count 8 adults and 2 children as 10 full eaters. Everything below can be prepped on Saturday, so on Sunday you only reheat.

Easter brunch buffet with a spiral ham, a baked egg casserole, deviled eggs, cinnamon rolls and a bowl of fruit salad on a kitchen counter

Dish	For 10 guests	When to make it
Bone-in spiral ham	5 lb (1/2 lb per person)	Reheat Sunday, 9:30 am
Egg and sausage casserole	12 eggs, 1 lb sausage, 1 loaf bread	Assemble Saturday, bake 10:30 am
Deviled eggs	12 eggs, 24 halves	Fill Saturday, chill covered
Cinnamon rolls or pastries	15 pieces	Bake 10:45 am or buy
Fruit salad	2 1/2 lb cut fruit	Saturday evening
Coffee and juice	20 cups coffee, 1/2 gallon orange juice	Brew at 10:50 am

A fully cooked ham only needs warming to 140°F (USDA). Cook all eggs until both yolk and white are firm (FDA); for large eggs that is about 10 to 12 minutes in hot water off the boil.

Egg hunt planning by age

Use plastic eggs for the hunt. The FDA advises against eating eggs after hiding them, because bacteria on the shell can reach the egg inside. Dye real eggs for the table instead.

Children of different ages searching a suburban backyard for colored plastic eggs while a grandmother points toward a flower bed

Under 3: 6 to 8 eggs, on the ground in plain sight, with a parent.
Ages 3 to 5: 10 to 12 eggs, up to knee height, half visible behind a pot or a step.
Ages 6 to 9: 12 to 15 eggs, up to waist height, fully hidden.
Ages 10 and up: 15 eggs, up to head height, plus 3 written clues that lead to a bigger prize.
One color per child. Each child collects only their color, so the youngest are not cleared out by the fastest.
Write down every hiding spot. Plastic eggs left in the yard turn up in the lawnmower in May.

Easter games for kids and adults together

Mixed-age games work when an adult and a child play as one team. Keep each game under 15 minutes and give a small prize, such as first pick from the dessert table.

Egg and spoon relay. Teams of 1 child and 1 adult, a 10-yard course, plastic eggs for under 6s.
Egg roll. Push a hard-cooked egg across the lawn with a large spoon, 5 yards to a string line. The White House has held one since 1878 (White House Historical Association).
Golden egg. Hide 1 gold egg in the teen zone with a $10 bill inside. Older kids stay interested after the little ones finish.
Jelly bean jar. Fill a jar, let guests write guesses on cards during brunch and announce the closest at dessert.

Easter brunch timeline for an 11 am start

If your own children get Easter baskets, give them at breakfast, so the candy is not competing with the brunch.

Saturday: boil and dye eggs, assemble the casserole, fill the deviled eggs and plastic eggs, cut the fruit.
9:30 am: ham in the oven, then hide the eggs while the kids are inside.
10:30 am: casserole in. 11:00 am: guests arrive to coffee.
11:00 am: put a card with a QR code next to the coffee. Guests scan it, upload photos, videos and voice messages from their browser into one album with Gathmo, no app.
11:30 am: eat. 12:30 pm: egg hunt, while energy is still high.
1:00 pm: games. 1:30 pm: dessert, jelly bean winner and a group photo on the steps.
Within 2 hours of serving: ham, casserole and deviled eggs back in the fridge.

The best Easter photos usually sit on a cousin's phone. With one QR code, they land in the same place as yours. The free plan covers 60 uploads; see more ideas for parties.

Frequently asked

Plan 10 to 15 plastic eggs per child and 6 to 8 for toddlers under 3. Give each child one color and a fixed number to find, so the fastest kids cannot clear the yard. Add 1 golden egg with a bigger prize to keep older children searching.

The FDA says cooked eggs should not stay out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Hard-cooked eggs keep 1 week in the fridge. Eggs that were hidden or played with should not be eaten, so use plastic eggs for the hunt.

Plan about 1/2 lb of bone-in ham per person, so a 5 lb spiral ham feeds 10 alongside a casserole, deviled eggs and pastries. A fully cooked ham only needs reheating to 140°F, which frees your oven for the casserole later in the morning.