Easter celebrations are known for their colorful wicker baskets filled with delicious treats. While classic treats like chocolate bunnies and egg-shaped jelly beans are popular, too much candy can lead to sugar highs followed by energy crashes — which isn’t ideal for a full day of Easter festivities. To help with this, we’re excited to share our comprehensive guide for creating candy-free Easter baskets, packed with ideas for everyone you love!
Creative Alternatives for Easter Baskets
TOY GIFTS
Adding toys to any Easter basket can keep the Easter spirit alive beyond the holiday and create fond childhood memories for your kids. Here are some suggestions:
- Deck of cards
- Fun face masks
- Matchbox cars
- Crayons, markers, colored pencils, or decorative pens
- Play-Doh, silly putty, or slime kits
- Tickets to a future movie, play, sporting event, or museum
- DIY craft kits, including friendship bracelet kits and jewelry-making kits
- Puzzles
- Small Lego sets or building blocks
- Painting sets
- Stickers or sticker activity books
- Travel-sized games
- Stuffed animals
- Temporary tattoos
- Video games
- Dolls and figurines
GIFTS THAT ARE BOTH PRACTICAL AND FUN
These items combine joy with functionality, making them excellent additions to brighten up any Easter basket:
- Stylish sunglasses
- Clothes
- Gift cards
- Money tucked inside plastic eggs
- Bath toys or bath bombs in fun shapes
- Books and magazines
- Personalized keychains or bag tags
- Journals or notebooks
- DIY science kits
- Jewelry
ACTIVE AND OUTDOOR GIFTS FOR EASTER BASKETS
Encourage your child’s imagination and sense of adventure this Easter with these outdoor play items for their baskets:
- Jump rope
- A football, frisbee, tennis racket, or soccer ball
- Reusable water bottles
- Gardening kits with child-friendly tools and seeds
- Beach or pool toys
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bubbles with different-sized wands
- Water balloons and squirt guns
EASTER BASKETS FOR OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS
To cater to growing tastes and interests, older kids will enjoy these more sophisticated options:
- Cozy socks or pajamas
- Skincare products, nail polish, and facial mask sheets
- Bath sets
- Phone accessories like a wireless charging station, or phone case
- Tech gadgets
- Reusable tumblers
- Bluetooth speakers or headphones
THEMED EASTER BASKETS FOR A PERSONALIZED TOUCH
Create a memorable Easter with baskets tailored to specific hobbies and activities:
- For the Princess Lover: Add a sparkly tiara, a bright tulle skirt, a book of fairy tales, and play jewelry.
- For Spring Gardeners: Include gardening gloves, a packet of seeds, a mini bag of soil, a small planter, and a watering can to nurture a love of nature.
- For Creative Artists: Pack art supplies, DIY craft kits, and a beading set to encourage artistic expression throughout spring.
- For Movie Buffs: Add a popcorn container containing a bag of all-natural popping corn, slippers, a mug with a movie quote and a cozy blanket for a movie night.
- For Rainbow & Unicorn Fans: Brighten Easter with a glittery pony headband, a unicorn hooded towel, a flameless remote controlled unicorn candle, and iridescent stickers.
- For the Sports Enthusiast: Include a baseball glove, a pack of baseball cards, a team-branded water bottle, a sports jersey, and tickets to an upcoming game.
- For Superhero Admirers: Add action figures, comic books, and superhero-themed pajamas for imaginative play.
- For Nature Explorers: Include binoculars, a bug-catching kit, and a field guidebook perfect for spring adventures.
- For Budding Bakers: Assemble an apron, Easter-themed cookie cutters, and simple cupcake decorating supplies.
- For STEM Enthusiasts: Add coding books, science experiment kits, and educational robotic toys to stimulate curious minds.
Healthier Alternatives to Store-Bought Candy
If you decide to round out your Easter basket with something sweet, consider adding homemade treats. Here are some of our favorite easy-to-make Easter desserts that provide the flavors of Easter but without the refined sugar:
HEALTHY CARROT CAKE (Makes 10-12 servings)
This nutrient-rich version of a classic dessert uses natural sweeteners, carrots, healthy oils, and whole wheat pastry flour.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond milk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely grated carrots
Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9″ round baking pan, an 8×8″ square pan, or two 6-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir in the carrots.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Cool completely before serving or storing.
Source: “Easy Carrot Cake Recipe” Recipe adapted from Love and Lemons at loveandlemons.com
HOMEMADE RAINBOW FRUIT ROLL-UPS (Makes 12 servings)
These all-natural fruit roll-ups contain no added preservatives or artificial colors.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces of strawberries (rinsed, dried, trimmed and halved)
- 5 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- 4 3/8 teaspoon of honey, divided
- 6 ounces of blueberries, rinsed and dried
- 6 ounces of raspberries, rinsed and dried
- 6 ounces of blackberries, rinsed and dried
- 2 medium, ripe champagne mangoes, peeled and chopped
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 170°F
- Line three large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease them with avocado or coconut oil cooking spray.
- In a food processor or blender, purée strawberries with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of honey until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat the process with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. (If desired, strain raspberries and blackberries and discard seeds.) Repeat this with mango, adding the final teaspoon of lemon juice and 3/8 teaspoon of honey.
- Carefully pour purées onto baking sheets next to each other, in horizontal lines, spreading thin (until almost transparent) with a spoon so all colors are an even thickness. Bake until dried out and no longer sticky, 3 to 4 hours.
- Allow to cool completely, then cut the leather into vertical strips using scissors or a sharp paring knife and roll it up.
Source: “Rainbow Fruit Roll-Ups” Recipe by Rian Handler from Delish at delish.com
HOMEMADE MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH DARK CHOCOLATE TREATS (Makes 8 servings)
A decadent chocolate dessert made from ingredients you can find in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Gather all of the ingredients.
- Gently melt coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract into melted oil until well blended.
- Pour into silicone molds or a pliable tray, or spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour, until firm.
- Break into pieces or remove from molds and store in a cool place.
Source: “Homemade Melt-In-Your-Mouth Dark Chocolate” Recipe submitted by Linda from Allrecipes at Allrecipes.com
Easter Made Easy with Professional Services
Easter baskets bring such excitement, but preparing them and all the other holiday tasks for Easter can take up valuable time. Simplified can organize your Easter celebration with our personal concierge services.
How Simplified can help you with Easter:
- Easter Baskets: Our personal shopper will handle all of the shopping and assembly of customized Easter baskets, including a hand-written card.
- Egg Decoration: We’ll find the best dyes and decorations for your Easter eggs — and even pick up pre-cooked eggs for you.
- Easter Festivities: From hosting your own event to attending someone else’s, we can assist with caterers, meal planning, decorations, and hostess gifts.
- Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner Reservations: We’ll handle reservations and take-out orders.
- Easter Egg Hunts: We’ve got you covered on finding the best local egg hunts.
- Gift Wrapping: Make your Easter gifts memorable with beautifully wrapped presents.
Learn more about how Simplified’s Holiday Services can help you create memorable celebrations for Easter and throughout the year. Let us take care of the details so you can sit back and savor the Easter celebration with family and friends.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2021 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.