Easter Bunny Approved: PETA Shares Tips for a Festive, Animal-Friendly Holiday

For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

Hop to it! With Easter just days away, PETA is rolling out its handy guide for hosting a vibrant, compassionate celebration that doesn’t harm a hare on any animal’s head. From delicious dairy-free chocolates to bountiful brunches that are totally egg-free, PETA’s tips can help families build fun and lasting traditions that are rooted in kindness.

Beloved Easter traditions are even hoppier when all animals are left in peace. As PETA shares in its new white paper, all eggs, even those labeled “cage‑free,” inflict immense cruelty on mother hens and chicks—and in some cases, cage-free systems can even cause more suffering. Fortunately, there’s a basketful of clever, cruelty-free, egg-free options that the whole family can enjoy, including:  

·        Dyeable wooden, ceramic, or papier‑mâché eggs that can be decorated year after year

·        Potatoes, apples, or smooth stones that take dye and paint beautifully and add a rustic charm

·        DIY salt‑dough eggs that kids can shape, paint, and keep

·        Reusable plastic eggs that are perfect for hunts and stuffing with vegan candy

It wouldn’t be Easter without sweet treats, but some shoppers might be surprised to learn that Peeps and many other marshmallow candies contain gelatin, which is made by boiling pigs’ skin, tendons, and bones. And instead of confectioner’s glaze (created from lac bug secretions), opt for dairy-free chocolate, which spares mother cows—and the calves who are taken from them so that their milk can be consumed by humans instead—immense suffering. With more companies offering animal-free confections, filling a vegan Easter basket has never been easier, with options including:

·        Dairy‑Free Chocolate Bunnies and Eggs

·        Gelatin-Free Jelly Beans and Marshmallows

·        Vegan Cream-Filled Eggs That Rival the Classics

Easter brunches and dinners can be delicious and honor the true meaning of the day by showing compassion to all creation with these vegan recipes:

·        Vegan quiches and frittatas made with tofu or chickpea flour

·        Plant‑based hams and roasts now sold in mainstream grocery stores

·        Egg‑free hot cross buns, pancakes, and other seasonal baked goods

“Easter is a celebration of renewal and kindness, and there’s no better way to honor that spirit than by leaving animals off our plates and eggs out of our baskets,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA urges everyone not to be fooled by misleading labels, and to opt for compassionate, humane traditions that no bunny had to suffer for.”

Chickens feel joy, fear, and pain, just as humans do, but hens used for egg production are kept in tiny wire cages where they don’t even have enough room to spread their wings. Once their egg production drops, they’re sent to slaughterhouses where their throats are slit—often while they’re still conscious—and many are scalded to death in de-feathering tanks. PETA’s free vegan starter kit makes it easy for those looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.