All Amaryllidaceae are perennials and apart from Clivia, Cryptostephanus and Scadoxus, which have rhizomes, the majority have bulbous storage organs. While growing, the bulb is kept sufficiently deep below ground by special roots that lengthen and contract.

Most often the leaves are strap-shaped and smooth but occasionally they have unusual shapes, markings and coverings. Genera like Eucrosia and Scadoxus, which occupy habitats with low light-intensity, have leaves that are especially broad and flattened, whereas in the semi-arid parts of southern Africa, species of Brunsvigia, Crossyne, Gethyllis and Haemanthus have leaves covered with variously shaped hairs. The leaves in Crossyne and some Haemanthus species are also attractively spotted with dark green or red.

Amaryllidaceae usually have numerous flowers held in an umbrella-like cluster at the end of a leafless stem, called a scape. In unusual genera like Gethyllis (kukumakranka), however, the scape carries only one flower and remains subterranean. Flowers are frequently large and showy and vary from star-like to trumpet-shaped or tubular. Colours range from red, orange, yellow and pink to white, whereas bluish flowers are only found in Griffenia, Worsleya and Lycoris. They all produce nectar and are often heavily scented. Each flower has six segments (tepals), frequently arising from a long to short tube. The flowers of Narcissus (the daffodil) characteristically have a large, cup-shaped corona, which is an outgrowth of the tepals. Six stamens are typical of the family, but some Griffenia species have five stamens and some Gethyllis species have multiple stamens with about 60 anthers. In Pancratium and Hymenocallis the stamens are fused to form a large cup, which resembles the corona in Narcissus. The ovary is inferior (i.e. located below the tepals) and carries a single style.

The fruits are dry or fleshy and contain dry, dark and often flattened, or fleshy, round, and greenish seeds.

The basic chromosome number of x = 11 is most common.