35 Recipes For The Ultimate Mother's Day Brunch

If food is a love language, then no one deserves a good meal more than mom. As much as you might have duked it out during your teenage years (or aged into a twenty-something and graciously accepted guiding, well-intentioned advice like "Do you ever clean this apartment?"), Mother's Day is for celebrating the people we love in the best way we know how at Tasting Table — with food. Indeed, for many foodies, their earliest memories are of "helping" nonnas and aunties in the kitchen, the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the culinary world.

That's why we've rounded up 35 of our favorite recipes for Mother's Day brunch to help you show the most important women in your life just how important they are to you. So, as you thumb through your Rolodex of phone numbers and ring up grandmas, aunts, sisters, neighbors, babysitters, teachers, and friends' moms for a brunch invitation, we invite you to thumb through this collection of recipes to get the brainstorm started. We're talking about cocktails, pastries, entrees, side salads, and a particularly keen showcase of seasonal springtime produce. 

This loaded vegetarian quiche is a great option for plant-based eaters and an even better option for simplifying your holiday. It's easy to make in advance and keep in the fridge until Mother's Day, and for an even simpler version, skip the handmade pie crust and opt for store-bought. This recipe calls for mushrooms, red pepper, and zucchini, but you can also switch it up to fit your taste and use broccoli or leeks. It serves eight (four or six if you're super hungry), which means this dish is enough to feed a table full of all the most important women in your life.

Pair with a few strips of crispy bacon and roasted asparagus to complete the meal. If you'd prefer to keep it brighter, enjoy this quiche with apricot jam toast and a mimosa.

Recipe: Loaded Vegetarian Quiche

This breakfast treat is like a crepe-pancake-bread pudding hybrid. If you've never chowed down on a Dutch baby before (as morbid as that might sound), it's a buttery, doughy, egg cake, and it's wicked simple to assemble. All the ingredients get baked in a cast iron skillet, which creates fluffy insides and crispy edges. The real star of this recipe is the ricotta cheese, which lends a creamy texture and rich, sweet-savory flavor.

Top with fresh berries (we recommend raspberries and blackberries), powdered sugar, and a generous grating of lemon zest. If you're feeling fancy, you could even garnish it with a few fresh mint leaves. Serve with hot coffee or a steaming cup of rosehip tea.

Recipe: Fluffy Dutch Baby

To add instant elegance to your Mother's Day brunch, crack open a bitter Italian amaro. Aperol boasts a vivid red hue, painting a pop of color across your brunch table spread. (Set out a vase of poppies or red tulips for aesthetic bonus points.) This bittersweet bubbly cocktail is the perfect playmate for a loaded charcuterie board. After you garnish the cocktails with pear slices, you can even put those leftover pears to good use and slice 'em up for the board.

Feel free to get creative here and make an herbaceous homemade simple syrup if you want to play around with different flavors. A rosemary, thyme, or bitter orange-infused simple syrup would all work nicely here.

Recipe: Pear Aperol Spritz Cocktail

This avocado recipe takes a predictable, "blah" egg salad game to the next level. Red onions, scallions, and fresh dill combine for a surprisingly flavorful savory bite, and the avocado and eggs make this dish a great source of protein for vegetarian foodies. Serve on rye toast as an open-faced brunch sammy. Or, dollop onto crispy crostini slices and serve as a cocktail hors d'oeuvre or Mother's Day tea party snack. It would even be good on a sesame bagel with a slice of beefsteak tomato and lots of salt and pepper.

Recipe: Avocado Egg Salad

Raspberry might not be your first choice when making cinnamon rolls, but it might be time to reconsider. The tart raspberry jam adds both depth and brightness to this beloved comfort food. Plus, you get to show up to Mother's Day brunch with impressive made-from-scratch dough that's shockingly simple to whip up (as in, only 20 minutes of hands-on prep time and 16 minutes in the oven). It's sure to leave your mom, grandma, or mother-in-law raving (or, at least, silently impressed). Garnish with fresh raspberries and drizzle with gooey homemade icing to serve.

Recipe: Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls

This Nutella French toast is the perfect dish for getting the whole family together for Mother's Day brunch. Adults and kids will be just as excited about it. Plus, a fun, tasty breakfast like this will keep kiddos occupied at the table while you get to enjoy a proper visit with the women in your life on this holiday. What's the secret? This recipe is essentially a battered, fried Nutella sandwich — all the impressive showmanship of stuffed French toast made possible by a super easy technique. Serve with a hot cup of coffee for adults and a glass of cold milk for kids.

Recipe: Nutella French Toast

Mother's Day is all about celebrating the important women in your life who got you where you are today – and any celebration calls for a bottle of bubbly. Whip out the prosecco and stun everyone with a tray of fresh peach bellinis. These cocktails pack a big peach flavor from the homemade puree, which is muddled with honey and prosecco. As you loll away the hours catching up with moms, omas, or aunts, and the conversation flows from the morning into the evening, switch from mimosas to bellinis and keep the mild, fruity cocktail train running all holiday long. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or a fresh peach slice.

Recipe: Fresh Peach Bellini Cocktail

This unexpected brunch dish is made from egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar for a pseudo meringue. Dollop that glossy batter into a hot pan and watch your puffy souffle pancakes rise. As a word of warning: These puffy, airy pancakes start to deflate pretty quickly after you take them out of the pan. For the most delightful presentation, be sure to serve them fresh off the griddle, and garnish with fresh raspberries.

To complete the meal, pair these souffle pancakes with your normal pancake accoutrements, like sausage links, scrambled eggs, or turkey bacon. Drizzle with maple syrup, or elevate your pancake game even further with homemade raspberry or blueberry syrup.

Recipe: Souffle Pancakes

These egg white breakfast cups are as simple as they are playful. They're also probably the healthiest thing you're ever going to make in a cupcake tin. This recipe calls for sliced orange bell pepper, baby spinach leaves, and fresh tomato, but feel free to switch it up here and add mozzarella cheese or zucchini. If you can't finish 'em all, no worries. The leftovers will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge, and they reheat well in the microwave.

Pair with sausage links and hash browns and drizzle with hot sauce. You could even stuff one or two of these egg white cups in a sesame bagel for an elevated breakfast sandwich with turkey bacon, fresh arugula, and homemade red pepper aioli. They'd be delicious with the Pear Aperol Spritz cocktail we covered a few recipes ago. (Scroll up if you missed it.)

Recipe: Egg White Breakfast Cups

Nothing says "Mother's Day" like a basketful of cranberry orange muffins. (We didn't just make that up, either — that's science.) Just grab a fresh orange, a bag of frozen cranberries, and a few pantry staples that you might already have on hand. Sour cream makes these muffins extra moist and tangy, a compelling complement to the cinnamon spice for a complex, dimensional flavor profile.

The piece de resistance on these bad boys is the orange juice sugar glaze. Pro tip: It comes out thicker than other icings, so you could even transfer this glaze into a piping bag and drizzle it over the muffins for pretty, uniform lines. If time permits, flex your artistic muscle here and ice a flower or heart shape. (Mom will love it.) Serve with a glass of freshly-squeezed OJ or a round of mimosas.

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Muffins

We've covered a lot of baked goods and cocktails in this recipe roundup. (Who's complaining?) But, when it's time to add a fresh element to your Mother's Day brunch table, look no further than this mint and melon fruit salad. It rings in the upcoming summer melon season with cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and fresh mint (bonus points if you grew it in your own herb garden). Using a melon baller makes for a fun presentation.

As an added bonus, this dish is super easy to transport. Just pop it in a large mixing bowl with a lid and tote it off to the in-laws' house or the park for a Mother's Day picnic. Enjoy with a tall glass of ice-cold lemonade or an herbaceous Rosemary Tom Collins.

Recipe: Mint and Melon Fruit Salad

This savory cocktail is delicious and ready in five minutes — ideal for sipping while catching up over unhurried conversation, or for stalling guests with a super-simple cocktail hour while you finish up the loose ends on that Mother's Day brunch spread. This recipe is a classic, so feel free to take a little imaginative liberty with your choice of garnish. Celery stalks, pickles, yellow tomatoes, smoked green beans, pepperoncini peppers, kimchi, and skewers of fried chicken are all fair game. Is grandma a tequila fan? Simply swap out the vodka for añejo and whip up a Bloody Maria.

Recipe: Tried and True Bloody Mary

If you're traveling out of state to visit your aunts or sisters for the holiday, make everybody's day by waking up early and making this croissant breakfast casserole the morning after the celebration. It's a surefire way to feed a crowd, or a house full of guests. Plus, it goes great with a cup of coffee on the front porch and a story from "When I was your age..."

This croissant breakfast casserole packs pancetta and fontina, but for a vegetarian version, swap out the meat for broccolini, sun-dried tomatoes, or fresh spinach. This recipe is also a great way to put those Mother's Day brunch leftovers to good use because stale, day-old croissants actually hold up better for baking into a casserole. (Talk about a win-win.)

Recipe: Croissant Breakfast Casserole

This light brunch offering would be a great aperitif in anticipation of a larger Mother's Day dinner to come later in the day. It's topped with a poached egg and a lightly dressed arugula salad, with a flavor punch of chopped chives and earthy, herbaceous, crimson sumac. But, the real kicker with this avocado toast is the fresh asparagus. (Keep kiddos occupied and put little hands to work snapping the asparagus into three-inch pieces.)

If bread-baking is your thing, serve this avocado toast on a loaf of homemade sourdough to really wow the crowd. It'd be delicious paired with that Bloody Mary we just talked about.

Recipe: Sourdough Avocado Toast

This Moroccan Chickpea Salad marries different flavors and textures living together in perfect gastronomic harmony. Kalamata olives, spinach, garbanzo beans, dried apricots, pistachios, and red wine vinegar commingle for nutty salty euphoria. Aside from the flavor, it also provides a gut-healthy boost of fiber, protein, and nutrients from the veggies. The whole dish is ready in 20 minutes from start to finish, with minimal chopping required and no need to turn on the oven or burner.

Admittedly, this one might be more of a Mother's Day "lunch" dish than something you'd serve for brunch. But, it would make a great side dish with roasted chicken breast or grilled fish. It could also be served with an omelet or salmon eggs benedict.

Recipe: Moroccan Chickpea Salad

These cheesy sous vide egg bites are ideal for whipping up ahead of time, saving you from running around busily on the holiday. The only thing on your agenda this Mother's Day is hanging out with all the aunts and throwing back bellinis on the front porch over conversation (that, somehow, always seems to get louder and more enthusiastic as the night goes on).

They're preserved "sous vide" style in a Mason jar for easy access, which will last in the fridge for three days and can simply be warmed up in the microwave. Serve with a simple green salad and some crusty bread or focaccia drizzled with olive oil.

Recipe: Cheesy Sous Vide Egg Bites

Trust us when we tell you that this bagel would cost you at least $16 at any bagel shop in Manhattan (before tip). This homemade version certainly won't set you back nearly as much, and you can enjoy as many helpings as you want. It's a smoky, salty, briny landscape of capers, red onion, fresh dill, creme fraiche, and cucumber slices. For bonus points, make a jar of homemade cucumber pickles and use 'em to load up your bagel. Serve open-faced on an everything or asiago bagel, slathered with cream cheese and a side of "Fuhgeddaboutit."

Recipe: Loaded Lox Bagel

You've heard of corned beef hash. Now, get ready for chorizo hash and eggs. This skillet dish combines grated potatoes, chiles, onions, sauteed green bell pepper, and (the star ingredient) spicy chorizo for a hearty dish that'll keep you satisfied until dinner. To save you more work, it can all be cooked in a single cast iron skillet. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with hot buttered toast. The leftovers would be delicious over white rice to make the meal stretch even further.

Recipe: Chorizo Hash and Eggs

This Italian-inspired Strawberry Spritz Sangria is ready in five minutes and only takes four ingredients: fresh strawberries, an orange, a bottle of Lambrusco (mild sparkling red), and Campari (an herbaceous bitter amaro). Sparkling Lambrusco lends a fizzy mouthfeel, perfect for lively conversation chatting away the afternoon over Mother's Day brunch. Garnish with an orange wheel and a halved strawberry. You could even add a few mint leaves to amplify the herbaceousness of the Campari.

Recipe: Strawberry Spritz Sangria

Banana bread is the coffee snack of the gods, and this recipe is made even more special by one key element: brown butter. Just be sure not to get swept away by visiting with family and friends and forget to keep a close eye on your butter as it browns. It can be all too easy to scorch. Luckily, this recipe only requires 10 minutes of prep time, after which you're free to roam around and chat while your banana bread bakes.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could stir in a handful of your favorite banana bread add-ins like chopped walnuts or chocolate chips. Toffee bits would pair especially well with the sweet-savory brown butter in this version.

Recipe: Brown Butter Banana Bread

This herby tabouli would make a perfect accompaniment to any soup, salad, or sandwich. It'd even go perfectly with burgers or hotdogs fresh off the grill if a Mother's Day backyard barbecue is more your style than brunch. Bulgur wheat or quinoa, cucumber, tomato, scallions, lemon, fresh mint, and parsley create this bright, fresh spring salad. Serve with naan triangles as a cocktail snack with margaritas or palomas. Or, bulk it up with some white beans and enjoy it as an entree.

Recipe: Herby Tabouli

Reserve a table at any trendy brunch spot in Manhattan on Mother's Day and you'll find some version of salmon eggs benedict on the menu. Skip the line and make it yourself. That homemade creamy Hollandaise sauce will impress even the most stubborn bubbes. This smoky, savory salmon eggs benedict is crying out to be enjoyed with a seafood Bloody Mary. To bulk up the dish, you could add a few slices of fresh avocado with cracked pepper, or serve alongside some toasted Yukon gold breakfast potatoes.

Recipe: Eggs Benedict with Salmon

You heard us right. To make this cocktail, we're firing up the grill. It's a little extra effort that goes a long way — so much so your aunties will doubtlessly be talking about this Grilled Peach Mimosa until next Mother's Day rolls around. To create this smoky mimosa, all you have to do is stick a few charred peaches in a food processor. Serve with a classic brunch of French toast and bacon. Or, pair this elevated bevy with a similarly elevated dish, like the asparagus avocado toast we talked about a few recipes ago.

Recipe: Grilled Peach Mimosa

Blueberry scones are the ultimate tea-time snack. Plus, honestly, bringing a basket of scones to the Mother's Day brunch is a total power move. It's immediately impressive, even if this was your first attempt at scones and they only "kinda" turned out. Either way, set these bad boys down on the table and sit back as the "Oh! Who brought homemade scones?" question starts whizzing around the table. "I did," you'll say graciously, yet with confidence.

Even a dry scone can be enjoyed when dunked in hot tea. Slightly underdone, doughy scones aren't half bad, either. But, this recipe makes it easier than ever to knock out a show-stopping batch sure to make you the favorite sibling (at least, for the next hour). For an awe-inspiring Mother's Day brunch, serve these blueberry scenes warm with a smear of salted Irish cream butter.

Recipe: Blueberry Scone

Introducing: maple cinnamon sticky buns. The sticky bun sauce gets boiled in a saucepan, and the buns get baked in a casserole dish in the oven. That's it. Brown sugar and maple syrup caramelize for a chewy bite, and pre-made biscuit dough steps in as a major time-saver.

These sticky buns would make a great dessert or standalone brunch with eggs, bacon, and coffee. You could even throw them in the oven to feed a crowd before they have to hit the road after Mother's Day weekend.

Recipe: Maple Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Have you ever seen those giant milkshakes that get topped with a donut on a stick? They rock. Now, we're taking the idea into booze territory. (You're welcome.) If you've never had one before, a Michelada is essentially a Bloody Mary, but beer. The two key ingredients are Corona and Clamato, and believe it or not, it's glorious.

Just rim the glass with Tajin and lime juice and load it up with as many toppings as you dare: a celery stalk, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, pineapple wheels, a bunch of cocktail shrimp on a skewer, or perhaps, all of the above. Serve as-is or pair with tacos, enchiladas, tamales, or breaded chicken tenders and a smorgasbord of dipping sauces.

Recipe: Super-Garnished Michelada

This at-home acai bowl is made by the serving, which could be perfect if it's just you and mom celebrating the day together and you'd rather not cook enough food to feed a crowd of thousands. It's loaded with acai berries, bananas, chia seeds, blueberries, almonds, strawberries, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, granola, and coconut milk.

Not only do these ingredients make for a texturally diverse, interesting mouthfeel, but they're also full of antioxidants and can even reduce bad LDL cholesterol, according to Healthline. Don't like coconut? Or do chia seeds get stuck in your teeth? You have our full permission to play around with the ingredients here; You could add cacao nibs, goji berries, kiwi slices, dried apricots, or whatever you like.

Recipe: At-Home Acai Bowl

This whipped feta dip is ready to be the celebrity of the Mother's Day appetizer table. It's a big role, surely, but this tangy, savory dip can handle the responsibility. All it takes is four ingredients: parsley, feta, lemon, and cream cheese. (Salt and pepper, too, if you want to get technical.) To make it, everything but the parsley gets thrown in a food processor and combined. The fresh herb is used to garnish at the time of serving. (Fresh dill would be a super yummy fit here, too.) Serve with Wheat Thins, potato chips, pita triangles, celery, pretzel sticks, baby carrots, or cauliflower. You could even use this whipped feta dip as an ultra-savory spread on a gyro or sandwich wrap.

Recipe: Whipped Feta Dip

This quinoa fruit salad showcases fresh seasonal produce in anticipation of the summer months to come. (If you believe hard enough, legend says that sunshine arrives even faster.) Mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, honey, lime juice, quinoa, coconut oil, and a little salt come together for a refreshing bowlful. It'd make a healthy Mother's Day brunch with some jelly toast. Just keep in mind that this super fresh fruit salad is best enjoyed that way – fresh. All that chopped-up fruit will wilt and become soggy before too long, so don't assemble this dish until you're just about ready to chow down.

Recipe: Quinoa Fruit Salad

Here at Tasting Table, we're all about a one-pan meal. Nothing throws a proverbial wet blanket on a fun family gathering like a sink full of dirty dishes. Instead of relaxing over a leisurely brunch with your loved ones, are you seriously going to be slaving over a pile of pots and pans that need scrubbing? Not on our watch, pal.

Take a cue from this Mexican brunch masterpiece and whip up a savory, hearty, warming vegetarian dish with black beans and a rainbow of traditional Mexican spices. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of pepper jack cheese and serve with toast. Or, you can serve your 1-pan huevos rancheros over rice, wrapped in a soft tortilla, or scooped up with tortilla chips.

Recipe: 1-Pan Huevos Rancheros

If we're rounding up our favorite recipes in honor of Mother's Day, it's only right that we'd have to mention the unofficial Queen of the Cocktail World. She's strong, she's sophisticated, she isn't fancy but she leaves a lasting impression that will make you wonder time and time again "How does she make it look so easy?" The French 75 is champagne and gin or cognac (or both) with lemon and simple syrup. In other words, it's a bubbly, sweet, elevated Jungle Juice — and any fun-loving Mother's Day brunch table would receive it with open arms.

To hit this classic cocktail with a little Mother's Day flair, whip up a quick lavender simple syrup and make lavender-lemon French 75s. Don't forget a fresh lavender sprig to garnish.

Recipe: French 75

This recipe offers a surprisingly healthy spin on the rich Southern dessert. Ground flaxseed, almond flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil, molasses, chopped pecans, and mini chocolate chips make this treat naturally gluten-free and vegan (depending on which type of chocolate chips you use, if you decide to use any at all).

Plus, these pecan pie muffins are baked in cupcake liners for handheld, mess-free snacks perfect for mingling with friends and family. Feed your peace of mind too and transport these sturdy muffins to the Mother's Day picnic without having to stress about cracking your 9-inch pie face en route.

Recipe: Pecan Pie Muffins

Homemade biscotti is a total flex, but with this recipe, it only takes 45 minutes (only 10 of which are hands-on) to win over your mother-in-law or tough-as-nails Italian grandma. Show nonna what you're made of and whip out a tray of warm cinnamon-orange-almond biscotti at the Mother's Day brunch. It's the perfect cookie for foodies with a more understated sweet tooth. Dunk 'em in coffee, tea, or even a glass of Amaretto for a fun adult treat.

Recipe: Italian Biscotti

In the bartending industry, batching cocktails is as common and expected as breathing. But, chances are, most home cooks don't have any need to throw together gallons of cocktails on a regular basis — that is, except when Mother's Day rolls around. The glamorous workhorse that is the mimosa is equal parts orange juice and champagne. Some folks splash in a little grenadine or vanilla liqueur, but you definitely don't have to. Mimosas can take care of themselves, thanks.

These citrusy yet mild cocktails are a perfect pair with classic brunch dishes, like frittatas, cinnamon rolls, eggs benedict, and more. This recipe makes six mimosas in just five minutes. But, depending on the size (and capacity) of your Mother's Day brunch crew, this recipe can also serve as a formula for double and triple batches.

Recipe: Mimosas for a Crowd

It wouldn't feel like a Mother's Day brunch without a tray of deviled eggs. They're a holiday staple for a reason (or, more accurately, a few reasons): savory, delicious, handheld, and highly customizable. This recipe uses a simple yet reliable combination of fresh dill and cracked black pepper. But, you could also switch up the game and stir a little basil pesto into your egg filling. Get wild and top those deviled eggs with a few caviar pearls — and don't skip the piping bag for a tray of deviled eggs that'll really shine on the appetizer table.

Recipe: Easy Deviled Eggs