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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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