Mother’s Day Brunch Menu: Appetizers, Entrées and Desserts

Mother’s Day brunch is a gathering hosted on Mother’s Day, to honor the moms and mother figures in one’s life. The host serves a variety of dishes (typically pastries, savory egg dishes, and fruit) for a group of loved ones to enjoy.

Pulling off a successful brunch takes coordination and planning. Use these Mother’s Day brunch ideas to organize your own:

1. 1. Consider the setting. Just as you would for any gathering, consider the setting and people involved before choosing the menu. If you plan to serve breakfast in bed for your mom, you won’t need as many dishes or large serving platters. If you, instead, plan to feed a big group, choose dishes you can easily make in large quantities—like a breakfast casserole.
2. 2. Mix sweet and savory dishes. The key to a balanced brunch menu is not over-indexing on sweet or savory plates. If you serve sweet pastries, be sure to also serve savory options (like scrambled eggs or salad).
3. 3. Make mom’s favorites. Choose dishes you know your mom enjoys. This will make her feel valued on her special day. For example, if she loves French toast, you can make a French toast casserole for the family.

Hosting a Mother's Day brunch is one of the best Mother’s Day gifts you can give. Use this list of brunch and breakfast recipes as inspiration for your gathering:

• Apple cider muffins: Add a decadent pastry option to your Mother’s Day breakfast spread by making apple cider muffins. Apple cider muffins are tender, moist individual cakes made with apple cider and baked in a muffin pan. Popular toppings for apple cider muffins include cinnamon-sugar streusel and apple cider glaze.
• Avocado toast: Avocado toast is an easy-to-make, savory brunch dish. Avocado toast is what it sounds like: creamy avocado on toasted bread. It may be simple, but the best avocado toast requires a perfect avocado: It should be ripe enough to spread easily. Paired with quality toast, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, the avocado really shines.
• Bagels: Bagels are dense, ring-shaped breads made from a yeasted, enriched dough that cooks briefly boil, then bake, to achieve a chewy texture and shiny crust. Serve homemade bagels at your brunch with a variety of toppings (cream cheese, smoked salmon, veggies, butter, etc.).
• Beet salad: Add a simple salad recipe for a well-rounded menu. A salad with beets and goat cheese is a common, and delicious, combination. Popular beet salad mix-ins include candied pecans, shaved red onion, sunflower seeds, and feta cheese.
• Blueberry scones: If you’re looking for a simple, buttery pastry for your Mother’s Day brunch, look no further than blueberry scones—a biscuit-like quick bread, usually made of wheat or oatmeal flour and baking powder for leavening and studded with juicy blueberries. You can serve blueberry scones with lemon glaze, clotted cream, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
• Brioche buns: Brioche buns are a sweet addition to any Mother’s Day brunch. They are small, no-knead bread rolls made out of brioche, a buttery French yeast bread dough. The butter adds extra moisture, and the egg yolks result in a golden interior. Top with strawberries and powdered sugar for the perfect finishing touch.
• Bread pudding: Bread pudding is a sweet dish consisting of stale bread soaked in a mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, with various mix-ins like raisins or chocolate chips, and baked until tender and crisp around the edges. Serve bread pudding as a Mother’s Day dessert to round out brunch.
• Buttermilk biscuits: Whether you pop them from a tin or whip up a sacred family recipe from scratch, buttermilk biscuits are one of the loveliest ways to start the day and make for a special treat on Mother’s Day. Pair buttermilk biscuits with eggs and bacon (for biscuit sandwiches) or butter and jam.
• Charcuterie board: Try a charcuterie board for something quick and easy that guests can snack on. A charcuterie board is an appetizer platter made up of cured meats (like prosciutto and sopressata), cheeses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, spreads, dips, and crackers.
• Cinnamon rolls: If the mother figure in your life is a fan of pastries, cinnamon rolls are a must-have menu item. A cinnamon roll is a sweet rolled pastry made with a yeasted dough, gooey cinnamon-sugar filling, and topped with cream-cheese icing.
• Citrus caviar vinaigrette: Serving homemade vinaigrette with vegetables or salad is a great way to elevate your brunch’s side dishes. You can make Chef Gordon Ramsay’s citrus caviar vinaigrette three to four days in advance.
• Croissant: If you’re looking to make your Mother’s Day brunch a labor of love, try making homemade croissants. They’re the perfect addition to any brunch menu because they can be savory (served with butter or chicken salad) or sweet (served with jam or honey). Just be aware that baking French croissants is an intricate, multi-day process, but Chef Dominique Ansel can walk you through the process.
• Croque monsieur: Put a French spin on your brunch by serving croque monsieur, a classic French sandwich consisting of gruyère cheese, ham, and buttered bread. Easily turn a croque monsieur into another French favorite, a croque madame by simply topping with a poached or fried egg.
• Eggs benedict: An easy brunch dish to make at home, Eggs Benedict is a classic meal made of a pillowy base stacked high with poached eggs and smothered in hollandaise sauce (an emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper and spice).
• French toast: French toast is an easy way to please a crowd for Mother’s Day. Plus, it’s a great way to use up leftover bread. Serve your French toast with fresh fruit salad and orange juice.
• Frittata: Frittata is an Italian egg dish similar to an omelet. It features a mixture of eggs and dairy and highlights a variety of other ingredients like meat, cheese, and vegetables. Think of frittata as a crustless, low-carb quiche. Since a frittata is a savory dish, top it with chives and serve it alongside a side salad.
• Granola: Granola has a wide range of mix-ins (common ones include dried fruit, chocolate, and nuts), making it an easily customizable side dish for your brunch. Your guests can add granola to their yogurt or pancakes for crunch. You can even set up a granola bar and invite guests to create their own mixture.
• Lemon ricotta pancakes: Take pancakes to the next level for Mother’s Day brunch by making lemon ricotta pancakes. You can make lemon ricotta pancakes with fresh blueberries or chocolate chips mixed in the batter.
• Mimosa: Mimosas are a must if you plan to serve alcoholic beverages. A mimosa is a refreshing, fizzy cocktail made of equal parts Champagne (or other sparkling wine) and orange juice served in a champagne flute and garnished with an orange twist. If you don’t want to bother with juices, simply serve rosé or Champagne.
• Poppy seed muffins: Poppy seed muffins are a breakfast staple. These single-serving quick breads are usually sweet, denser than cupcakes, and contain various mix-ins, from sliced nuts to coconut flakes. Lemon extract (or lemon zest) is a common flavoring for poppy seed muffins, as the lemon flavor balances the nuttiness of the poppy seeds.
• Quiche: Unlike its cousin, the frittata, a quiche brings an extra bit of flair to the table in the form of a flaky, golden shortcrust. A quiche includes eggs, an indulgent amount of dairy, and any number of filling combinations—from ham and cheddar cheese to garlicky mushrooms and sauteed spinach (just choose the one that the mom in your life likes best)—all nestled in a basic pastry crust.
• Sourdough waffles: Take your traditional waffles to the next level by making sourdough waffles, which have a tangy taste, crispy exterior, and puffy texture that make them stand out. Serve sourdough waffles with sweet toppings like maple syrup, butter, fruits, and whipped cream, or with savory add-ons like fried chicken.
• Sweet dutch baby: A Dutch baby is a large popover baked in a cast-iron skillet. This billowy popover is sometimes called a German pancake, a Dutch baby pancake, or an oven pancake. Since you bake it in the oven, you may find this recipe easier to tackle than crêpes. Serve your Dutch baby with fresh raspberries or maple syrup.

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