61 Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas for the Mom Who Has It All
Our favorite Mother’s Day brunch ideas highlight the spring season’s bounty. (Think strawberry pancakes and rhubarb pastries.) But we recognize not every mother is obsessed with spring produce—and that some moms aren’t into sweets at all. So the collection of recipes below has a little bit to suit every mom’s taste, including a savory breakfast pizza, oniony strata, and shakshuka, just like the one she always orders when you go out for brunch.
Looking for a breakfast-in-bed situation to celebrate for a hardworking parent? Something to drop off at Mom’s house on your way to work? How about a treat to ship to your mother who lives far away? All good ideas. You’ll find lots of options among these scones, breakfast casseroles, and other brunch favorites.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Micah Marie Morton1/60Easy Coffee Cake
You’re excited to make scrambled eggs and bacon for mom, plus fruit salad and a cappuccino with perfectly poured milk foam art. But if your Mother’s Day brunch ideas are starting to feel a little too elaborate, simplify by capping the meal with this no-mixer-required coffee cake.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow2/60Peppery, Creamy Greens With Eggs
The narrow list of ingredients makes this savory brunch recipe easy to pull off—giving you more time to think about making an impressive Mother’s Day dessert.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad3/60Crème Brûlée French Toast Casserole
No torch is required for this crème brûlée French toast casserole, one of our favorite recipes from Gourmet; it gets its name from the sweet, fragrant custard base.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce4/60Coconut-Cardamom French Toast With Raspberry-Rhubarb Compote
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson5/60Monkey Bread
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson6/60Classic Eggs Benedict With Blender Hollandaise
A quick and easy Hollandaise sauce adorns this classic combination of buttery English muffins, savory Canadian bacon, and perfectly poached eggs. Going for favorite-child status? Make those English muffins from scratch.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Christopher Barsch7/60French Onion Breakfast Strata
In this herby make-ahead Mother’s Day breakfast, French onion dip meets savory bread pudding. Put the strata together the night before you want to serve it, then bake at breakfast time.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad8/60Skillet Soufflé Pancake
Everything you love about a cloudlike soufflé, simplified into pancake form. Unlike some soufflé pancakes, this less-fussy version doesn’t require flipping and simply bakes in the oven instead.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow9/60Belgian-Style Yeast Waffles
Are these the best waffles we’ve ever made? Yes, absolutely. Top them with Mom’s favorite fresh fruit and billowing whipped cream, or keep it simple with butter and maple syrup.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone10/60Croque Madame Casserole With Ham and Gruyère
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Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova12/60Buttermilk French Toast
Your standard French toast just calls for eggs and milk, maybe scented with some vanilla extract. But this version gets its luscious texture and tangy flavor from a little buttermilk in the soaking liquid.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell13/60Asparagus and Two-Cheese Quiche With Hash-Brown Crust
Crispy-potato crust > pastry crust. (And it’s gluten-free, too.)
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele14/60Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
For extra-lemony lemon poppy seed muffins, you need a trio of citrusy ingredients: lemon zest, juice, and rich lemon curd. (Store-bought is fine, though homemade lemon curd is worth the truly minimal effort.)
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad15/60Sour-Cream Pancakes With Sour-Cream Maple Syrup
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks16/60Toasted Coconut Cold-Brew Iced Coffee
Does Mom go for fancy coffee drinks? This refreshing beverage gets its rich coconut flavor in two ways: a nutty, toasted coconut syrup and a creamy coconut milk float on top.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone17/60Buttermilk Pancakes With Roasted Strawberries
If you like strawberry shortcakes, you’ll love our strawberry short stack. Caramelized strawberries and crunchy almonds dress up these buttermilk pancakes, and the whole thing is ready in just 22 minutes. Add bacon or breakfast sausage for the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Simon Andrews18/60Spicy Egg Sandwich With Sausage and Pickled Peppers
There are breakfast sandwiches, and there are great breakfast sandwiches. This one’s pretty much the ultimate, starting with a sausage patty topped with feta, cilantro, sweet pickled peppers, and a sunny-side-up egg.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen21/60Orange Sweet Rolls
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi23/60Quiche Sardou
Both the tart shell and the filling (a rich spinach and artichoke number) for this quiche can be prepped ahead, making this Mother’s Day egg dish way less stressful on the host.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne26/60Honey Buns
This jazzed-up version of classic honey buns offers caramelized edges, pillowy-soft centers, and a cream-cheese-honey glaze that’ll make Mom’s special day even better.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano and Stevie Stewart27/60Chilaquiles Rojos
Top with fried eggs, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, and queso fresco. Mix a pitcher of horchata combined with cold brew to serve alongside.
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Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt29/60Classic Blueberry Muffins
Chock-full of berries, the muffins have just the right amount of sweetness, plus a gentle tang and tender crumb thanks to sour cream.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova30/60Breakfast Casserole With Sausage and Spinach
If you’re hosting a crowd and want to keep things simple, assemble this easy sausage, egg, and cheese casserole the night before you plan to bake it. Then toss it straight from the fridge into the oven—no need to preheat!—while you make coffee and slice some fruit to serve on the side.
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Photo by Romulo Yanes31/60Dutch Baby With Lemon Sugar
A Dutch baby—basically a cross between a pancake and a popover—can go sweet or savory. Serve this one with fresh berries or nothing more than jam or a lavish sprinkling of lemon sugar.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart32/60Biscuits and Gravy
For a hearty brunch, cook up this Southern comfort food classic: fluffy buttermilk biscuits and creamy, velvety sausage gravy.
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Photo by Andrew Purcell, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian33/60Hot Chocolate Baked French Toast
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Photo by Eva Kolenko34/60Loaded Waffled Hash Brown
Hash browns are simply better when you cook them in your waffle maker. Load ’em up with runny fried eggs and top with cheddar.
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Photo by Kristin Perers35/60Ham, Cheese, and Leek Scones
Some of our favorite scone recipes are savory, like these, which are made with Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper, Serrano ham (or prosciutto or country ham), and lots of cooked-down leeks.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Simon Andrews37/60Spring Greens and Leek Gratin
All of the flavors of spring are finally here. Serve this creamy gratin with eggs and one of these Mother’s Day cakes for dessert.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova39/60Glazed Cinnamon-Cardamom Buns
Our step-by-step photos will help you make these impressive briochelike buns without stress.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Laura Rege40/60Mushroom and Kale Breakfast Skillet
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Frances Boswell44/60Deep Dish Quiche With Garnishes
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Photo by Jim Henkens45/60Broiled Eggs
This muffin-tin method gets you pretty close to the elegance of poached eggs, without having to learn any poached egg tricks. Complete your brunch menu with your favorite version of breakfast potatoes and the option of fruit with granola and yogurt.
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Photo by Evan Sung46/60Spring Vegetable Quiche (With Lots of Bacon and Cheese)
Asparagus, spinach, leeks, and mushrooms fill this towering brunch dish, which bakes in a springform pan instead of a standard pie plate. Pour mimosas all around then dig in.
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Photo by Dane Tashima47/60Hummingbird Pancakes With Caramelized Pineapple and Pecans
Mom’s favorite cake, in pancake recipe form. This dish from Cooking in Real Life by Lidey Heuck goes all out with pineapple caramelized in maple syrup.
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Photo by Sarah Kieffer50/60Cruffins
People wait in line for ages for this muffin-meets-croissant mashup. Making them with this easier version of croissant dough means you might get to have them in your life more often.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich52/60Tiramisu Bundt Cake
One slice of this rich tiramisu-inspired cake and you’ll wonder why there aren’t more coffee-flavored coffee cakes around.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell54/60Diner-Style Western Omelet
We love the combo of ham, onion, and bell pepper, but once you get the hang of making omelets, feel free to riff with your own assortment of ingredients. Serve with buttered toast or bagels.
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Photo by John Kernick55/60Rhubarb Turnovers
These spring hand-pies are made with a cream cheese dough and packed to the brim with tangy rhubarb. You could bring these along if you’re turning your Mother’s Day brunch into a picnic.
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Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo56/60Mangú de Plátanos
Creamy, hearty mashed plantains are a great partner for fried eggs, ripe avocado, and pickled red onions.
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Photo by Chris Court57/60Earl Grey Doughnuts
Glaze these citrusy baked doughnuts with a nutty brown butter icing and sprinkle with large crunchy granules of coffee-flavored sugar for a sweet bite that hits all the marks. Get her a fancy box of tea as a Mother’s Day gift that fits the theme.
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Photo by Randy Harris59/60Breakfast Pizza With Sausage, Eggs, Spinach, and Cream
Everyone loves a breakfast pizza. Especially Mom. This is one of those Mother’s Day brunch ideas that will adapt to your preferences. It calls for a combo of low-moisture mozzarella and fresh mozz, but you could swap out the fresh stuff for goat cheese, feta, or even blue cheese if that’s what she likes.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton60/60Memelas
These griddled masa disks get a little crispy on the edges but stay tender on the inside. Top them with black beans, salsa, and queso fresco. Can’t get together for brunch? These make an equally delicious starter for your Mother’s Day dinner.
