40 Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas That Are Easy and Impressive
Your Mom is your favorite person in the universe, so on her big day, you want to pull out all the stops. But the last time you tried to cook a bunch of new recipes, you ended up with burnt toast, soggy pancakes and too-strong mimosas. This year, stick with foolproof recipes that are statistically impossible to mess up, even if you're more of a take-out gal than a chef. Voila, 40 Mother's Day recipes that look impressive, but are secretly easy. Mom will be so proud.
RELATED: 24 Hilarious Mother's Day Quotes to Brighten Any Mama's Day
1. Baked Tiramisu French Toast Casserole
Liz Harris’s toast is almost as easy as making a sandwich. Just spread melted chocolate and mascarpone cream in between two slices of bread, dip it in an egg wash, and stack it in a baking dish. Ta-da: tiramisu French toast.
2. Crab and Avocado Eggs Benedict
Don’t be intimidated by this classic brunch dish. Heidi Larsen's recipe includes blender hollandaise (*enter the praise hands emoji here*) and then you top the whole thing with fresh lump crab and avocado slices.
3. Cranberry Walnut Grain-Free Granola
You can make this grain-free granola up to two weeks in advance, so Mother’s Day morning will be a breeze. Just put it in a bowl, then sprinkle it on top of Greek yogurt and add fruit.
4. Ultimate Spring Brunch Board
If you’re better with assembly than cooking, this brunch board is for you. Scatter a platter with smoked salmon, burrata cheese, fresh fruit, cream cheese, breakfast breads, jams, and just about anything else you can think of. Creativity is key.
5. Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust
Most guests won’t know Monique Volz’s spinach and goat cheese quiche is actually gluten-free and grain-free. The trick? It’s all in the sweet potato crust (which is prepped in just minutes).
6. Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls
Skip the boxed cinnamon rolls in favor of Maria Lichty’s sweet rolls topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and blueberries.
7. Smashed Berry Ricotta Lavender Toast
If you’re a beginner in the kitchen, you can still whip up an impressive Mother’s Day brunch. Try Aida Mollenkamp’s ricotta toast with mashed berries, honey and an nut-herb mix sprinkled on top.
8. Dutch Baby Pancake with Sauteed Apples
This puffed pancake is surprisingly easy to make. Katie Workman guides you through the process (which takes just over 30 minutes) and you’ve got an impressive breakfast main dish.
9. Easy Breakfast Tacos
We dare you to name someone who doesn't like breakfast tacos. Go ahead. We'll wait.
10. Homestyle Vegan Grits with Tempeh Sausage and Brussels Sprouts
If your mom is plant-based, you don't have to serve her a wilted salad. Behold: grits, tempeh sausage, Brussels sprouts and vegan cheese, in one satisfying dish. (Thanks, Gena Hamshaw.)
11. Salsa Shakshuka
This quick take on the classic Mediterranean egg dish proves that easy can also be delicious: Just bake eggs with canned salsa, then top with avocado, cilantro, sour cream and tortilla chips.
12. Japanese-Inspired Avocado Toast
It’s a special day, after all, so dress up your standard avocado toast with Japanese ingredients like roasted seaweed, ikura and sesame seeds.
13. Almond Peach Bread Pudding
Peaches + bread pudding + almond slivers = a stunner that Mom will ask for every year from now on.
14. Skinny Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Enchiladas
Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean you can't stick to your diet. Monique Volz’s lighter version of huevos rancheros is a great way to say “I love you” to Mom this year.
15. Berry Peach Chickpea Flour Breakfast Crisp
This berry and peach “crisp” feels a lot like dessert but we love the simple healthy-ish additions like chickpea flour and coconut sugar for, you know, balance. (Thanks, Gena Hamshaw!)
16. Caprese Breakfast Casserole
Everything you love about a caprese salad (mozzarella, grape tomatoes and chopped basil) are included in this tasty breakfast casserole.
17. Asparagus and Brie Puff Pastry with Thyme Honey
Frozen puff pastry comes to the rescue in this simple but impressive dish. Wrap it around fresh asparagus, bake it and drizzle with honey.
18. Overnight Blueberry Waffle Breakfast Bars
Prep this casserole—which includes frozen waffles, blueberries, cream cheese and a streusel topping—on Saturday night. Just bake it for 40 minutes in the morning and you’ll have Mother’s Day brunch on the table.
19. Vegan Chilaquiles with Red Sauce
These Mexican-inspired chilaquiles feature a peppery tomato sauce and tofu instead of eggs. Did someone say seconds?
20. Spinach and Cheese Strata
Meet the strata, a savory bread pudding-esque dish that you prep the night before. Best of all, this recipe uses pantry ingredients, so you probably have most of what you need on hand.
21. Buttermilk Waffles with Rosé Raspberry Sauce
Impress Mom with a raspberry and rosé wine sauce that you can delicately drizzle over homemade buttermilk waffles.
22. Three Layer Chia Pudding
It takes just 10 minutes to put together Alejandra Graf’s chocolate and vanilla chia pudding, topped with cherries and mint leaves.
23. Breakfast Hash with Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
Don’t underestimate the power of a good hash, especially when it pulls in sweet and savory notes from sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and spicy sausage.
24. Black-and-White Pancake Cake
Go big or go home: Try Aida Mollenkamp’s chocolate pancake cake iced with mascarpone cheese to really wow your momma.
25. Mexican Breakfast Frittata with Corn Salsa and Avocado
Give your usual frittata a Mexican flair with slices of avocado, a homemade corn salsa, and your go-to hot sauce. (Thanks, Phoebe Lapine.)
26. Crock-Pot Egg Casserole
Ever dream of waking up and walking into the kitchen to find breakfast all ready for you? Here’s that dream come true, thanks to an egg, bacon and spinach casserole that cooks overnight in the Crock-Pot.
27. Orange Marmalade French Toast Bake
The beauty of French toast is that you can salvage day-old bread. Try it with this French toast bake that makes use of brioche loaves, orange marmalade and the milk you probably already have in the fridge.
28. Menemen Turkish Egg Scramble
Have you tried Menemen? This traditional Turkish breakfast combines eggs, tomatoes and peppers for a hearty meal. Just add your favorite crusty bread.
29. Crispy Breakfast Potatoes with Chili Garlic Oil and Herbs
You’ll need a lot of starch to soak up the mimosa bar for Mother’s Day, so here’s the perfect dish: crispy potatoes baked in chili garlic oil and herbs then tossed with soft poached eggs.
30. Bacon and Egg Breakfast Ramen
Noodles for breakfast are a thing in Asia, which is why we are 100 percent behind this bacon and egg breakfast ramen. End of discussion.
31. Polenta, Refried Beans and Eggs Skillet Bake
If Mother’s Day snuck up on you, grab a few pantry ingredients: polenta, a can of refried beans, half a dozen eggs and a jar of salsa. It's everything you need to whip up Monique Volz’s egg skillet bake.
32. Mimosa Mini Muffins
Your mom's favorite cocktail, in muffin-form. (There's even Prosecco in the batter.)
33. Bagel and Smoked Salmon Bar
Is a bagel and smoked salmon bar heaven? We think so, and so will your mom when she wakes up to this spread on Mother’s Day.
34. Toasted Coconut Pancakes
Put a spin on whole wheat pancakes with a sweet shredded coconut topping with coconut sugar and coconut syrup.
35. Fried Egg and Cheese Tostadas
Open faced breakfast taco? We’re so in. Griddle a tortilla to make the base for scrambled eggs with cheese—a genius recipe by Katie Workman.
36. Baked Eggs with Swiss Chard and Green Olives
Swiss chard, green olives and thick-cut bacon make this baked egg dish extra savory. (Plus, you can finish it with flaky salt, chives and toasted baguette.)
37. Raspberry Croissant French Toast Bake
Sub in croissants for the brioche in this French toast bake that’s laced with raspberries and chunks of cream cheese.
38. Puff Pastry Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche
Put back the pre-made quiche; now you’ll make your own. Heidi Larsen shares how with a package of puff pastry, smoked salmon, cream cheese and a few dashes of hot sauce.
39. Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Dessert for breakfast? Why not. It’s Mother’s Day.
40. Tropical Mimosa Smoothie
There's pineapple and banana in this, so it's basically a fruit salad, right?
RELATED: 24 Hilarious Mother's Day Quotes to Brighten Any Mama's Day