33 Festive Mother's Day Dishes, Drinks, And Desserts That You Still Have Plenty Of Time To Make (Or Prep) For This Weekend
May is here, temperatures are climbing, and flowers are practically bursting with color everywhere you look, which can only mean one thing: Mother's Day is right around the corner. 🌷
If you're looking to celebrate your mother this year with a lovingly made homemade meal, look no further than these easy, festive recipes. Whether you're serving breakfast in bed, a full-out brunch, or lunch for a crowd, you can't go wrong.
1.Quiche Lorraine Bites
For a grab-able, handheld app, it doesn't get much easier (or more delicious) than these quiche bites. Since the crust is made with store-bought phyllo dough, these come together in the blink of an eye — and they're next-level flaky to boot.
Recipe: Quiche Lorraine Bites
2.Radish Toasts
3.Spinach Salad with Warm Brown Butter Dressing
Sometimes the simplest recipes turn out to be the biggest hits, and this vibrant salad is no exception. The warm brown butter dressing is really the star of the show here, and it pairs perfectly with zingy pickled red onions and the salty bite of shaved pecorino cheese.
4.Strawberry Bruschetta
When you think of bruschetta, you're probably thinking of the tomato variety — but I'm here to tell you that this sweet-and-savory version might just be the greatest out there. Creamy goat cheese, ripe strawberries, and plenty of punchy balsamic vinegar make these anything but ordinary.
Recipe: Strawberry Bruschetta
5.Lemon Crumb Muffins
Mother's Day is all about celebration, and honestly, I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by starting off the day with a moist, lemony muffin or two. With lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract, lemon lovers: This one's for you.
Recipe: Lemon Crumb Muffins
6.Puff Pastry Spinach Cheese Bites
Store-bought puff pastry is one of the most magical ingredients out there (since it's pretty much impossible to serve anything less-than-impressive inside it). In this case, puff pastry is stuffed with cheese, spinach, and plenty of herbs for a shareable bite that looks far more involved than it actually is.
Recipe: Puff Pastry Spinach Cheese Bites
7.Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Lemon ricotta pancakes are a staple of many a restaurant menu, but they're surprisingly easy (and just as delicious) to make in your own home. Ricotta cheese and whipped egg whites keep these pancakes light as air, so even if your mom isn't a "sweets for breakfast" type of person, these might just become a new tradition in your family.
Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
8.Overnight Baked Banana French Toast Casserole
If making an elaborate breakfast or brunch first thing in the morning doesn't exactly sound like your idea of fun, this make-ahead-friendly recipe practically has your name on it. Assemble it the night before, let it rest in the fridge, and then pop it into a hot oven when it's time to eat. You'll be rewarded with a crumbly, custardy casserole that's basically effortless.
9.Dutch Baby Pancakes
Dutch babies look impressive, but they couldn't be easier. It's all about getting your skillet nice and hot before you bake it to golden, puffy perfection — and yes, I can assure you that your mother will be very impressed if you make this for her this year.
Recipe: Dutch Baby Pancakes
10.One-Bowl Baked Oatmeal
You might not think of oatmeal when it comes to a celebratory breakfast or brunch, but this baked oatmeal is an entirely different story. This elegant, wholesome dish only requires mixing and baking. Bonus: If you're looking to make it gluten-free, it's as simple as swapping in gluten-free oats.
Recipe: One-Bowl Baked Oatmeal
11.Sheet Pan Pancakes
Standing over a hot griddle and individually flipping pancake after pancake? Tedious at best. Making a crowd's worth of pancakes by pouring the ingredients into a sheet pan and baking them? Sheer genius.
Recipe: Sheet Pan Pancakes
12.Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Whether they're from a can, store-bought, or crafted at home with all the love in the world, I've never met a cinnamon roll I didn't love. That said, this homemade version is seriously one of the greatest baked goods you could ever eat (I mean this with every fiber of my being), and once you try them, you may never go back.
Recipe: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
13.Savory Cheesy Herb Waffles
The classic, humble waffle is already a pretty perfect dish, but up the ante with creamy burrata, juicy cherry tomatoes, and salty prosciutto, and I for one am entirely sold...and suddenly very hungry.
Recipe: Savory Cheesy Herb Waffles
14.Homemade Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict can make even the most experienced home cooks nervous, but this recipe — complete with a no-fail, 1-minute blender Hollandaise sauce — won't rattle anyone's nerves.
Recipe: Homemade Eggs Benedict
15.Crab and Avocado Eggs Benedict
If regular ol' eggs Benedict sounds too "meh" for you, I have a feeling this amped-up version with creamy avocado and lump crab meat will change your mind. If you're making these for more folks than just your mom, you can even "poach" the eggs all at once in a muffin tin in the oven. TBH, no one will ever know the difference, and you'll save yourself a whole lot of time.
Recipe: Crab and Avocado Eggs Benedict
16.Shirred Eggs with Spinach & Mushrooms
"Shirred" eggs are essentially just eggs baked in cream. As a result, they turn out luxuriously custardy and smooth every single time, which makes them an effortlessly elegant dish to serve this Mother's Day.
17.Veggie Breakfast Tacos
It's hard not to love breakfast tacos, but when they're stuffed with sautéed veggies, soft scrambled eggs, and finished with a generous squeeze of lime juice, not loving them is downright impossible. In terms of the vegetables you include, go wild! Follow the recipe to a T, or use anything that's getting sad while sitting unused in your fridge. Either way, they'll be absurdly delicious.
Recipe: Veggie Breakfast Tacos
18.Green Shakshuka
Shakshuka is a North African one-pan dish that's pretty much delicious any time of day. This version opts for all the green-hued goodness you could ever imagine instead of the traditional tomato-based sauce — and it's real good.
Recipe: Green Shakshuka
19.Croque Monsieur
Just because it's French doesn't mean it's difficult to make. These "added-value" ham and cheese sandwiches come together entirely on a sheet pan, and they broil away until the creamy béchamel spooned overtop is bubbling and golden brown. Serve it with a simple green salad, and you've got one wildly satisfying Mother's Day breakfast or lunch.
Recipe: Croque Monsieur
20.Chilaquiles Rojos
Classic recipes for chilaquiles call for frying tortillas at home until perfectly crunchy, but this one utilizes store-bought tortilla chips as a time-saving hack. You can serve this saucy dish as-is or alongside some runny eggs, but definitely don't skimp on the garnishes — cough, cough, avocado.
Recipe: Chilaquiles Rojos
21.Spinach and Cheese Strata
Stratas are a brunch o'clock dream since they're assembled the night before and just require baking the day of. Spinach and cheese are the simple but satisfying fillings in this one, but you can totally add crumbled breakfast sausage or bacon if your heart (or your Mom's heart) desires.
Recipe: Spinach and Cheese Strata
22.Cucumber Sandwiches
23.Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
No holiday, celebration, or gathering is complete without dessert, and IMO, carrot cake cupcakes might be the most scrumptious dessert out there. Whether you love 'em for the silky cream cheese frosting or the ultra-moist cake (I personally love both elements equally), your mom deserves these. Trust me.
24.Triple Berry Tiramisu
This spin on a classic tiramisu takes a classic Italian dessert and lightens it with the addition of fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, to be precise. Since you can easily make it in advance, it's the perfect recipe to stash in the fridge and forget about until it's time to dig into something sweet.
Recipe: Triple Berry Tiramisu
25.Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
It's hard to top a classic lemon bar, but these extra-creamy treats come pretty darn close. The addition of fluffy cream cheese cuts some of the zing from the lemons, but rest assured there's still plenty of lemony goodness to go around.
Recipe: Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
26.Rhubarb Shortcake
I have nothing against a good ol' strawberry shortcake, but y'all, rhubarb shortcake is where it's at. Juicy, tart rhubarb — a springtime staple — is the perfect complement to flaky biscuits and sweet whipped cream, and while homemade biscuits certainly make this dish extra delicious, store-bought ones are a very acceptable shortcut too.
Recipe: Rhubarb Shortcake
27.Blueberry Crisp
If you love dessert but don't love making it (no judgment, it's not for everyone), crisps should be your go-to sweet treat. Unlike an apple crisp, this one doesn't even require coring, peeling, or slicing. The blueberries become thick and jammy as they slowly cook down, and the simple crumb topping comes together in seconds.
Recipe: Blueberry Crisp
28.Grapefruit Gin Spritz
These spritzes are festive, refreshing, and practically synonymous with spring. If grapefruit isn't your thing, try substituting a different kind of fruit juice — orange juice or pomegranate juice would both work beautifully here too.
Recipe: Grapefruit Gin Spritz
29.Rhubarb Cocktail with Rosemary
The depth of flavor is practically off the charts with this one, and it's all thanks to the magic that's created when you combine rhubarb and rosemary. The rosemary-infused simple syrup lends some earthiness and sweetness to this cocktail, which perfectly complements the slight tartness of rhubarb.
Recipe: Rhubarb Cocktail with Rosemary
30.Blackberry Moscow Mule
If you like refreshing cocktails, Moscow Mules are simply where it's at. But this version, packed with muddled blackberries and mint from some extra juiciness, gives "refreshing" a new meaning.
Recipe: Blackberry Moscow Mule
31.Rosé Raspberry Sorbet Mimosas
For a Mother's Day brunch, mimosas seem like a no-brainer...but I've got a secret: The best, most refreshing mimosas ever start with a scoop of raspberry sorbet. Top it off with a generous glug of rosé, and you've got an ice-cold cocktail that's equal parts festive and refreshing.
Recipe: Rosé Raspberry Sorbet Mimosas
32.Basil Lemonade
For a non-alcoholic beverage that feels undeniably fancy, this basil-infused lemonade checks all the boxes. The basil flavor comes from the simple syrup, which is made from muddled basil and sugar.
Recipe: Basil Lemonade
33.Rosé Sangria
This pink-hued sangria (made with strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon) packs a serious punch. The addition of bourbon brings out a vanilla, caramel-y note, which contrasts beautifully with tart grapefruit juice, crisp rosé, and a touch of honey.
Recipe: Rosé Sangria
