Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas: How to Build the Perfect Menu
Mother’s Day and brunch were made for each other. It gets the whole occasion done at a civilised hour, it is inherently relaxed and celebratory, and it gives you the perfect excuse to open something bubbly before midday. This collection brings together my favourite Mother’s Day brunch recipes along with a simple framework for building a menu that covers every base without overwhelming whoever is doing the cooking.
In South Africa, Mother’s Day falls in autumn on the second Sunday in May, while in the Northern Hemisphere it arrives in spring. I have tried to include recipes that work across both seasons so wherever you are cooking from, there is something here for you.
How to build a Mother’s Day brunch menu
A well-balanced brunch menu has four elements, and once you understand the formula, the whole thing falls into place. Start with something fruity, light, or salady. Follow with an egg-based main, such as a baked dish, a shakshuka, a frittata, or a quiche. Add at least one sweet thing, a cake, a loaf, or pastries. Include good bread of some kind because brunch needs something to tear and share. And pour the drinks freely, mimosas, fresh juice, or a simple cocktail. Most things can be made ahead and served at room temperature, which is what makes brunch the most forgiving entertaining format there is.
Cheese and charcuterie do not go amiss either and could be an additional fifth element.
Since brunch is so close to lunch, seafood dishes and smoked salmon are also very nice.
Make-ahead Mother’s Day brunch dishes
Most of the recipes in this collection can be made ahead entirely or partially, which is the whole point of a relaxed brunch. The shakshuka base can be made the day before and the eggs added fresh on the morning. Quiches and tarts bake beautifully the night before and reheat without losing anything. Sweet loaves and cakes are generally better the next day. The pear and halva crumble loaf, for example, is one recipe I would always make the day before.
Starters for a Mother’s Day Brunch
Bacon & egg salad with blue cheese
Melon, mozzarella & parma ham salad with a honey & mustard vinaigrette
Pineapple carpaccio with a ginger, mint, lime and chilli dressing
Pear, blue cheese and walnut salad with maple vinaigrette
Roasted peppers stuffed with tomatoes and garlic
The best BLT pasta salad recipe & Green goddess BLT pasta salad.
Pan-fried mushrooms with miso and egg yolk
This will make a delicious dish for any brunch. Toss the egg yolk through the hot mushrooms in front of guests.
Egg dishes for a Mother’s Day brunch
The egg dish is the centrepiece of any brunch, and you have more options here than you might think. For feeding a crowd with minimal effort, menemen is my first choice every time. Turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers, made in one pan, are endlessly scalable. For something that looks more impressive than it is, the smoked salmon omelette with chive crème fraîche is the one. Shakshuka is the classic crowd-pleaser that can be made ahead of time to the base stage. And if you want something truly special, eggs poached in red wine sauce (ouefs en meurette) is a dish that takes a little more effort but rewards it fully.
Easy ham and cheese croissant bake
This might be one of my all-time favourite brunch recipes. So easy to feed a crowd and so delicious.
Menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes & peppers) is my favourite scrambled egg recipe of all time and is perfect to feed a crowd. I even made a video to show you how.
Smoked salmon omelette with chive crème fraiche. This is my favourite fancy pants omelette recipe that will impress.
Shakshuka. Is a classic and comforting brunch recipe that can be made in advance and the eggs added on the day. This recipe has been adapted from Ottolenghi.
Croque madame with spinach & smoked salmon. A twist on this bistro classic.
Eggs poached in red wine sauce. This recipe for Ouefs en Meurette involves a little effort but it takes poached eggs to the highest level.
Pan Con Tomate (Spanish Tomato Bread) With Fried Egg
You could serve the tomato bread on its own or top it with an egg fried in brown butter. It’s just so good.
The most delicious cheese & onion quiche. This is my favourite quiche and is deliciously old-school. It’s also a fab item to make in advance if you don’t feel like cooking something on the day.
Huevos rancheros with chipotle. My favourite breakfast with Mexican flavours and easy to DIY.
Eggs benedict on roasted brown mushrooms. Eggs Benny is always a winner and this is a low-carb rendition.
French toast with miso & Parmesan
To see all my favourite breakfast recipes, click here.
To see all my favourite egg recipes click here.
Eggs in puttanesca sauce (purgatory-style)
Cheese Dishes for a Mother’s Day Brunch
Roast fig tartines with blue cheese, prosciutto & honey
Perfect spinach and three-cheese phyllo pie
The best French onion grilled cheese sandwich
Giant grilled cheese with hot honey butter
Sweet things for Mother’s Day brunch
Every brunch needs something sweet, and the best brunch sweet things sit comfortably between breakfast and dessert. The pear and halva crumble loaf with pecans, honey, and maple is probably my favourite sweet loaf recipe on this entire site, and it’s always the first thing people ask about. Scones are the obvious choice and work for any season. A simple cake that can be baked the night before rounds everything out without adding morning stress.
Dutch baby pancake with blueberry & lemon. This is a delectable and crowd-pleasing sweet breakfast treat and perfect to feed a few people.
Dutch baby pancake with caramelised pink lady apples & cinnamon
Blueberry pancakes with ricotta and orange
Guavas poached in chamomile syrup with vanilla & cinnamon
Mango, passionfruit & yoghurt brulee
My Best Pancake Recipes
Baked Recipes for Mother’s Day Brunch
Orange and pecan muffins. This is my favourite muffin recipe of all time. It’s also the easiest.
Possibly the best banana bread ever
The best banana bread with pecans & raisins
Apple cake with maple & cream cheese frosting
The Best almond cinnamon bus with frangipane
Olive oil chiffon cake. This is the perfect not-too-sweet cake to serve at a brunch. It’s delicious with ricotta cheese, fresh fruit & honey.
Butternut scones with cheese & herbs
Lemon & poppyseed madeleines with a lemon glaze
Pear & halva crumble loaf with pecans, honey & maple. This is probably my favourite sweet quick bread loaf recipe of all time.
The best blueberry & lemon scones
My best scone recipes: sweet & savoury
Bread Recipes perfect for a Mother’s Day Brunch
These are a few of my favourite bread recipes on Drizzleanddip.com, and I think they work well for a Mother’s Day Brunch. This is where you will find all my bread recipes.
Easy cheese & onion bread with herbs
What to drink at a Mother’s Day brunch
Bubbly is mandatory. Beyond that, a jug of fresh juice or a simple fruit punch is available for those who are not drinking. A mimosa is the obvious choice and requires nothing more than good sparkling wine and orange juice. If you want something slightly more considered, a Bellini, a Paloma, or a spritz all work beautifully for a late morning occasion. Remove the alcohol from any of these, and you have an elegant mocktail without any extra effort.
Melon cocktail with strawberry & basil
Mixed berry margarita with jalapeno
Berry smoothie with banana & almond butter
Green juice with apple, cucumber, mint & ginger
Tips for hosting a stress-free Mother’s Day brunch
Set your table the night before. Lay out everything that does not need refrigerating, the plates, glasses, napkins, serving boards, and any decorative elements. It takes 20 minutes the night before and saves you from a frantic morning.
Make a running order for the morning. Know which dishes need to be reheated and at what temperature, which come out of the fridge an hour before serving, and what gets finished at the table.
Serve everything at once rather than in courses. Brunch is meant to be casual and abundant. Put it all out, let people graze, and spend your time at the table rather than behind the stove.
Scale your egg dish generously. People always eat more eggs at brunch than you expect. If a recipe serves four, make enough for six.
Frequently asked questions for Mother’s Day Brunch
When is Mother’s Day? In South Africa, Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May. In the UK and Australia it is in March. In the USA and Canada it is also the second Sunday in May.
How far in advance can I prepare a Mother’s Day brunch? Most brunch dishes can be prepared at least partially the day before. Quiches, cakes, sweet loaves, and the base of egg dishes like shakshuka all keep well overnight. The fresher elements, sliced fruit, egg finishing, and drinks, are the only things left for the morning.
How many dishes do I need for a brunch? Three to four dishes covers a relaxed brunch beautifully. One egg main, one sweet thing, something light or fruity, and good bread alongside. Drinks count as a course too.
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Goodness that was a feast of reading!…not to mention titillating all the taste buds and senses with every recipe. Just amazing Sam. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words Veronica, that’s so nice of you to say 🙂