Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and while getting mom some flowers or a gift is great, nothing says love like food! And not just any food––BRUNCH. Here are some of our favorite Mother’s Day Brunch recipes to prepare this upcoming weekend. 

Brunch: The Answer to The Gift Dilemma?

It’s a big conundrum, especially for a holiday meant to celebrate the woman in your life who may have already swatted away your offers to buy gifts with the following responses:

• Sound expensive. Are you saving enough?! 
• It takes up too much space./Where would I put it?
• Oh, I already have one of those!
• I like my old [insert potential replacement gift idea here], thank you very much.
• etc. 

If (like us) your mom has responded to your badgering about Mother’s Day in any of the above ways, and you’re at a bit of a loss, we say: 

A delicious and lovingly prepared home-cooked meal might just be the way to go!

When we were little kids, Sarah and I always prepared breakfast in bed for our mom, which always seemed like the storybook thing to do. We’d make some dry toast with a selection of jams and butters, some sunny-side-up eggs, and pan-fried frozen sausage links––accompanied with a few scraggly blooms plucked from the garden.

(Back then, it was probably more about how artfully we arranged everything on the breakfast tray than the quality of the brunch.)

While our mom always appreciated it, the stakes got higher over the years as our cooking chops improved. And it’s true that we’ve become pretty good cooks since then. So here are a few ideas to show mom you care with…what else? A delicious meal.

Our Favorite Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes

1. Cheesy Kale Prosciutto Brunch Melts with Eggs

These little kale prosciutto brunch melts are easy to prepare, but make for a festive and unique family brunch! Want to go the extra mile? Make your own English Muffins with Sarah’s recipe. Believe me, it’s easier than you think!

2. Elvis French Toast

If you’re really looking for the *treat-yoself* factor, this Elvis French Toast is the pinnacle of the brunch arts. Peanut butter, banana, bacon and a generous pour of maple syrup will make sure everyone is pleasantly sugar buzzed and food coma-d enough for mom to enjoy a peaceful and harmonious Mother’s Day.

You can also make our Stuffed French Toast! Equally decadent with layers of cinnamon cream cheese and banana. Mmm…

3. Homemade English Muffins

Remember those aforementioned homemade English Muffins? Well they’re a total game-changer, and they can go with practically whatever you’re looking to serve. 

They are truly surprisingly easy to make, hard to mess up (an important distinction, folks), and way tastier than anything store-bought. You can make the basic English Muffin recipe, our Multigrain English Muffins, or our Pumpkin English Muffins! Add cinnamon and a handful of raisins to the dough for a sweet twist. 

4. Ratatouille Brunch Bake

This Ratatouille Brunch Bake is an oldie but a goodie. Roasted ratatouille veggies come together for a healthy and satisfying skillet of baked eggs, perfect with toast and bacon.

5. Huevos Rancheros Nachos with Avocado Crema

Nachos for breakfast? Yes please. This is another older recipe, but one that we haven’t forgotten. If you’re a larger family, this is a great option. Everyone can help themselves!

6. A Homemade Dim Sum Brunch

If you wanna really impress the moms out there who love Chinese food, how about preparing a dim sum brunch at home?

Some of our favorite recipes include our deliciously flaky Roast Pork Puffs, as well as har gow, Vegetable Dumplings (vegan!), shumai, and Hong Kong egg tarts. Check out our full list of Dim Sum recipes, and pick your favorites. Don’t forget to serve brunch with plenty of hot tea!

7. Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Your search for the perfect breakfast sausage recipe ends here, folks. This blend of ground pork, herbs, and spices yields juicy, tasty breakfast sausage patties that hit all the right notes!

8. Bills’ Blueberry Pancakes

Who doesn’t love pancakes for breakfast? My dad’s recipe for blueberry pancakes is delicious. You could also try his Apple Cider Pancakes, Peach Pancakes (worth it for the maple cream syrup), or Gluten-free Buckwheat Pancakes!

9. Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Need a little something sweet to add to your savory brunch spread? This apple cinnamon coffee cake has been making the rounds amongst Woks of Life readers lately, and everyone is loving it!

Layers of sweet crumb, jammy apples (reminiscent of apple pie), and moist tender cake come together in the perfect sweet treat.

10. Sichuan Potato Cakes with Eggs

For moms who enjoy a bit of spice or something a little different, try these crispy potato cakes with Sichuan spices. A little spicy, a little floral/numbing…these are perfect when counterbalanced with a rich fried egg.

11. Peanut Butter & Jelly Scones

These peanut butter and jelly scones are the perfect salty/sweet baked good to go with a cup of mom’s favorite coffee or tea.

12. Sesame Scallion Waffles

No list of Mother’s Day Brunch recipes would be complete without some kind of wafffle! These sesame scallion waffles are definitely a different take on this classic brunch favorite. We love them so much, we make big batches and keep leftovers in the freezer to toast whenever we want one.

13. Chinese Breakfast Egg Pancakes (Ji Dan Bing)

How about taking mom on a little trip to the streets of China with this Chinese street food breakfast recipe? These egg pancakes go great with a tasty hard boiled Chinese Tea Egg on the side.

14. Shanghainese Brunch Feast

Whip up a full on feast of Shanghainese brunch favorites, like Dou Jiang (Soy Milk Soup), You Tiao (Fried Dough), Soup Dumplings, Stir-fried Rice Cakes, Rice Rolls (Ci Fan), Sesame Pancakes, and/or Shanghai Wonton Soup!

15. Chinese Bakery Brunch

Prepare some of your mom’s favorite Chinese Bakery buns to serve with coffee or perhaps some Hong Kong Milk Tea! You could even make mini versions of each bun, so everyone can try a variety. Some of our favorites include:

• Chinese BBQ Pork Buns (Baked Cha Siu Bao Recipe)
• Chinese Hot Dog Buns
• Pineapple Buns (or this version with roast pork filling)
• Ham & Cheese Buns
• Pork Sung Buns
• Coconut Buns (Chinese Cocktail Buns)
• Cinnamon Raisin Buns

Whatever you decide to do / eat / make, have a Happy Mother’s Day, y’all!