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Our 37 Best Mother’s Day Recipes

Our 37 Best Mother’s Day Recipes

By Food & Wine

Updated April 06, 2020

© Eva Kolenko

Moms are great, right? Have you called yours lately? Give her a ring; she probably misses you. Moms only get one holiday per year that’s all about them, so you should make it extra special. Go all out this year and really cook—why not? We’re here to help: From cocktails to brunch dishes to desserts, here are all the recipes you need to show your mom she’s the absolute best.

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Blueberry Dutch Baby

© Eva Kolenko

Cookbook author Ben Mims uses pomegranate juice to sweeten the batter for this light and berry-rich pancake.

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Smashed-Banana Bread

John Kernick

At Dovecote Café in Baltimore, this banana bread is one of many awesome baked goods served on a daily basis. The recipe comes from owner Aisha Pew’s mother, Gilda Bain-Pew, and includes super-ripe bananas and a hit of banana liqueur (but it’s still delicious without the liqueur, too).

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Poached Eggs with Baked Feta and Olives

PHOTO © MARTIN MORRELL

Defne Koryürek uses sizzling feta, olives, and toasted bread in this amazing, mom-approved Turkish poached eggs recipe.

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Tater Tot Waffles with Smoked Salmon and Caviar

© Eva Kolenko

Jen Pelka of The Riddler in San Francisco makes super-crunchy and delicious waffles using Tater Tots. Here she tops the waffles with caviar and smoked salmon, creating a delicious and decadent dish that's ideal with a Mimosa.

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Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Caramelized Apples

We love to use ricotta cheese and finely grated lemon zest to make these delicate pancakes. For the topping, try this quick sauté of apples with butter, sugar, and cinnamon.

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Kaiserschmarrn with Peaches

Tina Rupp

Kaiserschmarrn is a popular Austrian dessert that can also be eaten for breakfast. It’s basically a light pancake that gets cut up while it’s frying and topped with fruit and confectioners’ sugar.

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Buttermilk Pancakes with Masa Harina

"These are the best pancakes you will ever have," Alex Stupak says. They're light, fluffy and full of corn flavor from the masa harina (corn flour). The recipe is from his wife, Lauren Resler, the pastry chef at the Empellon restaurants.

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Stovetop Asparagus Frittata

© CHRIS COURT

Treat mom to this beautiful, single-serving frittata topped with asparagus, prosciutto, and crème fraîche.

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Scotch Eggs

A common picnic and party dish in the U.K., Scotch eggs were likely first inspired by the Indian and Pakistani dish nargisi kofta, which encases a hard-boiled egg in spicy ground meat. This soft-boiled approach presents an unexpectedly tender egg yolk within a crispy exterior. Don’t forget the toast.

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Phoenicia Diner’s Breakfast Skillet

© Cedric Angeles

Phoenicia Diner in Phoenicia, New York, offers an impressive list of breakfast “skillets.” This creamy egg scramble studded with smoked trout is meant for one, but it can be easily doubled or quadrupled.

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Salmon Hash and Poached Eggs

Hash is a great way to use leftovers, like the cooked salmon called for here, but it still tastes super-special. Any other cooked or smoked fish—or diced ham—could be used in place of the salmon.

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Ratatouille Toasts with Fried Eggs

This luscious ratatouille toast is perfect for brunch because it tastes even better when made the day before, making it quick and easy for a mid-morning meal.

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Scrambled Eggs Florentine

Eva Kolenko

Fold spinach and mascarpone into soft scrambled eggs and spoon over crostini for a light morning bite that Mom will love.

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Huevos Motuleños

© Jason Fulford

“This is a very straightforward breakfast dish from Motul on the Yucatán Peninsula. The contrasts really appeal to me: the sweetness of the plantains with the saltiness of the ham and the spiciness of the sauce,” says Karen Tayor about her brunch recipe. “Huevos Motuleños already has all the perfect elements, if you can get a bite of everything together in your mouth at one time.”

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Carrot Farinata

Christopher Testani

This cross between traditional stewed carrot tzimmes and Italian chickpea flour pancakes personifies the beautiful blending of cultures that’s at the heart of the Seder dinners hosted by Hillary Sterling at her restaurant, Vic’s, in New York City.

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Kale Caesar with Rye Croutons and Farro

This reimagined Caesar salad substitutes kale for romaine, rye bread for the croutons and tofu for the raw egg in the garlicky dressing.

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Spinach Salad with Smoked Chicken, Apple, Walnuts, and Bacon

David Malosh

This delicious and satisfying salad calls for thick-sliced smoked chicken, now available in the meat department of supermarkets. Of course, you can always use smoked turkey from the deli counter instead. If you like a more pronounced sweet-and-sour flavor, use another teaspoon of vinegar.

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California Wappa Rice Bowls

Victor Protasio

A sushi-inspired grain bowl is the ideal fancy lunch for moms. Snow crab legs yield tender, clean chunks of meat, perfect for topping these steamed savory rice bowls. To gently cook the crabs, steam them for 20 to 25 minutes over high heat, let cool slightly, and remove the meat.

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Fried Shrimp Flatbreads with Spicy Cardamom Sauce

Josef Centeno has done what few chefs do: developed a new kind of sandwich bread. Called the bäco, it’s a very supple flatbread. But his creative fillings, like the fried shrimp here with cardamom-chile sauce and herbed crema, are sensational on any kind of flatbread, or even rolled inside flour tortillas.

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Deviled Eggs with Pickled Shrimp

Michael Crook

Creamy dill-and-chive deviled eggs become extra satisfying with the addition of briny pickled shrimp.

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Antipasto Salad with Bocconcini and Green-Olive Tapenade

Greg DuPree

Nancy Silverton’s super-flavorful salad gets even better with a night in the fridge.

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Pasta Primavera

Victor Protasio

This spring pasta is buttery and rich but still feels light from the lemon zest and fresh herbs.

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Chicken Freekeh Skillet with Warm Feta-Lemon Relish

Alison Miksch

“It’s an almost complete meal that my whole family loves, and it’s done from start to finish in just 35 minutes,” says Ann Taylor Pittman. “I’ll serve a simple vegetable on the side—usually blanched broccoli or haricots verts tossed with browned butter—and daydream of sunnier days to come.”

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Crispy Salmon and Wilted Chard

Con Poulos

Food & Wine culinary director-at-large Justin Chapple’s tarragon vinaigrette flavors both earthy chard and buttery pan-seared salmon.

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Steak Frites with Black Garlic Butter

Victor Protasio

Charolais is a breed of cattle from Burgundy prized for its tender, flavorful and marbled (not fatty) meat. Substitute a grass-fed or finished hanger steak to channel the juicy, nutty qualities of the French beef.

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Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

PHOTO © ANNA WILLIAMS

This over-the-top dessert features layers of dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache.

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Pear Tart with Vanilla Cream and Black Tea Crust

PHOTO © LINE KLEIN

Upgrade the classic fruit tart by adding smoky-flavored Lapsang souchong tea to the buttery crust.

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Coconut Cake

© Karen Mordechai

This tropical-tasting cake can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, and the layers can be frozen separately for up to one month.

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Peanut Butter Pound Cake S’Mores

Grace Parisi replaces crunchy graham crackers with buttery store-bought pound cake, sandwiched with marshmallow spread and peanut butter and served alongside a cup of warm melted chocolate for dipping.

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Tipsy Plums and Raspberries

Marcia Kiesel loves serving cold Japanese plum wine as an after-dinner drink. Here, she uses it to quick-soak plums, making a luscious fruit dessert that’s just right with vanilla ice cream.

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Strawberry-Buttermilk Cobbler

Eva Kolenko

A mixture of spelt and almond flours, gently combined with cold butter and creamy buttermilk, creates tender, fluffy biscuits that cover this juicy strawberry cobbler filling. Use the sweetest, best-quality berries from the market; their flavor is the foundation of this seasonal dessert.

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Everything’s Coming Up Rosé

© David Malosh

Natasha David, co-owner of Nitecap in New York City, creates this sophisticated sangria by combining rose wine with pleasantly bitter Aperol and delicate, floral hibiscus tea.

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Ruby Red Spritz

Victor Protasio

This rosy, bittersweet aperitif is the perfect opener for a Mother’s Day dinner. If you want it sweeter, add a dash of simple syrup, or replace the fizzy soda water with a splash of grapefruit soda.

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The Palomaesque Cocktail

The Paloma is a classic Mexican cocktail made with lime juice, tequila and grapefruit soda. Scott Baird, the mixologist who created this drink for Comal in Berkeley, makes his version with smoky mezcal, fresh grapefruit juice and Cocchi Americano, the sweet Italian aperitif wine.

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