15+ Easy Mother’s Day Dinner Ideas

If you haven’t started planning for this all-important national holiday yet, gathering a couple easy, delicious, and special Mother’s Day dinner ideas is a great place to start. Consider this your (final) reminder.

Mother’s Day requires thought, effort, and at least one meal’s worth of something homemade. It shouldn’t just be something she likes, it should be her favorite, whether that’s a healthy seafood recipe or a well-marbled strip steak.

Once you’ve got your dinner idea down, consider the rest of the menu. Ask about her favorite wine or cocktail, offer-up plenty of colorful side dishes, and try to keep kitchen crabbiness to a minimum. Please do not forget to buy her flowers.

Mother’s Day is about being your best, doing your best, all for the best person in your life.

Just like mama taught you.

What should I serve for Mother’s Day dinner?

Overhead shot of a sheet pan of roasted salmon with lemon slices, roasted kale, and capers.

For the time-crunched teens or do-it-all dads, there’s no need to cook something elaborate that takes all day (when you should be spending time with Mom) and leaves you cranky, perhaps a little sweaty, and tired come dinnertime. The following Mother’s Day dinner ideas provide quick and easy, yet elegant, recipes to put a special dinner on the table when you can’t seem to multitask like a (literal) mother.

Shrimp or Fish

Meat or Chicken

Vegetarian

What can I cook for a special dinner?

Overhead shot of skillet chicken with tomatoes on a white plate with a silver fork.

If you’ve got a little more time, or competent little helpers, the following recipes are a little something special. They require more effort, but no more skill, and can easily be achieved in an hour or two.

Something Special