I love a spring-themed brunch and this menu is perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day or any spring-time occasion where you want to serve a brunch! I love to decorate my table with tulips, yellow daffodils, yellow peonies and leafy greenery to make a spring-theme table festive. These pictures are from my Easter brunch spread, so we had easter accents on the table that made things very festive. We usually have a smaller crowd for Easter and Mother’s Day than for Christmas brunch; making it easier to offer individual-sized quiches and parfaits to make the scene super cute! If you are serving a bigger crowd, you can make full-sized quiches and a make your own yogurt, fruit, and granola station versus making individually plated versions. But I think throwing in some minis makes the table look cute for a spring brunch.
The Spring Brunch Menu
- Deviled potatoes
- Mini quiches
- Coconut french toast
- Tofu breakfast burritos
- Potatoes au gratin
- Yogurt & fruit parfaits
- Roasted asparagus with a creamy lemon sauce
- “Lox” with bagels and cream cheese
Deviled Potatoes
Back when I ate eggs, I used to LOVE deviled eggs, and this is an amazing vegan substitute that is surprisingly delightful! The first time I added these to my Easter brunch spread, I got a lot of oohs and aahs; my guests were pleased with the similar creamy and tangy whipped center and gobbled them all up! These have a regular spot now on my spring brunch buffet and I think you and your guests will enjoy them too.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of little potatoes
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (favorite brand is Follow Your Heart veganaise
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Fresh dill, chopped
Instructions:
- Wash potatoes and then place into a bowl. Toss potatoes with the olive oil and some sea salt and transfer to a cookie sheet (I like to line the cookie tray with a parchment paper to prevent sticking and for an easy clean-up.
- Bake the potatoes at 375 degrees until fully cooked. Depending upon the size of your potatoes, cooking time will vary from 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes and let cool for a few minutes and then cut them in half, lengthwise.
- Scoop the center of each potato being careful not to ruin the skin. Place the scoop of potato into a medium-size bowl.
- Put each potato skin back onto the cookie tin and bake the skins to get a little crispy while you prepare the scooped potato mixture.
- Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, relish, mustard, smoked paprika, salt and some chopped dill to the potato mixture. I use an electric hand mixer to get the ingredients smoothed and whipped. Adjust the flavor by adding more salt and dill as needed
- Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins and top with a small sprig of dill.
Vegan Quiche
For years, I used tofu blended with some salt, lemon and almond milk as a replacement for the egg in my quiche recipe but in recent years, I have used Just Egg instead because it is so similar to real egg that no one will notice a difference. Just Egg is made from mung bean and canola oil. While I don’t love using products with canola oil, I will occasionally use this product for a brunch spread so that it appeals to everyone at the table. Just Egg really nailed it with this product because people can’t tell the difference. It is pretty amazing. This recipe makes one 9- or 10-inch quiche or 4 mini quiches.
Ingredients:
One 9 or 10-inch pie crust. I like to use a gluten-free crust. You can make your own or there are plenty of good store-bought pie crusts in the freezer section. Bob’s Red Mills also makes a good gluten-free pie crust mix that you can purchase in the baking section of the grocery store. You just add water to the mix, and it is pretty easy. That is what I used for my mini quiches.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup kale; chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms; chopped
- 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs; chopped (I like to use parsley and dill or thyme)
- Equivalent of 3 Just Eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups almond milk
- Pinch of nutmeg or mustard powder
- 2 cups grated vegan cheddar cheese (favorite brand is Violife)
- Sliced tomatoes to top the quiche
Instructions:
- Prepare your crust or mini-crusts and bake in the oven while you are preparing your ingredients for the quiche – for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sauté the onions in the olive oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes before adding your other vegetable. Sauté the vegetable and onion mixture until soft and well-cooked.
- In a medium-size bowl, beat the just eggs and the almond milk with a whisk and then add the salt, nutmeg or mustard.
- To assemble the quiche, sprinkle half the cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Spread the vegetables over the cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Pour as much of the egg/milk mixture into your pie crust as it will hold.
- Top the quiche with sliced tomatoes and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the quiche is firm in the center.
- Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Coconut French Toast
My kids love French toast, and this is a super easy vegan take on a traditional French toast recipe. I like to serve the French toast with toasted coconut shreds on top and some berries. If you want to make it look fancy for your brunch spread, you can drizzle some blackberry syrup for a nice presentation.
Ingredients:
1 Loaf of crusty French bread (Not the baguette shape – but square loaf). I usually buy my loaf from the bakery at Whole Foods, but any round or square loaf will do. You just want to be able to cut it yourself so that you can make thick 1 ½ inch slices.
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Shredded Coconut
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, sugar and nutmeg and whisk until well blended.
- Place thick slices of bread in a large baking dish and pour the milk mixture of the bread. Let it sit for a few minutes so that each slice of bread absorbs all the milk. You might have to do this in batches depending on how many slices you are making.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large frypan and place the slices in hot oil. Cook until golden on each side.
- Transfer the slices to a serving platter and sprinkle with shredded coconut and serve immediately with some maple syrup.
Tofu Breakfast Burritos
Making a platter of easy-to-serve breakfast burritos is a crowd-pleaser; they also store well if you have any leftovers. I used my Marinated Tofu Recipe in these breakfast burritos which gave them an amazing flavor. You can switch things up here and put what you like in your burrito but this one is stuffed with the marinated tofu, black beans, vegan sausage, salsa, vegan cheese and avocado.
Ingredients:
- 1 batch of my Marinated Tofu Recipe
- 4 large burrito-sized tortillas (I use a brown rice or the Siete brand Burrito-size cassava tortilla)
- 1 Can of black beans; drained
- Sliced avocado
- Salsa fresca
- Vegan cheddar cheese (favorite brand is Violife)
- Vegan breakfast sausage (I like Hilary’s breakfast sausage patties – they have a very similar taste to a real breakfast sausage. Or if you want something this closely resembles pork breakfast sausage, Beyond meat makes an amazing tasting one – it just is more processed than the Hilary’s sausage which is made with lentil and cleaner ingredients.
Instructions:
- Lay the ingredients in the center of the tortilla and tightly roll up your tortilla.
- Place the burritos in a hot oiled frypan and cook until the outside of the tortilla is browned.
- Cut in half and place on a serving platter.
Potatoes Au Gratin
I love the delicious simplicity of potatoes and cheesy goodness and this recipe has all the taste of a traditional au gratin without the animal fat. This is another one of those recipes where your guests will not notice the difference between this dish and a traditional au gratin. I use my cheese sauce recipe from my Macaroni & Cheese recipe for the au gratin. Once you make a batch of the cheese sauce, all you need to do is thinly slice about a pound of small red potatoes and layer them in a small baking dish. Then pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Top with chopped chives and eat immediately.
Yogurt and fruit parfaits
Making individual yogurt parfaits is a festive presentation on the brunch buffet. Alternatively, you could serve this as a make your own by platting the yogurt, granola and fruit into 3 separate bowls and let your guest build their own. I used my Homemade Granola for my parfaits and layered 12-ounce mason jars with coconut yogurt, Homemade Granola and berries.
Roasted Asparagus with a Creamy Lemon Sauce
Asparagus is especially good during the spring, and I love adding a plate of roasted asparagus with my creamy lemon sauce. Asparagus is one of those vegetables that everyone loves, and this recipe is easy and delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 garlic cloves; minced
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour
- 1 cup almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Chopped Dill and grilled lemons for garnish.
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and trim the ends of the asparagus.
- Toss with olive oil and sea salt.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie tin and cook for 15 minutes or until tender.
- While the asparagus is cooking, prepare the lemon sauce.
- In a small pot, heat the butter and add the garlic; sautéing for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and whisk in the milk.
- Add the salt and chili flakes.
- Cook for another 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Serve the asparagus with the sauce drizzled over the top.
Garnish with chopped dill and grilled lemons (optional).
“Lox” with Bagels and Cream Cheese
You can’t go wrong with a platter of bagels, sliced tomato, red onion, capers, vegan cream cheese and vegan “lox”. You can use whatever kind of bagels you like but I absolutely love the Pagel by Bedrock Bakery. They have the most amazing grain-free bagels that are a favorite in our house. If you are interested in getting some Pagels, you can order them online and they will ship them directly to your house. The vegan “lox” is super easy to make.
Vegan “Lox”
Liquid smoke gives the roasted carrots an amazingly similar flavor to a smoked salmon and tastes so good on top of some bagels and cream cheese.
Ingredients:
- 4 Large Carrots
- 1 Tablespoon Tamari
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon Sea Kelp Seasoning
Instructions:
- Prepare the carrots by first washing them and patting them dry.
- Using a large vegetable peeler, you will apply pressure on the carrot to get a thick slice as you press down on the carrot; peeling from top to bottom to get a full-length sheet of carrot. Continue slicing with the peeler until all 4 carrots have been peeled into long strips.
- Place the strips of carrots into a medium-size bowl and toss with the tamari, liquid smoke and sea kelp seasoning.
- Transfer the seasoned carrots to a large piece of tin foil and wrap the carrots loosely covered and place them on a cookie tin.
- Place in an oven at 425 degrees and bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove and let cool to room temperature and serve with your platter of bagels and cream cheese.
