40 Dairy-Free Mother's Day Treat Recipes to Show Her How Sweet She Is

I always think of Mother’s Day as a very personal holiday. It’s more about loving gestures than lavish gifts. (Though I doubt many moms would mind if you bought them a spa day!) You don’t need to worry if the store is out of Instantpots, or if the local florist isn’t delivering. Just clean the house, schedule a day of activities together, and make some indulgent treats to show her how much she means to you. And for mom’s who shun milk, you can make it a dairy-free Mother’s Day to remember with these gifts from the kitchen.

40 Homemade Treats for a Dairy-Free Mother’s Day to Remember

You can certainly prepare one of these dairy-free Mother’s Day treats ahead. But if baking or cooking with you is a special time for her, hold off on doing it yourself. Set out the ingredients, the recipe, two aprons, and a Mother’s Day card. When she arrives in the kitchen you can gift her a memorable afternoon and time for the two of you to catch up.

Chocolates or Truffles

Yes, you can make dairy-free chocolates at home, and it’s so easy! We have several recipes, but here are a few to get you started.

Vegan “Boxed” Truffles
White Chocolate Crispy Hearts or Bars
Raspberry Truffles
Peanut Butter Truffles

Keep it Simple Tip: You can simply melt down dairy-free chocolate and form it into cute shapes to gift mom. We love to make Dairy-Free Chocolate Kisses.

Quick Loaves

Who doesn’t love moist, tender slices of quick bread? These dairy-free Mother’s Day recipes go a little above and beyond for a little indulgence that isn’t too difficult.

Keep it Simple Tip: You can dress up even the most basic quick bread recipe with simple dairy-free toppings. Drizzle the finished loaf with a little icing, or top it with a little brown sugar and oats before baking for a sweet and easy “crumble” topping.

Brownies

They might be easy to bake, but a towering plate or brownies shows a lot of love. And they’re just as delicious when dairy free! Enjoy these recipes.

Keep it Simple Tip: Many brownie mixes are naturally dairy-free, and are made with oil instead of butter. You can dress them up with a recipe like these Glazed Espresso Brownies.

Coffeehouse Cookies

She’ll love winding down on Mother’s Day with coffee and these dunkable sweets.

Keep it Simple Tip: If you’re short on flour or other from-scratch ingredients, you can use convenience mixes to make cookies, like these Dairy-Free Pudding Cookies or Confetti Cake Mix Cookies.

Sweet Sauces

She can’t always make it tot the coffee shop, but you can bring it to her with these sweet sauces. She can customize her own lattes and mochas with jars of these on hand.

Vanilla and Gingerbread Simple Syrups
Vegan Caramel Sauce
Peppermint White Chocolate Syrup
Butterscotch Sauce

Keep it Simple Tip: Simply melt down some dairy-free chocolate and make chocolate cubes (optionally in cute shapes) that she can add to her hot beverage.

Layered Desserts

There is something about layers that makes desserts seem extra special. And these dairy-free Mother’s Day Recipes really are.

Keep it Simple Tip: There’s no need to get too fancy. You can make a Dairy-Free Trifle with various convenience ingredients and leftovers from your refrigerator and pantry.

Cake

We can’t forget the classic celebration dessert. These recipes have a distinctively dairy-free Mother’s Day vibe.

Keep it Simple Tip: If you don’t have eggs, are short on time, or just don’t have enough people in your household for a whole cake, make Dairy-Free Mug Cakes! Bake them in small ramekins rather than mugs for prettier presentation. They cook up in the microwave or in an oven set at 350 F.

Dessert Cinnamon Rolls

Aren’t all cinnamon rolls special? Indeed, but these baked treats are extra-special, and make the crossover to dessert!

Keep it Simple Tip: If you don’t have any yeast on hand, or are short on time, try a no rise recipe. They’re a little more biscuit-like, but still delicious. We have two dairy-free recipes: The Easiest No Rise Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice No Rise Cinnamon Rolls.

Cupcakes

Nothing entices quite like a pretty batch of cupcakes with a generous swirl of frosting. These recipes go the extra mile with delicious flavor infusions.

Keep it Simple Tip: If you’re light on ingredients, make Wacky Chocolate Cupcakes – they use only pantry ingredients. You can also whisk a touch of dairy-free milk beverage and vanilla extract into powdered sugar for a sweet, drizzly icing instead of frosting.

Granola

Make her mornings easy and delicious with pre-portioned bags of homemade granola. Give it a name, just for her, and tie the bags with ribbon. She’ll appreciate having breakfast ready for for weeks!

Triple Chocolate Chunk Granola
Earthbound Farm’s Famous Maple Almond Granola
Nantucket Granola (pictured below)
Vanilla Hazelnut Granola

Keep it Simple Tip: If you don’t have any cute food bags, simply pour the granola into a large glass jar (or smaller jars), and affix a homemade label.