How to Host a Mother’s Day Tea Party: Part 1 – Food Ideas to Serve

Sweet and Savory Tea Party Food for Celebrating Mother's Day

With less than a month to go before Mother’s Day, we’re dedicating a series of 3 posts for hosting a Mother’s Day Tea Party. Here we start with 16 scrumptious menu items you can serve on this special occasion—from savory to sweet to even some tea variations! The lovely thing about a tea party is that the food items aren’t actually too complicated. They can be easily home made or baked, or sourced from a store all ready to serve. The key, though, is pretty presentation—which you’ll see in our featured links, too.

Mother’s Day Tea Party Food Ideas for : Both Savory and Sweet

Tea Party Food for Mother's Day from Curried Tea Sandwiches to Cream Cheese Bites

1 – Champagne and Sweets
Pairing pink bubbly with Mom’s favorite pastries like chocolate eclairs and creme puffs, including dainty petit fours and bon bons, as we did in this bridal shower post, is an easy way to bring an air of elegance to the occasion.

2 – Tea party treats on a cupcake stand
It’s the presentation on a cupcake stand decorated with fluttering butterflies that caught our eye in this Design Improvised post. But we love the assortment of Mother’s Day treats, too: whipped yogurt with pineapple and dried fruit, individual spinach quiches, vegetable tea sandwiches, coconut cake, coffee, and red grapefruit mimosas.

3 – Tea sandwiches
Dainty finger food is a staple at tea parties from Victorian style to modern. You can make your own sandwich fillings and serve them in triangles of crustless bread. Fillings may include chicken salad, salmon, curried egg salad, and turkey.

4 – Sandwiches, sliced breads, assorted spreads
Nothing complicated here in this lovely Mother’s Day shoot by Jennifer Rizzo—just an array of sandwiches, breads and spreads so prettily displayed in elegant glass and ceramic cake stands.

5 – Fancy toast bites, pinwheels and mini sandwiches
How elegantly arranged is this tray of Pumpernickel Toasts with Radish, Peas and Cheese; Curried Chicken Salad Pinwheels; Herbed Cucumber & Cream Cheese Sandwiches!

6 – Lemon Creme & Chocolate Tarts
Mom will love these darling mini tarts we found over at Jenni Kayne! Especially with fillings like lemon creme (recipe provided) and tiny chocolate balls. Visit the post to see the full Mother’s Day shoot.

7 – Apple Rose Tarts
A sweet treat and floral beauty in one! Lavender and Lovage provides the recipe and helpful tips for creating these delightful Mother’s Day tarts. These can even be frozen at the pre-baked and baked stage, then popped in the oven just before serving.

8 – Easy scones
Never tried traditional tea party scones before? Here’s your chance with this recipe for Easy Scones from Homemade By You UK. The recommended filling is clotted cream and strawberry jam.

More Mother’s Day Tea Party Menu Ideas

Menu Ideas for Mother's Day Tea Party from Tea Sandwiches to Tarts

1 – Croissants and Pastries
Whether these goodies are home-baked or store-bought, it’s how you present them on pretty cake stands and doily-lined platters that can make all the difference! See our ideas in this tea party post.

2 – Strawberry Angel Food Layer Cake
Count on fresh fruit like strawberries to pretty up even the simplest Angel Food cake. But this one from Delish includes a recipe for strawberry whipped cream to spread between the layers.

3 – Curried Egg Tea Sandwiches
If Mom enjoys egg salad sandwiches, serve this special variation from Food and Wine that’s flavored with curry powder! They taste perfect as tea party sandwiches.

4 – Spinach and Chicken Pinwheels
The perfect bite that combines chicken and spinach! See this easy recipe via the Cozy Cook.

5 – Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Buttercream
For something different, why not try this sweet treat made with a non-English tea: matcha, a premium green tea powder from Japan? Serve it in cupcake form, also frosted with matcha buttercream—using this recipe from Food and Wine.

6 – Gouda and Tomato Tea Sandwiches
An easy filling idea with a great blend of flavors is this one from Natasha’s Kitchen. It actually combines two cheeses, gouda and mozzarella, for the base. Then uses fresh tomato slices as topping. Yum!

7 – Jam-filled biscuits
Get store-bought jam-filled biscuits in flavors like strawberry, marmalade, and cherry. Then, serve them in pretty silver trays.

8 – Lemon Rosemary Sun Tea
Don’t limit your tea selection to traditional brews. Be adventurous and try something citrusy and herbal, like this idea we found via Food and Wine. Looks really refreshing!

For more ideas and inspiration, here are the rest of the posts in this series:

Part 2: Mother’s Day Tea Decorations and Gifts

Part 3: Mother’s Day Tea: Vintage Crockery

Part 4 (new): Mother’s Day Activities for a “Mommy & Me” Tea Party or Brunch

More Savory + Sweet Tea Party Menu Ideas

We just can’t get enough of the recipes out there for a Mother’s Day tea party! In fact, here are 8 additional choices for you—both savory and sweet. Each one is as pretty to look at as it is light, fresh, and yummy to enjoy. Mom is sure to be delighted!

mother's day tea party food ideas

1 – Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches – recipe from Gerard & Dominique Seafoods

No bread in these sandwiches! Instead, a creamy, zesty spread combining cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon zest, and chopped dill, layered on soft wraps or tortillas with smoked salmon slices. Cut into squares, then served with lemon wedges and dill for garnish.

2 – Walnut & Goat’s Cheese Palmiers – recipe from California Walnuts

The delicate flakiness of puff pastry (made easy with prepared pastry sheets) filled with a mix of goat’s cheese, chopped walnuts, diced red peppers and chives, then rolled to create a pretty swirl pattern when sliced to serve.

3 – Japanese Fruit Sandwiches – recipe from Asian Recipes

For a surprise at your tea party, why not these lovely Japanese-inspired treats? They’re made with pillowy soft bread, filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit bits and slices. Strawberries, kiwi, mango, oranges, and grapes are the popular choices—and give you the prettiest colors!

4 – Egg Salad Crisps – recipe from Pillsbury

Ready-to-use pie crusts make these delish bites doable in just minutes. After a quick bake in the oven till crisp, the crusts are topped with a mix of hard boiled eggs, shredded carrots, and a prepared dill dip with a touch of mustard.

5 – Shrimp Cucumber Tea Sandwiches – recipe from Nugget Market

A tea party classic, cucumber sandwiches get a tasty update with shrimp, radishes, and Tajín. This flavorful filling is layered on slices of sourdough bread, cut into dainty rectangles.

6 – Easy Crab Tart – recipe from Weightwatchers

This pretty tart gets its shape from a fluted tart tin. While its delicate filling features whisked eggs/egg whites and crème fraîche mixed with crab meat and shallots, then baked till the pastry is golden and the filling set. Can be served warm or cold.

7 – Earl Grey Eclairs with Earl Grey Pastry Cream – recipe from The Flavor Bender

Yes, these fancy-looking French treats can be made at home! The 3 main ingredients—choux pastry, Earl Grey custard, diplomat cream—may sound intimidating. But just follow the tips and tricks given in the recipe, then top the finished eclairs with a glossy vanilla glaze.

image via imperial sugar

8 – Edible Flower-topped Mini Cheesecakes – recipe from Imperial Sugar

These bite-size cheesecakes on graham cracker crusts are perfect tea party charmers with their garnish of actual fresh flowers. Among the suggested edible blooms are violets, pansies, daisies, marigolds, cornflowers, hollyhocks, and primrose.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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