Sometimes, you just want a delicious treat that takes little effort to make and even fewer ingredients. That is when these perfect 3 Ingredient Dessert Recipes come into play.
With these easy dessert recipes, you can make them at home with things you already have on hand (mostly) and you are on your way to enjoying a little treat just for you or to share with the family.
Make one of these for a simple dessert for after dinner, or share these with your friends at your next get-together or holiday party.
With the holidays just around the corner (hello Thanksgiving dinner!) you can use these simple dessert recipes to impress your guests without breaking the budget or adding more stress to the craziness.
Easy 3 Ingredient Dessert Recipes:
#1 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Prep time 5 minutes, cook time 12 minutes
Makes 15-18 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl add in the sugar, peanut butter, and egg beat until combined.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place onto the baking pan.
- Using the back of a fork make criss cross patterns on the cookies.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
#2 3 Ingredient Fudge
Prep time 10 minutes
Servings 23
Ingredients:
- 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup butter
- Optional add-ins: m&ms, walnuts, peanut butter cups, peppermint candy or any candy
Instructions:
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or foil. Spray it with nonstick spray.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and butter to a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave for 4-5 minutes stirring after every 1 minute until smooth and melty
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread it out. Place your favorite toppings over the top or leave it plain.
- Refrigerate until the fudge has hardened.
#3 3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
Prep time 10 minutes cook time 13 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (not melted)
- 2/3 cup sugar + 2-3 tbsp sugar (for rolling at the end)
- 2 cups + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Optional sprinkles on top
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line 2 baking sheets or sheet pans with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
- To a large bowl add in the butter and 2/3 cup of sugar beat until combined.
- Add in the flour and vanilla extract beat until combined.
- Roll the sugar cookie dough into 1 inch balls.
- Place 3 tbsp of sugar on a plate.
- Roll the dough balls carefully into the sugar and place the dough balls onto the cookie sheet pans.
- With the bottom of a glass press down on the cookies to slightly flatten.
- Sprinkle the top of the cookies with sprinkles (if you’d like).
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.
#4 3 Ingredient Banana Bread
Prep time 5 minutes cook time 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 2 eggs
- Optional add ins: chocolate chips or walnuts
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Smash the bananas in a large bowl until mashed.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Spray 1 large loaf pan with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper.
- Fill the pan with the mixture.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the center has set.
#5 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time 10 minutes cook time 12 minutes 12 cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- Optional add ins: chocolate chips, m&ms, peanut butter cups
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl add the mashed bananas, peanut butter, and oats. Mix well.
- Spoon 1 inch balls onto the pan.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes.
- Let sit for 20 minutes before serving.
#6 3 Ingredient Apple Cake
Prep time 7 minutes cook time 30 minutes
12 servings
Ingredients:
- 15 oz box spice cake mix
- 21 oz can apple pie filling
- 4 eggs
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- To a large bowl add in the cake mix, apple pie filling, and eggs beat well with a hand mixer.
- Place into the baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the center has set.
- Top with ice cream of whipped cream.
Tips and questions for making the best and simple 3 ingredient dinner dessert recipes:
Can you truly make these easy desserts with only 3 ingredients?
Yes! These recipes are designed to be simple to make. With just three ingredients (plus whatever toppings or add-ins you want), you can still end up with an amazing dessert.
Can you make these ahead of time?
You can make these recipes up ahead of time as they will normally store well for up to 3-4 days. However, they are mostly done in about 30-40 minutes so if you can’t they don’t take long to make either.
More dessert recipes:
Quick links for making dinner easy:
- Family meal plans
- Tools for the kitchen and more
- The best cookbook for family dinner recipes
- FREE budget meal plan
- Cooking videos to watch
If you give these recipes a try, make sure to tag us on Instagram @julia.pacheco.cooking and let us know how much you liked the recipes!