45 Easy-to-Make Dessert Recipes With 5 Ingredients (Or Less!)

Need a sweet treat, but the pantry is running low on supplies? These easy-to-make dessert recipes need five ingredients or fewer, so you can still find something to make.

We’re living through a major everything-from-scratch Renaissance, and while there’s some merit to that, it’s OK if you can’t always muster up the energy to make the next viral snacking cake or over-the-top 12-ingredient cookie. Easy-to-make dessert recipes are what you need on those busy or tiring days, and they’re still just as tasty as more complicated ones.

To prove it, we compiled our favorite quick dessert recipes. They all use five ingredients or less—not counting everyday pantry staples like water, salt or cooking oil—so they’re very straightforward. There are recipes using cake mix with minimal measuring (we really mean easy), as well as no-bake desserts, so even the baking averse can enjoy a homemade dessert.

Expect favorites like peanut buttery Buckeyes, crisp palmiers, all kinds of fudge recipes and tried-and-true, simple dump cake recipes. There are a few unexpected ones, too, like Crock Pot lava cake, a genius three-ingredient banana bread, no-bake cheesecakes and even root beer float-inspired desserts. I highly recommend pairing any of these with the best vanilla ice cream—from the store, of course!

Taste of Home