37 5-Ingredient Desserts That Will Save You a Trip to the Grocery Store
We love a last-minute dinner party plan, but it can be tricky to figure out the final bites on the fly. These 5-ingredient desserts make sure that everyone’s sweet tooth is sated without too much fuss—or another trip to the store. Scroll down for easy dessert recipes that lean on kitchen staples, like foolproof chocolate mousse, flourless peanut butter cookies, and a bunch of ways to dress up store-bought cookies or frozen pastry sheets. You’ll find simple tarts and DIY truffles, silky puddings, and a few clever ways to dress up a carton of ice cream.
And check out our best 5-ingredient recipes beyond dessert.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell1/373-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake
What’s better than an array of 5-ingredient desserts that feel fancy enough for a party? A chocolate cake that only requires butter, eggs, and semisweet chocolate chips, plus a touch of salt
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova2/37Maple-Pecan Fudge
The toasty flavor of pecans shines in this maple-sweetened fudge; this is an easy option for a fall bake sale.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews3/37Chocolate Mousse
Now is the time to get out your favorite vintage dessert cups and make this iconic—but simple—dessert from Gourmet. Top it with freshly whipped cream or just shave a little extra chocolate on top.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell4/373-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
With easy cookie recipes like this one, there’s no reason to ever leave the cookie jar empty.
Photo and Styling by Joseph De Leo5/37Plátanos Horneados con Crema y Queso (Baked Banana With Crema and Cheese)
Baked (or grilled) heirloom bananas or small plantains become a simple dessert that tastes like banana crème brûlée. Drizzle with crema and add some crumbles of queso fresco on top.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone6/37Hazelnut Cookies
These crispy, nutty little cookies just happen to be gluten-free.
Photo by JP Bevins, Food Styling by Molly Baz7/37Pumpkin Mousse
Looking for ways to use up a can of pumpkin purée? This fluffy dessert can be prepped ahead for a fall gathering.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell10/37Brown-Butter Shortbread
As a rule, brown butter makes everything better. These simple cookies are lovely to serve with afternoon tea.
Photo by Jenny Huang11/37Phyllo Cardamom Pinwheels
Store-bought phyllo dough gives you shatteringly flaky cookies with minimal effort. We love the fragrance of cardamom here, but you could substitute cinnamon if that’s what you have on hand.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton14/37Caramel Apple Tart
There’s a time for classic homemade apple pie, and a time for this shortcut tart, which leans on sheets of thawed frozen puff pastry from the store and a jar of store-bought caramel sauce. Grab a mix of apple types from your local market for an impressive presentation.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz16/37Seared Dates With Vanilla Ice Cream and Mint
Warming Medjool dates with olive oil in a skillet until they lightly caramelize transforms this kitchen staple into something special.
Photo by Peden + Munk17/37Bittersweet-Chocolate Truffles
If you’ve never made chocolate truffles before, you may be surprised at how easy the process is. You can even just serve this whole batch of ganache with spoons so everyone can make their own—while sipping a frozen amaro, of course.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Judy Haubert21/37Quick-and-Easy Hot Fudge Sauce
This soft and spoonable homemade hot fudge is quick to put together on the stovetop—but for a sundae that’s really urgent, we have a microwave hot fudge recipe as well.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz26/373-Ingredient Peach Crisp With Granola Topping
For times when making a streusel feels like too much work, this recipes turns to store-bought granola instead. Peaches not in season? You can sub in whatever fruit is appealing at the market.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams, Food Styling by Judy Haubert28/37Banana Milkshake
Some folks might be partial to chocolate malts or strawberry shakes, but we think a banana shake is a soda shop essential.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell29/37Caramel Apple Hand Pies
These little fall desserts have a spoonful of caramel sauce inside.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Molly Baz31/37Peppermint Rocky Road Candies
Crushing peppermints (or candy canes) is one of the most enjoyable parts of making these chocolate candies.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson32/373-Ingredient Ginger-Peach Ice Cream Floats
Cooking fresh peaches in ginger beer gives them a spicy-sweet flavor that’s great with vanilla ice cream. Save the peach-poaching liquid to add to cocktails or iced tea.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova33/37Homemade "Dole Whip"
Grab your food processor to make this dairy-free soft-serve-like dessert from frozen pineapple chunks, unsweetened coconut milk, and a frozen banana.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi34/37Microwave Caramel Sauce
Photo by JP Bevins, Food Styling by Molly Baz37/373-Ingredient Caramel-Pear Galette
Keeping a sheet of store-bought pie crust—or your own homemade pie dough—in your freezer means 5-ingredient desserts like this one are never hard to pull off.
