While it’s always fun to get in the kitchen and whip up some homemade food, it can be daunting when the ingredient list looks five miles long! You may wonder if it’s possible to make flavorful food without using every spice in your spice rack. The answer is yes!
Recipes don’t have to have a gazillion ingredients to be delicious. They can be quick, easy, cost-effective and yummy with only five ingredients or less. That’s right, five ingredients is all you need to make some amazing meals and snacks, along with freebie ingredients such as salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice and water. Take a look at these 21 Healthy Recipes With 5 Ingredients or Less That Are Completely Vegan and these 10 Snack Ideas That Are Made From 5 Ingredients or Less.
So if you feel intimidated or frustrated by recipes that take longer to read than it would to eat the food, these 20 recipes, both sweet and savory, that contain just five ingredients or less are for you!
1. Sticky Peanut Cauliflower Wings
When a recipe tastes as good as these Sticky Peanut Cauliflower Wings do, you’ll be happy it only takes five ingredients because you’ll need to make double and triple batches. Sticky, salty, spiced, and totally addictive, these might be a side dish but they will be the main attraction.
2. 5-Ingredient Vegan Quinoa Fudge
You don’t have to stand in front of a stove for hours or play with candy thermometers to have delicious treats. Nor do you need a million ingredients, most of which are unhealthy. This Vegan Quinoa Fudge has just five healthy ingredients, and it’s quick and easy to make. Every single bite is delicious, and that makes it even better.
3. 5 Ingredient No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Energy Bites
If you’re a peanut butter cup lover, these No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Energy Bites are for you. With only five ingredients, these energy bites are peanut-y, chocolate-y, and yumm-y! Try not to eat the whole batch at once!
4. 5 Ingredient Vegan Almond Feta Cheese
Think it’s hard to make your own dairy-free cheese at home? What if we tell you that it’s not only easy but it only takes five ingredients, and two of those are on our freebie list? This Almond Feta Cheese is not only easy, but it tastes authentic. You’ll want to add it to your salads, cream cheese, sandwiches, and everything.
5. 5 Ingredient Fig and Banana Cookies With Cardamom
These Fig and Banana Cookies with Cardamom taste so special, everyone will think they’re really complicated to make. In reality, they take only five ingredients. Extremely moist and chewy, these cookies will remind you of the exotic spices of the Middle East.
6. 5 Ingredient Lemon Cheesecake
The best thing about this Lemon Cheesecake is its simplicity. It only takes five ingredients to make it, and you probably have them all in your kitchen right now. Almonds, dates, bananas, a lemon, and coconut oil – that’s it! Did we mention this delicious cheesecake is simple?
7. Three-Ingredient Artisan Bread
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of baking your own bread. This beautiful Artisan Bread only takes three ingredients, and one of those is salt, so it’s really only two ingredients. Once you make your own bread, you won’t want the store-bought brands with a thousand ingredients anymore.
8. Carrot Cashew Paté (That Bursts With Flavor!)
This Carrot Cashew Paté is simple, healthy and exploding with flavor. With cashews, carrots, and tahini, you’ll want to eat this paté on crackers, on toast, with veggies or with just a spoon. We vote for all of the above.
9. 5 Ingredient Raw Mini Walnut Brownies
What do you get when you combine five ingredients and five minutes? You get these Raw Mini Walnut Brownies that are to die for. Dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder come together to make a sweet treat that’s also healthy. Add some pretty goji berries for a bright and healthy garnish.
10. 3 Ingredient Energy Bars
A delicious treat that is also healthy is as simple as counting to three. One – dates. Two – nuts and/or seeds. Three – chocolate chips. These 3-Ingredient Energy Bars take less than 10 minutes to whip up and are loaded with naturally occurring nutrients, as well as delicious flavors!
11. The Easiest Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte on the Planet!
The coffee shops get a lot of money for specialty coffee drinks, but you can make your own and keep it dairy-free. This is the easiest Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe ever created, and it doesn’t come with a sugar crash. Top it off with a dollop of coconut whipped cream and vegan mini marshmallows, or just enjoy it plain.
12. 3 Ingredient Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse
Eating a bowl of chocolate mousse that’s light and airy is pure heaven. The magic of aquafaba makes that possible without any unwanted ingredients. This Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse is healthy and delicious – like eating a chocolate cloud.
13. Easy Overnight Pancakes
Pancakes take two ingredients: flour and water. If you let that mixture sit overnight before cooking, you’ll get pancakes that are surprisingly light and delicious. These Easy Overnight Pancakes can be made with any flour you choose and of course, you can flavor them with cinnamon, vanilla or fruit if you choose.
14. Baked Shoestring Fries With Garlic and Thyme
Fries are always best when they’re thin and crispy. These Baked Shoestring Fries are made with a spiralizer, so you get thin, curly fries. Then they are baked to crispy perfection. They are flavored with garlic and thyme so you may not even want ketchup. If you did, that would be the fifth ingredient, so we’re still good.
15. Instant Raw Applesauce
Apple sauce is a pantry staple that has many uses in both cooking and baking. Why buy jarred apple sauce when you can make your own at home? With just four ingredients and a food processor, you’ll have delicious, cinnamon-scented Raw Apple Sauce with no unwanted additives or extra sugar.
16. Sautéed Chinese Hollow-Stem Spinach (Kong Xin Tsai)
Sometimes the best dishes are simple ones like this Sautéed Chinese Hollow-Stem Spinach. In Mandarin, this long, leafy green veggie is called, “kong xin tsai” which translates to “hollow heart vegetable.” This simple yet delicious recipe has certainly captured our hearts.
17. 2 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
If a recipe only has two ingredients, there couldn’t be any better choice than peanut butter and dark chocolate. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups have just those two ingredients and nothing more. Eating healthy treats couldn’t be easier or more delicious.
18. 2 Ingredient Cantaloupe Ice Cream
Forget 5 ingredients! It only takes two to make this Cantaloupe Ice Cream. All you have to do is blend melon and banana, and you have a dessert that’s creamy, refreshing, and naturally sweet.
19. Cheesy Sweet Potato Tots
When you want your kids to eat healthier, the food has to be fun, yummy and preferably something they can eat with their fingers. These Cheesy Sweet Potato Tots meet all three criteria and make a great snack or side dish. They taste sweet and cheesy, and you’ll be the only one who knows they’re healthy too!
20. How to Make 3-Ingredient Candied Ginger!
Ginger root has such a distinct flavor and aroma plus great health benefits. Making Candied Ginger at home is super easy and only takes three ingredients and water. Put some in a box as a personal gift or impress everyone by using it as a garnish for co*cktails.
These recipes just go to show that you don’t need a lot of ingredients to have a lot of flavor. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to be delicious.
Lead image source: 2 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
