13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (2024)

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (1)

This isn’t a cooking blog for a good reason — although I don’t mind cooking, it isn’t my strongest skill. I do enjoy putting a nice meal on the table for dinner, but sometimes it can be a lot of work. If you’re like me, you may get a little tired of spending so much of your time and effort in the kitchen!

It can seem like the only alternative to cooking is shelling out a small fortune for takeout or delivery, but that’s just not true! And I hope to prove it to you in today’s post, where I’ll be sharing 13 extremely easy recipes you can make with just a few ingredients.

Related: 7 Easy Meals To Make When You Have Zero Time

I hope these recipes from OGT and around the web will help you find some time to relax. And if you know of any to-die-for 3 ingredient recipes that aren’t mentioned here, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below! :-)

13 Ridiculously Easy 3-Ingredient Recipes

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (2)

1. Apple Dump Cake

Looking for a sweet treat you can pull together with minimal effort? Try this Apple Dump Cake on for size! Pour the ingredients into your Instant Pot, turn it on, and you’ll be enjoying this warm and gooey cobbler-esque cake in no time.

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (3)

2. Chili Cheese Dip

Question: What do you get when you combine a can of chili, a jar of salsa, and a block of cream cheese? Answer: A deliciously simple chili cheese dip you’ll be hard pressed to stop eating!

This dip is a staple at our house on special occasions, because you’re just not really celebrating if you’re not eating copious amounts of chips and dip. Give it a try, and I bet your family will love it as much as we do!

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (4)

3. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

We may be deeply into winter, but there’s never a bad time to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. This version is as quick and easy as it gets, so you can spend less time making a mess of your kitchen and more time eating cookies. :-)

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (5)

4. Slow Cooker Meatballs

These slow cooker meatballs are truly effortless to make. Just dump a few things in your crockpot, turn it on, and wait for the magic to happen! A few of them make a great snack, or you can spoon them over rice or noodles to make it a meal.

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (6)

5. Multi-Purpose Dough

I’m including this versatile dough on this list even though it’s called “2 ingredient dough,” because you may need to use 3 if you don’t have self-rising flour on hand. But regardless of how many ingredients to use, you’ll find no shortage of ways to use it!

From bagels to cinnamon rolls, this is truly a multi-purpose dough worth trying for yourself!

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (7)

6. “Dump” Chicken

“Dump” recipes may not sound all that appetizing, but in my experience, they’re actually quite delicious! And they couldn’t be any easier either, because all you have to do is dump the ingredients into a slow cooker or Instant Pot to make them.

For a deliciously simple 3 ingredient dump meal, try the Salsa Chicken or Honey Dijon Chicken varieties.

Related: 13 Stress-Free Sheet Pan Meals We All Need Right Now

More Ideas You'll Love

How To Stretch Out Shoes: 3 Simple Ways To Stretch Shoes

Need a little extra wiggle room for your toes in a pair of tight fitting shoes? Learn easy ways to stretch out shoes here. Continue Reading

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (9)

7. Chicken Stir Fry

Some recipes will never taste quite as good if you take a few shortcuts along the way, but this recipe is not one of them. This recipe fully embraces shortcuts, allowing you to get the world’s easiest chicken stir fry on the table in record time and with just a few ingredients.

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (10)

8. Sausage & Fennel Pasta

From Epicurious

Sausage and fennel always pair well together, and this pasta dish is a celebration of that pairing! Because this is such a simple recipe, make sure to use good quality Italian sausage and fresh fennel to get the best flavor.

Want to take this simple and flavorful dish to the next level? Use fresh pasta from a local pasta maker, or try your hand at making your own fresh pasta at home!

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (11)

9. Nutella Mug Cake

From Kathleen’s Cravings

Mug cakes are a great option for satisfying your sweet tooth without spending a lot of time or effort in the kitchen. This Nutella mug cake keeps things super simple, so you can be enjoying a gooey, chocolate-y treat in minutes!

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (12)

10. Meatloaf

From One Little Project

There’s a huge number and variety of meatloaf recipes out there, and they run the gamut from super simple to elaborate and complicated. This one is definitely the former, calling for only ground beef, stuffing mix, and a little bit of milk.

Serve this meatloaf with some mashed potatoes and your favorite vegetable side dish, and voila, dinner is ready!

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (13)

11. Swedish Meatballs

From Meg’s Everyday Indulgence

More Ideas You'll Love

This Is The Best Fix For Sticky Residue On Hardwood Floors

Residue can leave your wood floors hazy, sticky, and impossible to clean, but I'll show you a surefire way to get rid of it. Continue Reading

Swedish meatballs are a great choice for an easy weeknight dinner. They’re quick, easy, and always satisfying—especially if it happens to be a bit chilly outside!

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (15)

12. Biscuits

FromThe View from Great Island

There’s no wrong time to eat biscuits, in my opinion. For instance, you could have biscuits and gravy for breakfast, a biscuit sandwich for lunch, and a stew with biscuits on top for dinner!

You can make these fluffy and delicious biscuits with just three ingredients, and use them however and whenever you like! :-)

13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (16)

13. Orange Chicken

From Dinner Then Dessert

When a takeout craving strikes, you can save yourself quite a bit of money by making your takeout favorites at home! This orange chicken is a quick and easy dinner, and sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

What are your favorite 3 ingredient recipes?

Read This Next

  • Make This One Easy List To Save Your Sanity At Dinnertime
  • Thin Sliced Pork Loin Recipe: The Best Thin Pork Chops
  • This Is What I Struggle With Most As An Empty Nester
13 Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes To Make For Dinner (2024)

FAQs

What to make for dinner when you don't have much food? ›

These simple dinner ideas use only a handful of ingredients so you can still whip up a meal using whatever you have in the cupboard.
  1. 15-ingredient sausage rolls. ...
  2. 2Creamy mushroom gnocchi. ...
  3. 3Fast falafel bowl. ...
  4. 45-ingredient satay beef skewers. ...
  5. 55-ingredient meatball carbonara. ...
  6. 6Speedy wild rice and salmon salad.

What is the most basic meal to cook? ›

Here's what they had to say about practicing essential techniques and base recipes.
  • 01 of 10. Cream-Based Soup. Victor Protasio. ...
  • 02 of 10. Roast Chicken. Julia Hartbeck. ...
  • 03 of 10. Pizza. ...
  • 04 of 10. Pasta Carbonara. ...
  • 05 of 10. Whole Roasted Fish. ...
  • 06 of 10. Risotto. ...
  • 07 of 10. Garden Salad. ...
  • 08 of 10. BLT Fried Egg-and-Cheese Sandwich.
Feb 1, 2024

What to make when you have no time to cook? ›

30 Weeknight Dinner Ideas For People With Literally No Time
  1. Cauliflower Alfredo. ...
  2. Sesame Peanut Noodles. ...
  3. Thai Basil Chicken. ...
  4. Garlic Butter Chicken With Parmesan Cauliflower Rice. ...
  5. Gnocchi Skillet With Chicken Sausage and Tomatoes. ...
  6. Ham and Bean Soup. ...
  7. Sautéed Honey Mustard Pork Chops. ...
  8. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad.
6 days ago

What should I cook for dinner when lazy? ›

30 lazy dinners to make on weeknights
  • Ramen carbonara. 4.75. 4.8. 30 Minute Cheesy Chicken Risoni. 4.3617. 4.4. ...
  • Thai Green Curry Chicken Noodle Soup. 4.833335. 4.8. Family Friendly Fried Rice. 4.285715. 4.3. ...
  • Sri Lankan Coconut & Cashew Chicken with Saffron Rice. 4.184615. 4.2. Potato Gems Shepherd's Pie. 4.2. 4.2.

What is the cheapest thing to make for dinner? ›

68 Easy And Cheap Dinner Ideas That You'll Want To Make On Repeat
  1. Buffalo Chickpea Wraps. ...
  2. 3-Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken. ...
  3. Garlic Veggie Rotini Pasta. ...
  4. Sweet Potato And Black Bean Burritos. ...
  5. Chili Lime Baked Tilapia With Avocado Crema. ...
  6. Barbecue Beer Can Chicken. ...
  7. Energy-Boosting Buddha Bowl. ...
  8. Zucchini Noodles with Kale Pesto.
May 3, 2024

What is lazy cooking? ›

It means making smart or clever adjustments that make cooking quicker and easier. Think of it as pandemic cooking 2.0—good, healthy food made convenient. It's all about sheet pan dinners, pressure cookers and any meal you can make in one vessel. It likely involves fewer steps and fewer ingredients.

What are the 3 major meals? ›

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner: Watch What Three Meals A Day Can Do.

What to cook for beginners? ›

These simple, no-fail recipes can help you cook with confidence — and lead to success.
  • Easy. Turkey Chili. Eric Kim. ...
  • Easy. Cheesy Frittata. ...
  • Easy. Spatchco*ck Roast Chicken. ...
  • Easy. Roasted Salmon With Dill and Cucumber Salad. ...
  • Easy. Sautéed Mushrooms. ...
  • Easy. Chicken Pesto Meatballs. ...
  • Easy. Monte Cristo. ...
  • Easy. Garlic Butter Steak Bites.

What to make for dinner when nothing sounds good? ›

What to eat when nothing sounds good: 25 balanced meal ideas
  • Ham or turkey & cheese sandwich with a side of fruit.
  • Rotisserie chicken with frozen microwaveable rice and veggies.
  • “Adult Lunchable”: cheese, crackers, deli meat, raw fruits or veggies with dip.
  • Frozen chicken tenders or nuggets on top of a salad.
Jan 11, 2023

What can you cook in 3 minutes? ›

Three-Minute Meals
  • Mushroom Toast. 1 piece whole-grain toast. ...
  • Spring Salad with Shrimp and Brown Rice. ...
  • Italian-Style Ratatouille with Chicken Sausage. ...
  • Quick Vegetarian Tacos. ...
  • Mediterranean-Style Loaded Baked Potato. ...
  • Breakfast for Dinner: Vegetarian Omelette. ...
  • Asian-Inspired Stir Fry. ...
  • Whole Grain Flatbread Pizza and Salad.
Jun 7, 2017

What can you cook in 8 minutes? ›

8-minute recipes (92)
  • 8 minute Spanish rice. ...
  • 8 minute spicy Ramen. ...
  • 8 Minute Fudge. ...
  • 3 Minute Bread Pudding (for breakfast and snacktime) ...
  • Easy Egg Sandwiches in 5 Minutes! ...
  • California Farm Panfried Halibut with Asparagus. ...
  • SHRIMP FETTUCCINE ALFREDO 😋❤️😘💋💋💋 ...
  • Glossy!

What is the most easiest thing to cook? ›

From noodles, stir-fries, soups and salads, you'll find something for everyone.
  • 1Kung pao chicken noodle tray bake. ...
  • 25-ingredient meatball carbonara. ...
  • 310-minute cheat's fried rice. ...
  • 4Easy beef stir-fry. ...
  • 5Easy tuna, sweetcorn and rice slice. ...
  • 6Quick fish finger burgers. ...
  • 7Japanese-style pork and soba noodle stir-fry.

How to make dinner quickly? ›

How to cook faster & have dinner ready in less time
  1. Manage your expectations. Yum. ...
  2. Divide and conquer. Meal prep works. ...
  3. Embrace big batches. Soup can be made in big batches. ...
  4. Repurpose leftovers. ...
  5. Keep your pantry stocked. ...
  6. Make all-in-one meals. ...
  7. Heat things up. ...
  8. Don't go whole hog (or chicken breast)
May 26, 2020

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Van Hayes

Last Updated:

Views: 5437

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Van Hayes

Birthday: 1994-06-07

Address: 2004 Kling Rapid, New Destiny, MT 64658-2367

Phone: +512425013758

Job: National Farming Director

Hobby: Reading, Polo, Genealogy, amateur radio, Scouting, Stand-up comedy, Cryptography

Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.