Insanely Easy 3 Ingredient Recipes That Will Surprise You (2024)

As you’re rolling your eyes again around 5:00 PM because you’re soooo tired of cooking, know that you’re not alone. Having a cooking melt-down makes perfect sense to me. After all, you’ve been at this for at least five hunkering down weeks, three meals a day for a hungry crew.

I was in the same boat until I found a 3 ingredient recipe and I’ve been making it over and over again. So, I got out of the boat and searched for amazing and insanely easy 3 ingredient recipes to share, all of which I’ve made myself and love…..these 7 recipes easy and insanely delicious. Enjoy!

3 Ingredient Recipes for Breakfast

1. Quick 2 Ingredient Pancakes

This recipe by wholesome.nutritionist is even simpler with only 2 ingredients. Plus, this dessert is both wholesome and nutritious as well.

Ingredients

1 ripe banana

2 eggs

Instructions

Mash the banana and whisk the eggs before mixing them together. Pour into a hot pan and cook until golden. Easy!

3 Ingredient Recipes for Dinner

2. Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This 3 ingredient recipe comes from the cookbook “Everyone Ort to Cook” and I’ve been making these delicious meatballs for 45 years.

You have the option to buy ready-made meatballs which will eliminate the need for breadcrumbs and eggs to make it a 3 ingredient recipe, but you choose what works for you.

Ingredients

1lb. of chopped meat

½ cup of breadcrumbs

1 egg

½ jar of currant jelly

½ bottle of chili sauce

Instructions

Place meat in a bowl with egg and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly. Combine currant jelly and chili sauce in a pan and simmer over a low flame until well blended. Make small meatballs and add to the sauce. Cook over a medium flame, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent meatballs from sticking. Should be made a day in advance.

3. Brown Sugar Spiced Salmon

This 3 ingredient recipe is courtesy of Katie Lee. It serves 4 people and is so good. Salt and pepper is optional and not included in the ingredient count.

Ingredients

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

Four 8-ounce salmon fillets

1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Line a baking sheet with foil. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Put the salmon on the baking sheet. Evenly distribute the sugar-spice mixture over the top of the fillets. Bake for about 20 minutes depending on the thickness or desired doneness.

4. Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This 3 ingredient recipe comes from Ina Garten and is a lovely nutritious addition to any meal.

Ingredients

Brussels sprouts

Olive oil Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt (I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

5. Frozen Fresh Herb Flavor Bombs

This recipe is a Yummly original that was created by Martha Holmberg. Create a tray full of potent flavor bombs that you store in the freezer – can be stored for up to 6 months. These are perfect to add to any meal for that summer herb flavor. You can make single variety nuggets or blends of your favorite herbs.

Ingredients

4 cups of fresh herbs (leaves and tender stems, loosely packed, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, mint, dill, and tarragon)

Olive oil

Instructions

Chop the herbs a couple of times. Pile into the blender. Pulse the herbs several times until they are more finely chopped. Continue to pulse as you pour in the olive oil until you have a slightly coarse puree, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Transfer the puree to compartments of a silicone ice cube tray. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the freezer until frozen solid. Pop-out a nugget and add it to soups, pasta sauces or stews.

3 Ingredient Recipes for Snacks and Dessert

6. Homemade Potato Chips

This simple recipe comes from Buzzfeedtasty and is a yummy cheat day alternative to store-bought chips. Since you’re spending more time at home, there’s no excuse not to make your own snacks.

Ingredients

Chips:

3 gold potatoes

1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Cheddar:

2 cups cheddar cheese crackers

1 tablespoon of salt

Salt and Vinegar:

2 cups vinegar

1 tablespoon of salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. carefully slice the 3 gold potatoes into 1/8 slices using a knife or a mandoline. In a large bowl, mix the chips with either the cheddar or the salt and vinegar ingredients. Arrange the chips on a greased baking tray. Bake for 30 -35 minutes.

7. Peanut Butter Cookies

This 3 ingredient recipe was created by nutritionafactsz and is so easy to make and the results are super tasty. Makes about 15 cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup of sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 egg

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all 3 ingredients together until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Right Appliances Make 3 Ingredient Recipes Even Easier

When it comes to anything, I always advocate having the right tools for the job and a part of learning to enjoy your time in the kitchen is having the right appliances. Although you may be concerned about the style, appliances are the heartbeat of your kitchen. So, why not blend the two together? KitchenAid is the ultimate source for functional appliances that are stylish enough to maintain the aesthetics of your space. Not only will choosing the right appliances to help to enhance the utility of your kitchen, but it will make time spent cooking or baking even more pleasant. So, to get the most out of these simple recipes and also the kitchen organization tips below, consider stepping up your kitchen game with an upgrade to KitchenAid appliances.

A Guide to Saving Time in the Kitchen

No matter what your circ*mstance, there are several keys to a kitchen that functions well. Since cooking 3 ingredient recipes will save you time, why not make sure that you organize your kitchen so that it works for you? These 9 kitchen organization hacks and tips will save your sanity and have you enjoying your time in the kitchen again:

1. Clutter-Free Counters

It goes without saying that your counters should not hold yesterday’s mail, and today’s arts n crafts project. Take a look around your kitchen and keep only the items you use regularly on the counters.

2. Convenient Work and Storage Areas

I still think that my most functional kitchen was a tiny kitchen in my first apartment. The reason it worked so well was that I had everything I needed nearby. While most of us today have larger kitchen spaces than I had then, the same principle holds true: keep dishes and implements near where you will use them. A cutting board and knives should be stored near the sink so that you can cut vegetables and quickly toss the waste. A kitchen for someone who likes to bake will have storage for measuring cups, flour, sugars, and other ingredients right near where you will use the mixer.

3. Two Sanity Savers

• Ask for and expect help. It goes without saying that spouses or roommates should do their fair share—and if they aren’t around to help with meal prep, make certain they either take on clean-up responsibilities or absorb some other household responsibilities to compensate for what you do in the kitchen.
• While assigning tasks to children as young as three or four requires a fair amount of supervision, showing them how to tear lettuce for a salad or set the table at a young age will mean that by the time they are six or seven, they are well prepared to be helpful members of the family.

4. Set Rules for Yourself and Others

Because the kitchen is the hub of most homes, there is a great tendency to drop things off in the kitchen. Think through how you “misuse” the room, and create new rules and systems for yourself and your family. Resist using the kitchen as a dumping ground. You may need to invest in a small table that you place near your most often-used door (preferably not in the kitchen), or establish a spot elsewhere in the house for some of the items you’ve been depositing in the kitchen.

5. Proper Storage = Greater Efficiency

Being able to put your hands on what you need—from the right pan to the extra bag of flour—when you need it, will save time. Here’s how to better organize your pantry area:

• Evaluate your primary food storage area. If you fear to open the door or the cupboard because of what may fall out on you, then it’s time to organize.
• Consider: How accessible are items? How well can you see what you have? (Be sure the trays and the silver teapot aren’t taking up valuable space.) If you can’t locate the extra jar of peanut butter, there’s little sense in buying it ahead.
• Go through the pantry shelf by shelf and remove what you now realize you’ll never use. Check the expiration dates.
• Establish categories—baking needs, salad dressing and condiments, mixes, pasta, etc.
• Expand the space with organizers. Lazy Susans, clear bins and expanding wire racks will expand your space.
• If your pantry area is in a closet-like space, buy a back-of-door organizer that can provide storage for small items (containers of bouillon, a box of matches, tea, Jello, cupcake holders, etc.).

Pro Tip: Proper storage is so much easier when you have the right organizational items. Check out my new Resources Page for a list of all my favorite places to purchase organizational products. For things such as the clear bins or expanding wire racks I mentioned I highly recommend two of my favorite stores – Dollar Tree for affordable yet quality items or Walmart if you’re looking for something a bit more specific. Either way, you’re sure to find items that will help you create more efficiency in your kitchen.

6. Consolidate and Clarify

• Everything that comes in awkward or space-hogging boxes or bags—pasta, cereal, chips, should be poured into transparent bulk plastic containers that store food compactly and permit you to see what’s inside.
• Alphabetize your spices or by how you use them. It sounds compulsive, but it’s actually very helpful!

7. Refrigerator/Freezer

You can also create order out of chaos in the refrigerator:

• Go through the refrigerator at least every two weeks. Wipe shelves and toss what you don’t need (an old jar of sauce, the leftover ingredient for a recipe you tried long ago). This way, not only will you find what you’re looking for, but you’ll notice when you’re running low on something.
• Arrange foods by category. Keep condiments on the door. Keep leftovers in one section (date the item as you put it in) to help be sure you find them and use them.
• Keep fruits and vegetables in their own section.
• Keep eggs in the original carton to maintain freshness; keep meats on the coldest shelf; store leftovers in airtight containers to increase shelf life.
• Organize the freezer in categories as well. You can separate by serving size (single serving, family meals, etc.) as well as by content such as soups and side dishes. Date and label all items. Also, keep a list of what you have stored in the freezer. This will shorten your shopping trips if you know what you have, and it will expand your meal offerings if you know what extras you’ve frozen.

8. Other Helpful Ideas:

• Consider having an instant hot water system installed. It saves time in making anything from a hot drink to boiling water for pasta.
• Cut the trips to the garage or basem*nt by building recycling bins into your cabinet.
• Keep a small toolkit in a kitchen drawer or the pantry. It makes small repair jobs much easier.

9. Quick Start Meal Suggestions

• Develop 5 meals you can fix in less than 30 minutes. Then stock your cabinets with those ingredients so that you’ve always got them on hand. One working mother of three limits her weekday cooking to no more than three ingredients recipes.
• Dovetail tasks. If you’re making vegetable as a side dish on Monday, cut up extra for Tuesday’s stir-fry.
• Cook two (or more) meals at one time. On Sunday evening, fix a roast or a big turkey breast that you can use as the main ingredient for meals for the rest of the week.

Armed with this collection of handy 3 ingredient recipes and my personal kitchen hacks, you’re ready to enjoy your time in the kitchen again, chef!

Seeking more handy tips on how to organize your life? Then, check out my book on Amazon! Or just subscribe to my email list (box in sidebar) and you’ll receive a free copy of the revised version of Organize Your Life!

What is your favorite source for easy recipes?

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you when you click my links and make a purchase. However, this does not impact my opinion in any way. I only promote brands I believe in and products that I use and love myself. I try my best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.

PIN IT FOR LATER: