21 Easy Dessert Recipes (5 Ingredients or Less!)

We released a list of 5-ingredient recipes recently and if you read it, you might have noticed we didn’t list any 5-ingredient desserts. Don’t worry, we didn’t forget!

With desserts being so special and there being quite a few different easy dessert recipes here on Fabulessly Frugal, we figured we’d create a separate list of our favorite low-ingredient sweet treats.

The Best 5-Ingredient Desserts

1. Campfire Eclairs

Campfire eclairs are SO good and SO EASY to make. And while they’re made for the campfire, you can make them at home in your oven too.

So what are they? Well, they’re whatever you make out of them! At the base they’re simply roasted biscuit dough formed into a tube.  You can then customize them with whatever you want! I usually fill mine with vanilla pudding and whipped cream and then spread a bit of chocolate frosting on top.

2. No-Churn Pineapple Ice Cream

This is probably one of my favorite homemade ice cream recipes. Only four ingredients are needed, you don’t need an ice cream machine, and the pineapple chunks are amazing! Each bite is so refreshing and tasty!

3. Air Fryer S’mores

S’mores are a classic dessert with just three simple ingredients. And while they’re typically reserved for camping, with an air fryer, you can make them from home!

Don’t have an air fryer yet? Get one! Read our air fryer reviews and buying guide to find the perfect model.

4. No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream

As you can see from the photo above, we actually made a vanilla oreo ice cream with this recipe. And that’s the beauty of it! You can add all your favorite ice cream add-ins to get the perfect flavor.

5. Wendy’s Frosty Copycat

Only 3 ingredients are needed to make your own copycat Wendy’s frosty from home! They taste just like the real thing too, so skip the drive-thru and save some money!

6. Chocolate Kitchenaid Ice Cream

If you have a KitchenAid mixer with the ice cream maker attachment, this recipe will show you how to make the best of it! You can make a big tub of delicious chocolate ice cream with just 5 ingredients.

7. 3-Ingredient Reese’s Fudge

I’m a big fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups so this recipe is a favorite of mine. I love how easy it is too. A lot of fudge recipes can be pretty intimidating but for this one, all you need are 3 ingredients and about 10-15 minutes of hands-on prep time!

8. Pumpkin Cookies

These pumpkin cookies are an easy fall time dessert you can whip up in under 30 minutes. The secret is that they’re made with cake mix!

9. Caramel Popcorn

Caramel popcorn is such a good dessert to have for family movie night or even just a bit of late-night snacking. And this recipe is THE recipe to use! It’s ooey-gooey and oh so good.

If you love caramel popcorn but you’re looking for something you can enjoy more often (without feeling guilty), try this healthy caramel popcorn recipe! Only 4 ingredients needed!

10. Oreo Ice Cream Cake

You might be surprised that this is a 5-ingredient dessert recipe since it looks so deluxe, but it is! It uses the cake mix trick to make things a lot quicker and easier. 🙂

11. Homemade Fudgesicle

Not only do these homemade fudgesicles take just 5 ingredients to make, but they’re also WAY healthier than any store-bought fudgesicle!

12. Cake Mix Banana Bread

Using cake mix once again, you can make some really delicious banana bread super quickly and easily. Only 4 ingredients needed!

13. Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler

This is a 5-ingredient peach cobbler recipe that can also be modified to be other flavors like cherry + chocolate, apple pie, and more. You can cook it over a campfire or in your oven at home!

14. 5-Ingredient Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

This is a really fun 5-ingredient cake recipe. If you like swiss rolls, you’ll absolutely love it! The presentation of it is really awesome too.

15. Dole Whip Popsicles

If you like the pineapple Dole Whip from Disneyland, you’ve got to try this popsicle version! Only 3 ingredients are needed!

16. Easy Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is an awesome dessert recipe to whip up because it can be used on SO many different things. Scones, toast, cookies, cakes, and more!

This recipe is great too because it’s quickly made in the microwave but still has an amazing lemon flavor with a smooth, creamy texture.

17. Raspberry Yogurt Pudding

Cheesecake pudding, strawberry yogurt, whipped topping, and frozen raspberries. Mix all those together and you get a really delicious raspberry yogurt pudding salad!

18. Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

This is one of our popular Easter treats, but you can use the recipe to make homemade Reese’s in any shape you want! One of my favorite 5-ingredient desserts for sure!

19. Homemade Lucky Charms

Couldn’t have a list of easy desserts without including these classics! Once you try Lucky Charm squares you’ll never want to go back to plain old Rice Krispy squares.

20. Killian Corn

This is the second popcorn recipe on this list of 5-ingredient desserts, so it’s the last one I’ll include here. If you’ve never heard of Killian corn, it’s basically popcorn covered in a buttery, vanilla-flavored sauce. It’s really tasty.

Here are some other 5-ingredient popcorn ideas if you’re interested:

• Cupid’s Crunch Popcorn
• Easy Cinnamon Popcorn
• Cookies and Cream Popcorn (aka Oreo Popcorn)

21. Shamrock Crinkle Cookies

This is a festive treat we made for St. Patrick’s Day, but you can make these 5-ingredient cake mix cookies any color you want, to suit any occasion. They’re very versatile and have a wonderful texture.

Final Thoughts

Next time you’re craving something easy and sweet, come back to this list of 5-ingredient dessert recipes! So many yummy ideas on this list that are SO easy to make.

For more sweet easy dessert ideas, check out our recipe hub! You can also download the Prepear app to easily store your favorite recipes, meal plans, and more on your phone! Read my Prepear review to learn more about it – it’s my favorite meal planning app!