Easy Cheap Few Ingredient Recipes

These 3 to 5 few ingredient recipes are perfect when you need an easy and quick meal for dinner. Throw together one pot meals are my jam I tell you!

Easy Recipes with Few Ingredients

Let me tell you how I categorize all of these! I do NOT count water or any seasonings as ingredients, you have them at home already. There are many roundup links that have 10-50 easy recipes within them so really there are well over 3 months of breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts to choose from.

Yes there are a few things you can make all by themselves like the best brats in the world! Whether you make them in your pressure cooker, smoke sausage or air fryer they’re cheap meals packed with protein.

Breakfast recipes

Yes of course you can just throw in some toast with peanut butter and honey on top, but let’s think outside the box a bit here. 😉 There are way better meals you can make that can be just as fast, and healthier too. Here are a few to get you going at the beginning of the day;

• This easy monkey bread recipe uses refrigerated biscuits and just a few other items. Throw it into a bundt pan and you have the best breakfast or treat.
• 2 ingredient bagels are amazingly wonderful
• Air fryer breakfast recipes have many options like breakfast stuffed peppers and simple donuts
  • These are the best egg bites you’ll ever try. You can throw in whatever you have on hand really.
• Try a bowl of breakfast quinoa some morning, great with some fresh fruit on top

Our most popular 4 ingredient banana bread could be breakfast too. Add crushed nuts to it, mini chocolate chips or leave as is. You can make this dairy free too with plant based butter and almond milk.

What can you make with just a few ingredients?

Even though these aren’t main dishes, many of these only have one ingredient! Since we’re going for EASY so we can’t leave these comfort foods then right??!! I would say the #1 thing we cook on a weekly basis is Instant Pot white rice!

1. Followed by Crockpot baked potatoes as a close second choice.
   1. If you have a hot air machine you can make air fryer baked potatoes as well
   2. Or use your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi to make these fluffy pressure cooker baked potatoes.
   3. We have lots of easy potato recipes here too.
2. Mashed potatoes can be as simple as you want with salt and pepper, or loaded up with shredded cheese.
   1. These and our air fryer tortillas are super easy to make in just a few minutes.
3. You can make Instant Pot steamed vegetables or make air fryer vegetables crispy with nothing more than a bit of olive oil and seasonings.

If you want to amp it up a bit with lots of seasonings and a shallot, try our dill air fryer red potatoes. There are a bunch of other air fryer potato recipes here too.

There are many choices on our cheap Instant Pot recipes post you can choose from. If inexpensive meals are what you’re looking for, I’d recommend bookmarking that page.

Chicken recipes with few ingredients

• Instant Pot frozen chicken wings with bbq sauce are so yummy.
• You can make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with a side of 3 ingredient beer bread
• With just a chicken and some seasonings you too can make air fryer whole chicken or Instant Pot whole chicken. 

What are some cheap recipes I can make with a few ingredients?

I don’t do super expensive, hardly ever that is. My win is all 4 of us eating for 20 bucks. Seriously you can do a lot with just this much. You just need to keep it simple and always use ingredients that are in season and on sale. If you can find both then you’re in luck as far as that goes. You have to be flexible, if something isn’t, then make something else.

• Of course throwing it into the oven or slow cooker whole chicken is a no brainer. BUT if you’re going for quick and easy I’d opt for one of these methods.
• I have a bunch of easy chicken recipes here as well on my site. Look thru them all and see what you have on hand to make.
  • If you need to know how to cook frozen chicken thighs we have a resource for that too!

3 to 5 Ingredient Recipes

Most all of these are main dishes vs. side dishes. Those are typically more simple because you can just cut up fresh vegetables and roast on a sheet pan pretty easily. Toss with some olive oil with salt and pepper if you like a little crisp on the edges. If you want ideas for those you can search under that category on our site too.

• We love this dutch oven whole chicken recipe too, fall off the bone easy meal for sure.
• 3 ingredient salsa chicken in Instant Pot is over the top delicious!
  • Instant Pot orange chicken is amazing too and a favorite amongst the kiddos
  • Mustard chicken legs are great
• 4 ingredient chicken casserole looks amazing
• Lemon chicken asparagus is simple, with veggies it takes this meal over the top

Air fryer chicken tenders no breading are keto friendly if you use this sugar free bbq sauce

What can you make with just 3 ingredients?

The old fashioned version is quite easy if you just want to roast chicken quarters in oven this way. I have done this with fresh and frozen pieces. We have a TON of 3 ingredient Instant Pot recipes to choose from here. If you have a Ninja Foodi or other pressure cooker you’ll be set for months! Just a few we love are:

• This is our most popular Instant Pot spaghetti recipe!
• If you want the best baked pork chops these are AMAZING!!
• Make Instant Pot boxed mac and cheese because there’s NO draining required.
• Italian chicken is a winner, then have this fat free Instant Pot angel food cake is so tasty.
  • Crockpot bbq chicken is easy and great served inside tortillas or over rice
• Our homemade tortilla recipe is great with tasty ground beef Instant Pot taco meat inside!
  • Or serve them with a bowl of Instant Pot tomato soup with a dollop of sour cream on top.
• Most of our Instant Pot taco recipes are simple and cheap

Our homemade macaroni and cheese recipe has 4 ingredients and SO worth it. You’ll probably never make boxed again after this one.

5 ingredient recipes

We have a TON of other 5 ingredient Instant Pot recipes to choose from right here too like:

• Our cheesy and easy Instant Pot macaroni and cheese we love
• Try a batch of Crockpot spaghetti and meatballs tonight 
• Crockpot chili mac is another winner for dinner always
  • Air fryer roast is quite good with our homemade marinade
  • Instant Pot split pea soup takes just 17 minutes total and is great

Our most popular 5 ingredient Instant Pot chili is a great pantry meal if you skip the meat. We have directions for a 5 ingredient Crockpot chili as well for ya’. 😉

Recipes with under 10 ingredients

Want a creamy old fashioned dish from your childhood? Beef stroganoff is just that and so easy to throw together for sure.

• Our pressure cooker carnitas are seriously over the top too!
• Here is our list of easy slow cooker recipes here.
  • I never use things you couldn’t find on Amazon or have in your cupboards already. They’re all family friendly meals that require no significant prep time.
• Looking for easy ground beef recipes in particular? I have a bunch of those because we always have a pound or more in the freezer. Cheap and simple to do, the kids always love a good hearty meal using hamburger.
• Throw together this cheesy potato casserole and have breakfast for dinner tonight.

What is a dessert you can make with a few ingredients?

• We love this 2 ingredient strawberry cake made with soda pop.
• Cherry cheesecake dip has 4 things in it 
• Cake mix donuts are really fun to make with your kids
• Want to try angel food cake in a mug? It’s seriously so fun with just 2 things mixed together.
  • If you want a larger batch, try our pumpkin angel food cake too.