9 Simple Desserts You Can Make With 3 Ingredients

There’s something oddly comforting about desserts that ask so little from you yet deliver so much. When you can turn three humble ingredients into something rich, creamy, or sweet enough to satisfy a craving, it reminds you that good food doesn’t have to be complicated. These recipes lean on pantry staples, smart shortcuts, and flavors that hold their own without extra fuss. They’re the kind of treats you can whip up after a long day, bring to a last-minute gathering, or make just because the mood strikes. What you get is maximum payoff with minimal effort.

1. 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

The charm of 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies is how little effort it takes to get something that tastes like a proper bakery treat. You mix peanut butter, sugar, and an egg into a thick, glossy dough that comes together in a single bowl. There is no butter to soften, no flour to sift, and no chilling to wait for. The dough scoops easily and holds the classic crisscross pattern from a fork. In the oven, the cookies puff slightly, then settle into chewy, tender rounds with crisp edges and a strong peanut flavor. Because there is no flour, the texture stays dense and rich, and the recipe can often work for people who avoid gluten.

2. 3 Ingredient Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream usually sounds like a project, but the simplest versions skip the machine entirely. With just heavy cream, a sweetened base such as condensed milk or sugar, and a flavoring like vanilla, chocolate, or fruit puree, you can build a mixture that whips up light and freezes scoopable. The cream is beaten to soft peaks, then gently folded with the sweetener and flavor, so you keep the air that gives it a soft texture. Once it rests in the freezer, it firms into a dessert that feels closer to gelato than store-bought tubs. You can stir in chocolate chips, nuts, or swirls of jam without complicating the ingredient list.

3. 3 Ingredient Lemon Bars

Three-ingredient lemon bars focus on bright flavor and clever shortcuts. Many versions rely on a prepared cake mix or basic cookie crumbs for the base, mixed with butter to create a firm crust that holds its shape once baked or set. The lemon layer often comes from canned lemon pie filling or a concentrated lemon mixture that bakes or chills into a soft, tangy top. After cooling, a dusting of sugar on top adds a light finish. The result is a pan dessert you can cut into neat squares with a clear contrast between sweet crust and sharp lemon, all without a long list of ingredients.

4. 3 Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

3 ingredient chocolate mousse is proof that simple recipes can still feel special. At its core, you need good chocolate, cream, and a touch of sugar or another sweetener, depending on the chocolate you use. The cream is whipped separately, and the chocolate is melted gently so it stays smooth. When you fold the two together, the whipped cream traps air, turning the chocolate into a light, airy dessert that sets in the fridge without any additional thickeners. Served in small glasses, it has a silky texture that melts on your tongue and a deep cocoa flavor that depends almost entirely on the quality of the chocolate you choose.

5. 3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes

Three-ingredient banana pancakes are really more like a cross between pancakes and crepes, built on ripe bananas rather than a traditional batter. Mashed bananas provide sweetness and moisture, eggs add structure and protein, and a small amount of flour or oats holds everything together. The mixture cooks quickly in a lightly oiled pan, forming tender, slightly custardy rounds with crisped edges. They taste strongly of banana without needing extra sugar, which makes them feel lighter than standard pancakes. You can stack them with yogurt, nut butter, or fruit, but they stand on their own as a fast, minimal breakfast or snack.

6. 3 Ingredient Shortbread

Classic shortbread is one of the purest examples of a three-ingredient dessert. Butter, sugar, and flour are all you need to create a crumbly, rich biscuit with a clean, buttery flavor. The butter is usually softened just enough to mix smoothly with sugar, then flour is added until a soft dough forms. Pressed into a pan or shaped into rounds, the dough bakes into cookies that are just firm enough to hold together yet tender when you bite in. Because there are so few ingredients, the quality of the butter shines. A pinch of salt can be added if your butter is unsalted, but the base recipe remains beautifully simple.

7. 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge

Three-ingredient peanut butter fudge leans on pantry staples to create a dense, smooth sweet without careful temperature control. Peanut butter provides flavor and fat, sweetened condensed milk or powdered sugar brings sweetness and structure, and a third ingredient, such as white chocolate or butter, helps the mixture set firmly as it cools. Everything is melted or stirred together until fully combined, then poured into a lined dish and chilled. Once set, it slices cleanly into squares that keep well in the fridge. The taste is intense peanut butter, with a texture that sits somewhere between fudge and firm frosting.

8. 3 Ingredient Dump Cake

A three-ingredient dump cake takes the idea of a cobbler and simplifies it as far as it will go. You start with canned fruit or pie filling spread in a baking dish, pour a dry cake mix evenly over the top, then scatter sliced butter over everything. There is no stirring, and the layers stay distinct as the cake bakes. The fruit bubbles up, the cake mix hydrates in the juices and butter, and the top turns golden and crisp while the inside stays soft and saucy. It is not refined, but it is reliable, easy to scale for a crowd, and flexible enough to handle different fruit combinations.

9. 3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Nutella brownies show how much structure and flavor you can extract from a single jar of spread. Nutella acts as both fat and chocolate, eggs provide lift and binding, and a small amount of flour gives the brownies body. The batter comes together quickly by whisking the eggs until frothy, then mixing in the spread and flour until smooth. Baked in a simple pan, the brownies emerge fudgy in the center with slightly crisp edges. The hazelnut chocolate flavor is strong, and because the ingredient list is so short, you can prep them in minutes whenever a craving hits.