17 Absolute Best 2-Ingredient Desserts You Need To Try
Save room for dessert? You don't have to ask us twice. In fact, a sweet treat is the most important meal of the day, and it's one that we never skip.
The internet is loaded with dessert recipes — a good majority of which are quite complicated. After all, if you didn't go to culinary school, how should you know how to make a towering baked Alaska or operate a brûlée torch? Instead, we're all for simple desserts that require very little preparation, culinary skill, and foresight. Not only are these recipes accessible to a wider audience, but they taste just as good as a 20-step pièce de résistance.
There's nothing simpler than a recipe that requires only two ingredients. We've compiled a list of some of our favorites to help bring attention to the desserts that you can make with pantry and refrigerator staples. Although the base of these treats can be made with two ingredients, you can always take it a step further and dress it up with your favorite sauces, schmears, and sprinkles.
Chocolate truffles
The best part of closing your tab out at a fancy restaurant is the complimentary chocolates. They make paying the bill less painful. Often, the check tray features boring mints, but if you get lucky, you'll find flavorful chocolate truffles waiting for you — that are always objectively better than the overpriced steak you just ate.
But you don't have to spend a lot to get your hands on a delicious plate of chocolate truffles. All you need to make two-ingredient chocolate truffles at home is sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. This recipe is also easy to adapt to a dairy-free version; just use sweetened coconut milk instead of conventional condensed milk. You can play with different chocolate flavors for this recipe; white, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate all work.
Mix the two ingredients together before transferring them to the fridge so the mixture can be set. Once about two hours have passed and the mixture is no longer liquid, you can scoop out small balls with a cookie scoop and then toss them back into the fridge until you're ready to serve them. While the two-ingredient status is easy to follow, you can also spruce these truffles up by rolling them in cocoa powder or crushed nuts.
Banana cookies
You probably have a bunch of bananas sitting on your counter right now that have seen better days. To put these fruits to good use, whip up a batch of two-ingredient cookies. Besides the bananas, you'll need oatmeal; either rolled or quick-cooking oats will do. For this recipe, you'll want to go for the oldest fruit first because it has a sweeter flavor and is easier to mash than firm, ripe bananas.
Once your mashed bananas and oatmeal have been mixed, you can form little patties and toss them in the oven or your air fryer. The cookies should be baked until they're completely dry so that they hold their shape when you pick them up.
These simple cookies can be easily upgraded with a splash of vanilla extract or a handful of chocolate chips, but they taste pretty darn good on their own. You can also take inspiration from other popular cookies and add a handful of raisins or dried cranberries to the bowl.
Chipwiches
A chipwhich is leaps and bounds above a classic ice cream sandwich. Instead of those soggy, wafer cookies that just stick to your fingers and require you to lick the residue off, swap in your favorite cookies instead. The key to finding the best cookie and ice cream pairings is to find flavors that don't overpower one another. For example, coffee ice cream and chocolate cookies are a match made in heaven because the subtle flavor notes in the coffee elevate the chocolate. Or, try snickerdoodles and salted caramel ice cream for a balanced, flavorful punch.
The key to making a successful chipwich is freezing your ice cream discs ahead of time. If you have a pint, you can cut it horizontally and remove the packaging for uniform ice cream discs. Sandwich this chilled treat between two cookies, and you'll have a frozen dessert novelty that everyone will love.
Affogato
An affogato is the perfect after-dinner treat for when you're craving something sweet but also want to sip on something. Although an affogato sounds very sophisticated, making it is simple: Pour hot espresso over a scoop of smooth, creamy gelato (or plain vanilla ice cream). The trick to helping your ice cream stay frozen for as long as possible is to start with a cold bowl and a cold scoop of ice cream. You'll also want to reduce the urge to fill your entire cup with espresso since the ice cream is the star of the show.
Although vanilla gelato is a dreamy and perfectly satisfying pairing for your recipe, you can also experiment with different ice cream flavors. While coffee may be a bit overkill, a subtle chocolate or bourbon ice cream will do the trick. Just don't get any insoluble mix-ins involved; you don't want chunks, raisins, or cherries floating around in your cup.
Coconut macaroons
Coconut macaroons are a weird cookie — to say the least. The conventional recipe involves whipping egg whites and inviting coconut to the party. But meringues can sense fear, and they're not the best dessert to make on a humid or rainy day.
Instead of grabbing your electric mixer and trying your hand at these traditional cookies, make two-ingredient coconut macaroons instead. Leave the eggs in the fridge and grab a container of sweetened condensed milk from your pantry. You'll want to mix the milk and coconut flakes together carefully. Only add enough milk to coat all of the flakes. If you add any more, it will turn into sweetened coconut soup.
Once your coconut balls are scooped, pop them on a baking tray and put them in your oven. This bake is critical to set the condensed milk and give the coconut flakes their toasty flavor. Traditionally, macaroons are drizzled with chocolate, but you can skip this if you want to stay within the two-ingredient threshold.
Peanut butter fudge
There's no experience quite like getting a block of fudge from your local candy shop and trying to cut it off with the cheapest and least sturdy plastic knife ever created. But you don't have to make a trip to your local sweets store for a block of peanut butter-packed fudge. Instead, just combine your favorite peanut butter with a jar of frosting and let it set in a lined baking pan.
In order to get the two to mix together, you'll want to briefly warm up the frosting in your microwave. It's important to remove it from the container before doing so since these plastic jars may not be microwave-safe. Once you've mixed in the peanut butter, allocate about an hour for the mixture to cool and set.
Vanilla frosting will give you the most peanut-forward flavor, but chocolate frosting could also make for a dreamy combination. You can upgrade this two-ingredient dessert by adding a sprinkle of flaked salt on top or drizzling the entire mixture with melted chocolate.
Oreo truffles
Oreos are the top-of-the-line pre-packaged cookies, but even milk's favorite cookie can get boring. If you want a new way to eat Oreos, grab a pack of cream cheese from your fridge and whip up a batch of truffles. This hack will work for any Oreo variety you have on hand, from red velvet to golden Oreos.
First, crush most of the Oreos in a bowl before adding softened cream cheese. Once the balls are shaped, roll them in the remaining cookie pieces and pop the tray in the fridge to harden. The tanginess of the cream cheese will balance out the flavors of your sandwich cookies and make for an even-keeled, two-ingredient dessert that you can really sink your teeth into (no joke — these truffles are dense). If you're looking for a lighter dessert, you can swap out the regular cream cheese for a reduced-fat variety — but the normal product has the perfect buttery bite and makes these truffles seem like the ones you'd get from a fancy shop.
Chocolate potato chips
Desserts are just too sweet. Although it might sound odd, it's true. What's the point of enjoying something if you feel like you have to brush your teeth immediately afterward to remove that saccharin flavor? But a two-ingredient dessert that combines something salty and something sweet? We can jive with that.
Look no further than chocolate-covered potato chips for the perfect savory-sweet dessert. The best kind of chips for this recipe are undoubtedly kettle-cooked ones; they can hold up easily to the chocolate and provide a satisfying crunch. However, the wavy chips do a great job of holding up the weight of the chocolate and also have more surface area to hold the salty coating.
Semi-sweet and dark chocolate are the best options for this recipe. Carefully melt the chocolate before pouring it on the potato chips. To minimize mess, drizzle over a wire rack with parchment underneath or stick to a lined baking pan.
Cake
Don't pay attention to the eggs, oil, or water that your standard boxed cake mix requires. You can instead make a cake with two ingredients by mixing together your standard boxed mix with fizzy club soda. The bubbles in the soda help give the cake a distinct rise and allow the flavor of the mix to shine through. Although plain soda water will do the trick, you can also play with different fizzy beverages to give your cake an effervescent kick. For example, Coca-Cola offers a caramel flavor that will take spice cake to a new level, while orange soda and chocolate cake are a match made In heaven.
The key to making this dessert at home is to be very conscious of how much time elapses between pouring the soda and popping your cake in the oven. You'll want to ensure your soda is fizzy so your cake doesn't deflate.
Milkshake
Milkshakes are undoubtedly the O.G. of two-ingredient desserts. There's nothing easier than popping your ice cream and milk in the blender, blitzing it, and then pouring it into a tall glass. This recipe is also one that you can easily tweak based on the ice cream flavors in your freezer. Coffee milkshakes can provide a subtle java kick, while cake batter milkshakes speckled with sprinkles are the nostalgic beverages that everyone needs to indulge in every once in a while.
There are also ways to elevate this beverage past the two-ingredient threshold. Whipped cream and a cherry are classic toppings for a proper milkshake, while a drizzle of caramel or strawberry sauce can easily upgrade the beverage's flavor. Or, add a boozy addition, like a splash of Kahlúa or bourbon, to give your drink an adult flair.
You can also make modifications to the traditional recipe to suit your dietary preferences. For example, use vegan ice cream and almond or coconut milk to make a dairy-free milkshake.
Watermelon sherbet
There's nothing more refreshing on a scorching summer day than diving into a slice of watermelon. Unless you're handed a cold granita or frozen ice. Luckily, you won't have to pick between the two if you make a two-ingredient watermelon sherbet. Simply toss your frozen watermelon into a blender with a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk and watch the mixture transform into a chilled summer dessert.
You can easily tweak this recipe to add more or less condensed milk, depending on your palate. You can also blend this sherbet up to two weeks in advance and store it in the freezer. When you're ready to eat, let the mixture soften on your countertop before you dig a spoon into it.
Watermelon isn't the only fruit that you can use for this hack. Kiwi is another fruit that holds up well to freezing; just make sure you only use the green, seedy inside of the fruit rather than the leathery skin.
Hot fudge
Why would you try making hot fudge on your own when you can just buy it in a jar? Making the ultimate hot fudge with only two ingredients isn't that hard. First, mix together sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips until molten. The condensed milk is thicker than other dairy products, so it will give your ice cream topping the perfect unctuous texture. Semi-sweet chips are a great option to curb the sweetness of the spread, but you can also use plain milk chocolate.
Ice cream might be the first food you think of when you think of using hot fudge. But you can also use it as a topping for your cheesecake or sandwich it between cookies for an upgraded one-bite dessert. You can also pop this mixture into your fridge until it becomes solid fudge. Spruce your recipe up with a handful of chocolate chips or chopped candy bars.
Ice cream
Oh no, did someone eat the last of your Ben & Jerry's? Fear not; you can whip up a two-ingredient ice cream recipe with sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. Start by opening up heavy cream and adding it to your stand mixer outfitted with a whisk attachment. Once you've beaten it until stiff peaks start to appear, you can transfer it into a separate bowl with the milk. You don't want to beat the air out of it, rather just fold it enough so that the ingredients are incorporated. Then, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and let it harden overnight.
While it might be quicker just to go out and grab a pint from the store, there's something satisfying about knowing that you can make this recipe yourself. Mix in candy pieces, sandwich it between cookies, or add a caramel drizzle to make this homemade ice cream truly your own.
Pumpkin cupcakes
Canned pumpkin purée is an ingredient you should always have in your pantry — even if the leaves have already fallen off the trees. That way, when you're craving something sweet, you can whip up these two-ingredient cupcakes with a box of spice cake mix and a can of purée. There's no oil, eggs, or water involved in this autumnal recipe. Once the two ingredients are mixed together, pop them in a lined cupcake tin and bake them until they're puffy and slightly golden.
Once your cupcakes are out of the oven, you can enjoy them as-is or top them with a schmear of cream cheese frosting, fruit preserves, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Anyone who eats them won't be able to tell that you went astray from the recommended box recipe, and they'll probably be too distracted by the way the creamy pumpkin perfectly complements the cinnamon and nutmeg notes. After all, what fun is cooking without a little adventure?
Cookie butter-stuffed crescent rolls
We're always looking for fun and delicious ways to use cookie butter: the sickeningly sweet schmear made with crumbled Speculoos cookies. One of the easiest and most hands-off ways to make a dessert that everyone in your family will love is to add a swipe of the schmear to the inside of your canned crescent rolls. You can utilize both creamy cookie butter and chunky cookie butter for this recipe, or swap it out with one of your other favorite schmears instead.
This two-ingredient recipe you can make with Trader Joe's items can be served for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon sweet treat. Simply unfurl the dough from the can, tug the triangles apart, and add your filling. After a short trip in the oven, your little crescents will be perfectly golden brown on top, and the cookie butter inside will be gooey and molten. It's an excellent accompaniment to a cup of coffee and can easily be enhanced with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Ice cream bread
If you've accidentally left a bowl of ice cream on your counter for far too long, you're not alone. But you can put your melted ice cream to good use by whipping up a batch of ice cream bread. This sweet custard is the secret ingredient that will change your homemade bread forever. Simply mix the wholly melted cream with self-rising flour and add it to your loaf pan before tucking it away into the oven for a brief slumber. When it comes out, the texture should resemble a quick bread — just with a sublime ice cream undertone.
The key to this recipe is using self-rising flour — not just the standard bag of all-purpose in your pantry. The former contains leavening agents, which help the bread rise. If you used regular flour, your loaf would come out flat and stodgy. Once your loaf has cooled, you can eat it as-is, or add a layer of frosting on top for extra sweetness.
Fudgey Nutella brownies
Nutella is a tried-and-true dessert on its own. Grab a spoon and you'll have the perfect companion for your favorite cheesy rom-com. But you can take this chocolate hazelnut spread a step further and transform it into brownies.
All you need for this two-ingredient dessert is a jar of Nutella and eggs. Since there's no flour, your eggs will act as the leavening agent and give your brownies height. Start by whisking the eggs until they're puffy before spooning in your warm Nutella. Nuking the spread in your microwave is an essential step to ensure that your mixture combines well. After you've baked your brownies to perfection, be sure to let them sit on a wire rack to fully cool before diving in. Otherwise, you'll risk your treats breaking apart.
These brownies are quite dense compared to the cakey ones you'd get from a bakery or a box mix. But, the dense texture makes them a great match for a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge.