Recipes Desserts These Dessert Recipes Can All Be Made With Five Ingredients or Fewer By Food & Wine Editors Published on March 7, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Greg DuPree Dessert recipes can range from multi-component, complex creations to something as low-key as fresh berries with a mound of whipped cream. If you're looking for a treat on the simpler side, these recipes have got you covered — you'll only need a maximum of five ingredients to make them. You can whip up your own batch of Vanilla Ice Cream with just four ingredients, or create soft-serve from fruit, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and a little bit of salt. The spread also includes this striking recipe for Pears Poached in Red Wine, which only requires three ingredients, plus an extra fourth for serving if you're so inclined. Whichever dessert you choose, your ingredient (and shopping) list will be reliably short. Read on for all 10 recipes. 01 of 10 Vanilla Ice Cream © Caitlin Van Horn Creamy homemade vanilla ice cream is only four ingredients and four steps away. You'll need half-and-half, sugar, egg yolks, and one vanilla bean. Get the Recipe 02 of 10 Almost-Instant Soft-Serve © Greg DuPree This easy soft-serve from Food & Wine Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple is so good, it was named one of our 40 Best recipes. Take frozen strawberries, mangoes, or blueberries and pulse them together with sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and kosher salt in a food processor. After pureeing for two or three minutes, a smooth, creamy dessert will emerge. Get the Recipe 03 of 10 Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies Bridget Hallinan Believe it or not, these cookies only require four ingredients — smooth peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, and one extra-large egg. If you'd like, you can add in finely chopped peanuts and/or mini chocolate chips as well. Get the Recipe 04 of 10 Matcha White Chocolate Mousse Photo © Molly Yeh Matcha powder, heavy cream, white chocolate, and vanilla extract make up this mousse from TV host and cookbook author Molly Yeh. The end result is a beautiful chilled green dessert. Get the Recipe 05 of 10 Strawberry-Mango Paletas © John Kernick Strawberries and mangoes come together in this colorful paleta recipe from Fany Gerson of La Newyorkina and Fan-Fan Doughnuts. The only other ingredients you need are granulated sugar, fresh lime juice, and kosher salt. Make them in May when strawberries hit their peak. Get the Recipe 06 of 10 Crème Brûlée © Stephanie Meyer Want to pull off crème brûlée at home? Grab unsalted butter, large egg yolks, sugar, and heavy cream — seriously, that's it — and get to work. You can prepare the dessert through step three and refrigerate the custards for up to two days before sprinkling on the sugar and caramelizing it with a blowtorch. Get the Recipe 07 of 10 Chocolate Pots © Hugh Stewart With five ingredients and two steps, you can make these rich, silky chocolate pots, which have a boozy kick from dark rum. Get the Recipe 08 of 10 Peppermint Rock Candy Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Food-wise, you only really need three ingredients to make this rock candy — granulated sugar, water, and peppermint oil. You'll also need lollipop sticks or wooden skewers, as well as clothespins, to form the candy on a stick. An optional sixth ingredient is a drink like green tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. You can use the rock candy as a stir stick for them. Get the Recipe 09 of 10 Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats It doesn't get much more simple than Rice Krispie treats. These get extra flavor from creamy peanut butter, and also use Rice Krispies Gluten Free with Brown Rice instead of regular Rice Krispies. In addition to those two ingredients, you'll just need coconut oil and marshmallows. Get the Recipe 10 of 10 Pears Poached in Red Wine Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This dramatic dessert calls for dry red wine, sugar, and pears. Feel free to serve the finished dish with whipped cream, which will pop beautifully against the dark red pears. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit