What can I bake with minimal ingredients? Let me help you find baking recipe solutions for the ingredients you have on hand. Included in this list are my favorite minimal ingredient bread recipes, desserts, egg-free baking recipes, flourless recipes, and more.
Sometimes we’re faced with a situation where we don’t have many ingredients at our disposal. But we still need to eat. And, in some cases, we still want to bake. Here I’m sharing exactly what you can bake when you have minimal ingredients.
What is Minimal Ingredient Baking?
By minimal ingredient baking, I mean baking recipes that don’t call for a wide array of ingredients. These aren’t necessarily healthy recipes—instead, I’m sharing recipes that don’t take 12+ crazy ingredients.
I’m highlighting my peanut butter banana chocolate chip oatmeal bars here. (Pictured above.) While the ingredient list looks long, there’s a handful of substitutions you can make based on what you have. As a bonus, they’re naturally egg-free and gluten free (no flour) and if using dairy free chocolate chips, vegan as well. Feel free to use any milk you have, substitute canned pumpkin for the bananas or applesauce, leave out the chocolate chips, use almond butter for peanut butter, and skip the cinnamon and vanilla extract if needed.
More on Baking Substitutions
While some recipes can withstand ingredient substitutions, most traditional baking recipes cannot. Remember that baking is a science and certain ingredients are used for a reason. If substitutions have been successfully tested, you’ll see it written in my blog post or recipe notes. Otherwise, I likely haven’t tested it. And when making substitutions, the results will always differ from the original recipe.
For best results, stick to the recipe or find recipes using the ingredients you have.
Some helpful links:
Typically, sour cream and plain yogurt can be used interchangeably in baking recipes.
Minimal Ingredient Yeast Breads
The following 6 bread recipes require yeast. Most of the ingredients are repeated in each including yeast, salt, water, sugar, and flour. You can use bread flour and all-purpose flour interchangeably in these recipes. However, keep in mind that bread flour produces a chewier baked good while all-purpose flour creates a slightly flimsier baked good.
- Homemade Pizza Crust: water, yeast, sugar, olive oil, salt, flour
- Bread Bowls: water, yeast, sugar, olive oil, salt, flour, egg
- Focaccia: water, yeast, sugar, olive oil, salt, flour, herbs
- Artisan Bread: water, yeast, salt, bread flour
- Homemade Bagels: water, yeast, brown sugar, salt, bread flour, egg white, honey
- Sandwich Bread: water, milk, yeast, sugar, butter, salt, flour
If you have the ingredients from these recipes, you can also make my soft pretzels.
Minimal Ingredient Quick Breads (No Yeast)
The following 2 bread recipes are considered quick breads because they do not require yeast for leavening. Each are personal favorites and VERY simple.
- Biscuits: flour, baking powder, salt, butter, buttermilk, honey
- Irish Soda Bread: flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, butter, buttermilk, egg
- No Yeast Bread: flour, baking soda, salt, butter, honey/sugar, buttermilk
Buttermilk Substitution: If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can make a DIY soured milk. For every 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Fill with enough regular milk to yield 1 cup. Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. Whole milk is best, but you can use any fat or nondairy milk. The lower the fat, the less “rich” the baked good will taste.
Here are all of my Quick Bread Recipes.
Egg-Free Baking Recipes
The following 4 are my favorite minimal ingredient recipes for eggless baking (or no baking!). Most require pantry staples.
- Raspberry Streusel Bars: butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, flour, raspberry or any flavor preserves, oats, cinnamon
- Peanut Butter Bars: butter, graham crackers, confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, chocolate chips
- No Bake Cookies: butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, peanut butter, vanilla, oats
- Pistachio Cookies: butter, pistachios, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, almond extract, flour (these are just like my snowball cookies)
Here are dozens more Egg-Free Baking Recipes.
Flourless Recipes
The following 6 recipes are gluten free and made without regular flour. Many use the same ingredients which are mostly all pantry staples.
- Crème Brûlée: egg yolks, granulated sugar, heavy cream, salt, vanilla
- Lace Cookies: butter, brown sugar, almond flour, salt, corn syrup or milk, vanilla
- Chocolate Coconut Almond Tart: almonds, almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, chocolate, coconut milk
- Flourless Chocolate Cake: butter, chocolate, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, eggs, cocoa powder, salt
- Flourless Almond Butter Cookies: egg, almond butter or peanut butter, brown sugar, baking soda, chocolate chips
- Homemade Caramel Corn: popcorn, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda
Here are dozens more Gluten Free Recipes.
My Baked Oatmeal and Baked Oatmeal Cups are also naturally flourless recipes. Both use nothing but pantry staples. Plenty of ingredient substitutions listed in the posts, too!
8 Ingredient or Less Recipes
I have an entire page dedicated to recipes with 8 or less ingredients. You’ll find 80 recipes including dinners, desserts, breakfast, and snacks.
- Like lemon bars which uses butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, flour, eggs, and lemon.
5 Ingredient or Less Recipes
The following recipes are a few favorite 5 ingredient or less recipes. These are all flourless.
- Rice Krispie Treats: butter, marshmallows, vanilla, salt, crispy rice cereal
- Peanut Butter Fudge: peanut butter, butter, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar
- Chocolate Truffles: chocolate, heavy cream, butter, vanilla, optional toppings
- Salted Caramel: sugar, butter, heavy cream, salt
- Coconut Macaroons: egg whites, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, coconut, optional chocolate
- Maple Vanilla Baked Pears: pears (or apples), maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla
You will also love my naturally gluten free No-Bake Greek Yogurt Fruit Tart which uses cashews or walnuts, dates, yogurt, and any fresh fruit you have.
I can’t wait to hear which recipes you try!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hey SALLY
Yes, me and my mom couldn’t find any egg butter and stuff like that. I praying that this whole will pass by soon. Thank you for you wonderful recipe!!!!
I absolutely love your recipes. I find myself baking more and more. You’ve inspired me! Thank you!! Keep the great recipes coming!!
Love reading your positive feedback, thank you Nora!
I saw on your Instagram story that you made a banana bread with all whole wheat flour, and I was wondering if you have recipes that will work for, or tips for subbing with 100% whole wheat. We don’t have much white or bread flour, so whole wheat is all I’ve got to work with until I find some more.
Hi Jen! Generally you can replace some or all of the all-purpose flour in a muffin or quick bread with whole wheat flour. However, the result is always pretty dense. The banana bread I showed on my instagram story was much denser than the original banana bread recipe since I used all whole wheat flour. It’s really just about playing around with it and knowing that the results won’t be the same. There’s also white whole wheat flour on the market which doesn’t yield quite as dense of a baked good. Here are all of my recipes using whole wheat flour if you’re interested.
Hi Sally!
I’ve been making your chocolate chip cookies for years now and they are amazing! My family absolutely adores them. I’m sorry if I’m repeating a question we might’ve already answered but do you have a substitute for butter? Unfortunately, many people are hoarding essential baking ingredients during this uncertain time so I can’t find butter anywhere. Thank you!
Hi Cheryl! I’m happy to help! In some recipes, you can replace melted butter with vegetable oil. I don’t recommend replacing butter with vegetable oil if the recipe calls for softened butter though. There you could use solid (room temperature) coconut oil. You can replace SOME butter in recipes with unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana, but– of course– there will be a loss of moisture and flavor without the fat.
As always, you are on top of it Sally! Thank you so much for this much needed and very timely post. I enjoy baking but my supplies are dwindling so this will be very helpful if I can’t replenish. Thank you for thinking of everything for us all! Stay safe. ❤️
You are so welcome, Janet! I’m thrilled you found this post helpful 🙂 Hope you stay safe and healthy!
Thanks for this Sally! I really want to bake but am finding the ingredient shortages a big obstacle. Luckily, we were able to get some flour a couple of days ago so I should be able to make more!
Stay safe!
You are so welcome, Ellie! Happy baking and stay safe 🙂
Thank you so much Sally!, this was sooooo helpful!!!
I’m so happy this was helpful, Grace!
Thank you Sally! You are so thoughtful. This is going to be so helpful to so many of us in the upcoming weeks! I am eating a homemade pop tart (or two) from one of your earlier posts and it is transporting me to my happy place. Simple pleasures like these are what make this situation bearable.
I pray everyone stays healthy and sane. We can get through this if we all just stay home and bake!
You are so welcome, Nadia! I truly appreciate your kind words 🙂 I hope you stay safe and healthy!
Just like you to come up with such a timely post Sally! Groceries are getting harder and harder to come by here in Denver, as unfortunately many are hoarding. Thanks for keeping us in recipes to make…as cooking/baking is good therapy.
Thank you so much for your positive feedback, Paulette! Happy baking 🙂
Thanks so much for compiling this list Sally! You are so thoughtful. Those peanut butter + banana oat bars look amazing! Unfortunately my toddler has an oat intolerance so I won’t be able to make them 🙁
You should include your healthier no bake cookies too because they don’t require butter or oats! I’ll be making those within the next couple days because that’s something we can all eat 🙂
Also if I could make a request, I would love to see a roundup of butter-free baking because butter is expensive as is and with fewer grocery trips, I find us going through ours a lot quicker but I like to have it on hand for toast and cooking scrambled eggs in. So finding dessert recipes that don’t require butter is always great for me because I’m trying to be sparing with ours – however, nearly every great dessert recipe starts with at least half a cup of butter! Just a suggestion 🙂
Thank you so much for your positive feedback and suggestions, Stephanie! I really appreciate them 🙂 If you’re interested, I here are all of my naturally vegan recipes!
Baking is my stress reducer. Last Saturday, I needed to bake something/anything so I made two batches of cookies…sprinkles were involved…, packaged them up and put them in a basket on my front porch. I sent an email to my neighbors and invited them all to stop by and pick up a package. It was a fun way to connect and helped me feel less anxious. Sprinkles seem to make everyone happy!
The problem locally now is a flour shortage. So many people are baking as we all shelter so flour and yeast are flying off the store shelves. I am hoping they will be re-stocked very soon. I am rationing the flour I still have!
What a thoughtful idea, Nancy! Sprinkles always make me smile 🙂
Great post and you’ve given me some fantastic ideas. Thank you for keeping it relevant yet upbeat in these crazy times!
Oh, and I made your sandwich bread yesterday. First time baking with yeast since high school. My kids ate 3/4 of the loaf before it even cooled! I think I’ll be making that a lot even when we’re not under . Thank you!
So happy you have some new ideas, Sarah! Thrilled your kids loved the sandwich bread- SO GOOD, right?! 🙂
I would say most fruit pies could easily fall into the egg-free category, as you could replace the egg wash with milk. Just a thought!
I think many people would also appreciate a dairy-free baking category!
Great suggestion!! I do have a vegan recipe category – hope that’s helpful 🙂
This post was perfect! I’m used to baking a lot at home, and since here in Quebec school has been cancelled until May, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out new recipes. Unfortunately I found myself stuck for ideas, because my mom wants to limit grocery shopping trips and therefore wants to save most common ingredients such as flour. These recipes are exactly what I needed!! Thank you so much 🙂
Perfect timing! So happy you found this post helpful, Amelia 🙂
Thanks, Sally! In the past two weeks I’ve made five of your recipes. I’m also pregnant with my second child, due at the end of June, so my anxiety has been sky-high. I find baking with my toddler helps take my mind off of things. Your posts are particularly soothing to me because of your beautiful photography and attention to detail. I hope you and your family are doing well and staying safe!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Heather! Congratulations on baby #2! I’m so happy you and your toddler have been having fun baking together- what sweet memories you are making 🙂 Stay safe and healthy!
I have made your baked oatmeal several times now. Did the mixed berries. Just strawberries. And just blueberries a few times. It’s easy and the breakfast fills you up. It reheats in the microwave in individual portions quickly. Also portions freeze well. I like it with a little syrup poured over after warming. Have had it for lunch, and a snack also. I have given the recipe to others who love it too! Thx so much!
I’m so happy you have enjoyed my baked oatmeal recipe! I love how versatile it is 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe with others, Joanne- I appreciate your positive feedback!
“..look for the helpers.” And you are one Sally. Thank you for putting such care and thought into these posts. You are a bright spot in my day and definitely meet Mr. Rogers standards of a good neighbor!
So sweet, Jennifer! Thank you so much for your kind words- I really appreciate them 🙂
Great post! You’ve already contributed greatly to this household! Last Friday we kept pizza night alive with your pizza dough, which my 3 year old helped make, followed with your chocolate chip cookies. And on Sunday enjoyed your whole wheat oatmeal pancakes. Your recipes provide a ray of sunshine during these trying times.
Love reading this, Tracy! So fun to get kids involved in the kitchen 🙂 I appreciate your positive feedback- thank you for baking and trusting my recipes!
Thank you for all these recipes – they will bring comfort to so many in this time of uncertainty. May you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy!
You are so welcome, Emily! Hope you stay safe and healthy, too 🙂
Thank you for thinking of this… seeing what a lock down pantry might look like. I will surely be trying some of these, in the coming days. Stay safe and happy baking! X
You are so welcome, Sumeeta! Hope you stay safe and healthy, too 🙂
so many recipes call for bananas, but our family is allergic, is there any substitute to baking without bananas when a recipes calls for them?
Applesauce or canned pumpkin puree are both the perfect replacement for mashed bananas. I do this often!
Thanks for compiling this list. I have nearly every ingredient on this list, so I’m just left with deciding what to make. I’ve found that yogurt and sometimes, when you’re really desperate, a 50/50 mix of sour cream and water or milk can also be subbed for buttermilk (I’ve tried pancakes, waffles and cake). Both have creamy tang.
Great tip! I’ll have to try that sometime 🙂 Thanks for your positive feedback, Jerilea!
Thank you for adapting so quickly to our rapidly changing circumstances. This and some of your other recent posts have been very helpful. And overall, I am very impressed by how thoughtful you are in creating your blog, always with high quality recipes.
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words, Susan. I truly appreciate them!
Very useful post, Sally, especially now, when trips to the store are a lot less frequent; there’s no rushing to the nearest store to get a package of butterscotch chips or a jar of Biscoff, or any of the things a lot of people don’t keep in stock on the regular. I’m just glad we stocked up on Nutella and white chocolate when both were on sale a while ago…now I can make a few nonconventional recipes before it’s back to the staple ingredient ones! Nonetheless, I won’t argue with the classics…plain vanilla cake or chocolate chip cookies without the confetti and crazy toppings and fillings will tide me over until this pandemic ends 😉 And look on the bright side…if I can’t get Easter eggs in time for the holiday, it’ll just give me an excuse to try my hand at homemade Easter eggs. At least we can come out of this with a few survival tricks and compromises under our belts!
Love your positive attitude, Erin! Glad you found this post helpful 🙂
Very thoughtful, Sally. Hope you and your family are well.
My best, Heidi
Thank you so much, Heidi- stay healthy and safe!
My daughter is allergic to oats. What is a good substitute? Could I use the rice cereal or quinoa in some of the recipes that calls for oats?
Hi B! I wish I could help, but I can’t think of a suitable replacement for oats and it likely depends on the individual recipe. Maybe another baker with more experience replacing oats can chime in!
Hi B.
I’ve replaced oats with desiccated coconut in a biscuit recipe. Was awesome.
Paddy
Thank you, Paddy!
Thank you, Sally! This is clutch. You are as fabulous as ever. Stay healthy! XO
You are so welcome, Kate! Hope you stay healthy, too 🙂
Thank you so much for these recipes will help keep busy also to learn to feed other who do not have during this time
SAlly,
THanks for this post. I, like so many are not getting to the store right now. Alas, I find I have plenty to eat in my freezer! But, not always the right ingredients to make something. THis will be so handy!
I’m so happy this post is helpful for you, Glenda! 🙂
You are so welcome, Vanessa!
Sally,
This is an awesome post! I can’t wait to share it with my culinary students who are participating in remote learning. Stay safe and take care!
Stefanie
Thank you for your positive feedback and for sharing this with your culinary students! I appreciate it 🙂
Sally…great post during this uncertain time in our country. Thank you for putting this together. Stay safe❤️
I’m so happy you enjoyed this post, June. Hope you stay safe, too!