20 Easy 5-Ingredient Recipes

Introduction

When time is short and your pantry seems bare, nothing saves the day like a go-to list of easy, 5-ingredient recipes. These dishes pack tons of flavor and versatility, yet keep both your prep and your shopping to a minimum. They’re perfect for busy weeknights, quick lunches, or that moment when you realize you forgot to plan ahead. With just five ingredients (not counting a few kitchen basics like salt, pepper, or oil), you’ll discover that simplicity can be the secret to truly delicious meals.

Why You’ll Love These 5-Ingredient Recipes

Every recipe here proves that a short ingredient list doesn’t mean sacrificing taste or satisfaction. With powerful flavors, clever combinations, and crowd-pleasing creativity, you’ll find options for every meal time. Plus, these recipes help streamline your meal planning and grocery shopping—so you can focus more on enjoying food and less on prepping it.

20 Easy 5-Ingredient Recipes

1. **Garlic Butter Shrimp**
2. **Parmesan Crusted Chicken**
3. **Sausage & Peppers Sheet Pan Dinner**
4. **Honey Soy Glazed Salmon**
5. **Tomato Basil Pasta**
6. **Egg and Cheese Breakfast Muffins**
7. **BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches**
8. **Caprese Salad Skewers**
9. **Creamy Pesto Gnocchi**
10. **Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes**
11. **Ham & Swiss Roll-Ups**
12. **Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie**
13. **Baked Salsa Chicken**
14. **Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas**
15. **Maple Dijon Pork Chops**
16. **Zucchini Parmesan Boats**
17. **Cheesy Broccoli Rice Bake**
18. **Buffalo Cauliflower Bites**
19. **Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats**
20. **Chocolate Dipped Strawberries**

💡Meal Planning Tip: Save these recipes to automatically generate an organized shopping list with all ingredients sorted by store section. It’s the simplest way to shop for easy meals and cut down prep time!

Instructions

Below is a flexible approach to preparing these 5-ingredient recipes:

1. Choose Your Recipe: Pick one (or more!) recipes from the list above.
2. Prep Your Ingredients: Wash, chop, season, and measure out just five core ingredients, plus basic staples as needed.
3. Minimal Cook Time: Most recipes require basic cooking techniques—like roasting, baking, pan-frying, air frying, or blending. Follow the quick steps below each recipe to get food on the table fast.
4. Serve & Enjoy: Enjoy simple meals with bold flavor, and spend less time cooking and cleaning up.
5. Store Leftovers: These dishes often make great leftovers for next-day lunches or dinners.

Weekly Meal Planning

These 5-ingredient recipes are ideal for meal prepping and weekly planning. Save and schedule your favorites in CookifyAI to automatically plan your week, generate ingredient quantities across all meals, and consolidate your grocery list by section.

Planning Benefits:

– Totals ingredient needs for all planned weekly recipes
– Organizes shopping by grocery store aisle for faster trips
– Reduces overbuying and helps prevent forgotten essentials
– Makes prep and cooking ultra efficient so you stick to your meal plan

Pro tip: Schedule multiple 5-ingredient recipes, and CookifyAI will highlight ingredient overlaps (for example, if two meals use potatoes or chicken), streamlining your shopping and reducing food waste.

Cook and Prep Times

Prep Time: 5–10 minutes per recipe
Cook Time: 10–30 minutes per recipe
Total Time: Most recipes can be served in under 30 minutes

Conclusion (Recap)

These 20 easy 5-ingredient recipes offer all the flavor with none of the fuss. Perfect for busy lives, they let you whip up dinner, lunch, breakfast, or snacks in a snap—without a mile-long ingredient list. Embrace simplicity and enjoy delicious homemade meals, all week long!