26 Cheap Desserts Recipes You'll Crave
Give your wallet a rest, and enjoy these cheap and easy desserts.
If you've ever bought ingredients for a batch of homemade cookies, then you know that making desserts at home can be surprisingly expensive. Especially if you have to cook for a crowd, you can easily spend a lot on baking ingredients!
The good news is that we have a great selection of desserts that won't break the bank. These cheap dessert recipes can be made with affordable ingredients, so you can make a fabulous homemade dessert for just a few dollars. After all, homemade desserts are the best, and you don't want to resort to something store-bought just because it is cheaper!
We have cheap and easy desserts for every occasion and taste preference below. Whether you need something quick, something chocolate, or something for a crowd, we have you covered.
Table of Contents
Cheap and Easy Desserts
Many budget-friendly recipes require spending a lot of time in the kitchen, because you haven't bought any premade ingredients. However, we wanted to choose some cheap easy dessert recipes so you can stay on budget without losing an entire afternoon in the kitchen.
Many of these are recipes with cake mix, so they're super simple to put together. For example, this Oreo Pudding Poke Cake only requires a chocolate cake mix and a few other ingredients. In no time at all you'll have an affordable, delicious treat!
6 Ingredients
This super cute birthday cake is made with a cake mix, which keeps the cost down. But no one at your party will ever suspect!
5 Ingredients
If you love fruit desserts, then this recipe is for you. It's brimming with bright cherry flavor, with a little bit of sweet almonds and cinnamon to balance.
5 Ingredients
Who says peach cobbler has to be hard to make? This easy (and affordable) dessert can be on your table in no time.
5 Ingredients
This is one impressive cheap dessert! It's the perfect blend of fluffy cake and gooey lemon pudding. Everyone will want a second helping.
Just Like Grandma's Butterscotch Cookies
4 Ingredients
Granny would be impressed at how delicious (and how frugal) these cookies are!
3 Ingredients
This fudge recipe is so good! You won't believe how impressive the finished candy tastes.
Amish Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-Ups
7 Ingredients
You probably have most of what you need for this recipe on hand. It's super simple and has a delicious, comforting flavor.
If you love making cheap and easy desserts, then you can't miss these frugal recipes for all the other meals of the day.45 Poor Man Meals
Cheap No Bake Dessert Recipes
Is there anything more relaxing than making a no bake dessert? You don't have to turn on the oven, the recipes are usually very easy, and they often come together in almost no time at all. It's hard to imagine that they can be any better. But there's actually one more great thing about no bake desserts... they're often cheap to make!
These cheap no bake desserts will satisfy anyone, and you can relax while you make them. Start off with this delicious Pineapple Fluff, and then enjoy making the rest of these fast, inexpensive desserts.
The delicious (and budget-friendly) ingredient in this vintage dessert? Acini de Pepe pasta! You've got to give it a try.
Choco Peanut Butter 'Naner Bites
5 Ingredients
This affordable no bake dessert will be a hit with kids and adults alike.
6 Ingredients
This vintage favorite comes from our cookbook, Retro Recipes from the '50s and '60s! It's delicious and budget-friendly.
7 Ingredients
This easy recipe is a true crowd pleaser. Who doesn't love chocolate no bake desserts?
8 Ingredients
This impressive no bake recipe is actually really affordable, too! You'll make your own brightly colored marshmallows and sandwich them with graham crackers and white chocolate. Yum!
No Bake White Chocolate Peppermint Oreo Truffles
4 Ingredients
These delicious Oreo truffles are hard to stop eating! And at just 4 ingredients, you know your grocery bill will thank you.
5 Ingredients
This delicious and affordable no bake recipe tastes like summertime! There's no better combination than sweet strawberries and fluffy whipped topping.
4 Ingredients
Seriously one of the cheapest and tastiest recipes ever! Everyone will love these yummy chocolate cracker cookies.
Cheap Desserts for a Crowd
It's easy to spend too much when you're making dessert for a lot of people. You want to make something amazing for your friends, family, or coworkers without cringing at your grocery store receipt!
So, you'd better try one of these cheap desserts for a crowd. These recipes make large fluffy cakes, dozens of crisp cookies (like these Vintage Chocolate Chip Cookies), and other desserts with a lot of servings. You'll be able to find something to suit the size and tastes of your crowd.
7 Ingredients
This delicious cake recipe will feed everyone in your family, and it uses inexpensive ingredients! Canned fruit and a boxed cake mix combine for an affordable and amazingly flavorful dessert.
Old Fashioned Banana Cornflake Cake
5 Ingredients
Serve your guests something they've never had before! This budget-friendly cake is creamy and delicious, with just a little bit of crunch!
5 Ingredients
Feed a crowd with this pudding poke cake! Its gooey, rich chocolate flavor will "wow" everyone in your family.
Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats
6 Ingredients
Impress your guests any time of year with these budget-friendly Rice Krispie treats!
10 Ingredients
The ingredient list might be longer, but this peppermint cookie recipe will still make your wallet happy. It's made using mostly pantry staples. You may not even need to go to the grocery store!
Impressive (and Affordable) Chocolate Dessert Recipes
It's a good thing that these desserts are budget-friendly, because you're going to want to make them more than once.
These cheap chocolate desserts will satisfy even the most enthusiastic chocolate lover in your family. We have creamy chocolate ice cream, rich chocolate fudge, and gooey chocolate cake that will knock your socks off. If you're looking for cheap impressive desserts, this is the place to be.
Everyone will be shocked at how affordable and easy these desserts were to make (not that you have to tell them!).
Start with Chocolate Kisses Fudge, and go on to make every one of these frugal chocolate recipes.
4-Ingredient Chocolate Pudding Dump Cake
4 Ingredients
The name says it all! With only 4 ingredients, you can bet that this dessert is not only delicious; it's also budget-friendly.
8 Ingredients
This is one impressive cheap dessert! Layers of gooey chocolate ganache and vanilla pudding combine for a sweet treat that everyone will go crazy for.
German Chocolate Lover's Frozen Pie
5 Ingredients
This super easy ice cream dessert is also easy on your wallet. All the chocolate lovers you know will beg you for this recipe.
9 Ingredients
Made using mostly pantry staples, this scrumptious chocolate cake is also thrifty!
8 Ingredients
Chocolate cream pie is an all-time favorite for a reason! This version is easy to make and has incredible flavor.
5 Ingredients
This impressive recipe is easier to make than you might think! And with only five ingredients, your grocery store run will be quick and inexpensive.
For even more easy dessert recipes, check out our free eBook."No Bake Recipes: 21 Fuss-Free Easy Desserts" eCookbook
What are your favorite cheap desserts to make at home?