The Best 7 Easy Frugal Dessert Recipes to Try

Satisfy your sweet tooth without breaking the bank with these 7 Easy Frugal Dessert Recipes. Let’s get into the recipes for delicious treats that promise big flavor on a small budget!

The Best 7 Easy Frugal Dessert Recipes to Try

I have desserts on my brain. We don’t make desserts often but they are such a fun treat when we do. Who doesn’t love a tasty treat at the end of a meal or a special snack in the middle of the day?

And let’s face it, sometimes we parents just need a little treat now and then for no particular reason (even if you do have to hide in the closet to make sure you get to eat the whole thing before little hands find it!).

Desserts can be a rather spendy part of the meal. When you are on a tight budget and every penny counts, you want to make sure that each meal is as frugal as possible and sometimes a dessert just doesn’t fit into the plans. But then again, sometimes you just need a little dessert, to celebrate a special occasion, to finish off a special meal, or just because. Today I thought I would share some easy frugal dessert recipes with you so that you always have a good resource on had for delicious desserts, even when you are on a tight budget.

When I first started Little House Living 15 years ago, I was very much into making all kinds of desserts, so thankfully, we have a huge bank of them to draw from here on the site! If one of these recipes doesn’t catch your eye, be sure to check out the full list that I have here: Desserts and Treats. Most of them are still very budget-friendly.

Below, you will find my very favorite dessert recipes to make when we are on a tight food budget. Obviously, the estimated costs will vary depending on your area’s grocery costs and if you buy specialty brands, but this still should give you a good idea of how much each recipe will cost to make. Happy baking!

Chocolate Banana Bars

This is such a fun recipe and the perfect way to use up an over-ripe banana and help prevent food waste. You can leave out the chocolate portion of the bar and just do a plain chocolate chip banana bar if you don’t have any cocoa.

The ingredients are:

• 1/2 cup butter –$0.50
• 1 cup sugar – $0.34
• 1 egg – $0.16
• 1 teaspoon vanilla – $0.17
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana – $0.50
• 1 1/2 cups flour – $0.60
• 1 teaspoon baking powder – $0.12
• 1 teaspoon baking soda – $0.01
• 1/2 teaspoon salt –  $0.01
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa – $0.25
• 1 cup chocolate chips – $1.10

Total: Around $3.76 per 9×13 pan (12 bars, $0.31 per bar)

Get the Chocolate Banana Bars recipe here

Those choco banana bars are one of my favorites. And I just made the brownies yesterday. Love them!

Teresa, Little House Living reader

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Yes, these are cookies that aren’t necessarily in the dessert category but are more of a snack. However, these Oatmeal Lace Cookies are so rich and have so much flavor that they make a perfect dessert. The chocolate drizzle on top is optional.

The ingredients are:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour  – About $0.20
• 1/2 cup brown sugar – About $0.17
• pinch of salt – Negligible
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder – About $0.03
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats – About $0.13
• 2 tablespoons milk – About $0.10
• 6 tablespoons butter About $0.38

Total Cost = Around $1.01 per batch (12 cookies, $0.08 per cookie)

Get the Oatmeal Lace Cookies recipe here

Frugal Ice Cream

Looking for a yummy cold ice cream treat for those warm summer days? Most ice cream recipes use a large amount of heavy cream and eggs, both of which can get very expensive. When we lived without air conditioning, ice cream was my summer must-have, and it got so expensive! That’s when I came up with this recipe. It’s not as creamy as traditional ice cream, but if you are looking for a cold treat, this will do the trick.

The ingredients are:

• 4 cups Half and Half – $3.00
• 1/2 cup Sugar – $0.17
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract – $0.17

Total Cost: Around $3.34 per batch (8 small servings, $0.42 per serving)

Get the Frugal Ice Cream recipe here

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

If you are looking for a frugal dessert that can be simple or fancy, pudding is always a great option! If plain vanilla isn’t your thing, Chocolate Pudding is another delicious option.

The ingredients are:

• 1 cup milk – $0.13
• 1/4 cup sugar – $0.09
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon flour $0.04
• pinch of salt – Negligible
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla – $0.09
• 1 Tablespoon butter – $0.06

Total = About $0.41 for batch (2-3 servings, $0.14 – $0.21 per serving)

Get the Homemade Vanilla Pudding recipe here

Yellow Squash Doughnuts

This recipe will not be a frugal one if you don’t have squash growing in your garden or some in your freezer that you can use; however, if you do have some that you were given or grew yourself, it’s a perfect frugal treat recipe! If you don’t have a doughnut pan, make these into muffins using a muffin tin.

The ingredients are:

• 2 1/4 cups Flour – $0.90
• 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder – $0.75
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder – $0.24
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda – $0.01
• 1 teaspoon Salt $0.02
• 2 cups Brown Sugar – $0.72
• 1/2 cup Butter – $0.50
• 2 eggs – $0.32
• 3 cups Yellow Squash – free
• 1/3 cup Sour Cream – $0.23

Total = About $3.69 per recipe (12 doughnuts, $0.31 per doughnut)

Get the Yellow Squash Doughnuts recipe here

Eggless Brownies

No dessert list would be complete without a yummy brownie recipe! Although I have several here on Little House Living, my all-time favorite is for these Eggless Brownies. Most brownies contain eggs, which help to give them a nice fudgy texture, but somehow, this recipe manages to do that without them. Perfect, since eggs can get expensive if you don’t have your own hens!

The ingredients are:

• 1 1/3 cups All-Purpose Flour – $0.53
• 1 cup Sugar – $0.36
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – $0.33
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder – $0.06
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt – $0.01
• 1/2 cup Water – Free
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil – $0.18
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract – $0.09

Total = About $1.56 per recipe (9 brownies, $0.17 per brownie)

Get the Eggless Brownies recipe here

Pumpkin Pie

This one might seem a little odd, but Pumpkin Pie is one of our favorite desserts to make year-round. If you freeze pumpkin from your garden, this dessert recipe can be incredibly inexpensive! On the blog, I show how to make this recipe in jars, but one recipe is the perfect amount for one regular pie.

The ingredients are:

• 1/3 cup brown sugar – $0.12
• 1/3 cup white sugar – $0.12
• 2 eggs – $0.32
• 1/2 cup cream – $0.59
• 1 cup pumpkin – $0.75
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg – $0.05
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon – $0.03
• pinch of salt – Negligible
• Butter Crust –$1.00

Total = $2.98 per pie (8 slices, $0.37 per slice)

Get the Pumpkin Pie recipe here

You could bake the Pumpkin Pie recipe as a custard instead.
You would save both money and calories!

NeCe, Little House Living reader

If you need a yummy dessert recipe but need to stay on a tight budget, hopefully, you will try one of these recipes the next time you are baking! At under $0.50 per serving, these desserts can easily fit into your budget for a special treat.

Which of these frugal dessert recipes have you already made? What are your favorite frugal desserts?

This blog post with easy Frugal Dessert Recipes was originally posted on Little House Living in June 2018. It has been updated as of February 2024.