Cheap & Easy Baking Recipes for Baking on a Budget
The last couple years have felt like one heavy hardship after another.
I’m so incredibly grateful for baking and the solace it provides. For me, baking desserts in the kitchen is self-care and allows me to disconnect and distract myself from whatever difficult things are going on in the world at any given moment.
However… I also understand that being able to bake itself is a privilege. Sometimes recipes call for expensive ingredients that not everyone can afford or easily find in most stores.
So, today I’ve gathered the most affordable and easy-to-make recipes on the site. Most of these easy and cheap baking recipes call for everyday ingredient staples like flour, eggs, butter and sugar, which you may already have in your kitchen.
My hope is that these cheap baking recipes are accessible for just about anyone. Happy baking!
Cheap Cookie Recipes
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
My go-to recipe, these Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies are perfectly tender and soft with just the right amount of chewiness. They take just minutes to make with cheap, easy-to-find ingredients.
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ultra thick Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies feature golden brown edges with ooey and gooey centers. This easy recipe can be made in 30 minutes!
Peanut Butter Cookies
These Peanut Butter Cookies are absolutely PERFECT and so easy to make! Thick, soft, and slightly chewy with tons of peanutty flavor. Your new go-to recipe for a cheap dessert idea!
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
These Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies will definitely make you everyone’s favorite person at the office or at school. Thick and fudgy with just a hint of cocoa flavor from the cocoa powder – these cookies are so tasty.
Affordable and Easy Breakfast Recipes
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are tangy, slightly crisp on the outside and ultra moist inside. Topped with a simple sweet lemony glaze. Quick, easy, and delish!
Homemade Crepes
Who would have thought gourmet-looking Crepes are easily made right at home with cheap, basic ingredients?! They’re deliciously thin and buttery, and the flavor and filling options are endless! Can be made ahead of time too.
Basic Buttermilk Scones
How to Make Perfect Scones better than your favorite coffee shop in just 35 minutes! This is an easy scone recipe that is ultra buttery, flaky, and flavorful.
Lemon Yogurt Zucchini Bread
Lemon Yogurt Zucchini Bread is the perfect affordable breakfast treat! Ultra moist and loaded with bright lemon flavors, everyone will be asking for this recipe.
Easy Banana Bread
This is the Best Ever EASY Banana Bread recipe with a super moist and tender texture and tons of sweet banana flavor. Everyone loves it! You won’t need another recipe.
Cheap Brownies, Blondies, and Bars Dessert Recipes
Best Easy Brownies
The Best Easy Brownies recipe requires just 1 bowl, no mixer, and takes less than an hour to make! These from scratch brownies are tall, fudgy, and chewy with that thin shiny crust on top and tons of chocolate flavor. One of my favorite cheap baking recipes.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars are ultra thick, chewy, gooey, and loaded with tons of sweet peanut butter and chocolate flavor! You’ll love these peanut butter bars.
Fudge Stuffed Blondies
Fudge Stuffed Blondies are insanely rich and gooey with a hidden layer of easy chocolate fudge inside every bite! Simple 35-minute recipe.
Chocolate Coconut Blondies
Chocolate Coconut Blondies are crazy thick, chewy, and loaded with gooey chocolate chunks and aromatic coconut. This easy recipe takes just minutes to prepare!
Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats are crispy, sticky and gooey. Plus a super duper easy treat to make with just 5 ingredients!
Cheap Homemade Candy Recipes
Homemade Toffee Bits
Just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes and you have DIY Homemade Toffee Bits from scratch! They’re absolutely amazing in cookies, brownies, sprinkled over vanilla ice cream, or just enjoyed as a sweet snack.
Chocolate Truffles
How to Make Chocolate Truffles that rival any bakery or chocolatier! Just a handful of ingredients make for ultra luscious, fudgy, and rich truffles with tons of options for customizing flavors and coatings.
More Cheap Baking Recipes
Easy Cheddar Biscuits
Easy Cheddar Biscuits are extra flaky and cheesy with a soft fluffy interior. They take just 30 minutes to make with simple ingredients and equipment but yield amazing results!
Best Ever Pie Crust
How to Make the Best Ever Pie Crust with all the tips and tricks for a flaky beautiful crust that impresses your friends and family. The dough is made with just 5 basic ingredients, then add the filling of your choice to make the pie of your dreams.
No Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream
No Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream requires just a few ingredients and a few minutes of prep for a rich creamy ice cream with tons of peanut butter flavor.
Olive Garden Breadsticks
This simple recipe for Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks makes buttery, garlic-scented, and chewy breadsticks that are utterly addictive!
Chocolate Lava Cakes
Chocolate Lava Cakes are made with 7 ingredients and have rich molten chocolate centers. Can be made ahead of time! Much cheaper and easier to make than layer cake recipes, too.
Soft Pretzels
How to make the BEST Homemade Pretzels you’ll ever eat! These traditional Bavarian-style pretzels have a deeply browned exterior and chewy texture. Surprisingly easy to make. TIP: Use a baking soda bath over a lye bath to save on cost!
Apple Galette
Homemade Apple Galette is so much easier to make than apple pie! This recipe has a buttery, flaky tart crust and a perfectly spiced cinnamon apple filling. The best rustic dessert to serve a crowd.
Author: Tessa Arias
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
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As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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Thank you at times like this we all need this ☺️
Tessa, all of these recipes sound awesome and can’t wait until it’s a bit cooler to try some. Can’t believe the price of eggs and so many ingredients we use to make our tasty delights for family and friends.
Good luck with the book. Sounds like a winner, especially since many of us are tightening our belts.
Hi Joan! Can’t wait until it cools down a bit and you get to try some of these recipes 🙂 Thanks also for your kind words – I will pass them along to Tessa 🙂
thanks for all the great recipes I am trying to make all that I have printed off , BUT I am trying my best .
So happy you’re enjoying our recipes, Doriene 🙂
Thank you so, SO much for doing this, Tessa! I have followed your recipes for years and got into baking during my senior year of college as a stress-reliever. It’s a form of art! Now I’m in grad school and trying to save $$ so my friends and I so appreciate the time you put in to making this! Everyone loves my baking via your recipes so thank you so much!
So glad you found this helpful, Madeline! Thanks for taking the time to let us know, hopefully we can continue coming out with more content like this 🙂