17 Best Desserts You Can Make Quickly in Your Microwave

By Vanessa Greaves and Alyssa Sybertz
March 20, 2020
Credit: House of Aqua

Did you know your microwave can do more than just heat up leftovers? It's also a dessert-making machine that can drastically slash the time that stands between you and a sweet treat. We've rounded up 17 of our favorite desserts you can make quickly with a microwave. Some are ready as soon as the timer pings, and some need to cool down and firm up, but all of them are ridiculously easy.

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White Cranberry Walnut Nutmeg Fudge

Credit: SunnyDaysNora
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Imagine the oohs and aahs you'll get when you bring out this gorgeous white chocolate fudge. Flavored with a touch of rum and packed with cranberries and walnuts, it makes a great homemade food gift to share. Reviewer katbarla recommends you chop up the dried cranberries so the fudge will cut into squares more easily.

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Microwave Oven Peanut Brittle

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You'll love how quickly and easily you can make crunchy peanut butter brittle without having to use a candy thermometer. Home cook SHUFFLE1 heats his in a glass 4-cup measuring cup with a handle to make it easier when he pours the mixture onto a cookie sheet to cool.

3 of 17

Microwave Lemon Curd

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Granted, this is not a dessert in and of itself (unless eating lemon curd by the spoonful is your jam) but imagine how you could dress up a store-bought cheesecake or pound cake with this bright, tart dessert sauce.

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Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Fudge

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Three ingredients and five minutes in your microwave is all it takes to make this rich gift-worthy fudge. Home cook Catbird says, "I really liked this recipe because it was quick and requires only a few ingredients and you can adjust it. If you want nuts in it you can put them in or if you want more chocolate add more or put in less."

5 of 17

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Credit: SunnyDaysNora
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Popcorn gets coated with a ooey, gooey mixture of microwaved butter, brown sugar, peanut butter, and marshmallows. Once it's cooled, you can break it up and serve it in bowls for binge-watch nights.

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Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

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It'll take a few minutes to mix up all the ingredients, but only two minutes to microwave a pair of chocolate mug cakes for you and your lucky friend. Reviewer yumz says, "This is the first time ever I have reviewed a recipe but this one is worthy of it! I am pregnant was craving a piece of chocolate cake without waiting 45 min for it."

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7 of 17

Blueberry, Coconut, and Pistachio Chocolate Bark

Credit: Magda
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Dark chocolate is melted in the microwave and sprinkled with pistachios, dried blueberries, coconut chips, and orange zest for a homemade candy you'd pay big bucks for in a specialty shop. Be sure to have everything ready to sprinkle on as soon you spread the melted chocolate in a pan because it sets up quickly.

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Microwave Apple Kugel

Credit: lutzflcat
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Your grandmother would have baked this in the oven, but you can zap it in your microwave. Debala, who shared this recipe, says her Jewish grandfather insisted it tasted just like how his mother used to make it.

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Microwave Baked Apples

Credit: Holiday Baker
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Holiday Baker dressed up her apple with chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of brown and white sugar, while reviewer Heather J Williams added a couple of caramel candies to each apple during cooking.

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Mocha Truffles

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Chocolate and coffee get together in the microwave. Magic ensues. Rita123 says, "These are really easy to make but you need to keep them pretty small as they are too rich to eat more than a bite or two." You've been warned.

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PB and J Mini Mug Cakes

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Lovers of the sandwich will adore this 2-minute dessert, which has just five ingredients thanks to the use of yellow cake mix. “What a pleasant surprise,” says reviewer lutzflcat. “Many mug cakes are dry, but not the case with this one. Thanks for sharing the best mug recipe I’ve ever had.”

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Fudgy Nutella® Mug Cake

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For folks looking for an indulgent and guilt-free easy treat, this chocolate hazelnut mug cake is just the ticket, thanks to coconut flour and almond milk (though all-purpose flour and regular milk can be easily substituted). Stir some mini chocolate chips into the batter to up the fudginess even more.

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Shorecook's Cashew Brittle

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“Wonderful and indulgent recipe,” says home cook Linda (LMT). “The softness of the cashews are a nice contrast to the crunchy brittle and the saltiness balances the sweetness ideally.” Grease your spatula with butter or cooking spray to make spreading the brittle on your cookie sheet easier.

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Hasty Chocolate Pudding

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This creamy chocolate pudding is guaranteed to satisfy your strongest chocolate cravings. Recipe creator Debra stirs in some chopped bananas to add a serving of fruit, while reviewer ~S~ drops marshmallows into dessert bowls and tops them with the hot pudding for an even thicker and gooier dessert.

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Individual Microwave Brownie

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While traditional brownies have a cakey texture, this mug brownie is soft, moist and almost pudding-like in the middle. Top it with whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream straight out of the microwave then let it melt down into the mug for a sweet treat you’ll want to make again and again.

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16 of 17

Microwave Apple Crisp

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A classic baked dessert, apple crisp gets a super simple makeover in this microwave version. Instead of melting the butter, home cook Heidi Sides Alsaleh crumbs it in with the brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and allspice to make the topping even crispier.

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No-Egg Blueberry Mug Cake

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This 5-minute mug cake is the perfect combination of light vanilla cake and sweet, juicy blueberries. Feel free to swap out the blueberries for ¼ cup chopped strawberries, raspberries, or use a combination of all three.

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By Vanessa Greaves and Alyssa Sybertz