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Easy mug recipes

mug recipes cover
Image adapted from: healthy nibbles, Lorraine Elliott

When you’re the sole member of the family to be hit with hunger pangs, it’s almost worth it to just bear with the hunger. On top of the effort involved to cook up a whole meal, the aftermath leaves you with a pile of dishes to clean and leftovers to stow away. With exorbitant service charges, deliveries aren’t the most wallet-friendly option either.

Thankfully, mug recipes exist. You might be thinking of mug cakes and brownies, but savoury mug recipes like mug pizzas are a thing too. Whether you’re looking for a snack or a meal, you’ll appreciate these easy mug recipes that require very minimal prep and clean up.

Check out our other recipe articles here:

1. Egg fried rice

mug recipes: egg fried rice
Image credit: healthy nibbles

One of the first things many of us learned to cook, is the perfect pot of rice. And unless you’re a carb monster or someone who can perfectly gauge just how much rice to cook so none of it is wasted, you’re inevitably left with leftovers.

If you’re left with an awkward amount of rice and no mood to whip out a pan, fried rice mug recipes like this will be the solution you’ve been dreaming of – it’s complete with elevated flavours thanks to some veggies and aromatics.

Cook and prep time: 9 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked jasmine rice
2 tablespoons frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
1/2 stalk of green onion, sliced
Small pinch of mung bean sprouts
Small pinch of shredded purple cabbage
1 large egg
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

Steps:

  1. Put rice in a large mug then add the peas, green onion, red pepper, mung bean sprouts and purple cabbage on top.
  2. Cover with microwave-safe cling wrap and poke two small holes.
  3. Microwave on high for around 1 minute and 15 seconds, adjust timing according to your microwave wattage – the higher the power, the shorter the cook time.
  4. Beat the egg and season with soy sauce, sesame oil, onion powder and five-spice powder before pouring it into the mug.
  5. Cling wrap the mug and microwave again between 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. Afterwards, stir and let rest.

Recipe sourced from healthy nibbles.

2. Burrito mug

mug recipes: burrito
Image credit: Biggerbolderbaking

Burritos aren’t typically cooked in Asian households, which is a shame because they can be delicious, filling and versatile. If you’re hit with crazy Mexican food cravings, here’s a burrito mug recipe that’ll let you even skip the tedious process of wrapping.

This is a beginner’s guide to a mug burrito, or mugrito, but you can definitely customise this to include your favourite toppings. A perk which you might not even be able to do in detail at restaurants.

Cook and prep time: 7 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large 9 inch tortilla (flour or whole wheat)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons beans (pinto/black beans)
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper
Garnish
Salsa
Sour cream

Steps:

  1. Press a tortilla into a large mug.
  2. Crack an egg into the tortilla and whisk without tearing the tortilla.
  3. Add your toppings like the recommended beans, cheese and scallions, and then season with salt and pepper.
  4. Microwave! Time depends on the power of your microwave – for 1200W, the recommended time is 1 minute and 20 seconds. You can cook it in bursts of 30 seconds and check if it’s cooked too.
  5. Let it cool then serve with sour cream and salsa. Eat with a spoon or take the tortilla out and eat like a true burrito.

Recipe sourced from Biggerbolderbaking.

3. Quiche

quiche
Image credit: Bill Hogan

A quiche sounds like some fancy dish you’d have to take a whole afternoon to make or buy from a cafe or bakery, but you can actually make it in 5 minutes at home. This simplified mug recipe of the popular French pastry is super beginner-friendly, and may even have you making entire batches for the rest of the family.

Cook and prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk
Salt
Ground black pepper
1/4 of a bagel (or similar amount of French bread like baguette or brioche)
2 teaspoons cream cheese
1/2 slice prosciutto or ham
Fresh thyme leaves or fresh chopped chives
Dijon mustard

Steps:

  1. In a large cup, beat the egg and milk together then season with salt and pepper.
  2. Tear bread and prosciutto apart and add to mug. Add cream cheese and sprinkle with thyme.
  3. Microwave! Again, time depends on your microwave but the gauge should be around 1 minute and 10 seconds.
  4. Garnish with your mustard or as preferred.

Recipe sourced from St. Louis Post Dispatch.

4. Mac and Cheese

mac and cheese
Image credit: Tasty

Mac and cheese is a pretty simple dish to whip up, but it’s difficult to nail an entire family portion since different people have different preferences on creaminess and cheesiness. On the flipside, having to make a whole pot just for yourself might lead to wastage.

This mac and cheese is one of those mug recipes you can easily customise depending on what you like. Add more or less milk depending on how creamy you want it to be, and even switch up the cheese with other types like mozzarella.

Cook and prep time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup elbow macaroni (50G)
1/2 cup water (120ML)
3 tablespoons milk
Salt, and pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (25G)
Fresh chive to garnish, optional

Steps:

  1. In a large mug, add the macaroni, water, and salt.
  2. Microwave for 2-3 minutes or until macaroni is cooked, then stir.
  3. Add milk cheese and season with salt and pepper, then mix.
  4. Microwave for another 30 seconds then garnish with chives (optional).

Recipe sourced from Tasty.

5. Ramen

mug recipes: ramen
Image credit: Biggerbolderbaking

Ramen is pretty much a staple dish in our diets – we love anything from Indomie to Korean ramyeon and Thai tom yum. But having our usual instant cup noodles can get repetitive and if eaten too often, be extremely carb-y. Mug recipes like this let you get a spiced-up ramen fix in a smaller portion.

Plus, it’s one of those dishes that are pretty easy to level-up by adding meat like chicken, hotdog or spam slices for an extra protein kick.

Cook and prep time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup Chicken stock (or veg stock)
A 1/4 portion of Ramen Noodles
2 tablespoons frozen mixed vegetables
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoons chilli sauce
1 tablespoon green onions, sliced

Steps:

  1. Add all the ingredients in a mug. Make sure the mug is large enough in case the stock overflows.
  2. Microwave for 2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes or until the noodles are cooked.
  3. Add as much chilli sauce, or other garnishes as you like.

Recipe sourced from Biggerbolderbaking.

6. Pizza

mug recipes: pizza
Image credit: Lorraine Elliott

Pizza is something most of us imagine as a round, flat dish, so the idea of scooping it out of a cup sounds both ridiculous and ingenious. Bless the people who came up with this mug variation, because it’s an innovative way to eat pizza without having to pay for more than you can finish.

This recipe is for a standard pepperoni pizza, but you can mix it up with your favourite toppings as long as they can be cooked in a microwave.

Cook and prep time: 2-3 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons plain flour
Pinch of baking powder
Pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoons tomato pasta sauce
1 and 1/2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle of oregano
Sliced pepperoni

Steps:

  1. In a large mug, mix flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Then add milk and olive oil and stir well.
  2. Spoon the top with tomato sauce and sprinkle the cheese and oregano.
  3. Microwave for 1 minute then add the pepperoni slices.
  4. Microwave again for 10-20 seconds then let cool before consuming.

Recipe sourced from Lorraine Elliott.

7. Lasagna

lasagna
Image credit: Kirbie’s Cravings

The hours between lunch and dinner can get long and dreary, especially without any snacks to tide you over. Chips and other finger foods are quick fixes but if you’re feeling creative, try out this lasagna mug recipe and fill up 10 minutes of your afternoon while you’re at it.

10 minutes might seem like a lot for a mug recipe, but it’s still more ideal than toiling for hours to slowly assemble a traditional lasagna, then waiting what feels like an eternity for it to bake.

Cook and prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 sheets of lasagna noodles with each sheet broken into 6 rectangle pieces
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 tbsp chopped basil
1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Steps:

  1. In a bowl, add the lasagna noodles and enough water to cover the pasta. Make sure to use a big enough bowl so that the water doesn’t spill over when you microwave it.
  2. Place a plate below the bowl to catch any spilt water and microwave for around 2 minutes. Stir to prevent clumping and repeat microwaving until the pasta is cooked.
  3. Drain the water but leave around a tablespoon of it in the bowl. Add your tomato sauce evenly in the bowl, then add basil and cheese.
  4. Microwave with a paper towel over the bowl around 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted.

Recipe sourced from Kirbie’s Cravings.

8. Asian style pork noodles

mug recipes: asian style noodles
Image credit: Betty Crocker

This one is for those looking for the hearty taste of home-cooked food, but can’t be bothered to whip up a pot of broth just for yourself. Take note that this recipe uses pork, but can also be substituted with chicken, beef or fish! We would recommend using pre-cooked meat leftovers because just microwaving raw meat is not always enough to kill food-borne bacteria.

If you really want to use raw meat, you’ll have to adjust the microwave timing accordingly to make sure it’s fully cooked. The general guideline to cook raw meat is 1-2 minutes for fish, 4-5 minutes for chicken, and 5-7 minutes for beef. Timings will also vary depending on how much meat there is, and the wattage of your microwave. So watch your meat carefully!

Cook and prep time: 3-5 minutes
Ingredients:
10G vermicelli glass noodles, broken into 2.5CM/1 inch pieces
80G minced or ground pork
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cornflour
20g beansprouts
1/2 red chilli, chopped whole seeds included or 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon nam pla fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
Pinch sugar
2 tablespoon torn Thai basil leaves
2 tablespoon torn fresh coriander
2 tablespoon torn fresh mint leaves
6 torn spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

  1. Mix the noodles, pork, oil, cornflour, and seasoning then add bean sprouts on top.
  2. Microwave for around 1 minute and 30 seconds.
  3. Break up the meat and stir the ingredients together.
  4. Season with the chilli, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and herbs and let it rest for a minute before serving.

Recipe sourced from Betty Crocker.

9. Spicy pumpkin curry chowder

pumpkin soup
Image credit: healthy nibbles

On cold and thundery days, there’s something comforting about holding a warm cup of soup. The default choice would be to heat up some canned soup, but you’ll probably end up with more than you can finish. Plus, spicy pumpkin curry chowder isn’t your typical mushroom soup, so you’ll be making something unlikely to be found in a grocery store or restaurant.

Cook and prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons diced potatoes (around 1/4-inch cubes)
3 tablespoons chopped kale
2 baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons corn
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie puree because it’s sweet and better for desserts)
1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon maple syrup (depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, add more if necessary
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
Pinch of cayenne powder
Cashew cream for topping (optional)
Chopped chives for topping (optional)

Steps:

  1. In a large mug, put the potatoes, kale, carrots, and corn before pouring in the vegetable broth.
  2. Microwave with a plate at the bottom of the mug to catch spills for around 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir the vegetables and microwave again for 45 seconds.
  3. Mix in the pumpkin, soy milk, curry, salt, garlic, and cayenne.
  4. Microwave for about 1 minute, stir, then repeat twice.
  5. Let it sit for a while then serve.

*If your microwave setting can be adjusted, adjust to medium only.
Recipe sourced from healthy nibbles.

10. Vegan tofu scramble

tofu scramble
Image credit: Danielli

Not many of us can make the lifestyle choice of going vegan, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy vegan food from time to time. If you’ve always been curious about meat-free diets, here’s an easy and low-committal recipe to dip your toes in. And who knows –  you might be tempted to go meat-free from time to time after discovering the delicious world of vegan food.

Cook and prep time: 2-3 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 block firm tofu, crumbled
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 bunch spinach
1 handful of mushrooms
Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and turmeric), to taste

Steps:

  1. Mix together in a microwave-safe mug.
  2. Microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Recipe sourced from Danielli.

Savoury mug recipes

Munchies can hit us at any time of the day, but they’re exceedingly hard to satisfy when we think of all the prep work and cleaning up involved. Requiring minimal ingredients and quick cooking times, these mug recipes are a solid solution, since you’d be eating out of the same mug you’re cooking in.

Check out our other food guides here:

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