No-Bake Dessert Recipes - easy desserts that need no baking

No-bake desserts are a bit of a specialty of mine. Yes, I love baking cakes and cookies but when it comes to making desserts, especially for a crowd for a party or potluck, I generally default to no-bake recipes that need no baking, no oven, and in some cases, no cooking or heat at all. Mind you, no baking does not necessarily mean it takes lesser time. Some of these recipes do need to set in the fridge or be cooked in a particular way for them to be ready but yet, if your oven is not working or it's a particularly hot time of year and you just don't want to bake anything, these recipes are for you.

The usual methods of making no-bake dessert is to
a) use a microwave
b) use a steamer
c) use the stove top
d) no cooking needed - just mix and maybe allow to set in the refrigerator.

My favourite methods among all of this is using the steamer. This is because it allows the dessert to cook anyway and gives you similar results as baking. Of course, this depends on what you are making. No-bake cheesecakes require no steamer or oven and yes, that's one delicious dessert too!

So take your pick and I hope you enjoy making these. Please leave a comment if you have a favourite no-bake recipe that's not listed here. I have avoided sharing Indian dessert recipes that need no baking simply because Indian desserts by nature are not usually baked. The cooking methods tend to be elaborate though and can't usually be classified as "simple". These are desserts that are more for parties or when you are cooking for a crowd.

Share and enjoy!

Steamed Chocolate Cake

Pressure Cooker Cake

Oreo Cheesecake

Chocolate Mug Cake

Banana Toffee Pie

Tiramisu

Eggless Strawberry Mousse

Biscuit Brownies

Microwave Chocolate Cake

Mango Cheesecake

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

I will be adding more no-bake recipes as I post them so keep checking back. If you try any of these recipes, do drop me an email with the picture of your dish and I'll feature it in my Facebook page! All details here.

Vegetable Jalfrezi Recipe, Easy Veg Jalfrezi Recipe, Step by Step

Vegetable jalfrezi - Learn how to make vegetable jalfrezi,  a semi-dry Indian recipe with a mix of vegetables cooked in a tomato-based gravy. I love paneer jalfrezi and make it often mainly based on Sanjeev Kapoor's vegetable jalfrezi recipe but last weekend, I was out of paneer and opted for this vegetable version with my own adaptations. Can I just say it was delicious? A healthy mix of vegetables cooked with minimum spices to bring out the flavour of the individual vegetables, that's really my favourite style of cooking. Restaurants tend to make vegetable jalfrezi and paneer jalfrezi really greasy and oily and some even add cream to it which baffles me. A simple jalfrezi recipe made at home with as many vegetables as possible thrown in is should be kept healthy and simple, in my opinion.

The secret to getting a good deep colour for your jalfrezi is to use tomato paste instead of fresh pureed tomato. I use tomato paste from a can or from tubes which are much easier to use. Since these are really concentrated, a teaspoon or two at the most is usually sufficient. As for the vegetables, you can go for any you like. I used carrots, beans, baby corn, bell pepper, and onions this time around. You can even make vegetable jalfrezi with paneer if you have a few cubes of it lying around but not enough to make an entire dish with the paneer.

Jalfrezi is a good option to use as a filling for kathi rolls too. Take a tortilla wrap, add some filling inside, roll it up, and you are good to go! Kathi rolls make very easy evening snacks if you have the filling ready. However, I serve jalfrezi as a side dish so we feel we are actually eating some vegetables instead of just a dal and a paneer side dish. Since it's semi-dry, it's good to complement it with some dal or at least raita. While chapatis go really well with vegetable jalfrezi, I opted to make a simple peas pulao last weekend to keep things simple.

Here's a tip if you'd like to get your jalfrezi on the table in a jiffy - keep all ingredients prepared and ready. Probably the more time-consuming activity in preparing this recipe is the chopping of the vegetables. Try to keep them long and evenly thick for uniform cooking.

Similar recipes you may enjoy:
Paneer jalfrezi
Paneer mushroom masala 
Paneer korma

VEGETABLE JALFREZI RECIPE

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
4-5 cups of cut vegetables (carrot, baby corn, capsicum, beans, cauliflower, etc)
1/2 cup of onions, sliced
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsp of oil
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1.5 to 2 tbsp of tomato paste
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
4 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
A pinch of sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare your vegetables first by washing, peeling, and chopping them.

Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle and turn a darker brown, add the sliced onions.

Saute until the onions turn soft and a light golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another 30 seconds. Then add the coriander powder, chilli powder, and turmeric. Fry for 20 seconds taking care not to burn the spices. Turning the heat lower at this stage helps, especially if you are a beginner cook.

Now add the tomato paste and mix well.

Now add the chopped vegetables and give everything a good mix.

Top up with 1-1.5 cups of water and bring to boil. Lower flame and cook covered until the vegetables are cooked.

Take care not to overcook them to a mush, the vegetables should still hold their shape. By the time the vegetables are done, the water would have mostly been cooked up. If you find the gravy still very watery, cook a bit longer leaving the pan open.

When the vegetables are cooked and the dish has the desired consistency, add salt, sugar, kasuri methi, and garam masala. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Paneer jalfrezi should be served hot with chapatis or pulao. A simple peas pulao or jeera pulao would be a great combination. Refrigerate leftovers for up to two days. This can be rolled up in a roti or wrap or even sandwiched between bread. Enjoy, do send me a picture at if you try this recipe. Details are in my Facebook Page.

For vegetable jalfrezi recipe in Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, etc, please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.