College dorm recipes don't need to come out of the microwave! With a few appliances and healthy meal prep recipes, you can cook easily away from home.
You may have heard of the “Freshman 15.” College students are thrown into their studies away from home and don't do a whole lot of cooking typically, which results in weight gain. College dorm recipes often involve the microwave, if anything at all. Lots of the most accessible food choices aren't always the healthiest or consumed at regular intervals, which can throw off the metabolism.
Thankfully, with proper meal prep planning, it's possible to have healthy college dorm recipes. Chances are once you start cooking things, you'll have a lot of new friends, really quick, who are very interested in your culinary activities. We have put together our top 23 recipes with dorm room college or university students in mind. May your air fryer, electric egg cooker, and slow cooker be your battle weapons, and dried vegetable seasonings and spices go into battle with you!
Keto ‘Overnight’ Oats
Set it and forget it is always a winner with us, whether it's the slow cooker or overnight oats. We love this college dorm recipe because it's so nourishing.
(Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 22g)
Breakfast Parfait
You don't even need to cook this one. Just prep out yogurt, fruit, and granola and you can take this to go, and eat it in class!
(Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 6g)
Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage
Hard-boiled eggs can be cooked fast and easily, and stored in your room mini-fridge. An air fryer makes short work of sausage. Done!
(Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 26g)
DIY Fruit & Protein Snack
Cheese, nuts, and fruit are the way to get through a study session or a mid-afternoon slump.
(Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 25g)
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Breakfast Bowls
Oh, everyone will wanna know what you're up to with this fancy-looking breakfast, lunch, or dinner! If you can cook bacon, you can put this together.
(Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 19g)
Low Carb Sun Dried Tomato Egg Cups
A quick turn through the oven makes egg cups for a snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We love 'em.
(Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 10g)
Once you've prepped those hard-boiled eggs, you can make this avocado and egg salad and keep it on hand for lunch or snacking.
(Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 61g)
Chicken Caesar Wraps
With a few ingredients (and croutons that are packed separately!) this college dorm recipe is yours in a hurry.
(Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 11g)
Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
If you've got a sweet potato prepped, you've got a great shortcut. Stuff them with black beans, scrambled eggs, other veggies, or just top it with some cheese.
(Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g)
Airfryer Firecracker Chicken
This college dorm recipe will bring people into the lounge wondering what you're up to. You've been warned!
(Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 11g)
Spicy Airfry Shrimp
Or, yet again, maybe this spicy shrimp will draw crowds. Might want to buy two bags of shrimp for this one!
(Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 7g)
Broccoli in the air fryer! It's an amazing transformation. Parmesan cheese is so welcome and easy to keep on hand.
(Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g)
Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
There's nothing wrong with having college dorm recipes for veggies all prepped and on hand. You can reheat them easily, too. And pair with hard-boiled eggs.
(Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 3g, Fat: .5g)
Airfryer Frozen Fish Sticks
Are you sensing a college dorm recipe trend here? Yes, the air fryer! Prep these with rice and some cole slaw.
(Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 9g)
Italian Sub Lettuce Wrap
Skip the bread and turn your "sandwich" into a keto-loving wrap.
(Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 40g)
Chicken Salad
There's nothing like a good old-fashioned chicken salad. Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and you're halfway there with this college dorm recipe.
(Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 29g)
Cilantro Lime Rice
Meal prep some green veggies and toss them with this easy rice, or use some of that leftover rotisserie chicken and mix it up. Easy!
(Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 1g)
Air-Fried Apple Chips
This is just a fun snack, not quite a whole dorm recipe per se.
(Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g)
Bacon Jalapeno Poppers
The little bit of work this recipe requires is worth it! Prep them for a long study session.
(Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 24g)
Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Chickpeas
There is so much protein in this snack, it's amazing. Cheese, nuts, chorizo, chickpeas. Sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy: this college dorm recipe has all of it!
(Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 5g)
Antipasto Skewer Snack Boxes
Snacks are so key when you're in college and doing work at weird hours. This'll keep you fueled.
(Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 22g)
Turkey Bacon Ranch Pinwheel Snack
A lot of these ingredients you can buy already prepped, so it's not so much a dorm recipe as it is an assembly.
(Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 19g)
Cranberry Turkey Pinwheel Snack
This college dorm recipe is a good excuse to get nostalgic and buy a can of cranberry sauce! Wrap it up with turkey and some grapes and chips and take it to class with you.
(Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 16g)
