Food & Cooking Our Favorite Diner Food Recipes You Can Recreate at Home Bring the diner experience to your kitchen with our collection of classics. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 19, 2024 Close Photo: Bryan Gardner When you can't make it to your favorite diner, bring that much-loved eatery's best meals straight into your kitchen with our best diner food recipes. We have classic, comforting breakfast, lunch, and dinner options that you can whip up at any time, especially when you're in the mood for a nostalgic dish. The Best 20-Minute Meals for When You Need to Make Dinner Fast 01 of 41 Classic Cheese Omelet Chris Simpson Order up! Start your morning with an egg dish that never goes out of style—this classic cheese omelet. Our version is filled with shredded cheddar cheese, but feel free to spice it up with pepper jack or go funky with goat cheese. View Recipe 02 of 41 Test Kitchen's Favorite Buttermilk Pancakes Armando Rafael How do you get fluffy, golden brown pancakes that rival the ones at your favorite diner? With this master recipe, of course. The key is to not over-mix the batter and keep some lumps, which helps the pancakes to stay airy. View Recipe 03 of 41 Hash Browns Whether you order it on the side or stuffed into an egg and cheese sandwich (an epic move that we highly recommend), this potato side dish is a favorite diner food recipe. Use a combination of butter and oil for flavor and crispiness when you make hash browns at home. View Recipe 04 of 41 Baked Cake Donuts Bryan Gardner Make a baker's dozen of these sweet treats. We have three variations—glazed, powdered sugar, and coconut—and they may well replace your favorite diner donut. View Recipe 05 of 41 Easy Eggs Benedict Chris Simpson A brunch favorite—that's Eggs Benedict. Use our recipe to make perfect poached eggs, creamy Hollandaise sauce, and crispy Canadian bacon, then pile it all high atop an English muffin. View Recipe 06 of 41 Quick Fried Chicken and Waffles The ultimate sweet and savory treat, you can make this take on the soul food classic in under one hour. Whether you serve it for breakfast or dinner, or enjoy it late at night, it's sure to be a hit. View Recipe 07 of 41 Lemon Poppy-Seed Muffins Mike Krautter Here's a sunny way to wake up. A 1/4 cup of lemon juice—plus a few tablespoons of zest—brightens the batter for these favorite muffins, while poppy seeds add some texture. View Recipe 08 of 41 Scrambled Eggs Getty Images This recipe shows you how to make scrambled eggs that are creamy and moist throughout. The trick is using plenty of butter, low heat, and stirring frequently to prevent them from drying out. View Recipe 09 of 41 Buttermilk Waffles Reed Davis Kids and adults alike go crazy for crisp, buttery waffles. Our recipe is classic, but you're welcome to take it to the next level with any of four spectacular toppings: maple walnut sauce, blueberry sauce, banana caramel sauce, and berries and cream. View Recipe 10 of 41 Fried Bacon What's a diner-style brunch without bacon? Use your favorite brand and cook it in a cast-iron skillet, which will help the meat get super crispy, just the way you like it. View Recipe 11 of 41 Classic French Toast Grab a fork and knife and prepare to dig into a perfect stack of French toast. Use good-quality, thick bread such as brioche, challah, or Texas toast, which will absorb the rich custard without getting soggy. View Recipe 12 of 41 Traditional Boston Cream Pie End your diner dinner on a sweet note with this New England dessert. A rich custard is piled high between two layers of vanilla cake, then a silky chocolate ganache tops it all off. View Recipe 13 of 41 Chicken Club Salad This low-key salad is delicious for lunch or dinner. Start by baking both bacon strips and chicken breasts until they're cooked through, then toss with tomatoes, celery, red onion, and mayonnaise and pile everything atop a bed of greens. View Recipe 14 of 41 Split-Pea Soup With Spinach and Barley Kate Mathis Hearty and comforting, this creamy green soup is also meat-free (unlike many diner versions which include ham). It gets plenty of flavor from leeks, carrots, split peas, and baby spinach. View Recipe 15 of 41 Classic Burger-Joint Cheeseburger Armando Rafael This cheeseburger reaches new heights when you add in all the fixings—melty American cheese, juicy tomatoes, dill pickle slices, and shredded iceberg lettuce. View Recipe 16 of 41 Jelly Donuts Will Anderson Here's a soft pillowy dough with fruit jam that oozes out of the center and down your chin. These jelly donuts are even better than you remembered. View Recipe 17 of 41 Sweet Potato-Parmesan Fries Linda Pugliese Sweet potatoes have plenty of flavor on their own, but the addition of sharp, salty Parmesan cheese makes them to die for. They're like your favorite diner's version—with a hint of something extra-special. View Recipe 18 of 41 Test Kitchen's Favorite Chicken Soup Armando Rafael Whether you're feeling under the weather or just craving something low-key and cozy, chicken noodle soup always hits the spot. Our recipe utilizes a whole chicken, which has more flavor than using just one cut—and is more economical, too. View Recipe 19 of 41 Baklava With Lemon-Honey Syrup Mikkel Vang Three kinds of nuts—almonds, pistachios, and walnuts—are packed between flaky phyllo dough glazed with lemon honey for a sweet diner dessert. View Recipe 20 of 41 Caesar Salad Caesar salad is all about the dressing—ours contains oil-packed anchovy fillets, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and egg yolk. Don't forget the Parmesan cheese—an entire cup of it is used to garnish the salad. View Recipe 21 of 41 Morning Glory Muffins Yuki Sugiura Start your morning with these muffins and you know it will be a good day. They're super moist and get plenty of texture from grated carrots, grated Granny Smith apple, unsweetened shredded coconut, golden raisins, and pepitas. View Recipe 22 of 41 Greek Salad Every great American diner has a great Greek salad on its menu. Our recipe combines romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, and pitted Kalamata olives. The ingredients are tossed with a simple oil and vinegar dressing—and the result is spectacular. View Recipe 23 of 41 Martha's Favorite Onion Rings NGOC MINH NGO A favorite diner side is onion rings. Our recipe calls for them to be dipped in beer batter, which keeps the coating airy, crunchy, and never greasy. View Recipe 24 of 41 Martha's Banana Cream Pie Bryan Gardner The star of the rotating dessert case, banana cream pie takes center stage at every diner. The cool, creamy filling featuring ripe banana slices compliments our Perfect Graham Cracker Crust and the whipped cream topping. View Recipe 25 of 41 Reuben Bryan Gardner Every ingredient in this sandwich brings something flavorful to the mix. Thinly sliced corned beef is layered with sauerkraut, sliced Swiss cheese, and a potent Russian dressing. View Recipe 26 of 41 Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad There's a little bit of everything in this classic salad and that's what makes it so delicious; grilled chicken, diced avocado, crumbled feta, bacon, and chopped plum tomatoes. View Recipe 27 of 41 Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes The secret ingredient in these simple pancakes? Light brown sugar—it adds a caramel-molasses flavor that brings these berry-packed pancakes to the next level. View Recipe 28 of 41 Milk-Chocolate Pudding Pie Kate Mathis Using vanilla wafer cookies instead of the usual graham cracker in this pie crust is pure genius. And the rich chocolate filling topped with pillowy whipped cream is irresistible. View Recipe 29 of 41 Perfect Fried Eggs Keep things simple at breakfast with our go-to recipe for fried eggs. Will you enjoy them with white or wheat toast, hash browns or home fries, and coffee or tea? View Recipe 30 of 41 Spanakopita Bryan Gardner Greek diners have plenty of American staples but one thing we always look for is their spinach-and-phyllo pie. Try your hand at making it at home—our recipes serves 12, so it's perfect for when you're making brunch for a crowd. View Recipe 31 of 41 Classic New York-Style Cheesecake Bryan Gardner Even if you can't do dinner at a diner in the Big Apple, you can certainly enjoy its MVP at home. A rich combination of cream cheese, sour cream, and five eggs are the base of this delectable dessert. View Recipe 32 of 41 Chicken-Salad Club Roll Chris Simpson Upgrade a basic chicken salad sandwich by serving it with avocado, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and Little Gem lettuce. The inclusion of fresh tarragon puts this creamy staple in a league of its own. View Recipe 33 of 41 Mozzarella Sticks Bryan Gardner Do a diner dinner right by starting the meal with mozzarella sticks. You'll be amazed at just how easy they are to make from scratch—don't forget the marinara sauce for dipping! View Recipe 34 of 41 Test Kitchen's Favorite All-Beef Meatloaf Lennart Weibull We say this moist, flavorful meatloaf is better than any you've had at a diner. Our secret is cooking it on a baking sheet—rather than in a loaf pan—so that each side gets crispy. View Recipe 35 of 41 Home Fries Is it really a diner breakfast without home fries? Start by boiling small Yukon gold potatoes until they're fork tender, then sauté bacon until crisp and brown. Add some peppers and onions and season accordingly. View Recipe 36 of 41 Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich This simple sandwich is worth more than the sum of its parts. Enjoy it all on its own or with a cup of tomato soup. View Recipe 37 of 41 Salisbury Steak With Onion Gravy Here's a comforting dinner everyone will love. Caramelized onions in the gravy give the dish an extra boost of rich flavor. View Recipe 38 of 41 Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Rachel Marek The American classic is always in style, any time of year, for any occasion. Don't forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream! View Recipe 39 of 41 Martha's Lemon Meringue Pie We're not sure which part of this traditional pie we love most: the tart and lemony filling, or the piles of soft meringue. Thankfully, we don't have to choose! View Recipe 40 of 41 Emeril's Kicked-Up Tuna Melts Red onion and capers give the tuna in these open-faced sandwiches a kick, and tomatoes and provolone finish them off to a beautiful (and delicious) effect. View Recipe 41 of 41 Test Kitchen's Favorite Mac and Cheese Armando Rafael It doesn't get much more comforting than tender elbow macaroni cloaked in a rich and creamy sauce. A combo of American, cheddar, and Parmesan give the dish plenty of nuance. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit