Food & Cooking 40 Classic Diner Food Recipes You Can Recreate at Home Bring the diner experience to your kitchen with our collection of diner food recipes. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 21, 2023 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 options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can whip up diner-style pancakes, a club sandwich, or even a meatloaf special with these recipes. Make the Greek salad that is your favorite diner lunch, or enjoy a comforting bowl of soup. If your local diner doubles as a bakery with donuts and pies that are hard to resist, try our recipes for these sweet treats. And if your diner fix is a burger and a milkshake? We've got you covered too. 01 of 40 Turkey Club Sandwich David Malosh A club sandwich should be a carefully balanced creation, like this triple decker. Sliced turkey, smoky bacon, Gouda cheese, and beefsteak tomatoes come together to make a lunch packed with flavor and texture. Don't forget the pickles and potato chips when you serve this iconic sandwich diner-style. View Recipe 02 of 40 Strawberry Milkshake The milkshake is a diner classic that's as easy to whip up at home as it is to enjoy at the counter. Get out the blender and make strawberry milkshakes with frozen berries, strawberry ice cream, and milk. View Recipe 03 of 40 Breakfast Hash Hash is a dish you order at the diner but think is too hard to make at home. Wrong! Our breakfast hash takes 40 minutes and will set you up for the day. It's made with russet potatoes, onions, bell peppers, sausage (we use dried chorizo), and eggs. Toast on the side is not optional—it's essential for that diner feel. View Recipe 04 of 40 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 05 of 40 Test Kitchen's Favorite Buttermilk Pancakes Armando Rafael How do you get fluffy, golden brown pancakes that rival those 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 06 of 40 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 07 of 40 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 08 of 40 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 09 of 40 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, dinner, or enjoy it late night, it's sure to be a hit. View Recipe 10 of 40 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—brighten the batter for these favorite muffins, while poppy seeds add some texture. View Recipe 11 of 40 Slow Scrambled Eggs Johnny Fogg This recipe makes scrambled eggs for a crowd and keeps them creamy and moist throughout. The trick is using plenty of butter, low heat, and stirring frequently to prevent them from drying out. View Recipe 12 of 40 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 a berries-and-cream. View Recipe 13 of 40 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 to get super crispy, just the way you like it. View Recipe 14 of 40 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 be able to absorb the rich custard without getting soggy. View Recipe 15 of 40 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 16 of 40 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 into hot dog buns. View Recipe 17 of 40 Perfect BLT Sandwich David M. Russell The best thing about diner food is that it's not too fussy and always delicious. Since there aren't too many ingredients in a BLT make sure that each one is good quality so the flavors shine. View Recipe 18 of 40 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 19 of 40 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 20 of 40 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 21 of 40 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 22 of 40 Chicken Noodle 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 23 of 40 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 24 of 40 Perfect Caesar Salad Lennart Weibull Caesar salad is all about the dressing—ours contains oil-packed anchovy fillets, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and an egg yolk. Don't forget the Parmesan cheese—an entire cup of it is used to garnish the salad. View Recipe 25 of 40 Crab-and-Avocado Eggs Benedict Stephen Kent Johnson Dress up eggs Benedict with jumbo lump crabmeat and avocado slices. It's inspired by a fancy diner menu offering—who would say no to that? View Recipe 26 of 40 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 27 of 40 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 28 of 40 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 29 of 40 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 30 of 40 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 31 of 40 Easy Cobb Salad Con Poulos There's a little bit of everything in this classic salad and that's what makes its so delicious; roasted chicken breasts, hard-boiled eggs, diced avocado, crumbled blue cheese, and chopped plum tomatoes. View Recipe 32 of 40 Simple Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes The secret ingredient in these simple pancakes? Light brown sugar—it adds a caramelly molasses flavor that brings these berry-packed pancakes to the next level. View Recipe 33 of 40 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 absolutely irresistible. View Recipe 34 of 40 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 35 of 40 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 36 of 40 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 37 of 40 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 38 of 40 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 39 of 40 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 40 of 40 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 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit