Fakeaway Recipes That Beat the Takeaway Menu

A proper burger night, minus the trip out and the greasy bag. Crispy sesame-crusted tofu patties sit in soft rolls with a creamy avocado spread, finished with a kick of sriracha and fresh coriander.

It takes about twenty five minutes start to finish, most of it hands-off while the patties crisp up, and it costs a fraction of what you would pay for a comparable burger from a takeaway menu. Add your usual toppings, a handful of fries on the side, and you have got a proper night-in feast. A squeeze of lime over the top wakes everything up.

Pizza night, sorted in about fifteen minutes flat and without waiting for a delivery driver. This skillet method gives you a properly crisp base, topped with tangy tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella and fresh basil.

It genuinely rivals a pizzeria order, and because it all happens in one pan on the hob, there is no need to preheat a whole oven for one pizza. Great for a solo treat or scaled up for a few of these side by side. A drizzle of chilli oil at the end never hurts.

Your favourite kebab-shop order, made properly at home. Succulent chicken tikka is wrapped in warm flatbreads with a cooling cucumber raita, balancing the aromatic spice of the chicken with something fresh and creamy.

It takes around thirty minutes and travels well if you want to wrap it up for lunch the next day, which is more than you can say for the takeaway version. It is also easy to make a batch of the chicken ahead of time and assemble the wraps as you need them through the week. A handful of pickled red onion is a great addition.

A fragrant, creamy curry that gives your local Thai takeaway a genuine run for its money. Tender chicken and soft potatoes simmer in coconut milk with warming Thai spices, finished with zesty lime and fresh coriander.

It is ready in around thirty minutes, most of which is spent simply letting it simmer, and it reheats brilliantly the next day if you want to make a bigger batch. Serve it over steamed jasmine rice for the full fakeaway effect, and keep some extra lime wedges on the side. A spoonful of fish sauce deepens the flavour if you have it.

A proper Asian-inspired stir-fry, ready faster than any delivery could manage. Tender chicken and crisp vegetables toss together with egg noodles in a zesty ginger-soy sauce, giving you protein, greens and carbs in one pan.

It takes about twenty minutes from start to finish, which makes it one of the quickest of these fakeaway recipes to pull together on a weeknight when you are hungry and impatient. It is also easy to swap in whatever vegetables you have knocking about in the fridge. A scattering of sesame seeds at the end adds a nice crunch.

Saving the takeaway classic for last: succulent duck breast glazed in a sweet, savoury sauce, served over tender egg noodles with crisp pak choi and onions. It is elegant enough for a treat night but simple enough to make on a regular Tuesday.

The duck skin crisps up beautifully in the pan, rendering its own fat as it cooks, so you get all the richness of a takeaway favourite without the extra oil. It takes around thirty five minutes, and there is something deeply satisfying about that glossy glaze catching the light in the bowl. Rest the duck for a few minutes before slicing.