9 Easy Hotel Meals with No-Cook Options

When you’re staying at a hotel for longer than a few days, eating out every night can really start to wear on your budget. That’s when knowing how to make healthy meals in your hotel room comes in handy.

In this post, we’ll walk through simple, satisfying hotel room recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

If you have access to a full kitchen, like those in Extended Stay America suites, you can try the recipes that require a stovetop. We’ve also included microwave-friendly recipes, along with no-cook meals you can make right from your hotel room.

Key Takeaways

• Eating out every night during a longer hotel stay can add up quickly, making in-room meals a practical way to save money. 
• This post covers nine hotel meal ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner that you can make in a full kitchen or kitchenette.
• Stovetop recipes, like eggs in a basket and quesadillas, work well if your suite includes a full kitchen. 
• Microwave-only recipes, such as a veggie scramble and a power bowl, offer quick options with minimal equipment. 
• No-cook meals, including overnight oats and Mediterranean wraps, require no cooking appliances at all. 
• Each recipe is designed to be nutritious, simple and easy to clean up in a hotel room setting. 
• Extended Stay America suites include a kitchen area in every room, making it easier to prepare meals throughout your stay.

Breakfasts You Can Make in Your Hotel Room

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, when you’re away from home, it may be tempting to skip it or settle for a less nutritious option because you do not have access to fresh ingredients or a full kitchen. 

While they may not taste exactly like a home-cooked breakfast, there are meals you can make in your hotel room that are delicious, convenient and nutritious. 

Try the hotel room breakfast recipes below to start your day on the right foot.

Eggs in a Basket

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Bread
• Butter
• Seasoning of choice

Tools and appliances:

• Stove
• Small frying pan 
• Spatula 
• Knife

Directions: 

1. Cut a circular hole in the slice of bread, about two to three inches in diameter.
2. Butter both sides of the bread and the circle you cut out. 
3. Place the bread with the hole in a pan over medium-to-low heat. 
4. Crack an egg directly into the hole in the bread (try not to break the yolk). 
5. Cook until the bottom of the bread is golden and the egg starts to set, then flip carefully. 
6. Cook the other side until the white is fully set and the bread is toasted to your liking. 
7. Season and serve. The cut-out round of bread can be toasted on the side and used for dipping in the yolk.

Microwaved Veggie Scramble

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Milk (optional)
• Salt
• Chopped vegetables (such as bell pepper, onion, spinach or tomato)
• Shredded cheese (optional)
• Seasoning of choice

Tools and appliances:

• Microwave
• Microwave-safe mug or bowl
• Fork
• Paper towel
• Knife

Directions:

1. Chop your vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces so they cook quickly and evenly.
2. Crack two eggs into a microwave-safe mug or bowl.
3. Add a splash of milk (if desired) and whisk with a fork until blended.
4. Stir in the chopped vegetables.
5. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then remove and stir.
6. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until the eggs are just set but not dry (about one to one and a half minutes total).
7. If using cheese, sprinkle it in during the last interval so it melts into the eggs.
8. Season and let sit for one minute, covered loosely with a paper towel, before serving.

No-Cook Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

• Oats (old-fashioned or quick oats)
• Milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• Honey or maple syrup (optional)
• Fresh or dried fruit (such as berries, banana or raisins)
• Cinnamon (optional)

Tools and appliances:

• Jar or container with a lid
• Spoon
• Refrigerator

Directions:

1. Add equal parts oats and milk to a jar or container. 
2. Add honey or maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon if desired and stir to combine.
3. Stir in fruit.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least four hours.
5. Stir before serving and add a splash more of milk if the oats are thicker than you'd like.

Lunches You Can Make in Your Hotel Room

If you’re away from home, it can be tempting to eat out for lunch daily. Why spend the time and effort making something in your hotel room when you can just drive through a fast-food restaurant or pick up a pre-made salad from a café? 

While those options can be convenient, they could also become unsustainable in the long run for your health and your budget. 

That’s why we’re providing three easy lunch recipes you can make in your hotel room that’ll help you save some cash, while still providing a nutritious and filling mid-day meal. 

Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• Tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Vegetable oil or butter
• Pre-cooked chicken (optional)
• Vegetables like spinach, onion, bell peppers or tomatoes (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)
• Salsa or hot sauce (optional)

Tools and appliances:

• Frying pan 
• Spatula 
• Knife 

Directions:

1. Prepare the pan by spraying or coating with a thin layer of vegetable oil or butter to keep the tortillas from sticking.
2. Put the pan on the stove over medium heat. 
3. Place a tortilla flat in the center of the pan. 
4. Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded cheese all over the tortilla. 
5. Put desired additional ingredients like pre-cooked chicken and vegetables on one half of the tortilla.
6. Fold half of the tortilla on top of the side with all the ingredients, so it’s a half-circle shape.
7. Cook until the bottom side of the tortilla is cooked to your liking and the cheese starts to melt, then flip the quesadilla to the other side and cook to your liking again. 
8. Remove the quesadilla from the heat, cut into pieces and serve with sour cream, salsa or hot sauce. 

Microwave Power Bowl

Ingredients:

• Microwaveable pre-cooked rice pouch 
• Mixed vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots and snap peas
• Canned beans and/or pre-cooked chicken 
• Soy sauce 
• Lime (optional)
• Salt and black pepper

Tools and appliances:

• Large microwave-safe bowl
• Microwave-safe plate or lid for bowl
• Fork or spoon
• Microwave

Directions:

1. Microwave the rice pouch according to the package instructions, usually around 90 seconds.
2. While the rice cooks, chop any fresh vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces.
3. Remove rice from the microwave. 
4. Place the vegetables in a large microwave-safe bowl with a splash of water. Cover the bowl with a wet paper towel or vented lid to allow steam to escape, and microwave on high for two to three minutes for fresh vegetables, or three to four minutes for frozen, until tender.
5. Carefully remove the cover, drain any excess water and transfer the rice into the bowl with the vegetables.
6. Microwave beans and/or chicken and stir into rice and veggie bowl. 
7. Finish with a splash of soy sauce and/or lime for flavor.
8. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

No-Cook B.L.T.A.

Ingredients:

• Bread of your choice 
• Beefsteak tomato
• Arugula or iceberg lettuce
• Pre-cooked bacon (fully cooked, ready-to-eat variety)
• Avocado
• Mayonnaise (optional)
• Everything bagel seasoning (optional)

Tools and appliances:

• Knife
• Cutting board or plate
• Fork or spoon

Directions: 

1. Wash your tomato and arugula/lettuce, then slice the tomato. 
2. Halve the avocado, remove the pit and mash the flesh with a fork, seasoning lightly with salt if desired. 
3. Take your bread and spread the mashed avocado on one side, then spread mayonnaise on the other side. 
4. Sprinkle everything bagel seasoning over the avocado layer if desired. 
5. Layer the tomato, arugula and bacon evenly on the bread, then close the sandwich with the final piece of bread.

Dinners You Can Make in Your Hotel Room

When you’re staying at a hotel for an extended stay, it can be very easy to fall into a routine of ordering takeout or eating out at the end of the day. There’s nothing wrong with that, but those delivery fees and sit-down meals can really add up. 

Give these easy hotel meal ideas a try the next time you need to make a dinner plan. 

Lemon-Sauteed Shrimp with Rice and Greens

Ingredients:

• Shrimp
• Lemon
• Microwaveable rice pouch (brown rice or a rice and quinoa blend)
• Baby spinach or asparagus
• Vegetable oil
• Garlic (optional)
• Salt and black pepper

Tools and appliances:

• Stove
• Skillet
• Spatula
• Knife
• Microwave
• Meat thermometer

Directions:

1. If shrimp is frozen, thaw completely before cooking.
2. Pat the shrimp dry and add to a skillet coated lightly with oil over medium heat.
3. Add minced garlic if using, along with a squeeze of lemon. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook the shrimp for about two minutes per side, flipping halfway, until opaque and use a meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked thoroughly.
5. While the shrimp cooks, microwave the rice pouch according to the package instructions, usually around 90 seconds.
6. Add spinach or asparagus to the skillet during the last minute of cooking, stirring until the spinach wilts or the asparagus turns bright green and tender.
7. Serve the rice on a plate and top with the shrimp and greens. Squeeze additional lemon over the top to taste.

Microwave Chili and Cornbread

Ingredients:

• Canned chili 
• Shredded cheese (optional)
• Cornbread mix (single-serve or muffin mix requiring only water, oil and egg)
• Water, oil and egg (as required by cornbread mix)

Tools and appliances:

• Microwave-safe bowl
• Microwave-safe mug or small container
• Spoon or fork
• Measuring cup
• Mixing bowl
• Can opener

Directions:

1. Pour the canned chili into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave on high for two minutes, then stir.
3. Continue microwaving in one-minute intervals, stirring after each, until heated through (about three to four minutes total).
4. While the chili heats, combine the cornbread mix with the required water, oil and egg in a mixing bowl, stirring until smooth.
5. Pour cornbread mix into a microwave-safe mug.
6. Microwave the cornbread mixture on high for 90 seconds to two minutes, checking at the 90-second mark. It is done when it springs back lightly at the center and no longer looks wet on top.
7. Let the cornbread cool for a minute, then remove from the mug.
8. Top the chili with shredded cheese if desired and serve alongside the cornbread.

No-Cook Mediterranean Wraps

Ingredients:

• Tortilla or flatbread
• Hummus
• Canned chickpeas, drained
• Cucumber
• Cherry tomatoes
• Feta cheese
• Fresh spinach or lettuce
• Kalamata olives (optional)

Tools and appliances:

• Knife
• Cutting board or plate
• Fork or spoon
• Can opener

Directions:

1. Wash and slice the cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
2. Spread a layer of hummus evenly over the tortilla or flatbread.
3. Scatter the chickpeas over the hummus, lightly mashing a few with a fork if desired.
4. Layer the cucumber, tomatoes, feta and olives on top, then finish with a layer of spinach or lettuce.
5. Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll it tightly into a wrap.
6. Slice in half and serve.

Make Meals that Feel Like Home at Extended Stay America

Eating well during a longer stay does not have to equal takeout every night or a complicated setup. A stovetop helps, but even just a microwave and minifridge can turn a hotel room into a place where home-cooked meals are possible.

At Extended Stay America, hotel suites are designed to make this easier, with a kitchen area in every room to help you enjoy easy hotel meals on your own schedule. 

Ready to settle in and start cooking? Book your stay with Extended Stay America today.