Last Updated on February 25, 2022
Have you ever felt like cooking a romantic dinner at home instead of going out, but you’re not sure what to make? Then this roundup of romantic dinner ideas for two at home is for you. The recipes in this list range from adventurous to simple.
You could impress your date with lemon turmeric grilled flank steak or serve up an easy roasted whole chicken. All from your home kitchen. It’s up to you!
All of these recipes are great for cooking together at home and guarantee a great time spent in the kitchen. We’ve included a mix of proteins, cuisine, and ingredients with these romantic dinner recipes. Plus, with a little prep done ahead of time, nearly all of the recipes take an hour or less to cook.
Romantic Dinner Recipes for Cooking at Home with Someone Special
Whether you’re planning an anniversary dinner, a first date, or any special occasion dinner at home, these recipes are perfect for staying in instead of going out. After all, a romantic meal is sometimes best spent in the kitchen, away from the crowds, working together with your date to create a dish that’s been planned, prepared, and served up all by yourself.
Seafood Recipes for a Romantic Dinner for Two
This sheet pan salmon is easy when it comes to prepping, cooking, and cleaning up. What’s not to love?
1. Sheet Pan Salmon with Broccolini and Sweet Potatoes
Salmon is a go-to choice for a romantic dinner. This recipe especially has a restaurant-quality presentation. But the sheet pan method keeps the cooking easy and the clean-up quick. The pops of colors from the vegetables and spritz of fresh lemon juice make this a bright and healthy dinner for two.
9 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
2. Seared Scallop with Coconut Cream Sauce
A flavorful twist on a classic seafood staple, this seared scallop recipe is a great excuse to cook at home instead of going out for a date. Using fresh herbs, ginger, and coconut cream, this recipe is the main course to try for a special dinner for two.
10 Ingredients
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Whole30
3. Green Curry Lobster Stew
Looking to spice it up a little? You may want to try this curry variation of a traditional lobster stew. Using cold cracked lobster, this recipe elevates the at-home dinner date. Plus, this particular romantic dinner recipe will challenge your taste buds with bold flavors and optional chili oil heat.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 10 Minutes
4. Simple Lobster and Tomato Pasta
To sum up this recipe, it’s simple but luxurious. This pasta dish has a total cook time of 25 minutes. Plus, with fresh tomatoes, white wine, and cold cracked lobster, you cannot go wrong. This meal comes together quickly for a romantic dinner with someone special.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Try this ambitious but delicious lobster tail recipe at home for your next special dinner at home.
5. Caribbean Grilled Lobster Tails with Rum BBQ Sauce
This may not seem like your average romantic date night meal in the winter months. But this recipe is a great way to transport you and someone special to warmer temperatures with tropical vibes. This recipe is also great to cook together for a special occasion—one person can prep the rich BBQ rum sauce while the other person grills the lobster tails.
17 Ingredients
6. Brown Butter and Limoncello Lobster Tail Pasta
You can never go wrong with brown butter. Ever! This creamy pasta with grated parmesan cheese is perfect for a cozy night at home. Plus, the limoncello is an optional addition to an Italian-inspired feast. This recipe is a unique alternative for the at-home cooks that are familiar with cooking pasta favorites like simple shrimp scampi or fettuccine alfredo.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 15 Minutes
7. One-Pan Cod with Tomatoes and Corn
This one-pan wonder is easy-to-make, herby, and delicious. This recipe calls for fresh veggies and tarragon, which gives this main course a bright but bold flavor. It’s a fresh take on a classic dish, and it can be perfectly portioned for dinner for two.
8 Ingredients
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
8. Seared Scallops with Bacon Lemon Cream Sauce
Bacon and scallops, what’s not to love? This recipe is one dish that’s easy to make and comes together quickly with two cooks in the kitchen. The lemon juice in the cream sauce adds a light citrus flavor to the dish.
7 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Sablefish has a naturally rich, buttery flavor that works well with this recipe that adds white wine, lemon, and (you guessed it) a butter sauce!
9. Seared Sablefish with Wine and Lemon
You may not be familiar with sablefish, but this recipe will convince you to start cooking it regularly. A type of black cod, this fish is buttery and perfect for a romantic meal. Serve with asparagus and wild rice for side dishes.
9 Ingredients
Total Time: 10 Minutes
10. Easy Cioppino with Lobster, Cod, and Scallops
This recipe has the seafood wow factor for your next romantic dinner for two at home. Combining lobster tails, cod, and scallops with a punchy tomato sauce and fresh herbs, this is not your average lobster stew. Enjoy over noodles or by itself as a main dish.
14 Ingredients
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Bison and Lamb Recipes for a Romantic Dinner for Two
11. Bison-Stuffed Squash with Hot Honey Glaze
This is a hearty but healthy dish that’s perfect for Valentine’s day dinner with someone special. Using ground bison meat and a cornucopia of chopped fruits, herbs, veggies, and spices, this recipe is the main course and side dish all in one.
19 Ingredients
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Lamb rack is the ultimate romantic meat choice when it comes to impressing your guest with your cooking chops.
12. Mint and Garlic Crusted Lamb Rack with Pan Sauce
Lamb rack is easier than you think. It’s a special cut, that’s full of flavor and great for a romantic dinner. This recipe calls for a fortified red wine for creating the pan sauce demi-glace. Fancy but easy to accomplish with step-by-step instructions, this recipe is perfect for spending an evening in the kitchen with someone special. Pairs nicely with mashed potatoes, butternut squash, or roasted potatoes as a side dish.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 45 Minutes
13. Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Lamb with Mint Pesto
This is another lamb idea for you to consider for your romantic meal. This time, it’s a boneless leg of lamb and has a different herbal punch. Served with mint pesto, this recipe is an overall simple dish for a special occasion.
13 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour
Beef Recipes for a Romantic Dinner for Two at Home
14. Pan-Seared Ribeye with Potatoes and Mushrooms
This is our take on a meat and potatoes classic combination. Except we know you can never go wrong with the addition of herbs, butter, and mushrooms. Serving up a perfectly-cooked ribeye steak is a winning, romantic dinner idea for two at home.
10 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Whole30
15. Harvest Steak Salad with Chili Roasted Squash
Keeping it fresh, this recipe adds a flat iron steak topping to our take on a harvest salad. This salad with roasted squash, radishes, cucumber, and blue cheese is a decadent but healthy option for a romantic date night at home.
19 Ingredients
Total Time: 50 Minutes
16. Burst Cherry Tomato Bolognese
Nothing says ‘amore’ like a classic Bolognese pasta dish. This one uses burst cherry tomatoes and ground beef for a romantic dinner. Plus, it’s a great dairy-free pasta recipe for a romantic dinner for two at home.
13 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour
Diet: Dairy-Free
17. Spiced Ground Beef Kofta
If you want to step outside your comfort zone for your next dinner date, try this traditional blend of Syrian and Lebanese cuisines. Kofta is a delicious meal using ground beef and an array of spices. The result is a skewered meat dish that is outstanding.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 20 Minutes
There’s something flavorfully familiar about this filet recipe that’s sure to please your dinner date!
16. French Onion Filet Mignon
Using the french onion flavor you’ll probably recognize, this recipe is decadent and delicious. It’s a perfect romantic dinner idea for two and pairs nicely with nearly any side dish of your choice.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 40 Minutes
17. Braised Brisket Burnt Ends
Brisket stands out as one of the best southern-style BBQ meats. But this recipe uses a crockpot cooking method to create an easy-to-cook version of the traditional favorite.
4 Ingredients
Total Time: 5 Hours
18. Sweet and Sour Pulled Beef
If you’ve never had pulled beef, this recipe uses chuck roast and can be served on lettuce wraps, salads, rice, or any base meal you and your dinner date would like!
15 Ingredients
Total Time: 3 Hours
19. Chili-Rubbed Tri-Tip with Mango-Jalapeno Salsa
Spice rub to the rescue. This tri-tip recipe uses a dry rub roast and a spicy and sweet salsa to pack a powerful punch when it comes to flavor.
18 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free, Keto
20. Cast-Iron Coulotte with Chimichurri Sauce
A coulotte is a cut of meat you may not have cooked before now. The top sirloin cap is known for its tenderness and flavor. And for a romantic dinner idea for two, the meat in this dish can be served with an Argentinian chimichurri sauce on the side.
9 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free, Keto
There’s something fancy and festive about the way this ribeye roast dish can be plated and served for a romantic dinner at home.
21. Garlic and Herb Crusted Ribeye Roast with Horseradish Cream and Bacon Shallot Marmalade
This is just about as fancy and festive as it gets for a romantic dinner for two at home. Put on your aprons and enjoy the journey in the kitchen to make this zesty, savory, and flavorful meal.
16 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
22. Eggplant Sloppy Joes
An alternative take on a traditional dinner, eggplant adds an element of surprise to sloppy Joes. If you’re under the impression that sloppy Joes is not a romantic dinner idea, then this recipe will change your mind. It’s a great way to share a simple but still romantic dinner at home.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 40 Minutes
23. Lemon Turmeric Marinated Flank Steak with Lentil and Beet Salad
Turmeric vinaigrette marinated flank steak…what’s not to love? With a little prep the night before, this meal is a guaranteed “win” when it comes to romantic dinners at home for two.
9 Ingredients
Total Time: 4 Hours 30 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
24. Grilled Sirloin Tips with Coffee-Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Coffee and bourbon BBQ? Yes, please. This beef recipe uses blackstrap molasses to enrich the flavors of the sauce marinade. Sirloin tips never tasted so good.
14 Ingredients
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
This chili manchego meatloaf is spicy, cheesy, and easy.
25. Chili Manchego Meatloaf
A spicy, cheesy version of a dinner classic. Just like the eggplant sloppy joes, this is a great romantic dinner idea for two people looking to make something approachable but unique for their at-home date night meal.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Chicken Recipes for Romantic Cooking at Home for Two
26. Sticky Garlic and Soy Chicken Wings
Who said chicken wings weren’t romantic? While you may be used to eating wings for specific occasions, you can challenge your thinking with the help of this recipe. This is an elevated chicken wing recipe that goes beyond game-day and is a casual yet romantic dinner idea for two at home. Make these as an appetizer or a main course.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
27. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Turmeric and Garlic-Yogurt Sauce
This recipe is easy and quick to make, especially if you’re not interested in spending your entire evening in the kitchen—and you don’t have to sacrifice on flavor. The addition of turmeric and the garlic-yogurt sauce make this is a dish that’s full of flavor and looks great on a plate for a romantic dinner.
14 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Diet: Gluten Free
28. Pan-Fried Mole Chicken Thighs
If you’ve never tried making mole at home, a romantic dinner date is a great time to roll up your sleeves and be adventurous. With deep cultural roots in Mexican cuisine, this dish has a rich history and a flavor unlike any other. Learn more about mole before tackling this recipe.
14 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
If you’ve never tried roasting a whole chicken, now’s your chance. This recipe is simple and straightforward with a rewardingly tasty result awaiting you and your dinner guest.
29. Easy Roasted Whole Chicken
This is your go-with-anything meat. And cooking a whole chicken is not as daunting as it may seem. There’s nothing more satisfying than carving a whole chicken, and it’s a great way to step out of your comfort zone and impress your dinner date.
5 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Paleo, Whole30
30. Lemon Basil Chicken Thighs with Jeweled Quinoa and Pesto
The quinoa and pesto take this dish to a new level, making it perfect for an at-home dinner date. This recipe is both full of flavor and gluten-free!
18 Ingredients
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free
This lemon pepper chicken recipe with brown sage butter is an explosion of all the right flavors.
31. Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast with Brown Sage Butter
The brown sage butter for this recipe will make your taste buds tingle while filling your kitchen with the best aroma. For a romantic dinner idea for two at home, this recipe hits the mark.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free, Keto
32. Smoky Citrus Grilled Chicken Thighs
The smoky, citrusy flavors in this dish are what sets this recipe apart from other grilled chicken thigh dishes. The hickory wood chips used on the grill and citrus marinade on the chicken are a winning combination for a romantic dinner date.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Paleo, Whole30
33. Lemon Tarragon Chicken
This is a chicken recipe that checks all the boxes. It’s a bright, herby chopped chicken that’s great on top of a salad. Spend less time in the kitchen with this one while keeping the meal fresh, light, and Whole30-friendly.
7 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Paleo, Whole30
This gluten-free chicken and waffles recipe takes a restaurant-style meal and tailors it perfectly for at-home enjoyment.
34. GF Chicken n’ Waffles
Chicken n’ waffles don’t have to be a restaurant-only request. This recipe uses buttermilk for the most delicious chicken and waffles you can make at home. Plus this romantic dinner idea for two is both gluten-free and exploding with flavor!
21 Ingredients
Total Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free
35. Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast
The cheese alone used in this dish makes it dinner date-worthy. Goat cheese, ricotta cheese, bacon, and asparagus work together in this chicken dish to create a flavorful, romantic dinner idea for two at home.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 50 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free, Keto
Pork Recipes & Romantic Dinner Ideas for Two at Home
36. Cider-Glazed Ancho Chili-Rubbed Ribs
Sweet and smoky, these ribs are great for a home cooking dinner date. The way the apple cider vinegar, ancho chile powder, and maple syrup meld together is both aromatic and delicious. With little prep and a slow cook time, they’re packed full of flavor while being a relatively low-effort main course.
13 Ingredients
Total Time: 3 Hours 26 Minutes
Add this dessert to your at-home dinner menu for a decadent chocolate and bacon treat.
37. Bacon-Chocolate Mini-Cupcakes
If you need a dessert to add to your menu, try these bacon and chocolate cupcakes. As a bonus, this recipe lets you use your favorite stout beer to enrich the flavor. The result is decadent (insert chef’s kiss)!
13 Ingredients
Total Time: 3 Hours 26 Minutes
38. Herby Pork Chops with Fennel and Radish Slaw
Root veggies and herbs. Sound like you? This is a recipe full of flavor and balance. It’s a great one to tackle with two cooks in the kitchen, and it comes together quickly for a romantic dinner idea for two.
12 Ingredients
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free, Keto
39. Honey Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Minimal ingredients, maximum flavor. This pork tenderloin is the perfect romantic dinner idea for two at home. Just add a side of veggies or a light salad, and voila!
4 Ingredients
Total Time: 55 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Ready in less than an hour with less than five ingredients, this Italian sausage, and roasted tomato pasta dish is a no-brainer for an at-home dinner date.
40. Italian Sausage and Roasted Tomato Pasta
This is our take on the viral TikTok pasta using a block of goat cheese. Adapted for using Italian sausage, it’s decadent and simple to make.
4 Ingredients
Total Time: 55 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free
41. Baked Stuffed Pork Chops
These stuffed pork chops are a romantic dinner date delight. Stuffed with apple, sage, onion, the pork chops are enhanced with a medley of flavors. It’s the perfect savory and sweet combination for any occasion, any time of year.
10 Ingredients
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
42. Candied Bacon
Want to add a little something special to your meal? Try a side or garnish of crispy, candied bacon. With a kick of cayenne pepper, this bacon is the ideal blend of spicy and sweet you’re looking for.
6 Ingredients
Total Time: 26 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
A dutch oven version of pork sirloin, this dish is juicy, flavorful, and delicious.
43. Pork Sirloin with Coconut Milk and Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is a great Whole30 romantic dinner idea for two at home that is full of flavor. Cook everything together in a Dutch oven for the juiciest meat and most delicious meal.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 2 Hours 35 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Whole30
This fresh frisee salad with a sweet and savory warm bacon honey vinaigrette is a great addition to any romantic meal.
44. Shaved Asparagus and Frisee Salad with a Warm Bacon Honey Vinaigrette
A frisee salad can go with any meal. This one has a delicious honey-infused vinaigrette that takes it to the next level for an at-home romantic dinner date. Plus, it can be easily prepped and portioned for two people.
9 Ingredients
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Whole30
45. Fennel and Tomato Italian Pork Shoulder
Need a romantic dinner idea that’s going to please your guest and be Keto? This is it. This recipe tackles the ambitious-sounding pork shoulder. But it’s a slow cooker version that’s easier than it sounds and more delicious than you can imagine.
11 Ingredients
Total Time: 5 Hours 10 Minutes
Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Keto, Paleo, Whole30
46. Tapenade and Feta Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
This recipe has all the familiar tapenade ingredients and flavors stuffed into a delicious pork tenderloin. The result is a deliciously briny and cheesy pork tenderloin with a breadcrumb topping. It’s sure to please!
10 Ingredients
Total Time: 30 Minutes
A lean cut of boneless pork makes this parmesan pork chop with cherry tomato vinaigrette a great main course for a romantic dinner.
46. Parmesan Pork Chops with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
A pork take on the traditional chicken parmesan, this is an outstanding choice for a romantic dinner. Better yet, it can be made paleo-friendly and served with whatever side you want: Pasta, cauliflower puree, you name it.
14 Ingredients
Total Time: 40 Minutes
48. Rosemary Brined Pork Chops with Cider Mustard Vinaigrette
Rosemary and shallots combine majestically in this recipe for a delicious, but easy-to-make pork chop for a romantic dinner for two at home.
25 Ingredients
Total Time: 8 Hours 30 Minutes
Diet: Gluten-Free
For more recipe lists and ideas for cooking at home, check out the JustCook blog!
