12 Cruise Ship Recipes You Can Make at Home

Mains and Sides | Soups | Desserts

Since we can't enjoy the cruise life at the moment, we thought we'd bring a taste of the cruising experience (literally) to you. Lots of cruise lines are willing to share the recipes for favorite dishes onboard, and this is the perfect time to put your apron on and whip up something new in the kitchen. Enjoy this selection of cruise recipes, straight from the lines themselves.

Mains and Sides

Norwegian-Style Meatballs — Viking

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
½ lb ground pork
1 large egg
¾ cups panko
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
⅛ tsp allspice
½ cup milk
1 cup yellow onion, minced
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 tbsp butter, divided
¼ cup flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup red wine

Instructions:

• Combine beef, pork and egg in a large bowl; make a well in the center and add breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, ginger, allspice and milk; let stand 2 minutes.
• Add onion and parsley and mix together with your hands until completely incorporated; form into 1-inch balls.
• Place 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium high, and working in batches, brown meatballs on all sides until cooked through, about 8 minutes per batch.
• Transfer to a serving bowl; cover loosely to keep warm.
• Reduce heat to medium, place remaining butter in skillet, add flour and stir to form a thick paste.
• Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes; then whisk in broth and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat; simmer until thickened, about 7 minutes.
• Pour over meatballs, tossing to coat. Serve immediately.

Serves six.

Spaghetti Carbonara — Carnival Cruise Line

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. bacon
2 yellow onions
3/4 liter heavy cream (about 3 cups)
1 large egg
1/2 lb. grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
4 oz. butter

Optional Garnishes:

fried oregano
more grated parmesan
fried strips of pancetta

Instructions:

• Cut bacon into small pieces and dice onion finely. Heat a large pan over medium heat and render the fat from the bacon. Once it is crispy, remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium low and sauté onion in bacon grease without coloring until tender. In a large bowl, whisk egg with cream. Season with salt & pepper.
• While onion cooks, cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain and add hot pasta to pan with onions.
• Top with cream mixture, cooked bacon and butter and toss to completely coat pasta. (Might take a few minutes to get everything well coated.) Sauce should be very light.
• Garnish as desired with fried oregano, parmesan shaves & pancetta strips

Serves four. Dish served in Cucina del Capitano.

Avocado-Citrus Salad — Disney Cruise Line

Citrus Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 lime, juiced
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Avocado-Citrus Salad Ingredients:

4 navel oranges
3 ripe Hass avocados, halved and pitted
6 cups mixed baby lettuce

For the citrus dressing:

• Combine orange juice and lime juice in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in oil, salt and pepper, whisking vigorously until combined. If making in advance, re-whisk before serving.

For the avocado-citrus salad:

• Cut peel, including the white pith, from the oranges with a small knife. Cut segments free from membranes; set segments aside and discard membranes.
• Cut avocadoes into 3/4-inch-thick slices.
• Divide mixed greens among 4 salad bowls. Top with 5 avocado slices and 5 to 8 orange segments; drizzle lightly with dressing. Serve immediately.

Serves four. 
 

Potatoes Au Gratin — Norwegian Cruise Line

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs Potatoes, cut into cubes
5.3 cups Cream
2.1 tbsp Garlic chopped
3.5 oz. Garlic cloves whole
1 tsp Chives, chopped
7 tbsp Emmenthal cheese, grated
6 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
2.1 tbsp Butter, unsalted
Salt
Freshly Milled Black Pepper
Nutmeg

Instructions:

• Dice potatoes and steam off until cooked. Allow potatoes to cool at room temperature so they may dry out.
• Mix the cooled steam diced potatoes, grated Emmenthal Swiss cheese and toss with salt and pepper.
• Mix butter with some chopped garlic. Butter the gratin dishes with the butter garlic mix.
• Place potatoes into gratin dish and fill 3/4.
• Boil cream and garlic, then simmer until garlic is soft and mushy.
• Blend in mixer until smooth with the garlic and cream.
• Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and cover thoroughly.
• Bake in 350º F oven until potato cream mix is heated through.
• Top with Parmesan cheese, then continue baking until cheese has melted and cream has slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Serves ten. Dish served in Cagney's steakhouse.

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola and Walnut Sauce — MSC Cruises

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of potato gnocchi
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1 cup bechamel sauce
• To taste - spiced sweet paprika
• To taste - salt

Instructions:

• Cook the potato gnocchi in plenty of salted water, drain them, and toss them with the Gorgonzola sauce.
• Make sure not to bring the sauce to a boil. Keep the sauce warm, at a temperature no higher than 150°F.
• Melt the gorgonzola cheese in a bain-marie with hot béchamel sauce, stirring until you get a smooth creamy sauce. Dilute with a little heavy cream.
• Season to taste.

Serves approximately six.

Fettuccine Alfredo in Cheese Basket — Princess Cruises

Ingredients:

1 lb egg noodles
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

For Parmesan cheese baskets:

2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Fettuccine Alfredo Instructions:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Boil ¾ cup of the cream and remove from heat. Combine egg yolks with remaining ¼ cup cream to form a liaison. Add ¼ cup of the boiled cream to the liaison. Stir and then combine liaison with the rest of the cream. Add Parmesan cheese, adjust seasoning.
• If necessary, reheat pasta in boiling, salted water. Pour sauce over drained pasta.

Parmesan Cheese Basket Instructions:

• Place a non-stick omelet pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan evenly with approximately ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Cook until the color changes to golden.
• Flip the cheese over and cook until golden. Remove the cheese from the pan and place over a mold form or over the bottom of a bowl to create a dome shape. Let cool.

Soups

French Onion Soup — Oceania Cruises

Ingredients:

7 cups beef stock
3 tbsp unsalted butter 
9 cups thinly sliced onion (3 lbs)
3 thyme sprigs
2 marjoram sprigs
12 to 16 slices baguette, each 1/4 inch thick
Extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay
1/3 cup dry red wine such as Merlot
3 tbsp brandy
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 2 cups shredded Gruyère or Emmentaler cheese

Instructions:

• Pour the beef stock into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil and cook until the stock is reduced to 3 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside. 
• In a stockpot or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and a light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the onion is a rich brown, lowering the heat as necessary to prevent scorching, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place the thyme and marjoram sprigs on a small piece of cheesecloth and tie into a sachet. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
• Select 4 flameproof individual serving bowls. Using the bowls to judge how many slices you will need, lay enough baguette slices to cover the openings of all 4 bowls on a sheet pan. Lightly brush the baguette slices on both sides with olive oil. Place in the oven and heat, turning once, until dry, about 5 minutes on each side. Do not allow the bread to color. Set aside. 
• Add the white wine, red wine, and brandy to the browned onion, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the alcohol evaporates and the onion is glazed, about 5 minutes. Add the sachet, the reduced beef stock, and the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the broiler. Place the serving bowls on a small sheet pan. Ladle the soup into the bowls. Top with bread slices, and then top the bread slices with enough cheese to cover the bread completely and extend to the rims of the bowls, about 1/2 cup for each bowl. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and toasted.

Dish served in Jacques.

Dutch Split Pea Soup — Viking

Ingredients:

1 lb dried split peas
8 Cups low sodium chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
1 ham hock, about 1 lb
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1½ tsp pepper

Garnish:

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions:

• Clean and rinse peas; place in medium stockpot with chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat; then reduce to low and simmer 10 minutes.
• Add onion, hock, bay leaf, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook about 40 minutes until peas are soft and creamy, stirring often to prevent burning and adding water or additional broth if soup thickens too much.
• Remove ham hock; pull meat off, chop and add back to soup.
• To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with bacon.

Serving Suggestion:
Excellent with chilled beer and big chunks of crusty bread.

Serves eight. Dish served at Mamsen's.

Strawberry Soup — Royal Caribbean

Ingredients:

1 pint Fresh Raspberries (gently washed)
1 pint Fresh Strawberries (gently washed and trimmed)
2 cups sour cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup Ginger Ale
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons triple sec
2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
Fresh Mint leaves (for Garnish)

Instructions:

• Reserve 6 of the strawberries and 12 of the raspberries for garnish.
• In a blender or food processor combine the remaining berries and puree until smooth.
• Strain the mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, pushing through as much of the pulp as you can, leaving the seeds behind.
• Whisk the remaining ingredients, except the reserved berries and mint, into a puree. Cover and refrigerate until cold.
• To serve, divide the soup among chilled soup bowls and garnish with the reserved berries and mint leaves.

Desserts

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake — Carnival Cruise Line

Ingredients:

6 oz dark chocolate
6 oz butter
4 eggs
3 oz sugar
2 oz flour

Instructions:

• Melt the chocolate and butter (this could be done on the stove or in the microwave)
• Mix the eggs and sugar and whisk for a few minutes, add the flour. Add the egg mix to the melted chocolate and mix.
• Pour the mix in a greased mold (or ramekin)
• Bake directly in the oven at 390 degrees F for 14 minutes

Additional Notes:

Make sure the eggs are at room temperature and chocolate is warm enough while making the mixture. Serve with ice cream and fruit garnish if desired.

Serves four.

Check out this video from Cruise Radio for a visual on how to make it!

Ranger Cookies — Royal Caribbean

Ingredients:

8 oz. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. praline paste (if your local store doesn’t carry it, you can find a recipe here)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. brown sugar
3 oz. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
6 oz. shredded coconut
2 oz. coconut puree 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C)
• In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.
• In another bowl, beat butter, praline paste and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy, scraping bowl occasionally. Add sugars and beat more, then beat in egg and yolk until well blended. Beat in flour mixture until just blended. Stir in the coconut; dough will be very stiff.
• Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4-cup measure, scoop cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Moisten the bottom of a drinking glass, and flatten each mound to about 3/4-inch thickness.
• Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
• Bake until slightly puffed but barely colored, 9-12 minutes.

Yield: 24 cookies

Grand Marnier Soufflé — Celebrity Cruises

Pastry Cream Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean
1 cup whole milk
2 1/2 oz granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks
2 oz cornstarch
4 oz Grand Marnier

Vanilla Creme Anglaise (Sauce) Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean
1 cup whole milk
2 oz granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks

Almond Tuile Ingredients:

1/2 oz granulated sugar
1/2 fluid oz fresh orange juice
1 oz all-purpose flour
1 oz unsalted butter
1/2 oz sliced almonds

Soufflé Mix Ingredients:

16 oz egg whites
3 oz granulated sugar
As needed butter

Mango and Garnish

4 oz mango (diced 1/4 inch and marinatede in Grand Marnier)
6 tsp candied orange zest
As desired powdered sugar
As desired mint leaves

Instructions:

• For the pastry cream, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and remove the paste. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, vanilla bean paste, and half the granulated sugar to boiling. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the other half of the granulated sugar and the cornstarch, then add to the milk slowly, cooking and stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add Grand Marnier. 
• For the vanilla creme anglaise, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, vanilla bean, and half of the sugar to boiling. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the other half of the granulated sugar, then add to the milk slowly, cooking and stirring continuously for 1 minute.
• For the almond tuile, grease the baking paper. In a medium mixing bowl, stir all the almond tuile ingredients together until the batter is well mixed. Place in the fridge. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
• Spread the batter on the greased baking paper with a spatula. Bake until golden brown. Cut rectangular shapes 1/2 inch by 2 inches. When cool, put in an airtight container.
• For the soufflé mix, preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Grease ceramic dishes with butter, and sprinkle with granulated sugar. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add to the warm pastry cream.
• To serve, fill up half the height of the dish with the pastry cream mixture. Place the diced mango on top, then add more cream on top. Bake at 450 degrees fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Decorate with mint leaves, candied orange zest, and almond tuile. Serve with vanilla creme anglaise.

Serves six.