40 Romantic Dinner Ideas for Date Night at Home - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

These romantic date night dinner ideas are perfect for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or any date night at home! Cooking dinner and having a glass of wine is my favorite way to spend time with my significant other. These romantic recipes for two are all so easy to make, but taste like they came straight from a restaurant! Truly the best date night recipes to make any time.

Romantic Meals for Date Night at Home

Making a romantic dinner at home is easier than you might think! Date night is such an important part of any relationship, especially once you’re married. Gotta keep the spark alive!

As much as I love going out to dinner (a fancy steak restaurant is my favorite), that can cost a lot of money, and it’s not easy to find the time to do that on a regular basis. To make up for that, we’ve started doing date night at home! Whether it’s once a month or once a week, cooking a nice dinner with your partner adds something extra special to a regular night in.

I especially love doing this on the typical romantic occasions, like Valentine’s Day or on our anniversary. It’s nice to go out, but holidays mean all the best restaurants are packed, and I’d prefer to have my meal well before I get hangry.

I’ve gathered all of my favorite date night dinner ideas and romantic recipes for two, so you can start regular date nights with your significant other too. It’s so fun and so easy with these delicious dishes!

Whether you prefer chicken, steak, pasta, seafood, or something else, these romantic recipes are perfect for date night at home! They’re easy to make, absolutely delicious, and will impress anyone who tries them. Just add a simple salad, an easy side dish, or your favorite appetizer to start. And of course, a glass of wine will go well with all of these date night meals!

Show-stopping Romantic Dinner Recipes

These romantic dinner ideas are as spectacular as any gourmet restaurant, but cooking them at home makes them even more special. Wow your significant other with these beautiful dishes!

• Surf and Turf: Steak and lobster is a classic combo when it comes to special dinners. This meal is surprisingly easy to make, and it’s ready in under 1 hour!
• Coq au Vin: This gourmet French dish is simple to cook for date night at home! Chicken is cooked in a delicious red wine sauce with veggies, and it’s sure to please.
• Seared Ahi Tuna: Beautifully-seared tuna steaks are coated with Dijon and sesame seeds for just the right flavor. Simple, quick, and impressive!
• 40 Clove Garlic Chicken: 40 cloves of garlic is just the right amount for a mouthwatering chicken dish. This recipe uses a Crockpot to make the chicken perfectly juicy and flavorful.
• Lobster Tails: Succulent lobster is the ideal date night dinner idea for seafood lovers. Cook them in the oven, Air Fryer, or Instant Pot, all under 20 minutes.

Steak Dinner Ideas for Two

Nothing says “romantic” like a beautiful steak dinner! These recipes are easy to make at home, and taste just as good as a restaurant steak. Add a glass of red wine and some veggies, and your dinner is complete.

• Restaurant Steak: If you want to rival the best steak houses, this filet mignon is the way to go for an impressive date night at home!
• Rosemary Garlic Steak: This pan-seared steak is cooked with garlic, rosemary, and sherry cream sauce. It’s so juicy, creamy, and delicious!
• Skillet Steak: Black peppercorns add delicious spice to these steaks, and a brandy cream sauce makes every bite melt in your mouth!
• New York Strip Steak: This tender, marinated steak is a great date night dinner idea because it’s really so easy to make.
• Oven-Baked Steak: Melted butter and thyme creates the most tender boneless ribeye, cooked right in the oven.

Date Night Chicken Ideas

Prefer chicken? These date night recipes are so simple to make, and they’re always a hit. They make such a nice dinner to share!

• Tuscan Chicken: Chicken breast are paired with a creamy Parmesan sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. This Italian dish is a wonderful date night meal and so easy!
• Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken: Chicken breasts are wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto, then cooked in the most mouth-watering sherry cream sauce, and it’s ready in 30 minutes!
• Baked Chicken Marinara: You only need 5 ingredients to make this cheesy baked chicken. Paired with spaghetti, it’s a fun recipe for weeknights too.
• Lemon Chicken: This chicken with white wine sauce has a bright lemon flavor, and pairs well with pasta or veggies.
• Crockpot Chicken Marsala: This slow cooker recipe makes the best creamy mushroom sauce for an easy chicken marsala. I especially love this recipe when the days are busy, but I still want to make date night a priority!

Quick and Easy Date Night Meals

Sometimes a more casual date night at home is exactly what you need. No fancy cooking, just a tasty and cozy meal that’s ready in 30 minutes.

• Lemon Asparagus Pasta: A simple dinner can still be romantic, and this creamy pasta recipe is proof! I love this dish paired with a dry white wine.
• Steak and Potatoes: This hearty meal is sure to please, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make. The herbs and garlic butter really make it tasty!
• Pesto Shrimp: This recipe is super quick and easy to make, and the pesto is delicious. It makes a great appetizer, but can be paired with pasta, rice, and veggies for a full meal.
• Cacio e Pepe: This cheese and pepper pasta has a deliciously intense flavor that’s truly irresistible. All you need is 5 ingredients and 20 minutes to prepare for dinner!
• Pepper Steak: If you usually order take out for date nights at home, then this easy recipe is for you. It’s really simple to make, and it tastes way better than delivery!

Healthy Date Night Recipes

Date night can be romantic, indulgent, AND healthy. These healthy dinners are super flavorful and easy to make.

• Pesto Salmon: I love salmon for healthy meals, and the pesto and walnut topping makes it feel extra special.
• Zucchini Ravioli: Thin slices of zucchini are wrapped around a filling made with Italian sausage, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning, then baked in marinara sauce.
• Grilled Salmon with Avocado: Get out the grill and whip up this spice-rubbed salmon, with a fresh avocado salsa on top. I love making this for summer date nights on the patio!
• Healthy Chicken Curry: Curries are a great date night meal, and this lighter, homemade version means you can indulge in the fantastic flavor without ordering take out.
• Mexican Zucchini Boats: Make Mexican night a little healthier by stuffing seasoned beef, beans, veggies, and cheese into zucchini. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s so delicious!

Romantic Seafood Dinner Recipes

Seafood is a great option for date night at home. Fish, shrimp, and other favorites are the perfect idea for a romantic dinner!

• Creamy Garlic Scallops: Scallops are the perfect seafood dish for a romantic dinner at home, and the creamy garlic sauce makes them irresistible!
• Parmesan Crusted Tilapia: Filets of tilapia are coated in a cheesy lemon pepper mixture then baked until crispy, and it only takes 20 minutes to make.
• Shrimp Fajitas: I love making fajitas for a fun night in because it turns dinner into a whole experience, and the crispy shrimp is so tasty.
• Caprese Stuffed Salmon: This beautiful salmon is stuffed with mozzarella, tomatoes, and balsamic for the most incredible flavors.
• Tuscan Salmon: I can’t get enough of this creamy sauce, so I love to pair it with flakey salmon too. This is definitely one of my favorite date night dinner ideas!

Pasta Ideas for Date Night at Home

Nothing is easier than making a classic pasta dinner! Add a glass of wine to these easy recipes and your date night menu will be set.

• Chicken Alfredo: Juicy chicken, creamy Alfredo, and fettuccine pasta make this creamy Italian favorite!
• Baked Feta Pasta: This viral pasta recipe has stuck around in my house because it’s so easy to make, and the combo of tangy feta and fresh tomatoes is so wonderful.
• Penne alla Vodka: Whip up this classic pasta dish in less than 30 minutes for a simple but romantic dinner recipe. The creamy tomato vodka sauce is just delish!
• Beef Bolognese: This hearty meat sauce paired with pasta is so comforting, and it tastes like you just ordered it at a nice restaurant.
• Creamy Pasta Primavera: The cream cheese Alfredo sauce is the star of this baked pasta and veggie dish. Pop it in the oven and let that breaded topping get nice and crispy!

More Dinner Recipes for Two

Haven’t found “the one” dinner idea yet? Here are a few more date night dinner ideas that are especially easy when cooking for two.

• Honey Mustard Pork Chops: This skillet recipe features pork chops and baby potatoes, cooked in a sweet and tangy honey mustard glaze, for an easy date night meal.
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas: The chicken and veggie filling for these fajitas is made on a sheet pan, and it’s the perfect amount for two people.
• Mongolian Beef and Broccoli: “Homemade is better than takeout” is a common mantra for my date night recipes, and this savory beef and broccoli is another great example.
• Italian Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner: Green beans, golden potatoes, carrots, peppers and Italian sausage all cook together in one sheet pan, which means cooking dinner will be a breeze!
• Parmesan Risotto: This creamy garlic and parmesan rice dish makes the perfect date night dinner recipe when paired with a glass of your favorite wine.

Easy, delicious, and romantic, all of these date dinner ideas are sure to delight whoever you’re cooking for. Remember, date night at home never has to be boring! Whatever you’re celebrating–Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or just a Friday night in–I hope you enjoy your dinner for two.