How did we ever manage to cook before the arrival of the internet? I suppose we had to rely on cookbooks, cooking tv shows, and knowledge handed down from our grandmothers. Of course, the more daring would experiment in the kitchen, remembering the successes, and mercifully forgetting any culinary disasters.
Nowadays we have a multitude of food blogs offering mouth-watering recipes, suggestions, and vivid photography, sending us straight to the kitchen … or the supermarket. There are hundreds of food blogs to tempt your taste buds.
Best Food Blogs to Sate your Hunger in 2024:
- Best Food Blogs to Sate your Hunger in 2024:
- 1. Love and Lemons
- 2. Cookie and Kate
- 3. Minimalist Baker
- 4. Smitten Kitchen
- 5. 101 Cookbooks
- 6. Budget Bytes
- 7. Closet Cooking
- 8. Damn Delicious
- 9. Green Kitchen Stories
- 10. Serious Eats
- 11. Sprouted Kitchen
- 12. Two Peas & Their Pod
- 13. Pinch of Yum
- 14. Sailuβs Food
- 15. Chocolate Covered Katie
- 16. Vegan Richa
- 17. Recipe Girl
- Cooking Tips and Tricks from the Top Food Bloggers
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Love and Lemons
Love and Lemons was created by Jeanine Donofrio and her husband, Jack Mathews (“#1 taste-tester”). The blog’s name comes from the fact that Jeanine loves seasonal food, often finished off with a squeeze of lemon.
Most of the recipes on the site are vegetarian.
The blog was founded in 2011 and has been recognized by prestigious food magazines like Food & Wine, Food52, Refinery29, SELF Magazine, and Oprah Magazine. It was named Readers’ Choice Best Cooking Blog by Saveur Magazine in 2014 and won a Saveur Editor’s Choice award in 2016.
If you are looking for a recipe, you can filter your search by season, holiday, special diet, meal type, or ingredient.
Recipe suggestion: Spaghetti Squash
2. Cookie and Kate
Cookie and Kate is all about celebrating good food. Kate is Kathryne Taylor. Cookie is her dog – which Kate describes as a “mystery mutt,” or as a DNA test found, half schipperke and half dachshund/Australian Koolie mix.
Kate is a photographer and cook from Oklahoma. She created the blog in 2010 and now works on it full-time.
Like many of the other top food blogs featured here, Cookie and Kate feature vegetarian and whole food recipes.
The site makes it easy to search for recipes. You can look for recipes by Course, Cuisine, Diet, Everyday, Ingredient, or Season.
Recipe Suggestion: Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
3. Minimalist Baker
Minimalist Baker is one of those sites where the name says it all. It shares plant-based recipes requiring 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. It publishes a new recipe every three days, with a mixture of savory and sweet dishes.
Dana Shultz is the blog's recipe developer and blogger. She has a deep love for recipe experimentation and food photography. She has even expanded into creating an "Essentials of Building a Great Food Blog Course."
Despite the use of the word “baker” in the site’s name, it covers many different types of (predominantly vegan) cooking – sweets, entrees, breakfast, snacks, sides, and beverages.
Recipe Suggestion: Simple Quinoa Black Bean Salad
4. Smitten Kitchen
Smitten Kitchen features delectable images of meals demanding to be eaten. Therefore should be no surprise that Smitten Kitchen has found great popularity with serious food fans.
Smitten Kitchen summarizes itself as being “Fearless cooking from a tiny kitchen in New York City.” It was created by Deb Perelman who obsessed with the intricacies of food and cooking. As she says on her About page, she loves being able to wake and cook whatever she feels like that day.
The recipes are the heart of this site. There is a particular emphasis on stepped-up comfort foods. The site also includes numerous tutorials on topics as diverse as how to poach an egg and how to make tart doughs that don’t shrink up on you.
Deb makes a point of only using commonly available ingredients.
The Recipes page splits all of the site’s recipes up by type, with additional subdivisions for Fruit, Meat, Sweets, and Vegetables.
Recipe Suggestion: Hoisin-Honey Pork Riblets
5. 101 Cookbooks
Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks focuses on providing healthy everyday recipes. It currently features over 700 vegetarian, whole food, vegan, and instant pot recipes.
Heidi began the blog in 2003 when she looked at her vast collection of cookbooks and decided that it was time to stop collecting and start cooking. She was sick of repeating the same recipes over and over again. She felt it was time to explore the books in her collection.
As Heidi worked her way through her cookbooks, her skills and cooking knowledge improved, and she built her own repertoire of successful recipes.
Nowadays, Heidi chooses and writes about recipes that intersect her life, travels, and everyday interests. Often these are from her cookbook collection, but sometimes not.
Posts/recipes can be organized by categories (e.g., whole grain, vegan, pasta, chocolate, etc), by ingredients, or by season.
Recipe Suggestion: Homemade Pesto
6. Budget Bytes
Budget Bytes aims to provide delicious recipes designed for small budgets. It recognizes that we can’t all afford to use expensive ingredients and cook recipes that take hours to prepare. It tries to cater to those with “Instagram taste and a peanut butter budget.”
Budget Bytes is the creation of Beth Moncel. She wants to help people shop, cook, and eat smart. She provides numerous recipes on her blog, along with their cost analysis, preparation time, alternative preparations, and step-by-step photos of each recipe.
Beth has developed six principles to keep her grocery budget low and reduce waste:
- Plan your meals
- Use ingredients wisely
- Portion control
- Don't be afraid of leftovers
- The freezer is your friend
- Shop wisely
Recipe Suggestion: Salsa Poached Eggs
7. Closet Cooking
Closet Cooking chronicles Kevin Lynch’s efforts to cook and develop recipes in his closet-sized kitchen. Kevin found cooking became his passion and obsession in his quest never to eat a boring meal again! Kevin considers it fun coming up with creative ways to serve tasty meals from a small kitchen!
Kevin has developed 2,600 recipes since he began the site. He gives pride of place to a Top Recipes section where he highlights his 100 most popular recipes.
Some of his recent posts include:
- Shawarma Seasoning
- Sicilian Pizza
- Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Balls
- Pan Seared Balsamic Strawberry Chicken and Brie
Recipe Suggestion: Beef Burritos
8. Damn Delicious
Damn Delicious is the online home of Chungah Rhee (and her crazy corgi sidekick, Butters). Although Chungah grew up in a traditional Korean household, she comes from Queens and is now based in Los Angeles.
She began sharing her favorite recipes online in 2011 on a Tumblr account which in time grew into her Damn Delicious blog. The site has since attracted a team of individuals working together to create the best possible recipes.
It includes recipes, step-by-step tutorials, and videos showing visitors how they can make quick and easy meals as an everyday cook.
Recipe Suggestion: Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
9. Green Kitchen Stories
Green Kitchen Stories features healthy vegetarian recipes by the Swedish-based couple, David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl. Luise describes herself as the hippie-health-minded one, while David considers himself a vegetarian, food stylist, and photographer.
David and Luise chose the name for their blog to represent their efforts to come up with healthy vegetarian recipes using whole food and organic products. They aim for their recipes to be as simple and pure as possible.
They split their recipes into:
- Bread
- Breakfasts
- Dips & Spreads
- Drinks & Smoothies
- Lunch Therapy
- Mains
- Salads
- Snacks
- Soups
- Sweet Treats
- Travel
- Vegan
Recipe Suggestion: Sweet Saffron & Orange Pull-Apart Bread
10. Serious Eats
As its name suggests, Serious Eats takes a considered approach to the art of cooking. As well as the usual selection of recipes (split into Course, Ingredients, Method, World Cuisine, Holidays & Seasons, Diet) it includes an extensive section on Techniques. There is an entire section of the website devoted to grilling different types of food.
Serious Eats includes a fascinating Features section. This includes pages ranging from Dining Out to Personal Essays.
Serious Eats searches for definitive recipes, demonstrates trailblazing techniques and hard-core science and provides innovative guides to essential food and drink.
The website describes the “serious” in its name as meaning “impressive, audacious, inventive, well-made, or just seriously delicious.” Despite the name, they don’t believe in taking themselves too seriously – just doing things well.
Serious Eats takes pride in not posting a recipe until they are absolutely sure theirs is different from and/or better than anything you’ll find elsewhere.
Recipe Suggestion: Sakuma Wiki
11. Sprouted Kitchen
Partners, Sara Forte & Hugh Forte, work together to create Sprouted Kitchen. The site is as much about Hugh’s sumptuous food porn photography as it is about Sara’s mouth-watering recipes.
They firmly believe in the benefits of eating seasonally. “A peach from a farmer’s market at the end of August tastes exactly like a peach should.” They aim to make healthy-ish food that fits into your everyday life, using mostly produce, whole grains, healthy fats, and natural sugar alternatives.
Sprouted Kitchen now features an extensive collection of recipes, across a wide range of food categories. There is also an interesting section focusing on the equipment you can use – both cooking equipment used to make the food and the photography equipment Hugh favors.
Recipe Suggestion: Roasted Tomato Soup
12. Two Peas & Their Pod
Two Peas & Their Pod is the blog of Maria Lichty and her husband, Josh. They share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. They create recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. The site includes sweet and savory recipes, indulgent and healthy recipes, and recipes for every meal and occasion.
Two Peas & Their Pod is particularly proud of their Cookie section, which currently includes over 200 cookie recipes.
You can search for a recipe by category, occasion, ingredient, or diet.
Recipe Suggestion: Barbacoa
13. Pinch of Yum
Pinch of Yum is almost an institution. With over 1000 blog posts, it has something healthy for everyone. Founded over a decade ago by Lindsay Ostrom and her husband Bjork, it’s filled with all the goodness that comes from a genuine love for food. Lindsay and Bjork’s journey, like that of many food bloggers, began with a simple idea to share their love for food.
Since launch, it’s transformed into a full-time business that’s replaced their income and employs a team of creatives to deliver amazing content.
Pinch of Yum also includes a page dedicated to favorite recipes. It sports everything from choc chip cookies and chili, to lentil soup, pizza, blueberry pancakes, and much, much more.
Recipe Suggestion: Marry Me Chicken
14. Sailu’s Food
Sailaja Gudivada created Sailu’s food to share her passion for all things food. Before starting her blog, she worked for the State Government. Her site showcases a collection of simple and complex Indian cuisine recipes that Sailaja’s drawn to. And the best part? These can all be made at home. Recipes are categorized so any reader can quickly find something they like. Want to try your hand at a paneer dish, there are over 23 to choose from.
If you’re looking for something exotic and challenging to prepare or a dish that’s easier to master, be sure to visit the popular recipes section.
Recipe Suggestion: Tawa Pulao
15. Chocolate Covered Katie
Katie Higgins created Chocolate Covered Katie in college and it quickly morphed into a winning idea. The name of her blog may look at sound like one dedicated to chocolate, and everything chocolate-drizzled or drenched, but it’s about more than that. Katie offers a variety of recipes, with something for everyone. Vegan and gluten-free eaters will be happy, and if you’re into meat, there’s enough to fulfill your appetite.
Katie’s also been covered by large media outlets like Shape Magazine, The Today Show, USA Today, Time, CNN, The Food Network, Bon Appétit, Cooking Light, and People Magazine. She’s also appeared on Dr. Oz.
Recipe Suggestion: Chocolate Almond Flour Cake
16. Vegan Richa
Richa is a recipe developer and food blogger. She’s the brains behind VeganRicha.com, where you’ll find tons of tasty recipes. VeganRicha.com was born in 2009. And while Richa is an amazing cook, she used to be a software developer. Her story has to be one of the most fascinating. Her love for food grew after a series of health issues, including one that led to brain surgery.
In her downtime, Richa decided to start experimenting with food, and that’s when she gained serious traction for her blog. Richa’s work has been featured on Oprah.com, Huffington Post, Babble, Glamour, VegNews.com, TheKitchn, Rediff.com, Cosmopolitan, and BuzzFeed.
Recipe Suggestion: Lentil Orzo Salad
17. Recipe Girl
RecipeGirl.com was founded in 2006 by Lori Lange. Lori used to be an elementary school teacher. She develops recipes that are all about easy eating. They are family-friendly but also perfect for entertaining guests. Recipegirls.com is home to over 3,000 dishes that you can prepare, and they all come with nutritional information, ratings, and what she likes to refer to as “big, beautiful photographs”.
Lori’s also written for brands like old Medal Flour, McCormick, Pepperidge Farm, Kraft, Betty Crocker, Smithfield, Tabasco, Nestle, King’s Hawaiian, M&M’S, Eggland’s Best, and Driscolls. If you’re searching for easy, tasty meal ideas, be sure to check Recipegirl.com out.
Recipe Suggestion: Chili Rubbed Pork Chops With Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Cooking Tips and Tricks from the Top Food Bloggers
Cooking is an art, and who better to learn from than the masters themselves? Top food bloggers not only share their mouth-watering recipes but also offer invaluable cooking tips and tricks that can transform your culinary skills. Whether you're a seasoned home cook or a kitchen novice, these insights will help you cook like a pro.
Mise en Place is Key
Embrace "mise en place," a French term meaning "everything in its place." By prepping and organizing your ingredients before you start cooking, you’ll streamline your process and reduce stress.
Taste as You Go
Tasting your food throughout the cooking process helps you adjust seasonings and flavors to perfection, ensuring your dish is just right before it hits the table.
Invest in Quality Tools
Investing in a few quality kitchen tools, like a good chef’s knife, a sturdy cutting board, and a reliable blender, can make a world of difference in your cooking experience. But you don't have to go overboard. As Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen says:
I think food should be accessible, and am certain that you don’t need any of these things [too many quality tools] to cook fantastically.
Keep it Simple
Delicious meals don’t have to be complicated. Simple recipes with fewer ingredients can be just as satisfying and are often easier on your wallet and schedule. In fact, that's the whole idea behind the Minimalist Baker food blog. Here's what they say on their About Us page:
At Minimalist Baker we share simple recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.
The pros at BudgetBytes echo her statement, saying:
We believe you can have all of this without spending your whole paycheck, buying a bunch of fancy kitchenware, or spending all day in the kitchen. We believe you can spend less and enjoy more.
Learn from Mistakes
Mistakes are part of the learning process. If a dish doesn’t turn out as expected, don’t get discouraged. Analyze what went wrong and use it as a stepping stone to improve your skills. As Beth Moncel, the founder of Budget Bytes puts it:
You don’t have to make these big elaborate recipes. You can make something as simple as a skillet pasta dish with two or three ingredients and you’ll have leftovers for a few days.
This mindset helps in understanding that simplicity and resourcefulness in the kitchen can lead to successful and satisfying meals, even when things don't go as planned.
Embrace Seasonal Ingredients
Using seasonal ingredients is beneficial as they are fresher and more flavorful, and often more affordable and environmentally friendly. Serious Eats has a whole ingredients guide for you to dive in, offering tips on how to procure, use, and store everything from commonplace produce to lesser-known condiments.
Plan Ahead
Meal planning can save time, reduce food waste, and ensure you always have a delicious, home-cooked meal ready to go. Beth Moncel, again, emphasizes the importance of smart meal preparation, stating:
You get to see the relationship between the cost of ingredients to know when you should use more of one and less of another.
By planning your meals and understanding the cost dynamics, you can make budget-friendly choices without compromising on quality.
Experiment with Flavors
Trying new herbs, spices, and flavor combinations can elevate your cooking and introduce you to new culinary experiences. In fact, that's why Heidi Swanson, the blogger behind 101 Cookbooks got into cooking and blogging. According to her:
101 Cookbooks started in early 2003 when I looked up at my huge cookbook collection one afternoon and realized that instead of exploring the different books in my collection, I was cooking the same recipes over and over. This site aimed to change that.
Enjoy the Process
Cooking should be a joyful and creative activity, not just a chore. Put on some music, pour yourself a drink, and have fun in the kitchen. Kevin Lynch of Closet Cooking discovered his passion for cooking in a tiny kitchen, stating,
Cooking in a closet sized kitchen can be challenging at times but it is also fun coming up with creative ways to serve tasty meals from a small kitchen!
Embracing the process and finding joy in creativity can transform cooking from a mundane task into a delightful adventure.
With these tips and tricks, you'll find yourself more confident and capable in the kitchen, ready to tackle any recipe with ease and flair.
Conclusion
The best food blogs to follow in 2024 include: Minimalist Baker" specializes in plant-based recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, one bowl, or take 30 minutes or less to prepare. The blog, run by Dana Shultz, features a mix of savory and sweet dishes, and publishes a new recipe every three days. Budget Bytes," created by Beth Moncel, provides delicious recipes designed for small budgets. The blog offers cost analysis, preparation time, alternative preparations, and step-by-step photos for each recipe. It also includes principles for keeping grocery costs low and reducing waste. Serious Eats" offers a comprehensive section on cooking techniques, including grilling different types of food. The blog focuses on definitive recipes, trailblazing techniques, hard-core science, and innovative guides to essential food and drink. It emphasizes not posting a recipe until it is sure theirs is different from or better than others available. Green Kitchen Stories" is created by the Swedish-based couple David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl. The blog features healthy vegetarian recipes using whole foods and organic products. It emphasizes simple, pure recipes and is divided into various categories like Bread, Breakfasts, Mains, Salads, and more.Frequently Asked Questions
Which are the best food blogs to follow in 2024 for delicious recipes and food inspiration?
What kind of recipes does "Minimalist Baker" specialize in?
How does "Budget Bytes" help with cooking on a budget?
What unique feature does "Serious Eats" offer its readers?
Who are the creators behind "Green Kitchen Stories," and what is the blog's emphasis?