The 30 Best TikTok Recipes That Are Actually Worth Making at Home

If you’re a foodie, odds are you have a mile-long list of viral TikTok recipes on your to-cook list. But as we know all too well, not all that glitters on social media is gold (sorry, cloud bread). So, how can you weed out the duds before wasting your time and money? Refer to this list, obvi. Here, in no particular order, the 30 best TikTok recipes to make at home, from pesto eggs to pasta chips.

• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, one pot

Does it get more comforting than @carolbeecooks soup-pasta hybrid? We think not. This French onion pasta is creamy, cheesy, savory and comes together in a single pot for minimal mess—no wonder it went viral.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy

“Baked beans” will have a whole new meaning once you try this recipe from @justine_snacks. A far cry from the saucy canned kind you find at barbecues, her white beans are breaded and baked until delectably crispy and served with herby cashew spread.

• Why I Love It: no bake, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

As viewers scoured Pinterest for healthy snacks at the start of 2023, searches for “date Snickers” skyrocketed. Once we tasted the shockingly uncanny combo of dried dates, nuts, peanut butter and milk chocolate, we totally understood why.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

Made famous by @amywilichowski, pesto eggs are more of a technique than a recipe. Simply swap your usual cooking oil or spray for a dollop of warmed pesto (yes, store-bought is fine) for a fresh, herbaceous twist on your usual sunny-side-up egg.

• Why I Love It: no cook, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

This simple spritzer popped off last summer, but we’ll be sipping it all 2023 long, thank you very much. Stir a hefty spoonful of jam into your favorite plain or flavored seltzer and sip to your heart’s content. (@katchaomeow is partial to raspberry-lychee preserves and lime LaCroix.)

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, high protein

We had our doubts about this protein-packed breakfast at first, but it’s arguably a smarter choice than avocado toast. Spruce the yogurt custard up with cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup if desired, then add all the toppings you’d like. (Or follow our lead and swap toast for frozen waffles.)

• Why I Love It: make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

We’re just as pickle-obsessed as the rest of you, but there are limits to our love (Kool-Aid pickles yes, Reese’s pickles no). 'Snack Qween's' ranch pickles are made with nothing but a jar of dill spears and a packet of Hidden Valley ranch seasoning—is the most epic.

• Why I Love It: make ahead, vegan, crowd-pleaser

There are endless reasons to adore @lahbco’s content, but this particular recipe won the praises of Lizzo—and 291,000 other TikTokkers. It’s a cinch to pull together (your food processor does nearly all the heavy lifting), and it’s a palate-pleasing combo of sweet, spicy and tangy flavors.

• Why I Love It: keto-friendly, low carb, high protein, <10 ingredients

Air fried to a crisp and doused in chipotle-herb butter, this shrimp recipe was viewed more than 13.5 million times on TikTok alone. @lowcarbstateofmind’s favorite way to eat it? Surf and turf with a side of asparagus or broccoli.

• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, vegan

Pasta chips aren’t like raw noodles at all. The pasta is cooked al dente, tossed in oil and seasonings and air fried (or baked) to crispy perfection—think deep-fried pasta without the actual frying. The recipe is endlessly flexible, so use whatever pasta shape, seasonings or dips you’d like.

• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, no cook, beginner-friendly

A descendant of the espresso soda, this drink stars bold espresso, bittersweet citrus and sparkling water. It was popularized by @softpourn’s viral take, which uses cult-favorite Topo Chico, an orange slice and fresh basil.

• Why I Love It: vegan, air fryer recipe, beginner-friendly

If there’s one thing TikTok knows how to do, it’s vegan food. From carrot bacon (more on that later) to homemade seitan, the app is home to tons of plant-based deliciousness. The trick to air fried corn ribs is slicing the cobs into strips. This exposes the inner cob, which shrinks and dries in the air fryer, giving the corn a rib-like appearance.

• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, no cook

Yes, we love a charcuterie board—but we were not mad at the butter board’s ascension to fame last fall. A Joshua McFadden recipe that was revived by @justine_snacks, a butter board can be sweet, salty, spicy or even made with other spreads, like dulce de leche or ricotta cheese.

• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes

This ingenious take on a breakfast classic is way easier to prepare than TikTok pancake cereal. Invented by Steven Archuleta, pancake spaghetti (aka squiggle cakes) is a crispy spin on the O.G. that cooks in a flash.

• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes

It’s basically an Insta-worthy way to make a quesadilla, or any wrap, sandwich or melt you can imagine. The trend calls for making a vertical slit half the length of the tortilla from the bottom to the center and topping each quadrant with a different ingredient, so the tortilla can be folded and pan-fried with the ideal ratio of fillings in every bite. 

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly

Spicy tuna bites, vegan rice balls, Persian tahdig—crispy rice can take centerstage in a variety of dishes that never disappoint. For a no-frills recipe, we like @iankewks’s poppable sushi rice bites, topped with avocado and spicy crab if you fancy. 

• Why I Love It: vegan, beginner-friendly, air fryer recipe

In case you needed yet another reason to adore vegan cook Tabitha Brown, her bacon alternative made with paper-thin strips of seasoned carrot should do the trick. Liquid smoke and an assortment of pantry seasonings give the veggie bacon-like flavor, while a trip in the air fryer or oven crisps them up just right. (She makes carrot hot dogs too, BTW.)

• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy

Remember when you couldn’t go two swipes on your For You page without seeing someone squishing a head of roasted garlic to an Olivia Rodrigo track? We’re grateful for that trend because it gave the world this absurdly garlicky soup, which painlessly comes together in the food processor.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

We were initially on the fence about this viral pasta (feta isn’t exactly the best melting cheese), but millions of TikTokkers dug into the briny delight without issue. Seriously—rumor has it this trend led to a feta shortage.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegetarian, kid-friendly

One trend we hope lasts forever? TikTokkers cooking with their grandparents. Nonna Marianna has become a regular on the app, thanks to her grandson @sepps_eats posting their kitchen hangs. Here, her viral, impossibly simple bruschetta recipe, which won the hearts of 423,000 users.

• Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, gluten free, no cook

A $17 smoothie from Erewhon? No thanks. A DIY copycat? Sign us up. Countless versions of the drink cropped up on TikTok (although we’re partial to I Am A Food Blog’s recipe), but the basic ingredients include almond milk, coconut cream, avocado, almond butter, banana, pineapple and Blue Majik, a type of blue-green algae (aka spirulina) that gives the bev its signature color.

• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly

Ricotta toast is nothing new, but #foodtok genuinely transformed the dish with endless sweet, savory and plant-based takes. Berries, tomatoes, peaches and roasted grapes are all solid toppers, but we’re especially enamored with @thekoreanvegan’s umami-rich mushroom ricotta toast.

• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

Forget skewering your marshmallows. Instead, nestle them into a store-bought ice cream cone with chocolate, wrap it in foil and let the bonfire (or oven) do the rest. Top the cones with caramel, fresh berries, flaky salt or graham cracker crumbs.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein

This simple salmon bowl practically broke the internet. Is it the ease of microwaving last night’s salmon? Is it the ice cube hack that steams leftover rice just right? Or perhaps it’s the sides of kimchi and roasted seaweed snack? We’ll go with all of the above.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, <30 minutes

Yup, it’s just what it sounds like: fried pizza. Of course, pizza fritta’s roots run far deeper than a TikTok trend. It’s been a popular street food in Naples since World War II, but it’s speculated that Neapolitans have been frying leftover dough scraps for centuries.

• Why I Love It: make ahead, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser

Another recipe that didn’t originate on the app, cowboy caviar took off last summer, decades after its invention in 1940s Texas. It stars black-eyed peas in vinaigrette dressing, along with corn, herbs, peppers, onions and other vegetables.

• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly

The Greeks have been sipping this iced coffee drink made with espresso and frothed milk for decades. But the freddo cappuccino spread like wildfire once recipe developer and content creator Carolina Gelen shared her version, which calls for instant espresso instead of freshly pulled shots.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, kid-friendly

Need a healthy (or healthy-ish) breakfast in a pinch? Look no further than baked oats, which are honestly closer to cake in texture than oatmeal. Newbies can’t go wrong with @munchingwithmariyah’s brownie baked oats; they’re just as chocolatey as they are easy to make.

• Why I Love It: high protein, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy

Birria dates back to 16th century Cocula, Mexico, where natives were introduced to various exotic spices and animals during the Spanish Conquista. After goats were brought from Europe and began devastating indigenous crops (and reproducing at a rapid rate), the people began slow cooking them in herbs, chiles and spices to tenderize the gamey meat, resulting in a rudimentary version of today’s birria stew.

• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients

Yup, it’s the viral TikTok recipe that started it all—and carried us through morning after surreal morning at the start of the pandemic. Its splendor holds true today, since it only requires instant coffee, sugar, water, milk and a milk frother to come together. (For the kids, try whipped strawberry milk instead.)

_{Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.}