TikTok has long since transcended its origins as an app fuelled almost entirely by dance trends and teenagers lip-syncing to a two-sentence excerpt of a Nicki Minaj song. It's become a place of creativity, humour and, most excitingly for some of us, cooking videos.
Affectionately termed 'FoodTok', you've probably seen or heard about bygone viral recipes like Emily Mariko's easy salmon rice and a certain baked feta pasta monstrosity. For better or for worse, it's governing our meals and our palates one pasta chip at a time.
We'll be the first to admit that declaring a love of food is the equivalent to saying you love breathing: Duh. As far as we see it, the real divider, at least on TikTok, is that there are those of us who like to prepare food and then there are those of us who prefer to watch it being prepared. Personally, I'm in the latter camp.
So next time you're raking your brain for an easy lunch recipe or for a side dish to serve at your next dinner party, take this list and go for a scroll. These are the 22 TikTok food accounts we turn to at mealtime or whenever we're on our bedtime procrastination bit. Enjoy!
1. Thomas Straker
@thomas_straker Wild garlic butter - All things butter #FYP #ForYourPage #FoodTok #Butter #ButterTok #TikTokKitchen ♬ original sound - Thomas Straker
I've got three words for you: All Things Butter. You know the guy and heavens to betsy you'll recognise that glossy quenelle. While many of us haven't actually gone out of our way to recreate one of his butter mashups, this is one of those rare moments when the joy is truly in watching the process.
2. Nara Smith
@naraazizasmith number one craving lately #easyrecipe #homecooking #wings #ranch #pregnancycravings #fypシ #mealideas ♬ Nice and Easy - Louis Adrien
Some consider her a controversial figure, but if you're like us, watching Smith's detailed food content brings the ultimate comfort. Nara Smith loves nothing more than challenging herself to make everything from ice cream to cereal from scratch.
3. Owen Han
@owen.han Butter chicken 🌯 #butterchicken #burrito ♬ original sound - OWEN HAN
Owen Han's TikTok is a reminder of simpler times on the internet, when our favourite cooking channel was How To Basic on YouTube. I say this because the short clips of him slicing, cleaving and pressing down on his crusty sandwiches arrive with violent soundbites. It's aggressive ASMR and I'm here for it.
4. Lucky Dragon Supper Club
@luckydragonsupperclub Stirfry Bok Choy Rice (Cai Fan) 🥬 #homecooking #asianfood 4u2nv full recipe is on @Colournary Magazine ♬ Lamp - Lukrembo
Some local girlies cooking up Asian food across a variety of cuisines for your viewing pleasure. Plus, if you get to the point where your cravings take over, Lucky Dragon Supper Club is opening in real life soon. Bai.
5. Emily Mariko
@emilymariko♬ original sound - Emily Mariko
A 3o-year-old California girl that needs no introduction. She was the reason half the digitally active world were mashing up day-old salmon into a orange sludge with rice, kewpie and sriracha. Wherever you stand on the trend, or on eating farmed salmon for that matter, there's something satisfying about watching Mariko prepare proper portions of food from her tidy kitchen. We live for her farmer's market hauls (and her tips for storing veggies).
6. Cucina Con Ruben
@cucinaconruben Pasta Cacio&Pepe #foodporn #personalchef #chefruben #perte #foryou #learnontiktok #imparacontiktok #cacioepepe #cacioepepepasta ♬ Say So (Instrumental Version) [Originally Performed by Doja Cat] - Elliot Van Coup
Look, I don't speak Italian (at least that's what the northerners say) but from what I can gather, Chef Ruben is asks those walking beneath his balcony what he should cook and whips it up. It's a simple premise but hey, it's entertaining. That and the recipes are easy enough to conjure up at home.
7. Matty Matheson
@mattymathesonCOUPLA FOOD GROUPS♬ original sound - MATTY MATHESON
Admittedly, Matty doesn't do much cooking these days, at least on TikTok. But we're still following him in the hope that he might just turn out some heart-stopping burgers someday soon. In the meantime, follow the Canadian chef for clips of him twerking with Addison Rae of all people.
8. Nana Joe
@nanajoe19♬ original sound - Alejandra❤️
When you're chowing down on a measly salad Nana Joe will always deliver a punch of food envy. There's cheese, and lots of it, there's spice and she's almost always dishing up Mexican fare. Lord take me and transform me into Nana Joe's husband, he's got it good.
9. The Salad Lab
@thesaladlab Viral Green Goddess #salad #saladsoftiktok #thesaladlab #drycreekvineyards #sauvignonblanc #viralsalad #yum #greengoddess @bakedbymelissa ♬ Taste It - Ikson
For those who love a salad, not in a 90s-crash-diet-no-carbs kind of way but in a crisp-vegetables-flavour-easy-lunch kind of way. Sure, salads have been given a bad wrap due to its former marketing, but personally I am a big fan and so is TikTok's famous Salad Lab lady. There's a recipe for every kind, including those favoured by Hollywood A-listers. From the salad that Jennifer Aniston ate on the set of Friends to the cob-style favoured by Elle Fanning, she's here to make them all, one TikTok at a time. Enjoy.
10. Hwoo Lee
@hwoo.lee #ad Nothing like killing time while my groceries get delivered via @instacart ♬ original sound - h woo
We've all got a crush on Hwoo Lee. Yes, he's an actual trained cook but he also has a four step beauty routine and editing skills to envy. Then there's the fact that we love a aloof boy. Lee covers lots of ground, specialising in Korean fare and even trying his hand at some cocktails in the meantime.
11. Lahbco
@lahbco cookies for your Adele listening party 😮💨🥲 #cookies #pumpkin #chocolatechipcookies #miso #foodtiktok ♬ Fall Sounds - Lofee
This one's for all the plant-based girlies who can feel a little lonely up in the chaotic foodverse of TikTok. Nasim is the certified sweetheart bringing you all the classics with a twist. Oh, and he's a astrology fan too, so don't go past his star sign series. You'll feel seen.
12. The Golden Balance
@thegoldenbalance Eid Special: Chicken Shawarma With Homemade Toum 😈 #thegoldenbalance #easyrecipes ♬ Hip Hop with impressive piano sound(793766) - Dusty Sky
Let Syrian creator Ahmad Alzahabi lull you to sleep or into a feeding frenzy with his take on American and Arab favourites; from towering burgers to toum-filled shawarma. Where some chefs skip out important details, Alzahabi gently guides you through his own recipes, giving explanations as to why he does things a certain way.
13. Mor Ibayan
@moribyan Steak sandwich time! #asmr style video IB: @Hank ♬ Sunday Kind of Love - Etta James
Hajar Labah would win the most immaculate kitchen award if such a thing existed. Like her creatively arranged shots, her benches and equipment are spotless which soothes the pedantic side of me. Plus, her recipes are loaded with ingredients and are always well seasoned. What's not to like?
14. Sophia Roe
@sophia_roe if you’re not eating your pasta green, what are you even doing? #pasta #fyp #cozy #nyc ♬ Dignita - Stelvio Cipriani
You know how we feel about Sophia Roe, let alone her cooking videos. All those angles, the swathes of natural light, somehow she manages to make each tutorial into a cinematic masterpiece. Fusing art with matters of the stomach is soul food indeed.
15. Tiffy Cooks
@tiffycooks If you needed more reasons to eat dumplings, this is it! #dumplings #asmr #storytime #lunarnewyear ♬ original sound - TIFFY COOKS 🥟
This Vancouver native is bringing a slew of kitchen hacks to your hungry eyes. There's videos for five-minute meals and one pot wonders. Oh, and we love that every recipe comes with storytime. It makes us feel less alone...
16. Rooted in Spice
@rootedinspice #eggplant #bainganbharta ♬ fukashigi no carte lofi (bunny girl senpai) - tills chills
Since you didn't ask, I'll tell you. My favourite food blogger on TikTok at the moment is Chaheti Bansal. Aside from giving us a way to use our watermelon rinds and granting eggplant the spotlight it deserves, Bansal shares South Asian recipes, cultural anecdotes and the reason why we should stop using the word 'curry'.
17. Sam's Eats
@samseats Shawarma 🥙 #tiktokfood #asmr ♬ original sound - Sam Way
Came here for food asmr? Welcome to Sam Way's TikTok account. Every chop, splash, cut and crunch twists together into a kitchen symphony. A treat for our ears as well as our stomachs.
18. Justine Snacks
@justine_snacks Replying to @mrs.emross ♬ NOTHING - Westover
Justin Doiron has a habit of making all her recipes look effortless and simple. Spanning a variety of genres, from this viral Brussels sprout salad to chocolate chip cookies to tteokbokki and more, you'll never be lost for a dinner idea again.
19. Julius Roberts
@julius.roberts Pesto Genovese made the old school way in a pestle and mortar. Hope I havent offended any Nonna’s. #fyp #pesto #basil #cooking #delicious #homemade #homegrown ♬ original sound - Julius Roberts
Is there anything you could want more than to watch Julis Roberts cook you farm-to-table fare from the outdoor greenhouse of his smallholding in the English countryside? I think not. Roberts intuitively throws together zesty courgette pastas, creamy hummus and hearty pumpkin soups - all showcasing his just-picked farm-grown produce. If his TikTok's aren't enough, you can satiate yourself with his six-part television series A Taste of the Country where you can watch him forage for beans and make homemade wood-fired pizzas.
20. Justine's table
@justines.tableCrispy skin sea bass over a leek & spinach risotto topped with sungold confit, micro greens & lemon zest♬ Si Tu Vois Ma Mère - Sidney Bechet
If Justine's gorgeous kitchen isn't enough, her elevated take on home-style cooking will certainly get you going. From decadent seasonal roast vegetable trays to hand-rolled tagliatelle and Italian Wedding Soup, Justine will keep your week-night dinners from being anything but boring.
21. Justin Capone
@justin.capone Silver linings #cooktok #cooking #italian #fyp #foryou ♬ Sci-Fi - The Symposium
Justin's culinary skills are on full display as he kneads, stews and chops his way through some authentic recipes from cuisines as far ranging as Korean kal-guksu to West African jollof. He's got a knack for imbuing his cooking videos with a sense of atmosphere and place, making the final dishes all the more tantalising as a watcher.
22. Difford's Guide (Australia)
@diffordsguideauBlood orange season 🍊♬ Lo-fi hip hop - NAO-K
In an example of a corporate TikTok account that gets it. Host Jane Ryan takes you through how to make all the classic cocktails - from the humble margarita to the divisive jagerbomb - while also answer all your questions about how to use up that obscure liqueur collecting dust at the back of your bar cart.
23. Ottolenghi
@ottolenghi Probably my favourite thing to do with chickpeas.. #cookwithottolenghi #recipe #foodtok #hummus ♬ original sound - Ottolenghi
To absolutely no one's surprise, everyone's favourite chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi's TikTok account is like taking a culinary masterclass with the famed chef himself. He'll walk you through some of his most mouth-watering dishes, and give you tips and techniques for cooking more intuitively at home.
