If you’ve got a 2024 resolution to improve your cooking skills, where better to start than YouTube? We hope these YouTube cooking channels give you the culinary inspiration you need.
Babish Culinary Universe
Formerly known as Binging with Babish, the Babish Culinary Universe has over 10 million subscribers. “Binging with Babish” still exists, but it’s just one series of many.
“Basics with Babish,” for exmaple, covers cooking basics. There’s also “Anime with Alvin,” where Alvin Zhou, a creator on the channel, makes anime-inspired dishes.
Though Babish rose to fame for recreating pop culture dishes, there’s something for everyone on this YouTube cooking channel. He even made Taylor Swift’s chai cookies!
Pailin’s Kitchen
Pailin Chongchitnant is a professional chef born and raised in Thailand. Pailin’s Kitchen, her YouTube channel, is dedicated to Thai cooking and culture.
Most of her channel is dedicated to Thai cooking tutorials, but that’s not the sole focus. She’s done a few Thai language lessons and travel vlogs, too.
She’s also tried out Chinese cooking, if that’s of interest to you. If you just want her Thai recipes, she’s got a cookbook called “Hot Thai Kitchen.”
Food Wishes
Food Wishes, hosted by Chef John, has simple and straightforward videos. They’re pretty brief, too, so you won’t blow your whole afternoon trying to make shakshuka.
Even so, everything is thoroughly explained, so you don’t feel like it’s too fast-paced. He’s been regularly uploading for over a decade, so he’s basically a YouTube pro.
If you weren’t able to follow along with the video, it’s a-ok. Chef John uploads his recipes onto Allrecipes.com, so you can recreate them at home.
Byron Talbott
Byron Talbott uploads weekly recipes for over a million subscribers. His videos are short and sweet, complete with great visuals, making them very viewer-friendly.
Even if you’re not following along with the recipes at home, these videos are just really calming to watch. Fair warning, though: you will get hungry.
Ultimately, Bryon Talbott’s channel is great for people who don’t just want to find new recipes, but want the whole viewing experience. Each video has awesome camera work.
Maangchi
Interested in learning more about Korean cuisine? Maangchi (a.k.a, Emily Kim) covers all the best dishes. Her channel’s bound to have a dish you like.
With over six million subscribers, Maangchi is dedicated to making traditional Korean food. Her videos are also pretty short, though not as short as Food Wishes’.
They range from five minutes to twenty-five, depending on the dish’s complexity. She really makes you feel like you’re in the kitchen with her.
Epicurious
Epicurious is hosted by different professional chefs, dedicated to helping you understand each recipe inside and out. With over five million subscribers, their content is pretty thorough.
Their cooking tutorials miss no details. They touch upon each recipe’s key ingredients, explaining not only how to make it, but what it’s made of.
There’s honestly something for everyone over on Epicurious. If you love cooking YouTube channels, Epicurious has a series where they invite YouTubers to share their favorite recipes.
Laura in the Kitchen
Since her channel launched in 2010, Laura in the Kitchen has amassed nearly 4 million subscribers. She started with Italian-American recipes, but has branched out since then.
Nowadays, she’ll cook anything. Laura Vitale is clearly in it for the joy of cooking, and wants to try out all kinds of recipes.
Still, she hasn’t completely strayed from her roots. Whether you want fun, laid-back tutorials on cooking restaurant-style pizzas or copycat Chipotle burrito bowls, this channel’s for you.
Vincenzo’s Plate
Vincenzo is dedicated to teaching classic Italian recipes, prioritizing authenticity over all else. The videos have a bit of a cooking show vibe, but are still personal.
Vincenzo, a self-taught cook, still records in his kitchen, instead of a studio. This helps his videos straddle the line between “professional cooking show” and “chill YouTube video.”
He also gives group tours of Abruzzo, a region in southern Italy, which is pretty cool. Vincenzo, if you’re reading this, can we come?
Gordon Ramsay
We can’t not mention Gordon Ramsay. If you couldn’t get enough of his screaming on Hell’s Kitchen, then head on over to his YouTube channel.
He has over 20 million subscribers and counting. His channel is home to a high-energy, fast paced cooking show called “Idiot Sandwich.” Yes — he’s referencing that meme.
There’s more to his channel, though. Ramsay has another YouTube series completely dedicated to helping home cooks with cooking tutorials, called “Next Level Kitchen.”
Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver’s cooking YouTube channel has almost six million subscribers. He’s also got channels in both Spanish and German, in addition to the main English one.
Oliver’s tried out lots of different things on his channel. Most recently, he’s traveled to different countries to explore their cuisine, as well as recording traditional tutorials.
Basically, there’s variety. Want a cooking tutorial that’s less than ten minutes? How about a documentary-style video on foreign cuisine? Either way, Jamie Oliver’s got it.
Sorted Food
Sorted Foods does lots of fun food challenges, kitchen equipment reviews, and cooking tutorials. Their challenges involve cooking “battles” between regular home cooks and professional chefs.
At almost 3 million subscribers, the vibe is definitely that of a group of friends just having a good time. And, of course, improving their cooking skills together.
They’ve also got an app called Sidekick, which provides new recipes based on your culinary preferences. It also helps you be more sustainable when cooking, which is awesome.
Food52
With over 800k subscribers, Food52 makes cooking delicious food both fun and accessible. The channel has a bunch of different hosts, who share a variety of cooking content.
They have their videos organized into specific playlists. Granted, most YouTube cooking channels do this, but this is an especially helpful tool when it comes to Food52.
Their content can highly specific, with professionals coming in to teach and discuss their specialties. So, you don’t have to worry about not knowing where to start.
Everyday Food
Everyday Food, with almost two million subscribers, is affiliated with Martha Stewart’s brand. Honestly, we’d expect nothing less of one of the best YouTube cooking channels.
Sarah Carey, Martha Stewart Living’s food editor, is the main host for this channel. While their latest video was uploaded in 2023, we think it’s worth shouting out.
Their channel contains a whole wealth of information on food and cooking. The recipes are fairly short, and sometimes Martha Stewart herself makes an appearance.
Pro Home Cooks
Who says your daily cooking routine has to be tedious? If you want to get better at cooking and need inspiration, check out Pro Home Cooks.
Created by Mike Greenfield, Pro Home Cooks has over 4 million subscribers. True to his channel’s name, Greenfield whips up delicious meals with pantry staples on a budget.
By watching his videos, you’ll discover innovative ways to use your air fryer and how to efficiently meal prep. His channel’s by home cooks, for home cooks.
Cooking with Dog
This YouTube cooking channel is hosted by a fluffy dog — what’s not to love? With over 1 million subscribers, Cooking with Dog is focused on Japanese food.
The dog, named Francis, narrates besides his owner, Chef, who cooks the meal. Sadly, Francis passed away in 2016, though old videos of him are shown on screen.
Because of this, Cooking with Dog no longer uploads as frequently as it once did in the past. Thankfully, though, they haven’t stopped completely.
Not Another Cooking Show
Stephen Cusato, Not Another Cooking Show’s creator, is dedicated to making cooking easy. His channel is pretty down-to-earth; none of the videos are shot in a studio.
This show is really just a guy in his kitchen who loves to cook and wants to help others improve their skills. Never mistake simplicity for low-quality, though.
Cusato’s got over a million subscribers for good reason. He’s a thorough teacher, with solid content that can help you fix common cooking mistakes and diversify your recipes.
You Suck At Cooking
Okay, so you suck at cooking — that doesn’t have to be a death sentence! No nonsense youtube channel You Suck At Cooking is here to help.
If you couldn’t tell from the channel’s name, their videos are pretty funny. Now you won’t have to rely on takeout for the rest of your life.
You Suck At Cooking is great for people with a sense of humor about their poor cooking skills. Their three million subscribers all seem to agree, too.
ChefSteps
With about one million subscribers, ChefSteps is “committed to revolutionizing the way you cook.” Their videos have great visuals and follow professionals doing what they do best: cooking.
Their videos are filmed in a well-stocked studio. The production quality is high enough to be an actual cooking show, and will appeal to Food Network fans.
Some of their videos are more beginner-friendly than others. You might not be able to make pâté en croûte, but you could definitely make dirty fried rice.
Cupcake Jemma
Cupcake Jemma focuses exclusively on baking. Jemma and other bakers, like Dane Pemberton, mostly share delicious cupcake recipes, but sometimes step out of the box a little.
Jemma and the gang bake in a studio kitchen painted with pastels and adorable designs. This perfectly matches the YouTube channel’s cute, cheery vibe.
If you want to impress people by whipping up cool cupcakes, look no further. Whether you want to make cupcakes made of matcha or rainbow, Jemma’s got you.
Entertaining With Beth
With over 600k subscribers, Entertaining With Beth’s recipes can be used for multiple purposes. They are geared towards entertaining, though, with a focus on elegance.
Because of this, the majority of the recipes are meant to be cooked in large batches. If you need ideas for your next dinner party, Beth’s got you.
She explains the ingredients she uses, as well as the different cuts and tools. Still, she never over explains, so the videos never drag.
French Cooking Academy
French Cooking Academy is hosted by a self-taught French cook named Stephane Nguyen. This channel is dedicated to teaching people the art of French cuisine.
Nguyen also released a cookbook titled “French Cooking Academy,” packed with 100 essential French recipes that’ll upscale your home cooking. Don’t worry: none of them are too complicated.
On his channel, Nguyen guides you through each ingredient and step. In the description of each video, he shares the local farms he got the ingredients from.
Marion’s Kitchen
This YouTube cooking channel, hosted by Marion Grasby, is mostly dedicated to Asian cuisine. She does “love Italian-Asian fusion,” though (as stated in her channel’s description).
Her videos tend to be longer, with high-quality production. They’re super thorough, too; if you like YouTube videos with a cooking show vibe, you’ll love Marion’s Kitchen.
Still, this channel isn’t exclusively geared towards longer content. Some of her videos are brief tutorials on simpler recipes, like Korean barbecue pork or Texas toast smashburgers.
The Happy Pear
The Happy Pear uploads exclusively vegan recipes. The channel has over half a million subscribers, and is hosted by a pair of twin brothers, David and Stephen Flynn.
They’ve got cafes and shops in Ireland, as well as courses on health, if you’re interested. If you’re not, no biggie. Just follow their recipe videos!
They also have a podcast that’s focused on healthy living. They speak to doctors and other notable figures about the mind-body connection, sustainability, and other interesting topics.
Helen’s Recipes
Helen Le, host of Helen’s Recipes, makes Vietnamese cooking tutorials. Her videos tend to be on the shorter side, and are mainly focused on the cooking itself.
However, she clearly cares about the food she’s making. In some videos, like she gives a little background for the dish, and vlogs about Vietnamese street food.
If you want a physical copy of her Vietnamese recipes, you can! Her cookbook was released in 2014. With the book and the videos, you’ll become a pro!
Caribbean Pot
CaribbeanPot, a YouTube channel hosted by Chris De La Rosa, has over 800k subscribers and uploads pretty frequently. He’s been going strong for 14 years.
If you couldn’t tell from the channel’s name, he makes Caribbean recipes. He uploads lots of fun short form content, though most of his videos are pretty short.
His cooking tutorials are pretty easy to follow. Whether you want to know how to peel a breadfruit or whip up some curry shrimp, CaribbeanPot’s got you.
Peaceful Cuisine
If an ASMR channel had a baby with a high-quality cooking channel, it would be Peaceful Cuisine. Hosted by Ryoya Takashima, it has over 2 million subscribers.
Peaceful Cuisine’s tutorials aren’t traditional. The videos’ main purpose is their calming effect. Some have peaceful background music, while others are quiet, save for the sounds of cooking.
Thankfully, he puts the recipes in the videos’ descriptions, and has the ingredients on screen. The recipes are also vegan, though that’s not the focus.
Guga Foods
Guga Foods is a high-energy YouTube cooking channel. They try crazy food challenges, like recreating discontinued fast foods, and have lots of fun with it.
If you’re looking to learn new, adventurous food hacks, then this channel’s got you covered. While there are helpful tutorials, that’s not the biggest draw.
It’s more about entertaining, food-centric content. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you fried steaks inside cheese wheels, you’ll love Guga Foods. (Short answer: deliciousness).
Adam Ragusea
Adam Ragusea’s been making cooking videos for six years. Like lots of the best YouTube cooking channels, Ragusea records himself just cooking in his kitchen.
He’s amassed nearly three million subscribers. A quick glance through his videos makes it clear why. His videos are chill, and his passion for the content is palpable.
What makes him unique is his interest in food science. Ragusea also makes food science videos, perfect for those interested in the technical side of the culinary arts.
So Yummy
We can’t talk about the best YouTube cooking channels without giving ours a shoutout! Our YouTube channel has cheery videos meant to give you culinary inspiration.
Fun, colorful, and engaging, So Yummy’s videos are on the brief side. If you’re suffering from a total lack of creative inspiration in the kitchen, look no further.
They’re a great way to introduce someone to the world of baking. Baking can often seem daunting and intimidating, but these videos break it down easily.
Wilderness Cooking
Ever wanted to know what you’d cook if you were stranded in the wilderness? Wilderness Cooking has all the answers you’ve been looking for and more.
The channel’s host, Tawakkul, lives in a small mountain village in Azerbaijan. Many of the recipes he shares are traditional ones from his hometown.
You might not have the resources to bake a whole lamb under a layer of clay. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun to watch.
What Do You Think of These YouTube Cooking Channels?
There’s something for everyone here. Whether you like calming cooking content, simple tutorials, or fun food challenges, these YouTube cooking channels cover it all.
Even if none of these suited your tastes, new cooking channels pop up every day. There’s bound to be something out there that’ll work!
Still, we doubt that none of these will speak to you. Try them out! Let us know if their recipes worked, and which ones are your faves.