I’m a cookbook kind of girl, but our shelf is filling up. From ice cream to washoku to sous vide, Aaron and I have experts here in the house to teach us how to do food right.
But where do I go for spur-of-the-moment inspiration? Pretty much to these five online destinations, unless I already know what I want to make. I owe a lot of my own recipes to these folks who have helped me come up with new combinations, taught me how to cook certain ingredients, and made me more experienced in cooking. Plus, they all take beautiful photos too!
Why the following blogs are my favorite:
- Their sites are easy to search.
- They’re focused and niched– I know exactly what I will or won’t find.
- Their instructions are clear.
- They take beautiful photographs.
5 Favorite Food Blogs For Recipe Inspiration
Salads: Cookie and Kate
When it comes to tossing fresh produce together, Kate wins! She also does these fabulous seasonal produce guides that are immensely helpful for eating organic, local, and cheap.
Upscale/ Eclectic American: Williams-Sonoma Taste
Williams-Sonoma is my hero, and kind of the culinary standard among good home cooks in the US. From Thanksgiving recipes to grilling tips, WS Taste always gets me excited to cook up something delicious and traditional.
Healthy (ish) sweets: Deliciously Ella
I’m not 100% on board with Ella’s approach to eating (vegan and gluten-free), but I do love her sweets! She got me really into dates and nuts when it comes to making dessert, which has expanded my baking repertoire immensely!
Vegetarian meals: Minimalist Baker
As a fellow minimalist, how could I not love these guys? Their blog covers everything from appetizers and meals to ice cream and dessert. While I don’t always use their vegan substitutes, I love their ideas and am generally amazed by their photography and creativity!
Cocktails and drinks: A Beautiful Mess
ABM helped us concoct our very first Pumpkin Spice Latte syrup two years ago, and I’ve never looked back! They have delicious recipes for any and all beverages– alcoholic and non-alcoholic– and usually play to the seasons as well.
Yes! Oh She Glows is really great as well. I love her tutorials!
Thank you Abby! I need to check out all of these (especially your blog)! Pinch of Yum is so great; can’t wait to read your interview. 🙂
I need to check out Ambitious Kitchen! I’ve never heard of that one. And I completely agree, I often use recipes as inspiration rather than hard-and-fast rules.
I need to look that one up! I love it when recipes are achievable– the worst is when a recipe calls for 25 ingredients, 10 of which I don’t have!
Yes! Minimalist Baker is so fun– plus their photos are always stunning. Williams Sonoma has really good classics– almost every classic dish you can think of!
Awesome!! All of these are vegetarian except Williams Sonoma, so tons of inspo!
I love using blogs for recipe inspiration! The Minimalist Baker and Oh How She Glows are two of my favorites!
I love all of those blogs! Great picks! I would also recommend Averie Cooks, Chocolate-Covered Katie, Pinch of Yum (I interviewed Lindsay of PoY and that will be on my blog soon!), Skinnytaste, Spoon Fork Bacon, and of course, my blog Little City Adventures 😉
These pictures are making me so hungry. I love consulting my favorite food blogs whenever I’m feeling stuck in a rut. Even if I don’t find a “perfect” recipe, I can find something to tweak to fit my tastes. I especially love Ambitious Kitchen (Catherine introduced me via her blog!) and Everyday Paleo.
My favorite is http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/recipes-index/. Mel taught me about batch prepping on weekends so you can throw together quick meals on week nights in her first cookbook Well Fed. Her focus is Paleo but her “you know how you could do that” alternatives give you lots of options from basic recipes many with international flavors.
I follow a lot of these. I haven’t thought to read William Sonoma’s blog. I really love minimalist baker too. Especially her gluten-free baking recipes!
I’m fasting meats for 21 days so I was at a loss to what to eat. Thanks for the vegetarian blog!