When it comes to relaxing content, cooking shows are the crème de la crème of easy-watching feel-good TV. Whether a host is taking you on a tour of essential culinary destinations and uncovering the hidden foodie gems of the world, teaching you the history behind a favorite food you take for granted, or competing in a high-stakes cooking contest for the grand prize, there’s something about food that takes us back to our comfort zone. Whether you’re looking for some feel-good foodie fun to watch on Netflix, want to do some second-hand traveling, or need some inspiration for what to cook tonight, we’ve got you covered with the best food and cooking shows on Netflix right now.
Looking for more nonfiction content? Check out our lists of thebest food docs,overall documentaries,reality shows, andshows on Netflix, or check out thebest shows to binge-watchacross all genres and platforms.
‘Top Chef’ (2006 - Present)
IMDb: 7.7/10
A reality cooking series with enormous pedigree,Top Chefhas been a mainstay on our screens for a remarkable 18 years, with the most recent 21st season proving just as popular as ever. The format takes a group of budding cooks and subjects them to a series of tricky culinary challenges in front of esteemed judges, all in the name of finding the next Top Chef. Although aspects of the show have come under fire in recent years,Top Chefstill proves itself as one of the best cooking competitions on television. Back by a dedicated fanbase, each season is full of twists and turns, with the show intelligently making the viewer fall in love with the contestant behind the apron. For fans of food and reality TV, this feels like a must-watch. -Jake Hodges
Watch on Netflix
‘Ugly Delicious’ (2018 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.8/10
Ugly Delicious
You’d be hard-pressed to name a celebrity chef with more cultural cache thanDavid Changright now, and the restauranteur and Momofuku founder brings all that heat to his personality-fueled seriesUgly Delicious, which is equal parts travel food doc, culinary history, and reality hangout. Featuring a rotating lineup of familiar guests, includingDanny McBrideandStephen Yeun, Chang picks up the mantle of the brash and boisterous travel food show popularized by Anthony Bourdain and travels across the world on a fascinating mission to understand the cultural and historical influences behind humanity’s favorite foods.
Whether he’s trying to understand the universal obsession with tacos, investigating how New Orleans’ obsession with tradition keeps their food scene stagnant, or in the series most powerful episode yet, processing the birth of his firstborn in an episode focused on kids’ food, Chang makes for a fascinating, perfectionist sounding board through which the audiences gets a new perspective on international cuisine. Unless you’re a food historian yourself, you’re gonna get a crash course on the foods you love, from Pizza to Curry, and with Chang’s fanatical drive to consider and uncover an endless array of context, it’s one of the most insightful, surprisingly emotional, and undeniably stellar food shows out there.Watch on Netflix
‘Cooking with Paris’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 29% | IMDb: 5.4/10
Cooking With Paris
Listen, whenLil Bcoined the phrase “.et that boy cook,” he definitely wasn’t talking aboutParis Hilton(House of Wax), who uses her six-episode series to showcase her beautiful kitchen and awful food.Cooking with Parisis essentially her own personalNailed It, where she stumbles about trying to make different dishes with fun celebrity guests likeDemi Lovato,Nikki Glaser,andKim Kardashian. Though Hilton has mostly dropped her aloof, ditzy character from the early 2000s, it’s almost nostalgic to watch her pick it up again for the show and give us another little taste ofThe Simple Lifeon a smaller scale. Overall, it’s a cute show to pop on when looking for something with low stakes and high entertainment value.Watch on Netflix
‘Easy Bake Battle’ (2022 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 62% | IMDb: 6.3/10
Easy Bake Battle
Queer EyestarAntoni PorowskihostsEasy Bake Battle, which is loosely inspired by Hasbro’s iconic toy, the Easy-Bake Oven. InEasy Bake Battle, amateur cooks compete within specific parameters to create delicious foods utilizing ingenious kitchen hacks. With a unique goal of crafting easy and fast treats,Easy Bake Battlechallenges the contestants, who are often home cooks, parents, or just homemakers, setting itself apart from more traditional cooking shows. Joining bubbly host Porowski are incredible expert judges likeNailed It’sJacques Torres, as well asAlyse WhitneyandMonti Carlo.– Yael TygielWatch on Netflix
‘Snack Vs. Chef’ (2022 - Present)
Snack Vs. Chef
A new cooking show with a twist,Snack Vs. Cheffollows 12 professional chefs as they compete for $50,000. InSnack vs. Chef,these cooks are asked to make iconic snacks like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. These recreations are graded on more than taste, consistency, and appearance, as the chefs must also ensure the signature experience like messy bright red cheese powder. In a delicious blend ofChoppedmeetsTop Chef,Snack vs. Chefallows three contestants at a time, narrowing down the 12 until only two remain to battle it out for the grand prize. With hosts likeMegan Stalter(Hacks) andHari Kondabolu,Snack vs. Chefis a tasty good time.Watch on Netflix
‘Junior Baking Show’ (2011 - Present)
Junior Baking Show
A spinoff of the ultra-popularThe Great British Bake-Off,Junior Baking Showsees kids aged 9 to 15 compete to be crowned the champion. It’s incredible to see what these children can do, working under pressure to create gorgeous and delicious-looking treats. From cookies to cakes, pastries to puddings,Junior Baking Showis sure to make your mouth water and heart soar, as it’s impossible not to root for these talented young chefs. –Taylor GatesWatch on Netflix
‘Is It Cake?’ (2022 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% | IMDb: 6.0/10
Is It Cake?
Inspired by the viral phenomenon,Is It Cake?allows skilled artists in the field of cake design to compete for money by crafting cakes that look like other things. Hosted bySNL’sMikey Day, and starring breakout internet sensationJonny Manganello,Is It Cake?Is a competition game show pitting talented creators against each other with elaborate challenges such as building a replica of a sewing machine out of nothing but deliciously edible cake. With a cast of hilarious bakers, as well as famous comedian judges likeLoni Love,Bobby Moynihan, andFortune Feimster,Is It Cakeis a fun and funny experience for the whole family.– Yael TygielWatch on Netflix
‘Nadiya’s Time To Eat’ (2019 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.3/10
Nadiya’s Time to Eat
Nadiya’s Time to Eatis a joyful, colorful, and deliciously fun show perfect for stress-free watching (and for learning stress-free recipes). Starring the Season 6 winner of the Great British Baking Show,Nadiya Hassain, the show puts an emphasis on easy cooking cheats that will help home chefs cook delicious meals while still making time for the things they love; family, friends, and good times. Nadiya is bright and funny, and her love for cooking shines almost as brightly as her love for the ones she cooks for. Notable recipes include a salmon poke bowl, raspberry cheesecake croissants, and even barbecue lamb with a rhubarb glaze! —Olivia FitzpatrickWatch on Netflix
‘The American Barbecue Showdown’ (2020 - Present)
IMDb: 7.2/10
The American Barbecue Showdown
If you love barbecue, you’re probably going to be addicted toThe American Barbecue Showdown, and upset that there’s currently only one season of it. The show has a similar format toThe Great British Baking Showwhere a group of contestants has a different challenge every week for two esteemed judges (Kevin BludsoandMelissa Cookston), and at the end of the episode, someone is sent home until the finale when one contestant is crowned the winner.
What gives Barbecue its unique flavor is that there are so many different things to do with the various meats the contestants have at their disposal as well as the different ways that cooking barbecue can go awry. While there are times whenThe American Barbecue Showdowngets too much into the game rather than the food (one episode has the contestants cooking up animals like raccoon and iguana), the barbecue and the sides look fantastic, and likeBaking Show, the show is savvy enough to know that it’s better when contestants have a positive attitude towards each other rather than being cutthroat competitors. They know to save the cutting for the meat. –Matt GoldbergWatch on Netflix
‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.7/10
Salt Fat Acid Heat
Samin Nosratwon a James Beard Award for her cookbookSalt. Fat. Acid. Heat.before she decided to dig even deeper with her Netflix docuseries also namedSalt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Spread across four episodes, each focused on one of those titular elements, the series follows Nosrat around the world on a mission to further understand and educate about the tenants of great cooking. Nosrat got her start in the kitchen of the great Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, where she learned how chefs embraced their understanding of those core tenants to move beyond recipes to instinctual cooking. But those four components: salt, fat, acid, and heat just kept coming up, no matter which accomplished chef she was talking to. Combining elements of documentary filmmaking, education, cooking instructional, historiography, and personality-led travel adventure,Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat.is a killer watch for anyone who wants a holistic understanding of great cooking, and the unsung chefs behind it.Watch on Netflix
