The 25 Most Important Food Recipes of the Past 25 Years

Frosted and fabulous cupcakes

In Season 3 of Sex and the City, Carrie and Miranda stop by Magnolia Bakery for a treat, creating a moment that launched a million cupcakes. It catapulted Magnolia Bakery to fame and upgraded cupcakes from forgettable kid food to crave-worthy adult indulgence. 

Cupcake-only bakeries popped up across the country, which included Sprinkles (which rolled out cupcake ATMs in 2012), Baked by Melissa (miniature cupcakes), and the now-closed chain Crumbs (giant cupcakes). And while the long tail of the Sex and the City universe seems to have reached its conclusion with the series finale of And Just Like That, the sweet trend it spawned lives on, in every flavor from classic chocolate to pickle. —Karen Shimizu

The legendary roast chicken

In 2002, Judy Rodgers published The Zuni Café Cookbook, which revealed the secrets to her cult-status roast chicken, the signature dish served at her San Francisco restaurant. The recipe gave cooks the roadmap to reproduce the dish seamlessly at home. A deceptively simple approach, to dry-brine the bird with salt a day or two before it’s roasted in a blazing-hot oven, yielded the crispiest skin and juiciest meat. It produced restaurant-level results perfect for weeknight cooking, yet impressive enough for special occasions. The recipe quickly became, and remains, the definitive roast chicken. —Cheryl Slocum

Ramen, but make it luxe: tonkotsu ramen

In 2004, David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar reset America’s ramen expectations. Packets of noodles gave way to slow-simmered pork broth, pork belly, and fresh, colorful toppings. Tonkotsu’s luxe richness became the emblem of that shift with its opaque broth, which also coincided with the rise of bone broth. Ramen moved from cheap filler to high-end comfort food. Its rise made way for a slew of new restaurants and recipes devoted to the art of the comforting soup noodles. —Breana Killeen

Brussels sprouts steal the show

The brussels sprouts that cropped up on restaurant menus in the mid-2000s were different from the boiled brassicas many grew up eating. Farmers had bred out much of the bitterness by the early 2000s, and chefs leaned on methods like roasting and frying to turn them into crispy, craveable sides that rivaled even French fries. 

New York Magazine name-checked the sprouts in 2005 after they appeared at trendy restaurants like The Spotted Pig and Del Posto. Not long after, David Chang made them a signature dish at Momofuku — pan-roasted with kimchi purée — before he eventually took them off the menu. “Every single table ordered them.” —Audrey Morgan

No-knead, no-problem bread

With its crackling, chewy crust, airy, flavorful crumb, and no need to knead, Jim Lahey’s simple bread recipe took home baking by storm when published in Mark Bittman’s The New York Times column in 2006. Though not the first no-knead bread recipe under the sun (in fact, a No Need to Knead cookbook by baker Suzanne Dunaway had been published in 2000), it was Lahey’s technique that captured the nation’s imagination. 

The ingredients — flour, water, salt, yeast, and cornmeal — were ones that most cooks had readily at hand. The tools to make it were simple: no pizza stones, cloches, or baskets required. Just an ovenproof pot to bake the bread in, which mimicked the radiant heat of a domed brick oven. And perhaps most appealingly, the process was nearly all hands-off. Instead of kneading, the bread got its structure (as well as a satisfying, sourdough-like tang) from an unusually long first rise. 

Nearly 20 years on, it remains a peerless gateway bread recipe, the surest way to give first-time bakers the confidence to bake artisanal loaves at home. And for those who want to build on the basics, it’s also adaptable, easily incorporating flavors like rosemary and roasted garlic. —Karen Shimizu

Nashville fried chicken brings the heat

Coated in a cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder spice paste, Nashville hot chicken originated in the 1930s at Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, founded by Thornton Prince. The chicken is deep-fried, then brushed with hot spice oil to bloom the flavors and deliver its signature burn. 

The crisp, crimson dish gained national attention in the 2000s when award-winning chefs like Sean Brock put a version on the menu at Husk. By 2013, family-owned hot chicken joint Hattie B’s expanded it beyond Tennessee, which inspired a wave of hot chicken spots. Fast-food chains followed in 2016. Once a local secret, it’s now a national spicy food staple, with a Milanese-inspired version that claimed the cover of Food & Wine’s April 2025 Drinks Issue. —Andee Gosnell

Kale goes from side dish to star salad

By 2007, kale was popping up at trendsetting spots like Franny’s in Brooklyn, but it wasn’t until a few years later that the salad in which it starred jumped from trendsetting restaurants to home tables nationwide. Chefs showcased lacinato leaves, massaged with olive oil to tame bitterness, then brightened with lemon or vinegar. Caesar-style versions with anchovy, Parmesan, and garlicky crumbs led the charge. Others featured tahini-lemon dressings, toasted nuts, dried fruit, and shaved pecorino. Home cooks copied the formula of thinly sliced kale given a brief massage with a acidic dressing and crunchy toppings like fried quinoa or toasted breadcrumbs. —Breana Killeen

Shakshuka steps into the brunch spotlight

In North Africa and the Middle East, this one-pan dish of poached eggs in a spiced tomato-pepper sauce is enjoyed any time of day. But in the U.S., as brunch culture took off in the 2010s, shakshuka, an egg-centric, visually striking, and healthy-ish dish, found its sweet spot. Yotam Ottolenghi included a recipe in his 2010 cookbook, Plenty, and deemed it “ideal for brunch.” Chefs across the country added their own spins to brunch menus, from traditional, tomato-based versions to green shakshuka, made with a verdant herb sauce. —Audrey Morgan

Steak night calls for cauliflower

Vegetable steaks, such as cauliflower steaks, emerged in the early 2010s as part of a health-food trend that quickly gained momentum. In 2012, restaurants like Superba Snack Bar began to showcase cauliflower as a steak-worthy side, seared with fire and finesse. 

It marked a turning point when vegetables moved from mere accompaniments to center-stage stars, as they proved that they could rival the satisfaction of a rib eye. What began as a wellness-driven idea soon entered mainstream, high-end dining, as chefs embraced bold, plant-forward dishes. Today, vegetable steaks reflect both culinary creativity and the evolving appetite for hearty, meatless options. —Breana Killeen

One-pot pastas boil down dinner complications

In 2013, Martha Stewart debuted her one-pot pasta method that captivated home cooks with its magic simplicity. The concept is ingenious: combine pasta, vegetables, seasonings, and water or broth in a single pot, then let everything cook together. As the pasta simmers, it releases starch that transforms the cooking liquid into a silky sauce that clings to each strand. This game-changing technique eliminated multiple pans and steps to deliver al dente pasta and rich flavor with minimal effort. —Breana Killeen

Hot honey brings sweet heat

Sweet heat has long been a draw in global cuisines, from Thai chile sauce and Italian mostarda to Mexican chamoy and beyond. So, it’s no wonder that when Mike Kurtz combined Brazilian chile-infused honey with pizza at Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn, it became a flavor combo that people embraced. Soon, hot honey was paired with everything: pizza, fried chicken, roasted vegetables, cheeseboards, and more. After Kurtz first bottled and sold the condiment out of the pizzeria, his hot honey is now on grocery store shelves throughout the country. —Cheryl Slocum

Hummus hits the big time

Long popular in the Middle East, this chickpea-tahini spread became a staple of American fridges by the mid-2010s. Brands like Sabra rolled out convenient tubs in flavors that ranged from red pepper to chocolate. As demand for hummus skyrocketed, chickpea farming surged in the U.S. Across the country, chefs like Reem Assil and Michael Solomonov showed snack-loving Americans that hummus can headline a meal when it’s crowned with spiced ground beef and other toppings. —Audrey Morgan

Click-worthy grain bowls

Grain bowls might have started out as a social media trend, but they quickly caught on IRL. They’re as satisfying to eat as they are to look at, built on a hearty mix of grains and legumes, enhanced with raw and roasted veggies, topped with eye-catching (and protein-packed) accoutrements from poached eggs to flaked salmon, and lashed with flavorful dressings and sauces. 

But grain bowls also have practical appeal. Easy to prep in batches ahead of time and endlessly customizable, grain bowls offer a low-lift way to eat healthy, delicious food throughout the week. Home cooks weren’t the only ones to embrace grain bowls. Restaurants from Sweetgreen to Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s abcV put them on the menu. Today, they remain the ultimate lunch flex. Who needs plates? —Karen Shimizu

Bone broth goes from stockpot staple to health hero

When did stock get rebranded as “bone broth?” It might’ve been late 2014, when chef Marco Canora opened Brodo, a to-go broth window that sold the warming, collagen-rich liquid from paper cups. The following year, Eater published a map of spots around the country to satisfy a craving. Though the trend invited some skepticism about some of the supposed health benefits, you’ll now find “bone broth” brands lining grocery shelves. To make your own, simply simmer your stock longer— up to several hours — to extract more collagen from the animal bones. —Audrey Morgan

Crispy rice replaces croutons

Crispy rice’s cult-like rise began in L.A.’s mid-2010s bowl boom. That’s when the chic, global-inspired cafe, Sqirl, popularized its Crispy Brown Rice “Kabbouleh,” which nodded to influences from Persian tahdig and Korean nurungji. 

By 2014, multiple media sources published the recipe, cementing the crackly topping’s appeal. The craze reignited on social media in 2024 as Nicole K. Modic, content creator behind Kalejunkie, posted her versions of crispy-rice salads that racked up tens of millions of views and spawned endless riffs. By early 2025, the crunch leapt from salads to grain bowls and even cocktails, where bartenders paired drinks with edible, puffed-rice garnishes. —Andee Gosnell

Drop the pan for the perfect cookie

Contrary to most baking advice — walk softly around cakes and don’t slam the oven door — Sarah Kieffer bucked convention. She literally slammed her pans while she baked chocolate chip cookies. What began as an experiment soon became a signature technique to achieving crispy edges around tender, chewy cookies. Her pan-banging method interrupted leavening, which caused the dough to collapse outward and form the cookies’ distinctive rippled look. The result was visually striking, irresistibly delicious, and captivated amateur and professional cookie bakers alike. —Cheryl Slocum

Cacio e pepe: cheese + pepper + pasta = perfection

In 2016, the classic Roman dish cacio e pepe emerged as a force to be reckoned with and spread beyond pasta. Inspired by the cheesy, sharp combination of pecorino Romano and pepper, chefs made cacio e pepe versions of everything from scrambled eggs to popcorn, and even savory doughnuts. At Momofuku Nishi, David Chang swapped the cheese for fermented chickpea paste (ceci). The riffs kept coming, and it even helped inspire a revival in the dish’s hometown, where Roman chefs catered to cacio e pepe–loving tourists with the original thing. —Audrey Morgan

Motor City pizza goes deep

Detroit-style pizza, with its square shape, airy, focaccia-like crust, crispy and cheesy edges, and stripes of red sauce, took the pizza scene by storm with the 2016 opening of Emmy Squared in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. That same year, Eater published an article titled “Detroit-Style Pizza: The Definitive Guide,” which further propelled the regional specialty into a national frenzy. Five years later, Pizza Hut added Detroit-style pizza to its menu — for a limited time. —Paige Grandjean

Sheet-pan suppers for the win

Once reserved for cookies or roasted vegetables, sheet pans found new glory as the stage for entire meals. By 2017, cookbooks and blogs championed the sheet-pan dinner and its one-and-done brilliance. Protein, vegetables, and often potatoes could roast together, as their flavors melded into the ultimate hands-off, weeknight solution. It celebrated efficiency without sacrificing taste: a whole dinner, caramelized and roasted to perfection, emerged from a single pan. With minimal cleanup and maximum flavor, the sheet-pan dinner became a modern classic, endlessly adaptable for busy home cooks. —Breana Killeen

Birria booms

Tijuana-style beef birria took Los Angeles by storm in 2018, when social media caught sight of the red-stained tortillas and chile-laden consommé dunking. Taco trucks like Teddy’s Red Tacos and Birrieria Gonzalez drew lines, while videos of quesabirria cheese pulls, planchas filled with crisped tacos, and Styrofoam cups of crimson consommé fueled the buzz. 

The trend quickly spread across the country with the opening of Birria-Landia in New York City (2019) and, eventually, Claudette Zepeda’s birria tacos landed on the cover of Food & Wine in April 2020. The birria phenomenon continues to evolve, as it sparks spinoffs like birria pizza and birriamen (birria ramen). —Paige Grandjean

Chili crisp crushes it

Since its 1997 debut via Lao Gan Ma’s chili crisp, the crunchy, umami-rich spicy oil has built a devoted global following. The craze surged in 2019 when brands like Fly By Jing and, later, 2006 F&W Best New Chef David Chang’s Momofuku launched their own small-batch versions — first online, then on grocery shelves — which positioned chili crisp as a prized pantry staple. By 2020, the pandemic led home cooks to embrace the condiment and experiment drizzling it over fried eggs, roasted vegetables, creamy pastas, and even ice cream. Restaurants followed suit, where it was folded it into dishes from tacos to raw oysters. —Andee Gosnell

Deviled eggs: old-school flavors, new-school hype

Long a beloved party and picnic staple, deviled eggs went next level, as they escalated into a full-blown trend in the new millennium. Home cooks, food media, and chefs all began to reimagine the classic formula. Through the course of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, versions evolved, but they always included a piquant element (that’s the “deviled” part) like mustard or vinegar. 

What once had been casual fare was elevated with luxury touches like smoked salmon, caviar, and truffle oil; global flavors such as sriracha, miso, and gochujang; and fresh twists like avocado and spring peas for cocktail party and even fine-dining moments. —Cheryl Slocum

From lockdown to levain sourdough

Did you dabble in bread-baking during the pandemic? If so, you weren’t alone. The demand for baking basics was so great that grocery stores sold out of yeast. Many turned to a bread that didn’t need store-bought yeast: sourdough. In 2020, “sourdough bread” was the top-searched recipe on Google. 

For some, the practice of nurturing the starter and coaxing it into a fragrant, tangy homemade loaf was an assertion of agency in an out-of-control world. For others, it was a fun hobby, or a way to stay busy. For many, that COVID-driven crash course in baking helped start a practice that’s still going strong, one that still fills kitchens with joy just when we need it most. —Karen Shimizu

French onion moves past soup

During the pandemic, when people craved comfort foods, the nostalgic flavors of French onion soup hit the spot. The combination of savory beef broth, deeply caramelized onions, and nutty Gruyère cheese broke inspired a new wave of comfort-food creativity. Everything from burgers and baked potatoes to grilled cheese and skillet chicken got the French onion treatment. With social distancing in full effect, TikTok helped spread the word, as the viral French onion pasta dominated the platform. —Paige Grandjean

Marry Me Chicken? I do.

The “Marry Me” trend began with Delish’s 2016 skillet chicken breasts in a savory sun-dried tomato cream sauce. The name came from a video producer so enamored with the dish that she told the team that she would marry them for that recipe alone after she tasted it. Delish has since expanded the series to other cream-sauce dishes that feature sun-dried tomatoes. Other outlets followed, including Food & Wine, with Marry Me stuffed shells, soup, and meatballs. The recipe has become so influential that many home cooks now keep sun-dried tomatoes in their pantry to recreate the sauce for busy weeknights, date nights, and beyond. —Andee Gosnell