Top 10 YouTube Channels Every Cooking Creator Needs to Watch

As a new cooking creator on YouTube, it’s incredibly valuable to study channels already thriving in your niche. Analyzing their video strategies provides useful intelligence to model what works.

In this post, I’ll share 10 must-watch YouTube channels for cooking creators looking to grow their audience and improve their content. Each offers unique lessons that will elevate your skills.

Binging with Babish

With gorgeous cinematic cooking shots, Babish teaches recipes from iconic TV shows and movies in an engaging style.

Key Takeaways:

• How he formats recipe videos for maximum retention
• Creative pop culture themes that attract viewers
• Community fostered with Q&As, collabs and vlogs
• Collaborations 101: How Partnering with Other YouTubers Can Benefit You
• YouTube SEO Secrets: Optimize Your Videos for Top Search Results

Bon Appetit

The Bon Appetit crew cooks together in a fun, chaotic test kitchen style perfect for YouTube. Their personalities shine through.

Key Takeaways:

• High quality cinematography they bring to cooking tutorials
• Use of storytelling between hosts to resonate
• Success interviewing celebrity guests

Chef John from Food Wishes

With his laidback style, Chef John makes following recipes look easy. Concise videos get right to each step.

Key Takeaways:

• His dedication to concise, fast-paced cooking content
• How he simplifies fancy dishes into approachable recipes
• Clear breakdowns of fundamental techniques

Adam Regusea

Adam’s videos offer a down-to-earth, relatable approach to home cooking with humor and honesty.

Key Takeaways:

• Commentary style that’s engaging and educational
• Budget-friendly recipes optimized for home cooks
• Ability to admit mistakes and allow imperfection

Cupcake Jemma

With her bubbly British accent, Jemma inspires baking creativity through recipes and decorative techniques.

Key Takeaways:

• Use of text overlays to share key ingredients and steps
• Cultivating a distinct, recognizable brand
• Curating playlists for easy binge watching

You Suck at Cooking

Come for the satirical humor, stay for the surprisingly useful cooking advice dished out with sarcasm.

Key Takeaways:

• Commitment to consistent 3x a week uploads
• Getting viewers involved via polls and contests
• Hilarious off-the-cuff humor during recipes

Laura Vitale

Laura’s Italian flair and mouthwatering recipes radiate passion for cooking. Her warmth invites you into the kitchen.

Key Takeaways:

• The care she puts into lighting, sound and editing
• Researching trends thoroughly before creating content
• Strong intro and outro hooks to maximize retention

J. Kenji López-Alt

Kenji takes a scientific, often unconventional angle to elevate cooking techniques and explain why recipes work.

Key Takeaways:

• Use of data and experiments to refine his approach
• Mix of text and visual elements to reinforce concepts
• Mindset tips for home cooks in vlogs

Rosanna Pansino

Rosanna blends bubbly hosting, colorful visuals, and inventive baking to create a truly unique cooking style on YouTube.

Key Takeaways:

• Milestone compilation videos showing her progression
• Collecting user-generated cooking videos for engagement
• Recommended ingredients and tools provided

Cook with Manali

Manali sticks to traditional Indian recipes, sharing generations of family cooking wisdom in a warm, unpretentious manner.

Key Takeaways:

• Consistency publishing multiple Indian recipe videos per week
• Long-form tutorial formats packed with tips and tricks
• Clear instructions and text captions

Study Your Competition to Improve Daily

Immersing yourself in the best cooking content YouTube has to offer provides an accelerated education. Observe what others are doing well and find ways to apply those lessons or innovate further.

The creators listed above represent an all-star lineup of must-see cooking channels on YouTube. Subscribe, take notes, and let them inspire you to take your channel to the next level.

What other YouTube channels do you recommend cooking creators study and learn from? Share the top channels worth watching below!