Our 57 Most Popular Recipes of 2020
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You cooked your way through 2020. You chopped and stirred and baked your way through exhaustion, burnout, and fear, through loneliness and grief. You scrambled to get quick dinners on the table, and you kneaded dough during long, slow days in isolation. You moved your meals outdoors and onto Zoom. You reevaluated your grocery budget, practiced pantry-focused pastas, and learned how to make your own drinks. You simmered lentils and preserved lemons and sought comfort in every meal. The Epicurious archives have tens of thousands of recipes—and we publish new ones almost every day—but this year, your clicks converged. Below, in no particular order, you’ll find the 57 most popular recipes on the site in 2020—the dishes you searched for and cooked over and over.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova2/56Salted-Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
If cookies helped you get through the year, it's quite possible they were these chocolate chip cookies, which are equal parts chewy and crunchy. (We all made a lot of other cookies, too.)
Leo Gong4/56Bagels
You probably know at least one person who got into baking sourdough this year—but Epi readers made a lot of bagels, too. This recipe from Peter Reinhart is a go-to—we also have a bagel troubleshooting guide here.
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo5/56Sourdough Biscuits
If you took on responsibility for a sourdough starter this year, you likely found yourself with lots of discard. But don't toss it! Instead, bake these tender, tangy biscuits, which our editor Joe Sevier uncovered in an old church cookbook.
Photo and Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova6/56Sourdough Crepes
Another great option for using up sourdough starter: these tender, tangy crepes, which our site director says are way better than any sourdough pancakes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton8/56Old-Fashioned
Getting cocktails to-go is a great way to support your struggling local bars (if it's allowed where you live). But this year has also been a big one for making drinks at home. This classic whiskey cocktail is a great place to start. (And then, you can begin riffing.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone9/56Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken With Tangy Green Sauce
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson10/56Simple One-Skillet Chicken Alfredo Pasta
For many, 2020 was a year of juggling. Simple one-pot dinners helped. The chicken, sauce, and pasta for this dish all cook in the same pan. You can add broccoli, mushrooms, herbs, or chipotle at the same time that you stir in the Parmesan.
Ma'ayan Rosenzweig12/56Homemade Yogurt
If bread baking wasn't your project of choice this year, you might have been busy making fresh yogurt instead. Homemade yogurt is wonderfully creamy and requires very little specialized equipment. (We also have a recipe for making yogurt in the Instant Pot, in case you've got one of those hanging out on your counter.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone13/56Classic Easy Banana Bread
Banana bread became a bit of a punch line this year—it seemed like everyone on Instagram was baking a loaf. This recipe is really the ultimate: nutty, sweet, and supremely moist. It's one of our favorite quick breads to have around the house for breakfast—and mid-day nibbling.
Photo and Food Styling by Anna Stockwell14/56Lentil Bolognese
It was a great year for beans and lentils—especially if you made Anna Stockwell's big-batch marinated lentils, which can turn into this hearty pantry pasta, or a soothing way to use up the celery that's starting to flag in your fridge.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell16/56Dry Martini
When our senior editor, Maggie Hoffman, wrote her guide to the martini for 2020, she had no idea how many of these cocktails you all would be at home sipping. And you still have time, before the year is out, to figure out your signature version.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova17/56Glazed Cinnamon-Cardamom Buns
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura19/56Oven Risotto With Crispy Roasted Mushrooms
20/56Preserved Lemons
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne21/56Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
Comfort food was the name of the game this year, and we found ourselves eating mac and cheese as frequently as possible. This version has a creamy interior and a light and crunchy topping.
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo22/56Yogurt and Spice Roasted Salmon
We learned one big thing about salmon this year. For the easiest fish dinner, just cube your fillets and roast that salmon hot and fast. The creamy, spicy marinade in this recipe brings flavor, while also keeping the fish from drying out.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews23/56Chocolate Mousse
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton25/56Chicken and Potato Gratin With Brown Butter Cream
This recipe from Epi contributor Christian Reynoso is one of those supremely comforting dinners that carried us through this past fall. The chicken is cooked in brown butter and cream, then topped with toasty breadcrumbs. It's just one of the great recipes Reynoso shared with Epi this year—don't miss his spicy chicken with grapes, either!
Photo by Alex Lau26/56Malted “Forever” Brownies
Baking your way through 2020 meant tray after tray of brownies. These were an easy favorite—part of our meditation on what we mean when we talk about chewy brownies.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova27/56One-Pan Chicken Drumsticks with Rice and Beans
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Laura Rege28/56Eggplant Omelet (Tortang Talong)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell32/56Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Baked Halibut
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell34/56Swirl Spice Cake
This cake from Epi contributor Tara O'Brady packs a punch of coffee and spice in the streusel. It's just the thing to have around for an afternoon pick-me-up. (Don't miss her other great recipes from 2020, either, including this homemade tahini magic shell.)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton38/56Thai Muslim–Style Grilled Chicken
There are a few key lessons in this recipe from Epi contributor Leela Punyaratabandhu. She walks us through the Thai way of spatchcocking the chicken—and offers an awesome method for adding a touch of smoky flavor, even if you're cooking indoors.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi39/56Simple Classic Stuffing
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich41/56Thanksgiving Mac and Cheese
This creamy, cheesy, melty mac and cheese recipe from chef Erick Williams was a Thanksgiving hit this year.
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo42/56Backyard Citrus Upside-Down Cake
In a world turned upside down, it just feels right to make an upside down cake. This version makes the most of backyard lemons—but there are lots of other options.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Bill Clark44/56Berry Cream Cheese Cake
2020 was the year of the snacking cake—the easy, unfussy cakes you can nibble on throughout the day. So Epi contributor Yossi Arefi's book all about this sort of dessert was right on the money. In this recipe, she folds little dollops of cream cheese gently into the batter. Think cheesecake bites, without any fuss.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich47/56Confit Turkey With Chiles and Garlic
49/56Sesame Balls
Photo by Denny Culbert51/56Air Fryer Memphis-Style BBQ Pork Ribs
Air fryers really took off in 2020, and this was our most popular recipe for using the countertop appliance. The spice rub on these ribs ensures a crunchy, caramelized exterior.
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo54/56Grilled Pizza
As our social lives were limited to outdoor spaces this summer, a lot of turned to the grill for our meals. And so we mastered grilled pizza, thanks to this detailed guide.
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Photo by Ben Fink55/56Whipped Cream Cake
What if the whipped cream is in the cake? It becomes the best butter cake you've ever had.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce56/56White Chicken Chili
This freezer-friendly chili recipe makes good use of canned beans and boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
