Tutorials

Zelda: Breath of the Wild – How to Cook Food

When doing Breath of the Wild cooking, there are lots of things to keep in mind. You need to constantly be cooking any chance you get. To do that you need ingredients and a heat source, but more on that in a minute. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you need to keep Link fed to keep his Hearts up and Stamina charged. An unfed Link is a dead Link, so keep his belly full. You can cook a wide array of recipes in this game, and they offer a dizzying array of benefits. There’s food that restores Stamina, there’s buffs to elemental resistances, and so much more. And of course, it’s the best way to heal Link after a fight. Here’s how you can begin cooking in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

First thing though, you need to find a flame. There are campsites and villages all over the Hyrule landscape, head there and you can find campfires, many of which also have Woks on them. These are your primary cooking options, remember where these are for later. To cook, you first need to light the flame. The easiest way to do this is to literally attack the fire with a lit torch. Once you have a flame up, it’s time to cook.

How to Cook in BOTW

The basic premise is very simple, you need a flame. Some recipes can simply be cooked with an open flame. When you open your inventory, you can hold up to five items, this is the first step in Breath of the Wild cooking. Take hold of the items you wish to cook and you can simply drop them into the fire or the pot. Depending on the recipe they will cook from there. Press X to start “holding” items and then do with them what you will.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild - How to Cook Food

Some dishes can only be cooked when on an open flame, which means there’s no cooking pot. These recipes are good in a pinch when you need a quick health boost, but the best cooking items in the game need a cooking pot to make. To cook with an open flame, simply grab an item and drop it onto the fire, it will burn and then transform into the cooked item.

You will get a lot of fruit, vegetables, and even monster parts throughout the game. At the start, Link will have to be content eating heated apples and other basic dishes. As time goes on you’re going to be throwing together cakes and risottos, as well as copious amounts of meat dishes. Not every dish need s a protein though, you can get by on a vegetarian diet pretty easily.

Recipe Archetypes

These basic building blocks are the core of most of Breath of the Wild cooking. Each of these basic items can be augmented with any number of fruits, vegetables or meats. You can alter these to your heart’s content and make most of the recipes in the game. Use the ingredients listed below then throw pretty much anything in with it and see what happens.

  • Copious – Any four of the same item
  • Cream Soup – Fresh Milk, Rock Salt
  • Curry – Hylian Rice, Goron Spice
  • Cake and Pie – Goat Butter, Cane Sugar, Tabantha Wheat
  • Glazed – Courser Bee Honey
  • Gourmet – Any Gourmet Meat combined with certain recipes
  • Prime – Any Prime Meat combined with certain recipes
  • Rice – Rock Salt, Hylian Rice
  • Rice Balls – Hylian Rice
  • Risotto – Rock Salt, Hylian Rice, Goat Butter
  • Salt-Grilled – Rock Salt
  • Spicy – Spicy Pepper
  • Stew – Goat Butter, Fresh Milk, Tabantha Wheat

Alternate and Experiment

There are literally hundreds of recipes in this game. Feel free to experiment, we’ve included a list of many of the best food items to cook in the game, but there are many more. Many of the recipes are a variety of the same basic theme, using a random central ingredient and then putting it over heat.  There could be a dozen recipes that produce the same item, and the only real difference is that each one may offer slightly more or less Hearts.

In many instances cooking with similar ingredients will net the same or a similar dish. For example, the Fish and Mushroom Skewer can be made with almost any fish and mushroom combination. Regardless of which variant you use in most cases, you will get the same result. It doesn’t seem to matter if you throw in one fish or another for a Fish Rice Ball.

The one alteration is that there are modifiers to certain dish archetypes. There are Hearty and Gourmet variants for many dishes. Some of these might heal a little less, but offer other benefits. We’ve included the more unique recipe combinations for Breath of the Wild cooking in our list below, but rest assured there are many more than this. Although the majority just fall into the category of putting a random couple ingredients together within the same basic theme.

As a practical example, let’s take the Meat and Mushroom Skewer. This recipe has a few variants, with the best version giving you six Hearts of healing power. If you were to add an Apple to that recipe, which normally takes a Hylian Shroom and Raw Meat, you would get a version that only heals for Hearts.

Guide to Breath of the Wild Cooking

General Tips

  • Learn the Archetypes – There are many different items which are minor variations, learn them and experiment.
  • Season your meals – Salt-Grilled, Spicy and otherwise seasoned meals have better impact, generally speaking.
  • Cook with the Faries –  Having a Fairy around for cooking the dish can massively power up the effect of the cooked product.
  • Hearty Meals are worth the time –  Toss a Hearty Truffle or Radish into a recipe to often create the more powerful Hearty variant.
  • Be aware of overdoing it – Given that some recipes are more specific, be aware of the risk of throwing too many ingredients in.

Best Food Recipes

Stamina Recipes

Food Ingredients Effect Notes
Enduring Steamed Meat Endura Carrot, Raw Meat Restore six hearts and overfill your stamina. Add higher quality meat for more hearts or more Endura Carrots for increase stamina overfill and more hearts.
Energizing Fish and Mushroom Skewer Stamella Shroom, Hyrule Bass Restore three hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Glazed Meat Raw Meat, Courser Bee Honey Restore six hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Honeyed Apple Apple, Courser Bee Honey Restore five hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Honey Candy Courser Bee Honey Restore two hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Meat and Seafood Fry Raw Meat, Bright-Eyed Crab Restore four hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Meaty Rice Balls Raw Meat, Hylian Rice, Courser Bee Honey Restore eight hearts and refill most of your stamina.

Cold or Heat Resistance Recipes

Food Ingredients Effect Notes
Chilly Simmered Fruit Hydromelon Restore one heart and add small heat resistance for 2:30.
Spicy Meat and Mushroom Skewer Sunshroom, Raw Meat Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00. Add higher quality meat for more hearts or more Sunshrooms for increase duration.
Spicy Meat and Mushroom Skewer Sunshroom (4), Raw Gourmet Meat Restore 10 hearts and add mid-level cold resistance for 10:30. Add higher quality meat for more hearts or more Sunshrooms for increase duration.
Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry Hyrule Bass, Raw Meat, Spicy Pepper Restore five hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:30. Add more Spicy Peppers to increase the duration.
Spicy Pepper Seafood Hyrule Bass, Spicy Pepper Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00.
Spicy Pepper Steak Spicy Pepper, Raw Bird Drumstick Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00.
Spicy Salt-Grilled Meat Spicy Pepper, Raw Bird Drumstick, Rock Salt Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 4:00. You can use almost any meat for similar results.
Spicy Salt-Grilled Prime Meat Spicy Pepper, Raw Prime Meat, Rock Salt Restore four hearts and add small cold resistance for 4:00.
Spicy Simmered Fruit Apple, Spicy Pepper Restore two hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00. Add more Apples or Spicy Peppers to increase duration and hearts restored.

Attack or Defense Boost Recipes

Food Ingredients Effect Notes
Mighty Crab Risotto Hylian Rice, Goat Butter, Rock Salt, Razorclaw Crab Restore four hearts and add small attack power boost for 4:10.
Mighty Fried Egg and Rice Hylian Rice, Bird Egg, Mighty Porgy Restore six hearts and add small attack power boost. Add meat or other ingredients to increase the number of hearts restored.
Mighty Simmered Fruit Mighty Bananas Restore one heart and add small attack boost for 0:50.
Tough Fish and Mushroom Skewer Hylian Shroom, Armored Carp Restore three hearts and add small defense boost for 1:20.
Tough Fried Wild Greens Fortified Pumpkin Restore one heart and add a small defense boost for 0:50.
Tough Meat-Stuffed Pumpkin Fortified Pumpkin, Raw Bird Drumstick Restore three hearts and add small defense boost for 1:20. Add various seasoning to increase duration and effect.
Tough Meaty Rice Balls Ironshroom, Raw Meat, Hylian Rice Restore eight hearts and add small defense boost for 2:20.
Tough Mushroom Skewer Ironshroom Restore one heart and add small defense boost for 0:50.
Tough Prime Meat and Rice Bowl Ironshroom, Raw Prime Meat, Hylian Rice, Rock Salt Restore six hearts and add small defense boost for 3:20.
Tough Salt-Grilled Mushrooms Ironshroom, Rock Salt Restore one heart and add small defense boost.
Tough Steamed Meat Armoranth, Raw Meat Restore two hearts and add small defense boost for 1:20.
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Movement Speed Recipes

Food Ingredients Effect Notes
Hasty Fish and Mushroom Skewer Fleet-Lotus Seeds, Hylian Shroom, Hyrule Bass Restore four hearts and add a small movement speed boost for 2:00.
Hasty Friend Wild Greens Swift Carrot Restore one heart and add small movement speed boost.
Hasty Simmered Fruit Apple, Fleet-Lotus Seeds Restore two hearts and add small movement speed boost.

Increase Maximum Hearts Recipes

Food Ingredients Effect Notes
Hearty Fried Wild Greens Hearty Radish Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by four.
Hearty Meat Skewer Hearty Durian, Raw Meat Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by four.
Hearty Mushroom Skewer Hearty Truffle Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by one.
Hearty Omlet Hearty Truffle, Bird Egg Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by one.
Hearty Simmered Fruit Hearty Durian Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by four.

All Other Recipes

Food Ingredients Effect Notes
Baked Apple Apple Restore three quarters of a heart. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Baked Palm Fruit Palm Fruit Restore one and a half hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Energizing Fish and Mushroom Skewer Stamella Shroom, Hyrule Bass Restore three hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Glazed Meat Raw Meat, Courser Bee Honey Restore six hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Honeyed Apple Apple, Courser Bee Honey Restore five hearts and refill some stamina.
Energizing Meaty Rice Balls Raw Meat, Hylian Rice, Courser Bee Honey Restore eight hearts and refill most of your stamina.
Fish and Mushroom Skewer Fleet-Lotus Seeds, Zapshroom, Staminoka Bass Restore seven hearts.
Fish Skewer Hyrule Bass Restore two hearts.
Fried Egg and Rice Hylian Rice, Bird Egg Restore four hearts.
Fried Wild Greens Hyrule Herb Restore two hearts.
Fruit and Mushroom Mix Apple, Hylian Shroom Restore two hearts.
Glazed Meat Hearty Truffle, Raw Meat, Courser Bee Honey Restore 10 hearts. Add more meat or fish to increase the number of hearts restored.
Herb Saute Any Herbs or Vegetables, Goron Spice Restore 10 hearts.
Hasty Fish and Mushroom Skewer Fleet-Lotus Seeds, Hylian Shroom, Hyrule Bass Restore four hearts and add a small movement speed boost for 2:00.
Hasty Friend Wild Greens Swift Carrot Restore one heart and add small movement speed boost.
Hasty Simmered Fruit Apple, Fleet-Lotus Seeds Restore two hearts and add small movement speed boost.
Hearty Fried Wild Greens Hearty Radish Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by four.
Hearty Mushroom Skewer Hearty Truffle Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by one.
Hearty Omlet Hearty Truffle, Bird Egg Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by one.
Hearty Simmered Fruit Hearty Durian Fully restore hearts and temporarily increase maximum hearts by four.
Meat and Mushroom Skewer Hylian Shroom, Raw Meat Restore three hearts. Add higher quality meat to increase the number of hearts restored.
Meat Skewer Raw Bird Drumstick Restore two hearts.
Meat Fruit Skewer Apple, Raw Meat Restore three hearts.
Meaty Rice Balls Raw Meat, Hylian Rice Restore four hearts.
Mighty Crab Risotto Hylian Rice, Goat Butter, Rock Salt, Razorclaw Crab Restore four hearts and add small attack power boost for 4:10.
Mighty Simmered Fruit Mighty Bananas Restore one heart and add small attack boost for 0:50.
Omelet Bird Egg Restore two hearts. Add more ingredients to increase the number of hearts restored and add various effects.
Pepper Steak Spicy Pepper, Mighty Thistle, Raw Bird Drumstick Restore three hearts.
Roasted Acorn Acorn Restore one-half heart. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Roasted Bass Hyrule Bass Restore one and a half hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Roasted Bird Drumstick Raw Bird Drumstick Restore one and a half hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Roasted Radish Hearty Radish Restore three and three quarters hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Salt-Grilled Fish Spicy Pepper, Rushroom, Rock Salt, Armored Carp Restore four hearts.
Salt-Grilled Mushrooms Hylian Shroom, Rock Salt Restore one heart. Use different mushrooms for varying effects.
Seafood Rice Balls Ironshroom, Swift Carrot, Hylian Rice, Staminoka Bass Restore nine hearts.
Seared Gourmet Steak Raw Gourmet Meat Restore four and a half hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Seared Prime Steak Raw Prime Meat Restore two and one quarter hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Seared Steak Raw Meat Restore one and a half hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Simmered Fruit Apple Restore one heart. For each additional Apple or various other fruit the meal restores one more heart.
Sneaky Fried Wild Greens Blue Nightshade Grants small stealth boost for 2:00. Can use most nocturnal herbs for similar results.
Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry Hyrule Bass, Raw Meat, Spicy Pepper Restore four hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:30. Add more Spicy Peppers to increase the duration.
Spicy Pepper Seafood Hyrule Bass, Spicy Pepper Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00.
Spicy Pepper Steak Spicy Pepper, Raw Bird Drumstick Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00.
Spicy Salt-Grilled Meat Spicy Pepper, Raw Bird Drumstick, Rock Salt Restore three hearts and add small cold resistance for 4:00. You can use almost any meat for similar results.
Spicy Salt-Grilled Prime Meat Spicy Pepper, Raw Prime Meat, Rock Salt Restore four hearts and add small cold resistance for 4:00.
Spicy Simmered Fruit Apple, Spicy Pepper Restore two hearts and add small cold resistance for 3:00. Add more fruit or Spicy Peppers to increase duration and hearts restored.
Steamed Fish Apple, Hyrule Herb, Hyrule Bass Restore five hearts.
Steamed Mushrooms Apple, Stamella Shroom, Blue Nightshade Restore five hearts. Using different herbs, fruits and mushrooms will change the number of hearts restored.
Toasted Hearty Truffle Hearty Truffle Restore three hearts. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Toasty Hylian Shroom Hylian Shroom Restore three quarters of a heart. Must be cooked over an open flame.
Tough Fish and Mushroom Skewer Hylian Shroom, Armored Carp Restore three hearts and add small l defense boost for 1:20.
Tough Fried Wild Greens Fortified Pumpkin Restore one heart and add a small defense boost for 0:50.
Tough Meat-Stuffed Pumpkin Fortified Pumpkin, Raw Bird Drumstick Restore three hearts and add small defense boost for 1:20. Add various seasoning to increase duration and effect.
Tough Meaty Rice Balls Ironshroom, Raw Meat, Hylian Rice Restore eight hearts and add small defense boost for 2:20.
Tough Mushroom Skewer Ironshroom Restore one heart and add small defense boost for 0:50.
Tough Prime Meat and Rice Bowl Ironshroom, Raw Prime Meat, Hylian Rice, Rock Salt Restore six hearts and add small defense boost for 3:20.
Tough Salt-Grilled Mushrooms Ironshroom, Rock Salt Restore one heart and add small defense boost.
Tough Steamed Meat Armoranth, Raw Meat Restore two hearts and add small  defense boost for 1:20.
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