10 of the most viral recipes that are actually worth trying
Some viral recipes are here to stay – these are the ones worth making on repeat
Is anyone still drinking dalgona coffee? Viral recipe trends come and go, and it's hard to keep up with the constant churn. Some 'recipes' turn out to be not much more than gimmicks that are best left on screen. We've moved on from butter boards (stick to our striking grazing board recipes instead), cloud bread and fiddly pancake spaghetti. 'Girl dinner' proved controversial – although we'll always love a picky tea.
But, despite the endless new recipes becoming popular overnight on social media, some of these viral recipes are actually here to stay – worth not just trying, but making on repeat. Often, these recipes aren't new, having originated in local cuisines long before social media discovered them. We've picked 10 of the most viral recipes that are actually worth trying and adopting into your regular recipe rotation. From easy pasta bakes to speedy desserts and an elegant cocktail, these are the viral recipes you should try.
For more popular recipe inspiration, check out the 35 most-popular recipes on Good Food and our top 10 most popular budget meals.
1. Marry me chicken
Marry me chicken (very similar to Tuscan chicken) was originally created by Delish back in 2016, but continues to dominate our social feeds today. So-named for the moment when the video producer at Delish claimed "I'd marry you for that chicken!", this is allegedly a recipe that's so good, it could inspire a proposal. The original recipe has spawned a load of spin-offs – search for 'marry me' recipes, and you'll find everything from pasta bakes and beans, to sausage casseroles using similar flavours and components (one main protein in a creamy sundried tomato sauce).
Despite the gimmicky name, the recipe itself is worth adding to your recipe rotation. After a quick pan-fry, chicken breasts are cooked in a rich, creamy sauce with parmesan, sundried tomatoes, herbs and cream – making the most of storecupboard ingredients you might already have. Serve with mash, pasta or rice for a simple dinner party dish that can be ready in an hour.
2. Negroni sbagliato
This cocktail went viral when the world went mad for an interview clip of House of the Dragon actress Emma D'arcy declaring a negroni sbagliato to be her favourite drink in October 2022.
A spin on a traditional negroni, it's stirred together with just three ingredients: Campari, sweet vermouth and prosecco (instead of gin). It existed long before its viral moment and will remain a staple of cocktail bar menus, but it's worth a try for negroni fans who are looking for a fresh and fizzy twist on the classic. It also has a slightly lower ABV than the stronger original.
3. Baked feta pasta
Baked feta pasta hit the mainstream when it went viral on TikTok in 2021, with the boom in pandemic lockdown cooking helping it take off. As with many TikTok recipe trends, the idea had existed before it went viral – originally coming from a Finnish food blogger in 2019, who wanted to turn a baked feta snack into a proper meal.
The premise is simple: bake a block of feta alongside tomatoes until collapsed and creamy, then mash together in the tray and mix with cooked pasta to make a cheesy sauce. As a quick and easy midweek pasta recipe, it's one we return to again and again, as it requires minimal ingredients and effort to produce an indulgent, crowd-pleasing dish. It's also adaptable – add sliced peppers to the tray for extra veg, tangy olives for an antipasti twist or dial up the chilli flakes for a spicier version.
4. Smacked cucumbers
Who would have thought the humble cucumber had viral potential? In summer 2024, TikToker Logan Moffit began to dominate our feeds with his cucumber videos, with some getting over 9m views and gaining over 5m followers. The trend even led to national cucumber shortages! He popularised a whole variety of cucumber salads (often using an entire cucumber), but it was the method of smacking cucumbers (a traditional technique found in Chinese cooking) that continued to trend. Bashing open cucumbers helps them absorb more marinade, so they can become a cooling snack to serve alongside spicy dishes.
Great on their own as a snack, smashed cucumbers can be added to recipes, too, like our smacked cucumber noodles, or paired with salmon, prawns or fishcakes.
5. Peanut butter chicken curry
Our very own recipe had a viral moment of its own when Barney Desmazery made this peanut butter chicken curry recipe and gained nearly 2m views on Instagram. Our audience loved this Tom Kerridge recipe, which uses storecupboard staple peanut butter to transform chicken into the ultimate Friday night takeaway. Definitely not a one-time wonder, this is one you'll want to make again and again.
Check out more like this with our 10 outrageously good peanut butter recipes you'll go nuts for, from toasties to ramen.
6. Lasagne soup
When you get bored of the same soups on rotation in winter, it's time for lasagne soup. The idea went viral in 2023, with the recipe by Danny Loves Pasta now earning over 16m views on TikTok. The moreish flavours of the classic Italian pasta bake are transformed into a hearty soup. No more layering, baking and different components to make – the one-pot recipe is easy to simmer together and ready in an hour. Pasta sheets are simmered directly into the meaty ragu and topped with mascarpone and parmesan for a shortcut way to replicate the familiar béchamel. Classic lasagne has stood the test of time, and we're confident this version will, too.
Next, try our creamy butter bean, kale & lasagne soup for a recipe that goes one step further, combining the techniques and flavours of not only lasagne, but carbonara, too.
7. Mug cakes
It's impossible to track when mug cakes first became popular on social, but they show no sign of fading. It's easy to see why they are popular: you need hardly any equipment, can have a sweet treat in minutes and you may already have everything you need. They're a great dessert for one if you fancy a solo pudding and don't want lots of leftovers.
Every few weeks, a new idea for a mug cake recipe pops up on our feeds, from chocolate and banana, to vegan or even keto versions. Recently, senior food editor Anna Glover created a sticky toffee pudding mug cake that might just be our new favourite. What flavours will we try next?
8. Yogurt-dressed pasta salad
Known on social media as 'Turkish pasta', this went viral in December 2024 and continued into 2025 as people searched for new midweek meal recipes to try after Christmas. The idea was first made popular by Anna Paul – it's a simplified version of traditional Turkish manti, with yogurt, ground beef and paprika. Her video now has over 1.8m likes.
We put a spin on the trend, topping the simple yogurt-dressed pasta with our homemade doner kebab recipe. It's great served warm or cold for lunchbox leftovers or summer lunches. If you aren't making the doner kebab, try topping the pasta salad with crispy fried lamb mince instead.
Check out more pasta salad recipes for easy lunches, picnics or summer side dishes.
9. Pesto eggs
While some viral recipes are labours of love, social media is also great for giving us quick hacks and easy ideas that soon become habits. Pesto eggs is one of these, having launched into our feeds in spring 2021. Hardly a recipe at all, the idea is simply to use pesto instead of regular oil to fry eggs. The olive oil in the pesto still ensures your eggs won’t stick, but you get the added bonus of all the savoury flavour from the basil, garlic and parmesan in the pesto – plus, the cheese can caramelise into an irresistibly chewy crust. A further spin was feta eggs, using the same technique but focusing purely on the cheesy crust by using crumbled feta instead of pesto. You won’t want to fry eggs any other way again.
Try our healthy pesto eggs on toast for a quick and easy brunch – we’ve made homemade pesto, but you could use a good-quality fresh shop-bought pesto, too. Or, experiment with tomato pesto or harissa for a spicy twist?
10. Green goddess salad
Social media loves anything 'green goddess'-inspired anything. Green goddess dressing has been around long before social media trends, having been created in 1923 in San Francisco as a dressing that's similar to caesar, but with added parsley for vibrant green colour. The updated concept of a chopped green goddess salad first became popular back in 2021, and has continued to evolve. Original recipe videos for the salad have over 20m views. It stands out among lots of viral recipes for being healthy, fresh and bright, while still being fun. On social media, it's often served to a crowd and scooped up with salty tortilla chips.
We've kept our green goddess salad recipe vegan, using a creamy cashew and oat milk dressing blitzed with plenty of zesty lemon juice, basil and mint. It's tossed through cabbage, cucumber, spring onions and lettuce for plenty of refreshing crunch (providing two of your five-a-day), but you could swap in any salad and green veg you have.
If you can't get enough of green goddess dressing, try our green goddess tofu bowl or strawberry green goddess smoothie recipe.
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