15 Curated Communities

Best Subreddits for Cooking in 2026

Cooking subreddits cover everything from beginner meal prep to advanced culinary techniques and cuisine exploration. These communities help home cooks improve their skills, discover new recipes, and solve kitchen problems with advice from experienced cooks and food enthusiasts.

23.3M

Total Subscribers

15

Communities

0213

Promo Tolerance

Top 15 Cooking Subreddits, Ranked

1
r/Cooking
4,700,000 membersLow Self-Promo

The largest general cooking community covering techniques, recipes, equipment, and troubleshooting. Welcoming to all skill levels from beginners to advanced home cooks.

Best Content Type

Recipe sharing and technique questions

Posting Tip

Include your full recipe with measurements and steps, not just a description of what you made.

2
r/MealPrepSunday
3,400,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Dedicated to batch cooking and meal preparation for the week ahead. Members share their weekly preps, container setups, and time saving strategies.

Best Content Type

Meal prep photos with recipes

Posting Tip

Include the full recipe list, approximate cost per meal, and how many days the prep covers.

3
r/AskCulinary
620,000 membersLow Self-Promo

A more technical cooking community modeled after professional kitchen culture. Focuses on the science behind cooking and troubleshooting specific culinary problems.

Best Content Type

Technical questions and expert answers

Posting Tip

Be specific about what went wrong, what you expected, and what technique or recipe you followed.

4
r/EatCheapAndHealthy
4,200,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Focused on nutritious meals that do not break the bank. Covers budget grocery shopping, cheap protein sources, and simple healthy recipes.

Best Content Type

Budget recipes with cost breakdowns

Posting Tip

Include approximate costs per serving and nutritional highlights when sharing budget recipes.

5
r/slowcooking
2,200,000 membersLow Self-Promo

All about slow cooker and crock pot recipes. Perfect for busy people who want to come home to a ready meal with minimal active cooking time.

Best Content Type

Slow cooker recipes and tips

Posting Tip

Specify the slow cooker size and whether the recipe uses high or low setting with exact timing.

6
r/Baking
1,200,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Covers all forms of baking from bread and pastries to cakes and cookies. Members share beautiful creations and troubleshoot common baking issues.

Best Content Type

Baking photos with recipes

Posting Tip

Always include your recipe when posting photos of your bakes so others can recreate them.

7
r/Breadit
620,000 membersLow Self-Promo

A passionate community dedicated specifically to bread baking. Covers sourdough, yeasted breads, enriched doughs, and artisan bread techniques.

Best Content Type

Crumb shots and recipe sharing

Posting Tip

Include a cross section photo showing the crumb structure alongside your recipe and process details.

8
r/seriouseats
360,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Inspired by the Serious Eats website and the work of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Focuses on technique driven cooking and thoroughly tested recipes.

Best Content Type

Recipe recreations and technique discussions

Posting Tip

Reference the specific Serious Eats recipe or technique you used and share your results and modifications.

9
r/GifRecipes
3,200,000 membersMedium Self-Promo

Short, visual recipe videos in GIF format that show the cooking process from start to finish. Great for visual learners who want quick recipe inspiration.

Best Content Type

Short form recipe videos

Posting Tip

Keep videos under 60 seconds, include all ingredients on screen, and post the full recipe in the comments.

10
r/castiron
550,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Dedicated to cast iron cookware including seasoning, restoration, cooking, and collecting vintage pieces. A surprisingly passionate and active community.

Best Content Type

Restoration projects and cast iron meals

Posting Tip

Share your seasoning method and what oils you use when posting cast iron restoration or cooking photos.

11
r/sousvide
330,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Covers sous vide cooking technique, equipment reviews, time and temperature guides, and recipe ideas. Perfect for precision cooking enthusiasts.

Best Content Type

Sous vide results and time/temp guides

Posting Tip

Always include the exact temperature, time, and finishing method when sharing sous vide results.

12
r/smoking
410,000 membersLow Self-Promo

Dedicated to smoking meats including brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, and more. Covers different smoker types, wood selection, and smoking techniques.

Best Content Type

Smoked meat photos and process guides

Posting Tip

Include your smoker type, wood choice, temperature, and total cook time when sharing results.

13
r/KitchenConfidential
750,000 membersLow Self-Promo

A community for restaurant industry professionals sharing the reality of working in commercial kitchens. Offers insider perspectives on cooking techniques and kitchen culture.

Best Content Type

Industry stories and professional tips

Posting Tip

Respect that this is a space for industry workers and frame questions accordingly.

14
r/InstantPot
350,000 membersLow Self-Promo

All about cooking with Instant Pot and other electric pressure cookers. Covers recipes, tips, troubleshooting, and time saving pressure cooking techniques.

Best Content Type

Instant Pot recipes and conversions

Posting Tip

Specify the Instant Pot model, pressure level, and natural vs quick release when sharing recipes.

15
r/fermentation
370,000 membersMedium Self-Promo

Covers all types of fermentation including sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, hot sauce, and other fermented foods. Great for learning preservation techniques.

Best Content Type

Fermentation projects and troubleshooting

Posting Tip

Include details about salt percentages, temperatures, and fermentation duration when sharing projects.

Understanding Self-Promotion Tolerance

Each subreddit has its own culture around self-promotion. Knowing the tolerance level before posting helps you avoid bans and build genuine credibility.

High Tolerance

These communities welcome product mentions and project sharing as long as you follow subreddit rules. You can include links to your product in posts and comments, but genuine value should still come first.

Medium Tolerance

Self-promotion is allowed in specific threads or under certain conditions (like designated weekly threads). Read the sidebar rules carefully. Build some post history before sharing your own products or content.

Low Tolerance

These subreddits strictly prohibit self-promotion. Focus on providing value through comments and educational posts. Build karma and credibility first. Mention your product only when directly asked for recommendations.

Find Even More Subreddits for Your Cooking Product

This list covers the top communities, but there are hundreds more niche subreddits where your target audience hangs out. MediaFast's subreddit finder analyzes your product and matches you with the most relevant communities, including hidden gems most marketers miss.

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Cooking Subreddits - FAQ

Common questions about finding and using the best cooking communities on Reddit.

r/Cooking is the most welcoming starting point with a broad range of topics and skill levels. r/EatCheapAndHealthy is great if you are also on a budget. For learning the science behind why recipes work, r/AskCulinary provides more technical explanations that will accelerate your learning.

Most cooking subreddits require that you post the full recipe directly in your post or comment, not just a link to your blog. Some communities like r/GifRecipes are more open to content creators who produce high quality visual recipes. The key is providing value directly on Reddit rather than driving traffic elsewhere.

High quality photos of finished dishes with detailed recipes consistently perform well across cooking subreddits. Before and after transformation posts, budget meal breakdowns, and technique explanations also generate strong engagement. Visual content like step by step process photos tends to outperform text only posts.

Yes, Reddit has active communities for virtually every dietary preference including r/veganrecipes, r/ketorecipes, r/GlutenFree, and many more. r/EatCheapAndHealthy is excellent for budget conscious healthy eating. Searching for your specific dietary need plus the word subreddit will usually surface a relevant community.

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