Social media app TikTok has taken over the internet with its format of shareable short-form videos, showcasing everything from makeovers to dance performances. But, while it's become a communication tool of choice for Generation Z, it's also a rich source of recipe inspiration. There are some brilliantly simple yet game-changing tips to be found here, from pickling garlic to chopping sandwiches and baking your pasta sauce. But which ones do you really need to try?

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 37 brand-new recipes and food trends – counting down to the most tempting of all.

We've based our ranking on the viral nature of each recipe idea, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

A drink that promises to improve the appearance of skin, chlorophyll water has been popular with celebrities for years – and then it took over TikTok. One of the most popular videos, posted by @marycjskinner, garnered more than two million likes and 10 million views. Devotees claim that the drink, which is made by mixing water with a shot of chlorophyll (the green plant pigment), is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and has the power to improve both skin and general health.

Nothing beats the taste of fresh, juicy stone fruits when they’re in season, so it comes as little surprise that TikTok has a mountain of viral recipes making the most of them. One simple trend that’s easy to recreate at home is shaved frozen peach. All you need to do is freeze a ripe peach, then use a grater to shave the fruit over ice cream, granola or yogurt. It’s refreshing, sweet and seriously delicious. Frozen lemon and lime zest work well, too.

The phyllo crinkle cake, featuring layers of filo (phyllo) pastry cuddled by custard, racked up around 15 million views when it was first revealed by creator @ramenasaidwow. It’s all about the crinkle, achieved by scrunching up the sheets of pastry and layering them before the initial bake. Next, you drizzle the cake with melted butter and bake it again, then you pour over a custard mixture before the third and final bake. The last step is to coat the cake with a thick simple syrup and leave it to cool.

Any recipes involving bacon tend to get attention, and this one puts a literal twist on the salty-sweet favourite. The hashtag ‘twistedbacon’ has garnered millions of views on TikTok, with just about everyone trying out the hack. As with many of the most popular recipes on the platform, the technique is wonderfully simple. You just twist rashers from the bottom up to create spirals, then bake them in the oven or toaster oven. The result is a combination of crispy and chewy that would make a fun addition to a cheeseboard.

There’s nothing tricky about this huge TikTok trend, whose hashtag has racked up millions of views. It’s really just milk (dairy or plant-based) with a little sugar and vanilla extract stirred in. Whether or not you heat it is up to you, though this will help to dissolve the sugar and create a wonderfully comforting drink. People love angel milk because it apparently tastes just like melted vanilla ice cream.

First created by @natures_food and then replicated and shared by singer Lizzo to her audience of nearly 26 million followers, nature's cereal is a breakfast dish that swaps sugary cereal for fruit. You can use whatever you like, from blueberries and strawberries to pomegranate and grapes. Add your fruit and berries to a bowl and pour over coconut water, just as you would milk. The result is tasty, refreshing, healthy – and brilliantly simple. 

The 'smokedqueso' hashtag has been one of TikTok's biggest trending recipes in recent months, raking in millions of views and seeing hundreds of hungry snackers clamouring to make a version of this gloriously gooey dip. You just need a disposable aluminium foil tray, to which you add various ingredients in sections: that means lots of cheese (those that melt well are best) and extras such as jalapeños, tomatoes, chopped peppers, onions and chorizo. Then, simply melt the mix under a hot grill or in the oven. Devour with tortilla chips.

Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese snack of hard, sugar–coated fruits served on bamboo skewers. Irresistibly sweet and simple to make, it’s little wonder why this street food favourite became a viral phenomenon, with over 67,000 videos using the 'tanghulu' hashtag. Eager to try it? Begin by threading your fruit of choice (grapes and strawberries work well) onto bamboo skewers. Add 8fl oz (250ml) water and 14oz (400g) sugar to a pan and heat through, without stirring, until you have a thick syrup. Dip your fruit skewers into the hot syrup, allowing the syrup to coat the fruit lightly, then transfer them to a bowl of icy water to harden.

When made from scratch, doughnuts can take a long time to prepare and perfect. However, a new technique using just water and a slice of bread has gone viral – and it’s actually pretty genius. Cut the crust off your slice, sprinkle it with water to soften it up, then shape it into a ball and poke a hole through the middle to resemble a doughnut. Fry the bread dough in hot oil until golden, dust it with your favourite flavouring (cinnamon and sugar work well) and enjoy.

TikTok user @emilymariko cooked up a storm when she shared her salmon rice bowl creation, with the original video garnering over 80 million views (and counting). The beauty here is the simplicity: it's just cooked sushi rice mixed with leftover salmon, covered with greaseproof paper and microwaved. You can then drizzle over whatever sauces you like, from sriracha to Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, along with toppings like avocado and kimchi. Emily’s trick is to add an ice cube before microwaving – it keeps everything moist without making the rice bowl soggy.

This is mac ’n’ cheese made even better, so of course it’s popular – with hundreds of videos on TikTok recreating similar recipes. User @thehungerdiaries is credited with kicking off the trend for smoked mac ’n’ cheese with her recipe: she begins by adding a block of feta cheese to a baking dish and then throws in dried pasta, loads of cheese, red onions, milk and barbecue sauce. She leaves the mix to soak, then adds cooked barbecue chicken – and more cheese – before baking to golden, oozy perfection.

French toast and Nutella in one neatly rolled package? It’s not hard to see why this TikTok trend has become so popular, with hundreds of videos trying out the recipe. Fancy giving it a go? Simply spread Nutella on white bread, roll it up, dip it in a custard mixture, coat it in cinnamon sugar, then fry.

Perhaps the last place you’d expect to find a pizza recipe is on a supermodel’s TikTok, but here it is. American model Hailey Bieber started a tasty trend with her simple cheat’s pizza, achieving more than 10 million views on her original video. Her recipe was simply sliced sourdough bread topped with burrata and sliced tomatoes, grilled and finished with warm marinara sauce and a little Parmesan – though this one is obviously ripe for experimentation.

This recipe originally went viral on Instagram, when model Gigi Hadid shared her favourite vodka pasta recipe – but it really took off on TikTok. It's quick and easy to make, yet packed with flavour and wonderfully indulgent. Garlic and onion are cooked until soft, then mixed with tomato purée, vodka and double cream. The sauce is finished with butter and Parmesan before being tossed with pasta and red pepper flakes.

Gone vegan and missing bacon, or just want to cut down on your meat intake? Don't worry, TikTok has a recipe for you. This nifty hack, first posted by vegan chef @iamtabithabrown, uses thin carrot ribbons and a savoury, umami-packed sauce to replicate the smoky flavours and aromas of caramelised bacon. For the sauce, mix together maple syrup, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Slather the sauce onto your carrot ribbons, then cook them in an air fryer. The original video has been viewed more than 21 million times.

Once you've tried pesto eggs, you'll never go back to regular fried eggs. Posted by creator @amywilichowski, the recipe has had more than 12 million views. The idea is to switch regular oil for pesto, then crack in your eggs. The oil in the pesto prevents the eggs from sticking to the pan, while also infusing them with flavour. When ready, slide your eggs onto a piece of freshly toasted sourdough (smashed avocado accompaniment optional, but encouraged).

Banana bread is one COVID-19 lockdown cooking trend that seems to be sticking around – and why not? Perfect for breakfast, with coffee or as a mid-afternoon snack, there's nothing quite like a slice of this moist, cake-like loaf. One of the most popular versions, posted by @cookingwithshereen, has garnered over 33 million views since March 2020. It's a straightforward recipe, but the secret is to use incredibly ripe bananas.

Whether you’re tired of pesto with your pasta or you simply can’t face another tomato and basil–based sauce, fear not; there’s a new fusion trend circulating. Food creators across TikTok have been experimenting with mash-up recipes, combining the flavours of Asia with the carby staple from Italy – to seriously tasty effect. From butter chicken rigatoni to sweet and spicy spaghetti, the possibilities are endless, which probably explains why hundreds of videos are using the hashtag ‘fusion pasta’. 

Looking for a tasty condiment to enjoy with all manner of dishes? Try this flavour-packed hack from @lalaleluu. Almost 10,000 videos using the hashtag 'pickled garlic' have been posted since the original recipe went live in April 2021. Simply empty the liquid from a jar of pickled garlic (keep the garlic in the jar) and replace it with hot sauce, thyme and chilli powder or flakes. Shake well and enjoy with meat or in salads – or just eat it straight from the jar like @lalaleluu does.

Tortilla wraps have been around for a long time, but this hack, with thousands of interpretations online, is quite possibly the smartest way to prepare one. Start by making a cut in your wrap from the centre outwards, then fill each quarter with different, complimentary ingredients – think savoury breakfast items, or strawberries and chocolate spread – then fold each quarter to form a triangle. If you wish, you can grill the wrap before tucking in.

Everyone loves perfectly crispy potatoes, and this recipe by @scheckeats gets millions of views every time he posts it. Key steps include boiling the potatoes in properly salty water, roughing up the edges, then transferring them to a baking sheet and using plenty of seasoning – including Old Bay, paprika, rosemary and garlic powder. The trick for extra crispiness is to leave them in a turned-off oven for an extra 10 minutes after the initial cooking time.

The hashtags ‘marrymepasta’ and ‘marrymechicken’ speak for themselves, with thousands of videos revealing how to make this date night–worthy dish. A recipe from @heresyourbite is one of many that has gone viral, with over 19 million views and one million likes. To make it, fry chicken breasts in butter and the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, then sauté onion, garlic and seasonings (Italian herbs, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper). Stir in tomato purée, cook for a couple of minutes, then add chicken stock. Mix in your pasta of choice, cook until al dente, then stir through cream, fresh spinach, grated Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes and the cooked chicken.

With almost 100,000 videos using the hashtags 'hotchocolatebomb' and 'hotchocolatebombs' on TikTok, these tasty treats are seriously popular. Almost like a bath bomb for your drink, a chocolate ball is added to a mug of hot milk. It then splits open and starts to melt, mixing with the milk to create hot chocolate. You'll need some round silicone moulds to make the balls and something to fill them with – try marshmallows and sweetened cocoa powder for a classic hot choc.

Birria, a traditional Mexican meat stew from the western state of Jalisco that's often served in tacos, has gone viral on TikTok, with 240,000 videos using the 'birria' hashtag. It's usually made by stewing goat meat in stock with vegetables, spices and herbs until the meat is meltingly tender, but there are many variations on the dish, including those using beef.

For those not into making their own sourdough, TikTok has an alternative: this easy three-ingredient cloud bread recipe. Made by mixing egg whites with sugar and cornflour, the dish has been all over TikTok – but it's @abimhn's blue version (with food colouring added to the mixture before baking) that's really caught people's attention, racking up around 35 million views.

Unbelievably easy to whip up, and with thousands of videos demonstrating how to do so on TikTok, this is one of the tastiest mug cakes ever. To make it, first mix and mash four Oreo cookies with a quarter of a cup of milk. When ready, add flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, mix again, then push one more Oreo into the centre of the mug, so it's covered by the batter. Microwave for a minute and enjoy.

Posted by creator @sydneymelhoff in April 2020, pancake cereal is exactly what it sounds like. Tiny dots of pancake batter are piped into a hot frying pan and quickly cooked, so they resemble breakfast cereal flakes. The best bit about this viral recipe, with more than 350,000 views, is that you can make it entirely your own. Season with sugar and cinnamon, drizzle with honey, or top with bananas and chocolate – the choice is yours.

Baked oats are among the hottest breakfast trends around, spreading to kitchens all over the world. Tasty, nutritious and with a texture resembling a pudding, it's not surprising, really. With more than 77,000 videos, the 'bakedoats' hashtag is used for all manner of recipes. To make the dish in its most basic form, mix oats with milk, maple syrup, flavourings, nut butter, baking powder and ripe bananas, then bake the whole lot in the oven (or cook it in the microwave).

There are already a million ways to fill a sandwich, but this viral trend proves there’s always something new to try. The chopped sandwich basically involves classic Italian sandwich ingredients like sliced meats, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onion being laid out on a board, chopped into tasty oblivion, then stuffed into a sub. The ‘technique’ is said to ensure every bite of the sandwich is perfectly balanced to the last delicious mouthful. The hashtag has already amassed thousands of videos with millions of views, and there are versions using everything from smoked salmon to chicken from KFC.

TikToker @logagm’s first cucumber salad video has achieved over 14 million views, and subsequent posts have only continued to garner attention. Incredibly simple and delicious, the recipe involves thinly slicing a whole cucumber into a lidded container, then combining it with soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, MSG seasoning, a clove of grated garlic, rice wine vinegar, sugar, chilli oil and chopped spring onion. After that, all that's left to do is shake the jar well and enjoy. Leave the mix to marinate in the fridge for a more intense finish.

It’s tricky to pinpoint who started the trend for baking sushi ingredients and flavours into a delicious shareable dish, though many of the earliest videos came from content creators in the Philippines. Now the hashtag has reached millions of users, perhaps because this is a genuinely clever and very tasty idea. It effectively takes the ingredients of a sushi roll – rice, seafood, seasonings and sauces – and layers them in a casserole dish before baking.

Got a party coming up? You need to try the fun snack hack that is the nacho table. First, cover your table with tin foil, essentially turning it into a massive plate. Next, scatter tortilla chips all over and build your nacho table with whatever toppings you like. Try shredded cheese or melted cheese sauce, plus sour cream and guacamole. The most popular nacho table video by @jasmineirmen has been viewed more than 50 million times.

This isn’t pasta with chips (though we’re not against that combination). Rather, this is chips (crisps) made of pasta. The ‘pastachips’ hashtag has been used on more than 30,000 videos and the trend shows no signs of slowing. The recipe is pretty simple: just take cooked pasta, toss it in olive oil and seasonings, fry or bake until crispy, then serve with dips of your choice. It’s easy to customise with different herbs and spices; think paprika or Italian herbs.

One of the most popular recipes to come out of TikTok, baked feta pasta – or 'uunifetapasta' – was originally posted on Finnish food blogger Liemessä's website in 2019. The recipe has since proven to be insanely popular on the video-sharing platform, with videos from all over the globe raking in millions of views. Its far-reaching appeal is largely due to how easy it is to make. Simply place a block of feta and cherry tomatoes in a dish, drizzle with olive oil and bake. When ready, stir everything together, season and add cooked pasta.

One of the first TikTok recipes to go viral, the egg sandwich has been shared far and wide, with more than 30,000 videos using the hashtag. Although it's hard to pinpoint the creator of this brilliant idea, one of the most popular versions was shared by @feelgoodfoodie. The idea is simple. First, add whisked eggs to a pan and top with two slices of bread. Let the eggs set, then flip over so it's bread-side-down and tuck in any overhanging cooked egg. Add any other fillings, then flip one piece of bread to close the sandwich. Slice in half to serve.

To say the green goddess salad shared by @bakedbymelissa in late 2021 took off would be an understatement. The original video alone has been viewed around 21 million times. Its vibrant green hue is undoubtedly part of the appeal, but the super-healthy combination of all kinds of finely chopped green and white veggies covered with a velvety dressing (including olive oil, lemon juice, basil, spinach and cashews) is also delicious.

Making this elegant-looking coffee was one of the most popular trends during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and it's still getting attention. Named after a popular street candy in South Korea and first appearing on a TV show in the country, dalgona coffee is made with four ingredients: instant coffee, sugar, milk and hot water. The secret lies in whisking the ingredients to stiff peaks, then topping a glass of milk with the whipped coffee mixture. To date, over 330,000 videos have used the hashtags 'dalgona' and 'whipped coffee' on TikTok alone. 

We think these retro recipes deserve a comeback – do you agree?

Last updated by Lottie Woodrow.