Top 25 Cooking Influencers to Follow for Recipes, Kitchen Hacks and Foodie Inspiration
Scroll any popular Instagram account in 2025 and you will find food. Glossy instagram food flat‑lays, rapid‑fire TikTok recipe demos, and long‑form YouTube breakdowns of flavour science. This appetite for culinary storytelling sits at the centre of the modern influencer market: it merges entertainment, practical know-how, and product discovery in a single, scroll‑stopping format. When a content creator shows how to cook, the audience does more than watch; they taste the result in their own kitchens and often tag the food brand that made it possible.
Food is also one of the deepest verticals for data‑driven marketers. Every follow, save, and duet can be tied to downstream purchase signals, from pantry staples to beverage launches and even restaurant openings.
This article curates 25 top food creators, true Instagram influencers and YouTube powerhouses, who command the trust of millions of followers. Each entry follows a consistent structure so you can gauge which niche aligns with your campaign goals.
Top 25 Leading Instagram Food Influencers in 2025
1. Tabitha Brown (@iamtabithabrown)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
Content: Plant‑based comfort food and feel‑good family storytelling
Why they're influential: A magnetic chef who turned a small home cook series into an empire of 5 M+ instagram followers. Her seasonings and ready‑to‑heat products move rapidly across the food market, proving that soul‑food can anchor a vegan lifestyle message.
2. Emily Mariko (@emilymariko)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram
Content: Minimalist meal‑prep, Japanese‑inspired cooking
Why they're influential: A single salmon‑rice‑bowl clip, now past 2 M recreations, banked her status as a top influencer for kitchen efficiency. Brands lean on her for food product launches that need to feel effortless.
3. Tieghan Gerard (@halfbakedharvest)
Platforms: Instagram, Blog, Pinterest
Content: Elevated comfort classics, seasonal baking, high‑impact food photography
Why they're influential: With eight‑figure monthly page‑views and 6 M followers, Gerard bridges short‑form social and SEO‑rich blogging, giving partners reach that outlasts any single social media campaign.
4. Joshua Weissman (@joshuaweissman)
Platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram
Content: From‑scratch cooking, culinary science, irreverent humour
Why they're influential: His best food philosophy, make it yourself or upgrade it, pairs well with premium flavor enhancers. Sponsors from knives to ferment‑ready crocks line up for videos that routinely top 2 M views.
5. Joanne Molinaro (@thekoreanvegan)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram
Content: Korean‑American vegan recipes with spoken‑word narratives
Why they're influential: Blends recipe tutorials with memoir‑style commentary, expanding the reach of plant‑forward cooking beyond the usual vegan niche.
6. Max La Manna (@maxlamanna)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
Content: Zero‑waste recipes, leftover makeovers, climate‑positive hacks
Why they're influential: Spokesperson for the UN’s 50 % food‑waste reduction pledge; ideal for food brand activations focused on sustainability and nutrition.
7. Alexis Nikole Nelson (@alexisnikole)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram
Content: Urban foraging, wild‑food cooking, food travel vignettes
Why they're influential: Converts hyper‑local flora into viral talking points, prompting spice companies to explore new sourcing stories.
8. Andrew Rea (@babishculinaryuniverse)
Platforms: YouTube, Instagram
Content: Pop‑culture recreations, foundational technique, gear reviews
Why they're influential: 10 M subscribers make him a gateway for cookware brands and streaming‑friendly content creation.
9. Yumna Jawad (@feelgoodfoodie)
Platforms: Instagram, TikTok, Blog
Content: Mediterranean‑leaning healthy meals, pragmatic nutrition
Why they're influential: Her SEO‑weighted blog means a featured food product sees both immediate Reels traffic and long‑tail search wins.
10. Matty Matheson (@mattymatheson)
Platforms: Instagram, YouTube, Hulu
Content: High‑energy comfort food, restaurant culture, behind‑the‑scenes chef life
Why they're influential: Co‑produced FX’s The Bear and launched a cookware line that sold 2 M USD in its first week.
11. David Chang (@davidchang)
Platforms: Instagram, Podcasts, Netflix
Content: Culinary innovation, industry commentary, Food Network guest spots
Why they're influential: As both top food entrepreneur and media personality, Chang illustrates how a food blogger mentality can scale into CPG aisles.
12. Emily English (@emthenutritionist)
Platforms: Instagram, TikTok
Content: Evidence‑based macro balance, quick meal builds
Why they're influential: Her community trusts macro‑nutrient breakdowns and buys beverage or snack collabs that match those ratios.
13. Claire Saffitz (@csaffitz)
Platforms: YouTube, Instagram
Content: Pastry tutorials, baker troubleshooting, dessert upgrades
Why they're influential: Turns complex laminations into approachable Reels, ideal for premium chocolate or heritage‑flour campaigns.
14. Molly Baz (@mollybaz)
Platforms: Instagram, Paid Substack
Content: Flavour‑forward weeknight cooking, wine pairings
Why they're influential: Her paid “Recipe Club” now tops 70 000 members, proof a creator can convert casual scrollers into paying superfans.
15. Sohla El‑Waylly (@sohlae)
Platforms: YouTube, Instagram, NYT Cooking
Content: Technique‑driven videos, culinary history
Why they're influential: Trusted to demystify food trend myths; excellent partner for legacy brands needing a freshness halo.
16. Alison Roman (@alisoneroman)
Platforms: Newsletter, Instagram, YouTube
Content: Bigger flavour, pantry‑staple heroes
Why they're influential: Evergreen recipes like #TheCookies and #TheStew still top instagram food saves, long‑tail value for tinned‑fish and tomato‑paste makers.
17. Dan Pelosi (@grossypelosi)
Platforms: Instagram, TikTok
Content: Italian‑American comfort, community cook‑alongs
Why they're influential: His #Big‑Italian‑Salad posts sparked a ready‑made‑salad boom and a 2 M‑view Live within the first 24 hours.
18. Nik Sharma (@abrowntable)
Platforms: Instagram, Newsletter
Content: Spice science, global flavor systems
Why they're influential: R&D consultant for grocers launching cross‑cultural lines; bridges data‑driven labs with instagram influencers.
19. Zach Choi (@zachchoi)
Platforms: YouTube, TikTok
Content: ASMR cooking, ultra‑crunch mukbang
Why they're influential: Audio‑focused videos amplify texture cues, a boon for crispy snack or cereal food product launches.
20. Adam Ragusea (@aragusea)
Platforms: YouTube
Content: Food‑science myth busting, budget cooking
Why they're influential: Eight‑minute average watch‑time offers room for brand‑safe deep dives on cookware longevity.
21. Priya Krishna (@priyakrishna)
Platforms: Instagram, YouTube, NYT Cooking
Content: Indian‑inspired weeknight dishes, global food travel
Why they're influential: Journalism rigour plus approachable home cook demos yield high trust for spice‑blend partnerships.
22. Gaby Dalkin (@whatsgabycookin)
Platforms: Instagram, Blog, TikTok
Content: Californian cuisine, meal prep, clean cocktails
Why they're influential: “Summer Snack Collective” takes online audiences into real‑world pop‑ups, closing the loop on content creation and retail scans.
23. Kwoklyn Wan (@kwoklynwan)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, UK TV
Content: Chinese‑takeaway classics, wok mastery
Why they're influential: Live cook‑alongs with Tesco generated six‑figure sales during the stream, proof of instant conversion.
24. Frankie Celenza (@strugglemeals)
Platforms: Instagram, YouTube, Tastemade
Content: Ultra‑budget recipes, zero‑waste hacks
Why they're influential: Appeals to students and recession‑savvy viewers, giving value‑driven manufacturers cost‑efficient exposure.
25. Eitan Bernath (@eitan)
Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, Food Network
Content: High‑energy global recipes, teen‑friendly culinary EDU
Why they're influential: United Nations WFP ambassador and guest host on Food Network specials, bridging mass entertainment and social good.
The Impact of Social Media on Culinary Trends
Modern food trend cycles compress months into days. A TikTok recipe might win 100 million views, then trigger supermarket shortages of ingredients by the weekend. Even veteran YouTube bakers like Yolanda Gampp, with more than 4 M subscribers, adapt quickly, she launched a surprise fondant‑free cake series after noting a shift in taste toward naked cakes.
Short‑form algorithms reward novelty, but they also surface regional specialties, turning a local spice into a global commodity overnight. These shifts create opportunities for agile food brands and beverage innovators that can activate the right instagram handle before the window closes.
Find Culinary Creators with Collabstr
Collabstr’s dashboard rolls discovery, contracting, and real‑time tracking into a single workflow. Whether you need a baker with two million followers for holiday cookies or a micro‑influencer in the hot sauce niche, filters make it happen in seconds. Metrics update every 24 hours, so you know exactly when a Reels spike turns into cart conversions.
Ready to see which top influencer can put your next launch on every food blogger’s radar? Browse cooking creators on Collabstr and start collaborating today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do food influencers pay for their own food?
Often they do, especially when shooting from a personal kitchen. Comped products are common in sponsored work, but must be disclosed per FTC guidelines.
What exactly is a food influencer?
A food influencer is a content creator whose primary subject is food, recipes, kitchen hacks, food photography, or food travel reviews. Their credibility persuades followers to try new flavours and buy the associated products.
What does a food content creator do each day?
Tasks include research, recipe testing, filming, editing, and community engagement, plus negotiating with brands and analysing metrics. Collabstr streamlines that last phase by automating deliverables and payments.
