Netflix seems to have gone all in on its reality cooking competition lineup. In the past year alone, the streaming service has released nearly 10 new series focused solely on food challenges. Add that to the stable of shows in the genre that are still going strong, and you’ll find that there’s a cooking, baking, or bartending series to suit every kind of TV craving. A word of advice: Make sure to have a snack ready before hitting play. These series will make you hungry.
While some cooking competitions are all about speed, this one puts the emphasis on keeping things low and slow. Eight barbecue masters put their techniques and flavors to the test in a series of smoke-filled challenges covering a range of our favorite styles of barbecue. And it’s not just pork and beef you’ll find on the grill—this series might give you a hankering to try some wild meats.
Ever wonder how some of those impressively towering cakes are dreamed up? Sometimes there’s a professional builder behind the design of the most winding and sculptural desserts. In Baking Impossible, bakers are teamed up with engineers to create things like an edible boat that can actually float, an edible car that can actually drive, and an edible Rube Goldberg machine that actually works.
The main ingredient in this series? Leftovers. In each episode home cooks must find inspiration inside containers that have been left in the fridge for who knows how long, using them to create gourmet dishes. The winning transformations will have you looking at that container of lo mein very differently.
Hosted by Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and presenter Zoe Ball, this reality show upholds the wholesome tone we’ve come to expect from British cooking series. Teams of family members compete to be crowned Britain’s best home cooks while sharing recipes and cooking tips that have been passed down for generations.
This concept reflects what we deal with in everyday life at the grocery store: Which ingredients are worth spending extra on, and which ones aren’t worth the cash? During each episode three home cooks start with $25,000 and compete to make the best dish without breaking the bank. Whoever wins gets to take home whatever they didn’t spend as their prize.
Cooked with Cannabis features a real “who’s who” of celebrity guests—Ricki Lake, Michael Rapaport, Alaska Thunderfuck—all tasting dishes designed to get them high. Chefs amp up everything from comfort foods to global cuisine to wedding cakes with some THC and CBD to see who can best balance delicious flavor and the perfect buzz.
This series—featuring judges Carla Hall, Niklas Ekstedt, and Heston Blumenthal—brings the world of Willy Wonka to life. Everything on the set is edible and can be used by the home cook contestants to create the most fanciful, whimsical dishes for brunches, birthdays, barbecues, and more.
There’s a lot more that goes into a creative cocktail than you might think. In this competition series (hosted by comedian Tone Bell with judges Julie Reiner and Frankie Solarik), competitors get up to 90 minutes to prepare some of their sippable creations. From putting twists on classics to combining a completely new set of drinkable flavors, the challenges will make you crave something more exciting than a gin and tonic next time you’re out.
The name of this series is a bit of a misnomer, as no Easy-Bake Ovens are actually used. Instead this competition focuses on home chefs preparing easy-to-make dishes that can be replicated at home without any flashy equipment. Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski hosts a series of competitors who bring their home kitchen hacks to cut as many corners as possible.
The beloved British series has its American home on Netflix, where episodes show up just a few days after airing overseas. If you’ve already watched even one episode of The Great British Baking Show, we don’t need to explain its appeal. And if you haven’t already dipped your toes into the most calm, polite, and wholesome reality show out there, what are you waiting for?
Despite its flashy name, Netflix’s new iteration of Iron Chef mostly goes back to following the original series’ format. Mark Dacascos returns to Kitchen Stadium as the Chairman with Alton Brown and Kristen Kish providing color commentary. Filling the Iron Chef role are some familiar celebrity chefs: Curtis Stone, Marcus Samuelsson, Gabriela Cámara, Dominique Crenn, and Ming Tsai. And this time around, the winners are presented with a golden knife. Allez cuisine indeed!
On each episode of Is It Cake?, three bakers are tasked with baking a cake that looks so much like a real item that it fools a panel of celebrity judges. It’s a simple concept that is elevated with some twists and turns throughout the episodes, and it’s capably carried by host Mikey Day, who knows just how ridiculous it is to ask “Is it cake?” so many times in a row.
Nailed It! is the baking competition show of the people. Comedian Nicole Byer and master chocolatier Jaques Torres host this show where the expectation is to just try your best. The entire series manages to be hilarious without being mean-spirited, and it can provide inspiration for even the least culinary among us to try our hand at baking.
Think of this show as Chopped meets Big Brother. Yes, there are cooking challenges that cause these contestants to think outside the box and create delicious dishes. But there is also the interpersonal drama that comes from keeping a bunch of chefs cooped up in the same house where they are not only judging each others’ cooking, but trying to share a bathroom.
Things are a little different in this series—the eight chocolatiers who compete are all able to participate in every challenge until the end, making for a more exciting viewing experience right down to the last episode. Instead of eliminations following each challenges, there are rewards and advantages given to the best competitors. In the end, though, only one person can be named the best in class.
Netflix doesn’t come out and say that this is a show for stoners, but we call ’em like we see ’em. Comedians Meg Stalter and Hari Kondabolu host this series that asks chefs to recreate our favorite snack foods—like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Gushers, and Ho Hos—then make their own new and iconic snack inspired by the beloved treats.
Time is of the essence in this baking competition. Three teams each have the same amount of time to finish three challenges, but can be eliminated along the way. Should they spend more time on the first challenge to ensure they stay in for round two? Or should they rush through the first two to bank time for the final showstopper? Strategy and skill must be used in equal measure to make it all the way to the end.
Another series with Wonka-esque inspiration, Zumbo’s Just Desserts features renowned dessert master Adriano Zumbo searching for the next cook to follow in his footsteps. Contestants are tasked with making edible creations that must stand at least two feet high or contain a magical secret or resemble some expensive bling, all while tasting delicious.