It might sound strange, but watching good food being cooked and plated is a very comforting experience, particularly for those who enjoy the entire culinary process. It’s aspirational, for one. That’s why cooking shows attract all kinds of audiences – those who love to cook, those who love to eat, and those who aspire to cook like pros. So, we brought you a whole list of popular cooking shows on Hulu that you might enjoy. Whether you want to hone your kitchen skills or learn about new and unique recipe ideas, each of these shows is perfect to add to your watch list and gather some inspiration for your backyard barbecues or hosting a party. Let’s dig in right away!
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best cooking and reality shows on Netflix or the best movies or shows on Hulu.
Editor's note: This article was updated in May 2023 to include The Curious Chef.
Hell’s Kitchen (2005-present)
Creator: Gordon Ramsay
Cast: Gordon Ramsay
This is one of those cooking shows that have become historical and iconic. This is also the show that made chef Gordon Ramsay a household name, as well as a name to fear. Hell’s Kitchen cannot be called just a cooking show, but rather a culinary boot camp. It invites aspiring restaurateurs/chefs from around the country to participate in a tough competition and exhibit their skills.
Hell’s Kitchen became popular because of Ramsay’s hard-hitting feedback and screaming at the contestants, hilarious fails, narrow escapes, and a lot of creative dishes. But most importantly, it was the tense drama that made this series distinctive. The 20th season of Hell’s Kitchen, which premiered in 2021, is subtitled Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns, with newbie chefs below 23 years competing to become the next culinary star of America. The series has been renewed for a 21st and 22nd season, expected to arrive in 2022 and 2023 respectively.Watch on Hulu
The Curious Chef (2022-present)
Cast: Stephanie Izard
The Curious Chef blends food, culture, and curiosity in a delightful series from internet sensation Tastemade. Chef Stephanie Izard leaves her own kitchen to visit with home chefs, exploring not only the smells and tastes of their unique dishes but also the story behind them. Through the series, Izard uncovers the basics of flavors from around the world, testing her abilities, palate, and inquisitiveness. The Curious Chef explores dishes from Africa and the Middle East, even taking audiences on an adventure with a pitmaster. Highlighted by a passion for cooking and a genuine interest in learning, The Curious Chef is a charming variation on cooking shows. – Yael TygielWatch on Hulu
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (2020-present)
Cast: Padma Lakshmi, Ali Wong, Maz Jobrani, Madhur Jaffrey
Hosted by author Padma Lakshmi, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi explores a variety of cultures across the United States by visiting different places and diving into the unique dishes and stories of the people they represent. During the first season, Taste the Nation took Lakshmi to El Paso, Milwaukee, Honolulu, and more, introducing her to new cuisines. Although limited to the country’s borders, Taste the Nation discovers a path to bring the audience on a journey, visiting indigenous communities and various immigrant groups and breaking bread inclusively, as the series seeks out the roots of America’s blended identity. – Yael TygielWatch on Hulu
Worth It (2016-present)
Creator: Steven Lim
Cast: Steven Lim, Andrew Ilnyckyj, Adam Bianchi, Keith Habersberger
Produced by BuzzFeed, Worth It is a simple yet endless fascinating concept that sees its hosts try the same foods at three drastically varying pricepoints: cheap, mid-range, and luxury. From $1 donuts to $2,000 pizza, it’s fascinating to see just how different – and sometimes just how similar – these cheap and ultra-expensive foods are made and taste. – Taylor GatesWatch on Hulu
Cutthroat Kitchen (2013-2017)
Executive Producers: Shauna Minoprio, Julia Cassidy, Michael Davies, Melissa Stokes, Alton Brown
Cast: Alton Brown
Premiering in 2013, this is Alton Brown’s fifth television series as a host. As evident from the title, Cutthroat Kitchen features four chefs competing against each other across three high-intensity cooking rounds. At the beginning of each episode, each of the competitors is given $25000, which they use to bid on items that they can use for their cooking or sabotage their competitors (like seizing equipment/ingredients). At the end of the third round, and elimination of three contestants, the last one standing is the winner, and they take the unused money as the day’s prize. The series features celebrity guests and judges like Cat Cora, Anne Burrell, Ted Allen, William Shatner, Giada De Laurentiis, Jet, and Ali Tila, among many others.Watch on Hulu
MasterChef (2010-present)
Creator: Franc Roddam
Cast: Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez, Daphne Oz, Joe Bastianich, Christina Tosi
Airing since 2010, MasterChef is one of the most popular culinary shows and has become a benchmark for many cooking competitions thereafter. The show also made turned words like “mystery box”, “deconstructed”, etc. into household lingo. The American reality show is based on the popular British television series of the same name.
Created by Franc Roddam, the competitive show invites home chefs and amateurs to compete in a series of theme-based cooking. Each round is judged based on the technique, use of ingredients, and uniqueness of dishes, and contestants are eliminated based on judges’ feedback. The day’s winner is announced at the end of every episode, who moves on to the next episode, and at the end of each season, a winner is announced who takes home the title of MasterChef.Watch on Hulu
The Food That Built America (2019-present)
Executive Producers: Kim Woodard, Greg Henry, Isaac Holub, Yoshi Stone, Jim Pasquarella, Mary E. Donahue
Cast: Campbell Scott, Adam Richman
Though there isn’t any “American cuisine” per se, there are foods that have shaped the nation’s gastronomic culture and defined its culinary history. The Food That Built America tells the stories of those foods.
Originally aired on History Channel in 2019, this nonfiction docudrama series sees hosts Adam Richman and Campbell Scott on a journey to find the stories behind some of the biggest, largest, and most iconic food brands in the United States. Of course, a lot of historical anecdotes are dramatized, with actors enacting certain events, and that is interspersed with commentary from culinary experts and food historians. Some brands covered in this series so far are Heinz, Hershey, Kellogg’s, Post, and McDonald’s, elaborating on their founders, their visions, and the brand’s journey.Watch on Hulu
The Baker Sisters (2017)
Director: Brian Quigley
Cast: Rachel Smith, Jean Parker
If you thought “Eat dessert first” is your belief, then let us tell you that these sisters also live by the same rule. Ontario-based siblings and bakers, Rachel Smith and Jean Parker used to own the Maple Key Tart Co., a butter tart business, which was inspired by their mother, who is also a baker. Now, they are on the road to discovering the best confections across North America.
In The Baker Sisters, the two women travel to different locations in each episode and sample the most scrumptious baked treats. Later, they head to the kitchen with an expert baker to learn how it’s made. From simple sponge cakes to sticky buns, doughnuts, mud pies, tarts, and more, Rachel and Jean share their baking adventures with their audience and explore the most decadent desserts that the continent has to offer, and where they are best made.Watch on Hulu
Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking (2013)
Creator: Gordon Ramsay
Cast: Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is mostly popular for making unique, creative, and, intricate dishes and for being a badass judge at the same time. But he is also a family man, a father, and a husband who loves to cook for his family. And when at home, he loves his grub to be simple but flavorful.
Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking gives you an opportunity to look at the celebrity chef up close, in his personal space, where he cooks great meals but in the simplest manner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And he is having fun while cooking too! In this show, Ramsay shows how good food doesn’t need a whole lot of fancy ingredients or complex methods. Rather, the chef’s belief is that home cooking can be easy, quick, and still delicious, as it should be. If you are crunched for time, juggling work and household, and still want to cook up a tasty meal, then this show might help you with some ideas.Watch on Hulu
Bong Appetit (2016-2019)
Producers: Lauren Cynamon, Ari Fishman
Cast: Abdullah Saeed
Using cannabis in food has evolved leaps and bounds from your frat-house pot brownies or cookies. Bong Appetit shows you how. This series shows the uses of cannabis in various ways, as a key ingredient or add-on to other ingredients, and explores a whole new way to cook and recreate traditional food, thus proving that there’s more to this plant than what we know.
Hosted by Abdullah Saeed, a producer, composer, journalist, host, writer, podcaster, and advocate for cannabis liberalization, this series takes you through a delightful gastronomic experience. Saeed hosts luxurious parties that are catered by notable chefs who prepare elaborate meals using marijuana in different forms, through oils, butter, spreads, marinades, or smoking meats, among other techniques.Watch on Hulu
Best Home Cook (2018-present)
Executive Producer: Claire Nosworthy
Cast: Mary Berry, Chris Bavin, Claudia Winkleman, and Angela Hartnett
Wonder how home cooks and home chefs would fare in a professional environment? This show might answer that question. Previously titled Britain's Best Home Cook, Best Home Cook sees the judges in search of the best home chef across Britain. Each season sees 10 contestants from different walks of life and professional backgrounds, competing against each other. The judges select themes for the day, with an increasing level of difficulty with every episode, thus testing the skills and creativity of the home cooks. Each week the contestants compete in three stages, making – their favorite home-cooked meal, a dish using a single ingredient, and a final elimination round. At the end of the episode, one participant gets eliminated, and so on, until the winner is the last one left with the best-created dish in the final episode of the season.Watch on Hulu
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (2010-2011)
Creators: Jamie Oliver, Ryan Seacrest
Cast: Jamie Oliver
It’s no news that most American food, particularly, the on-the-go, fast food, has been cited as a major cause of obesity and other health issues across the country. So, British chef and food author, Jamie Oliver took the onus to start a food revolution. Produced by Oliver, along with TV personality Ryan Seacrest, this series sees the celebrity chef campaigning to reform lunch programs in schools across the United States.
A thought-provoking take on daily meals, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution takes the audience through American homes, schools, and workplaces, and talks about what could change to make eating habits healthier for a better lifestyle and wellness. In one episode he also cooks and shows them how children can enjoy good food which is also healthy.Watch on Hulu
Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back (2018-2020)
Executive Producers: Gordon Ramsay, Michael Van Briesen, Chris Brodgen, Layla Smith, Greg Lipstone, Tim Warren
Cast: Gordon Ramsay
If you are an owner of a restaurant/diner, or even a small eatery and struggling to keep it afloat, then you might want to call in Gordon Ramsay for rescue, like on this show! Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back sees the celebrity chef helping dying/struggling restaurants across the United States. This is a restaurant boot camp show where Ramsay intervenes with a local restaurant business and turns things around within 24 hours. But being a perfectionist and intimidating as he is, his methods surely give scares to the restaurant owner and staff.
In each episode, Ramsay travels on his 70-foot truck, which he calls “Hell on Wheels”, and finds a failing eatery. He sends out a team to discreetly investigate the reasons why the business is in trouble. He himself joins them in disguise. Later, he then points out those issues to the owner, retrains the staff in his mobile kitchen, revamps the menu, interiors, or whatever it takes to reinvent the restaurant’s dining experience. After 24 hours, the restaurant is reopened with a new and improved look and a menu that attracts more customers.Watch on Hulu
Wall of Chefs (2020-present)
Director: Dave Russell
Cast: Noah Cappe
A Canadian primetime reality series, Wall of Chefs is a lot like Best Home Cook, where amateur home chefs and cooks compete against each other in various culinary challenges. In each episode, four participants enter the kitchen and compete in three high-intensity cooking levels. The first round/challenge is to prepare a dish/meal they are well-experienced with, the second round is to cook something with three ingredients from their home fridge, and in the final round, they recreate a chef’s signature dish and make it “restaurant-worthy”. At the end of each round, the least-performing contestant gets eliminated and the winner of the episode takes an award of $10000.Watch on Hulu
Eater’s Guide to the World (2020-present)
Directors: Ari Fishman, Alex Craig
Cast: Maya Rudolph
Actor, comedian, and singer Maya Rudolph is on a quest to discover the most heartwarming, comforting, and satisfying food in the world. So, she is exploring the big cities, small towns, remote villages, and even the wilderness; from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic Coast, from Costa Rica all the way to Casablanca. In this Hulu original series, each episode features a whole new side of a city/town that you would have never thought of even if you know the place. You get to learn about the destination in a whole new light, see the people and their lives closer than ever, and thus feel their favorite food with all senses. From the offbeat, local hotspots in your city to hidden gems around the world, Eater’s Guide to the World will take you on a culinary joyride around the globe.Watch on Hulu
BBQuest (2018-present)
Creators: Beef Loving Texans
Cast: Kelsey Pribilski
There’s nothing as homey as a good Sunday barbecue, particularly in summer. Whether you are good with the grill or aspiring to be one, this show is a great guide for barbecue enthusiasts, or even if you simply love to eat. Texas native and host of the show Kelsey Pribilski travels across the Lone Star state digging up recipes, secret ingredients, and traditional techniques, from the best barbecue joints. On her expedition, Kelsey interacts with ranchers, renowned pitmasters, and specialty chefs and finds out about unheard/undiscovered barbecue recipes around Texas. Created by Beef Loving Texans, BBQuest has three seasons available to stream on Hulu.Watch on Hulu
Crime Scene Kitchen (2021-present)
Director: Paul Starkman
Cast: Joel McHale, Yolanda Gampp, and Curtis Stone
No, this show has nothing to do with the kitchen turning into a crime scene. But there are some similarities between a crime scene and this show’s format – as in identifying a dish from the crumbs that are left on the plate, just like a forensic analysis of the crime from a crime scene. In simple words, Crime Scene Kitchen is a cooking/baking competition, where contestants must decode the type of dessert from crumbs, flour trails, and traces of other ingredients as clues. In each episode, participants are introduced to a kitchen where a delicious dessert was recently prepared and then made to disappear. The teams are tasked with identifying the ingredients and recreating the dessert that they have guessed. Each episode has two rounds. The worst-performing team in the episode is eliminated from the competition. The winner of the season takes home a grand prize of $100,000.Watch on Hulu
I Draw, You Cook (2018-present)
Producers: Nathan Ng, Kevin McShane
Cast: Alix Traeger, Rie McClenny
How would it be if a dish you imagined becomes real, and then cooked and served for you? It would be quite wild and exciting, right? This uniquely designed cooking show does just that, but for a child, their imagination into reality. In each episode of I Draw, You Cook, chefs Alix and Rie find out about a dish from a child’s drawing. Then, they try to create the dish that the kid has imagined, or at least close enough. The kid is the final judge of whose dish was closest to their imagination/drawing and decides the winner. Fun and cute, this series seems to be the perfect show for parents to figure out what kids really feel about different kinds of food.Watch on Hulu