Read more on gamerant.com

Breath Of The Wild: 20 Best Cooking Recipes

Gamers don't need to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for long before they realize how important it is to keep a good supply of consumable items in their inventory. Carrying a full stock of the game's many types of arrows, hoarding a healthy supply of apples to feed horses, and having enough wood to complete key sidequests are all essential. But of the numerous types of consumables, the meals and elixirs that Link can cook and eat are the most important.

RELATED: Open-World Games To Play If You Loved The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Many items in Breath of the Wildcan be sold for a high price or be used to upgrade Link's gear. The elixirs, however, will give him the extra status enhancements that can help him dominate any fight. And the meals can save his life when things go bad quickly. This is why it is important for every player to know the best BOTW recipes for these valuable, edible assets.

Updated March 18, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Breath of the Wild features several great systems that are a blast to interact with. From maintaining Link's temperature to using physics in combat, the sheer wealth of amazing and unique things players can accomplish in the open world of Breath of the Wild is genuinely incredible. Players can also mix ingredients together to create food that heals Link and bestows a ton of benefits as well. Here are the best recipes players can cook up in Breath of the Wild.

A Basic Overview Of Cooking In BOTW

Cooking is a new mechanic to the Legend of Zelda series in Breath of the Wild. By combining monster parts, animal parts, herbs, mushrooms, gems, and other craftables in a pot Link is able to create potions and meals to aid his quest to defeat Calamity Ganon. It's a satisfying system that actually changes a lot about the way a player goes about their journey.

To cook, players must find a cooking station out in the world – and there's no shortage of these stony fires in Hyrule. Up to five ingredients can be used when cooking new recipes, and mix-and-matching ingredients with different effects tend to yield multi-effect consumables.

Some important tips to keep in mind include:

• Combining more ingredients with the same effect amplifies that effect. For example, using two fairies in a Fairy Tonic heals more hearts than just using one.
• Sometimes Link can create something inedible, like when combining monster parts with non-compatible ingredients. Hey, everyone's had kitchen experiments go wrong now and then.
• Ingredients are sorted by type in Link's inventory, naturally separating non-compatible parts from one another.
• Some meals don't need to be cooked at all. For example, killing an animal with a flame weapon creates the fully-cooked version of their dropped item.
• Even if the player isn't going to use a cooked meal or brewed potion, they can often be sold for a decent price. Don't discard anything; sell it instead.

GAMERANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

20 Creamy Heart Soup

Any kind of food that gives additional hearts is always sought after by players for how useful it can be. Such is the case with the Creamy Heart Soup, which can replenish Link's hearts and also give an extra boost to his health in the process too.

The Creamy Heart Soup can be made by combining a hydromelon, a voltfruit, fresh milk, and a hearty radish for that extra health bonus. Players who want Link to get even more of a health boost with this dish should use a big hearty radish instead if they've happened upon this valuable ingredient in their travels.

19 Clam Chowder

It's great to make food items in Breath of the Wild that aren't just a random mix of ingredients. After all, there are several unique recipes that Link can learn about by finding cookbooks or talking to the residents of this ruined world.

One particularly delectable recipe that Link can cook up is Clam Chowder, which can be made by mixing fresh milk, tabantha wheat, goat butter, and a hearty blueshell snail in a cooking pot. It's a great dish that Link can use to get a health boost along with some extra hearts in the process too.

18 Seafood Curry

Seafood Curry is a pretty delectable recipe that players can cook up in Breath of the Wild. The best part of this dish is that it's pretty malleable and can be used to give a wealth of benefits to Link if need be.

The two main ingredients in this dish are Goron spice and Hylian rice, with the other ingredients depending on whether players want this dish to give more hearts, boost their attack, or bolster their defense. Players should mix either a hearty blueshell snail, a mighty porgy, or an armored porgy to get their respective benefits.

17 Salmon Risotto

The fact that Link can cook up a Salmon Risotto in the game is pretty neat and shows just how in-depth the cooking in Breath of the Wild really is. He may be on a quest to save the world, but that shouldn't stop Link from enjoying the finer things in life.

RELATED: Breath Of The Wild: Every Lynel Variant (& How To Beat Them)

To make this dish, Link needs to cook up a hearty salmon, Hylian rice, goat butter, and rock salt together. It's a fun dish to make in Breath of the Wild as long as players have the required ingredients.

16 Seafood Fried Rice

It's clear that seafood can be used to great effect in Breath of the Wild if players mix the right ingredients together. Link can make a plate of Seafood Fried Rice that tastes great and gives a wealth of benefits based on what the player adds to this dish.

The main ingredients for this dish include Hylian rice and rock salt. On top of this, players can add either a hearty blueshell snail, a mighty porgy, or an armored porgy to enjoy their respective benefits.

15 Hasty Fruit And Mushroom Mix

Moving around in Breath of the Wild is pretty fun in its own right, but there are times when players wish that they could move faster than what the game allows them. This is where the Hasty Fruit and Mushroom Mix recipe in BotW comes into the picture, allowing players to gain a temporary speed boost that lets them zoom through Hyrule at their pace.

Players need to mix any fruit they have with a Rushroom to create this simple yet useful dish. Moving around quickly is a bonus in every situation, with this fast movement speed also aiding in combat as well!

14 Hearty Fruitcake

The Fruitcake is one of the most flexible BotW recipes that players can make. Not only is the base fruitcake pretty great in its own right, but the nature of this food item can change on the basis of which fruit Link uses in his cooking.

The Heart Fruitcake is made by combining an apple or a wildberry, a hearty durian, wheat, and cane sugar. Combining all these ingredients in a cooking pot leads to the creation of this dish, which maxes out the hearts of Link while also giving him additional health to make tougher fights easier to deal with.

13 Hearty Veggie Rice Balls

Combing any kind of vegetable with rice in a cooking pot leads to the creation of Veggie Rice Balls in Breath of the Wild. In fact, players don't even need to use vegetables, with both herbs and flowers being enough to make this dish!

RELATED: Breath Of The Wild: Hidden Areas You Didn’t Know Existed

If players want to make a hearty variation of this dish, then they need to mix either a Hearty Radish or its bigger variant with Hylian Rice in a cooking pit to make this dish. Link replenishes all his health and gets some extra yellow hearts too, with the Big Hearty Radish being the most optimal ingredient to make the best version of the Hearty Veggie Rice Balls.

12 Fairy Tonic

Fairy Tonic is one of the best recipes BOTW has to learn early on thanks to its relative ease of crafting and its powerful healing effect. By combining a fairy with either a monster part, Guardian part, animal part, or a type of gemstone, Link will create a potion with a basic restorative effect that gets more powerful the more fairies are used.

The Fairy Tonic, contrary to popular belief, doesn't involve actually cooking the fairies. That would be barbaric. Instead, fairies fly away after the meal has been prepared, implying that Link only needs their essence, dust, or whatever fairies leave behind.

11 Hasty Elixir

The Hasty Elixir is a cooking recipe all players should learn if they want to get around the world of Hyrule faster. By combining the parts of a fast creature, like the Hightail Lizard, with monster parts, Link will create a long-lasting potion that increases his speed when running, swimming, or climbing.

The Hasty Elixir does not reduce the depletion of Link's stamina as he performs these activities, though, so it's still necessary to pay attention to the stamina wheel. Otherwise, Link might find himself falling off of a cliff that the player thought he could scale at this higher speed.

10 Spicy Elixir

Keeping a supply of various elixirs is essential for any player who wants to survive and thrive in Hyrule and its fascinating locales. They give powerful boosts to Link's stats and abilities, and the Spicy Elixir is one of the most valuable. Many of the mountainous regions in Hyrule are too cold for Link to traverse without facing the threat of being frozen. Drinking a Spicy Elixir is a quick and easy way to avoid an icy death.

To make a Spicy Elixir, the player must cook either a Sizzlefin Trout, Summerwing Butterfly, or a Warm Darner with any monster part. To make the strongest version of this or any elixir, the player will want to use a mix of the creature ingredients. This will also increase how long any elixir's effect will last.

9 Tough Mushroom Skewer

No matter how good a player is, Link will need to be ready to take a hit on occasion. To survive a savage blow from powerful enemies such as the fierce Lynels or the intimidating Guardians, it's a good idea for the player to prepare some meals that will give Link some much-needed durability, making it one of the best BOTW recipes.

That is where the Tough Mushroom Skewer proves to be a perfect option. By cookingmultiple Ironshrooms together, the player can net a valuable meal that both restores some hearts and offers a defense boost. Since Ironshrooms are plentiful and easy to find throughout Hyrule, it's a simple matter to casually collect them while exploring and cook a bunch at once.

8 Electro Elixir

In certain environments and when battling specific enemies and bosses, being able to defend Link against electricity is an invaluable ability. The paralyzing effects that electricity can have on him are often devasting, and they can leave him vulnerable to additional attacks. By using an Electro Elixir, the player can make things fairer for the hero.

RELATED: The Legend Of Zelda: The Rarest Encounters In Breath Of The Wild

The Electro Elixir is made by cooking monster parts with any creature that offers shock resistance, such as the Electric Darners or Thunderwing Butterflies. After consuming this elixir, Link will still take damage from electric strikes, but the amount of damage and the overall effect will be much less crippling.

7 Enduring Fried Wild Greens

Many players, especially ones new to the game, will often focus on and stress about how many hearts Link has. However, they should also be careful not to ignore the importance of having enough stamina. A bunch of hearts won't do Link much good if he's too exhausted to run from danger or climb a large cliffside. This is why players should increase their stamina with Spirit Orbs, but they should also carry meals that will give Link an extra boost of energy.

Cooking the Enduring Fried Wild Greens is a simple process. All it takes is a single Enduring Carrot. One of these meals will restore some hearts while also completing filling Link's Stamina Wheel while giving him bonus stamina. If the player cooks more carrots together, the amount of hearts and extra stamina provided will increase, making it one of the Breath of the Wild best recipes to learn for its simplicity.

6 Chilly Elixir

In the reverse situation for the Spicy Elixir, there are times when the player needs to protect Link from the harsh heat of more arid locations, particularly the Gerudo Desert. When the sun is at its zenith, the desert can become scorching and quickly sap Link of his health.

To counteract this, the best option the player can use is to keep a stock of Chilly Elixirs. These elixirs, made from cooking any creature or plant with heat resistance (such as a Chillwing Butterfly or a Cold Darner) along with one monster part, will keep Link cool and protected as he treks across the desert sands.

5 Hearty Mushroom Skewer

As valuable as the elixirs and meals that boost Link's defense and stamina are, it's still important that the player keeps some health-restoring options somewhere in their inventory. Few such options are as beneficial as the Heart Mushroom Skewer.

Throughout Hyrule, the player can find the occasional Hearty Truffle or Big Hearty Truffle. Cooking one of these will yield this skewered meal, which can restore all of Link's hearts and give him some bonus hearts along with them. Multiple truffles can be cooked together, but this will only provide additional extra hearts. With that in mind, it's most worthwhile to cook one at a time.

4 Fireproof Elixir

Death Mountain is one of the most brutal and harsh environments in Hyrule. This mountainous terrain is teeming with rivers and pools of lava, and the heat they produce makes it impossible for the typical Hylian to traverse the area on their own. This means that without some heat-resistant gear or elixir, Link will burn up within minutes of entering the fiery domain.

RELATED: Breath Of The Wild: Things You Missed In Hyrule Castle

Luckily, an elixir exists that is specifically designed for this situation. The Fireproof Elixir, as with all other elixirs, is made by mixing a monster part with any of the creatures that have fire resistance. Examples would be Fireproof Lizard and the Smotherwing Butterfly. Once Link drinks it, the elixir will keep him cool and safe from the heat.

3 Mighty Simmered Fruit

There will come a time when the player needs to go on the offensive against powerful enemies. Run-ins with Lynels and Hinoxes are inevitable, and many of the game's shrines pit the player against powerful adversaries. The player will want to find the best weapons and armor for the battles, but they will also want to prepare some Mighty Simmered Fruit.

Mighty Simmered Fruit is made by cooking Mighty Bananas. The more Mighty Bananas used, the greater the boost to Link's attack power. They also, of course, will restore a number of Link's hearts. The attack-boosting effect matched with the healing effect makes for one of the best Zelda: Breath of the Wild recipes.

2 Enduring Elixir

Consuming a meal such as an Enduring Fried Wild Greens is a good option for keeping Link's energy up, but having multiple options for restoring stamina is important. With monster parts and creatures being plentiful, gaining stamina via elixirs is a quick and equally valid option.

By mixing at minimum one Tireless Frog with a single monster part, the player can create an elixir that has the same effect as the Enduring Fried Wild Greens. The greens may only need one ingredient at a minimum to create it, but the meal can only be made with an Endura carrot. If those aren't available, making an elixir is the best alternative.

1 Hearty Fried Wild Greens

As is the case with the Hearty Truffles, Hearty Radishes, and Big Hearty Radishes are found throughout Hyrule. The only difference is that the radishes are slightly easier to spot thanks to both their long stems and their bright flowers.

Creating the Hearty Fried Wild Greens involves the same steps as the Hearty Mushroom Skewer. The player simply needs to cook a single Hearty Radish in a pot. Again, multiple radishes can be cooked together, but the benefit does not warrant doing so.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Breath Of The Wild: Things You Didn't Know About The Goron