Home cooking in America in 2025 was shaped by protein-packed comfort food, indulgent vegetables and bold flavors — with a focus on affordable recipes that fit busy schedules and tight grocery budgets, a new report shows.
From cottage cheese bowls and slow-cooker turkey to cabbage bakes and crispy onion chips, Google's top 10 viral U.S. food searches show home cooks gravitated toward protein-packed, satisfying meals that are easy to make at home.
"These searches tell a story of a shifting culture, not just trends," said Emmy Clinton, a Colorado-based recipe creator and founder of Entirely Emmy.
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"People want to feel good about their food choices without sacrificing flavor and enjoyment," Clinton told Fox News Digital.
"Inflation has forced creativity and simplicity upon us," she added.
"And honestly, it's given us some fun new recipes."
Here are the top 10 searches.
The No. 1 viral recipe searched on Google this year taps into the sweet-and-spicy hot honey craze, first popularized by Mike's Hot Honey.
The condiment is drizzled over sweet potatoes, ground beef, cottage cheese and avocado for a filling and protein-packed bowl.
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"Rising costs forced people back into grocery stores, where they started grabbing inexpensive ingredients like cottage cheese and experimenting in the kitchen," said Chuck Hayworth, a private chef and medical meal specialist from North Carolina.
This easy one-pan wonder takes frozen dumplings and bakes them in a coconut milk sauce spiked with Thai red curry paste and soy sauce.
It's the simplicity that sells, Clinton said.
"My shorter recipes with minimal ingredients vastly outperform anything over 30 minutes."
The viral cabbage boil recipe typically involves seasoning an entire cored cabbage with Cajun spices, butter and chicken stock, then wrapping it in foil and baking it until tender, sometimes topping it with sausage and shrimp.
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The cabbage boil's cousin, the onion boil, also went viral online for similarly transforming a whole onion into a tender, buttery side dish.
Dubbed "life-changing lettuce," the viral trend popularized by the page Baked by Melissa shows how simple ingredients can become surprisingly addictive, tossing crisp iceberg lettuce with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and white vinegar.
The no-fuss salad took off for its refreshing crunch, which social media users described as "watermelon-like" and loved for its ability to pair with just about any protein.
The viral carrot ribbon salad trend, popularized by chef and content creator Cassie Yeung, turns shaved carrots into a flavorful, easy-to-eat dish tossed with sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and chili crisp, Fox News Digital previously reported.
"Whole foods are being emphasized by younger generations as a cheaper and healthier way to get daily nutrients," Hayworth told Fox News Digital.
As the "protein-everything" craze has continued, protein muffins emerged as a go-to 2025 meal-prep staple.
Made with bases like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt or protein powder, the muffins deliver about 8 to 20 grams of protein per serving for a quick, portable breakfast or snack.
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"The protein obsession is really a movement towards living well," Clinton noted.
"Protein keeps you full between Zoom meetings, meals and workouts."
Turkish pasta, a TikTok-viral dish inspired by traditional Turkish manti, combines seasoned ground beef, pasta, garlic yogurt sauce and a paprika-butter drizzle.
The high-protein, weeknight-friendly meal is ready in about 30 minutes.
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"Cooking a destination dish is like traveling without the airline and long trip," Hayworth said.
The viral onion ring chips swap batter and deep-frying for thin onion slices baked or air-fried with olive oil, Parmesan and seasonings for a crispy, caramelized snack.
Popularized by Hungry Happens' Stella Drivas on TikTok, they're a low-carb, "hidden veggie" alternative that requires minimal ingredients and prep.
"Vegetables are becoming comfort foods, not just healthy foods," Clinton said, calling them an "affordable luxury."
The turkey trend involves cooking turkey breast in a slow cooker as an easy, hands-off way to keep it juicy and flavorful without the usual holiday stress.
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Popular on TikTok, it's turning turkey from a once-a-year centerpiece into a simple, high-protein meal-prep staple people make all year long.
Ditalini pasta became the "it" shape of 2025 after going viral in chopped salads and Italian-inspired soups on TikTok.
Its small tube shape holds sauce and blends perfectly with finely chopped ingredients.
