Google has all but replaced cookbooks when you're looking for a recipe to cook. This makes sense, since it pulls up all the options in, like, one second.
So, Google has a pretty good idea of the kinds of recipes that people are increasingly interested in, AKA ~trending~.
Some of them are surprising (pumpkin seeds, philly cheesesteak), and some are obvious (chicken, apple pie).
Here are those top 10 trending recipe searches Googled in 2015 PLUS a recipe for each of them.
1. Pumpkin Seed Recipes
Pumpkin seeds are so legitimately delicious. Once you strip the outer hull you get the delicious, green inner peptita (AKA a hulled pumpkin seed). They have a wonderfully nutty flavor and are great tossed into granola, sprinkled in salads, or blitzed into pesto.
Try them out in Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. And if you want to get really into seeds in general, check out this cookbook Cooking with Seeds.
2. Sweet Potato Fries Recipes
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins (A, C, calcium, and potassium to name a few). Plus, they get tender AND crispy in the oven. Try them out in cajun-spiced sweet potato fries. Searches for sweet potato fries were high all over the US, probably because they're DELICIOUS.
3. Philly Cheesesteak Recipes
What's NOT to like about massive amounts of cheese, thinly sliced steak, and peppers and onions piled onto a soft bun? Nothing. Texas and California know it—Those two states were the biggest searchers for this recipe. If you're far from Philly, you can easily make a traditional cheesesteak at home.
4. Chicken Recipes (...DUH?)
buzzfeed.com
TBH, I'm not really sure when chicken recipes AREN'T trending. It's the staple of American dinners and probably will be for ~time eternal~. North Dakota was the #1 searcher for chicken recipes, and Wyoming was #2. Like I said, Chicken = USA!
Here are 21 ways to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts to keep the poultry party going.
5. Apple Pie Recipes
buzzfeed.com
Chicken is the most American dinner and apple pie is the most American dessert. The US had the most searches for apple pie of any country, followed by Canada and Australia. Searches spiked for apple pie around Thanksgiving, no surprise, but thanks to the long storage life of apples, you can make a great pie year round. Cue: This mind-blowing apple pie recipe.
6. Brownie Recipes
A brownie is like your most amiable friend, it gets along with almost all the dessert flavors. Nutella brownies, Cookie dough brownies, and these delectable rocky road s'mores brownies all exist because the world is a good and kind place. Utah was the top state to search for brownie recipes, followed by Washington state, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.
Homemade pesto is one of the greatest foods on Earth. No wonder so many states searched for a classic recipe like this one, which sticks pretty close to the original formula. Since pesto goes bad after a few days in the refrigerator, freeze your batch in small portions (an ice cube tray works well) so that you can toss it into pastas or bake with chicken whenever you want.
8. Pancake Recipes
Eating a stack of fluffy pancakes has got to be one of the all time best ways to spend a weekend morning. Searches for pancake recipes were high in 2015. And, in a win for home cooks everywhere, the searches were high for homemade pancakes (not from a box). Trust us, it's still easy and the taste is *TWO THUMBS UP*. If it's your first time making them from scratch, these Greek yogurt pancakes look like a great place to begin.
9. Cabbage Recipes
IDK about you but when I hear cabbage recipes I'm kind of like ::womp womp::, but maybe there's something that all the Googling cooks in South Carolina know that I don't. Actually, this grilled ginger-sesame chicken chopped salad looks pretty dece.
10. Chili Recipes
Chili is queen of stews. And, it's endlessly tweakable so that you can get it just how you like. This three bean chili has a ground beef base but you could easily swap in ground turkey or pork, or a mixture of all three. Alaska was the top Googler of chili recipes BC it's freezing AF, but West Virginia and Colorado were close behind.
