Best Online Cooking Classes

Best Overall: America’s Test Kitchen

Why We Chose It: America’s Test Kitchen is known for its fool-proof and heavily tested recipes, so it comes as no surprise that its online cooking school is equally top-notch, with in-depth lessons on everything from fundamentals to more specific cuisines and dishes.

Pros
Wide selection of over 320 courses
Teaches fundamentals and the science behind recipes
Can speak one-on-one with instructors

Cons
Hard to find prices on the website

America’s Test Kitchen is known for not only testing and presenting the best recipes, but also explaining the underlying technique and science of why the recipe works. Its online cooking school carries this principle forward by showing you how to make the recipe and explaining why you are doing it, how to avoid pitfalls and mistakes, as well as why certain ingredients are used in the dish. Not only will you end up learning how to make the recipe, but you’ll be able to take that experience and build from it to become a better cook overall.

With over 320 courses, you can skim the surface and learn basic techniques or dive in deep and really get to know cuisines and the recipes. Beyond that, you can upload images of your attempt at the recipe so you can track your progress as you learn and get better with experience. You can also consult with an instructor via a private messaging system to get personal feedback.

Best Free Class: Better Homes and Gardens’ How to Cook

Why We Chose It: Better Homes and Gardens is known for its accessible and friendly recipes, and its How to Cook series collects all that knowledge in one place.

Pros
Covers everything from basic to advanced skills
Easy-to-understand, downloadable charts for cooking
Extra information like tips and equipment suggestions
Free

Cons
Courses are not linear
Website architecture can be confusing

Better Homes and Gardens is known for its signature red and white checkerboard-covered cookbook that lives in practically every kitchen in America. Its How to Cook series is a great free resource for learning everything about food. From boiling potatoes to cooking a steak, this warm and approachable set of posts breaks down all the steps.

The series has an extensive collection of posts ranging from basic skills for the kitchen, cooking with fruits and vegetables, cooking with meat and poultry, food safety, and preserving and canning. One of our favorites sections is a series of downloadable PDF cooking charts to ensure you cook your steak to your preferred wellness, an explanation of different types of fish, how to shop for produce, and more. Print it out and keep it on your fridge or next to your stove for easy access.

Best for Beginners: The Kitchn Cooking School

Why We Chose It: The Kitchn’s Cooking School has 20 lessons over 20 days that teach you the fundamentals of cooking for free.

Pros
Covers knife skills, techniques, plating, and planning
Linear, an easy-to-follow course
Free

Cons
Doesn’t go in-depth on any topic

If you’re kitchen curious but don’t want to invest any money (other than the cost of ingredients and your time), The Kitchn’s Cooking School is a great place to start because it’s absolutely free. Expect to learn the basics and fundamentals like knife skills, how to cook an egg, and how to make stock. Once you’ve mastered those, move on to pasta, grains, meat, fish, and dessert. Finish it off with a lesson on plating and how to make your dish look Instagram- and Pinterest-worthy.

The class lessons are written in a blog post accompanied by a short video for each lesson. The blog posts give a detailed explanation of the information for the lesson and provide a list of equipment you might want and recipes that will work with the lesson. The posts also have short assignments, ranging from 15 minutes (reading and watching the video) to 30 minutes and even longer “stretch” assignments.

With plenty of tips and information, this set of courses is a great intro to cooking.

Best for Vegans: Veecoco

Why We Chose It: Veecoco is an internationally inspired, plant-based cooking school that teaches you how to make vegan food from chefs all over the world.

Pros
Wide range of courses, from basic to advanced
Access to private Facebook group

Cons
Inconsistent pricing structure

For those who are just starting out eating vegan, it can be a bit daunting and overwhelming. All the food you can't eat seems to stand in the way of making a meal. Veecoco flips the script and shows you all the amazing food you can eat by exploring the plant-based diet through a lens of cuisines from around the world.

With 23 courses (and growing) and over 800 lessons, Veecoco is a great cooking school for those who are already cooking and eating vegan but are stuck in a rut. You’ll learn recipes inspired by German, Japan, Korea, Italy, Thailand, and more. Focused courses like Swiss chocolate, vegan cheese, and raw food means you can flex and expand your culinary repertoire even more.

And when you have questions about vegan cooking, you can ask in the private Facebook group that Veecoco maintains. Not only does this allow you to get an extra level of personalized learning, but you can meet other folks in the community who are learning and taking classes along with you. The cost is $127 per course, while a 12-month membership for all courses is $297 upfront or $35 per month.

Best for Culturally Immersive Cooking: The League of Kitchens

Why We Chose It: All the classes are taught by immigrant women who not only know their food but understand its importance for their culture and home country.

Pros
Classes taught by home cooks
Cultural importance for each dish is highlighted
Live classes means immediate feedback

Cons
Classes are scheduled on Eastern time

You know immediately the sort of class you are signing up for when you read The League of Kitchen’s tagline: “Cook with Grandmas from Around the World.” Friendly and knowledgeable women are the instructors of each workshop. They not only understand the recipes and traditional food they are making, but also the cultural background and importance of the food and its place in their own history.

Pick from a wide range of cuisine types, including Russian, Mexican, Indian, Uzbek, Persian, and more. Expect to learn more than just the cuisine as well, with each instructor talking about their country and culture as well as the sort of casual tips and tricks that typically a grandmother would pass on to her grandchild. This is storytelling through food and culinary travel in the comfort of your own home.

The classes are well organized and run, with two different cameras: one focusing on the instructor, and one on the prep area or stove. The instructor also has an assistant who helps make sure the class is running smoothly and troubleshoots any issues. And because it is done live, you not only get to know the instructor but also the other participants as well, leading to one of the best online experiences that mimic in-person classes. Classes start at a reasonable $60 per device.

Best for Private Cooking Classes: The Table Less Traveled

Why We Chose It: The Table Less Traveled has customizable private online cooking classes with chefs and instructors from all over the world.

Pros
Instructors teach from their country
Some price tiers have recipe kits and ingredients
Customizable by menu, diet, and skill level

Cons
Can get expensive

The Table Less Traveled initially organized culinary tours around the world, including places like Malaysia, Peru, Italy, and Japan. It has since pivoted to online classes using its tour guides and international chefs as instructors.

Much like its small group culinary tours, these private cooking classes are led by international chefs in their home countries, teaching the traditional dishes of their culture. There are three different tiered prices for the classes, starting at $600 for up to five screens. The middle tier ($790 for up to 20 screens) and higher-tiered ($1,350 with unlimited attendees) classes have an option to have recipe kits shipped to participants, with pre-measured and prepped ingredients, making cooking along easy for those who are less experienced in the kitchen.

Because you’re working directly with The Table Less Traveled to organize the private class, the organization can customize the menu to accommodate dietary restrictions, design a menu for appropriate skill sets, and select the best times for participants in different time zones.

Best for Kids: Home Cooking New York

Why We Chose It: Home Cooking New York offers adult classes and workshops that are suitable for all ages and also offers specific classes geared toward kids, including a Vacation Cooking Camp.

Pros
Specific classes geared toward kids only
Classes suitable for families
Recipes, instructions are geared toward home cooks

Cons
Only live; no option to view class on-demand

Home Cooking New York offers classes targeted specifically toward kids as well as some that are suitable for kids as well as adults, making it fun for the whole family.

One of the standouts for the is the cooking camp, a week-long discovery of food for kids aged 10 to 15. With meals like spinach-feta spanakopita, crepes, and mango lassis, the rotating menu explores different cuisines.

Family-focused classes include the Weekend Baking Club that's inspired by "The Great British Bake Off" TV show, where the entire family can join in on the fun by making desserts like fruit hand pies and confetti cake with vanilla buttercream. Classes are limited to 12 households, so you get plenty of personal attention as well.