Ever cooked a perfect meal in Hyrule and then forgotten what went into the pot? Tears of the Kingdom finally fixes that. Unlike Breath of the Wild, it keeps a Recipe Book of everything you’ve cooked. Here’s the full breakdown: how the Recipe Book works, the dishes worth making, every elixir and the new effects that only exist in the sequel. For the full searchable list with ingredients and effects, open the TOTK recipes database, or test your own mix in the cooking simulator.
How the TOTK Recipe Book Works
Every dish you cook gets saved automatically. To look one up:
- Open your Pouch: press the + Button.
- Go to Food: scroll to the Food tab and hover over any dish.
- Check the recipe: press the X Button to bring up its recipe.
That’s it. The book fills up as you experiment, and its numbered list runs past 200 entries once you count roasted food, frozen food, elixirs and the Fairy Tonic. (Pro tip: cook new combos whenever you’re at a pot. Every new dish is another page filled.)
Cooking Basics in Tears of the Kingdom
- Up to five ingredients: hold them from your Pouch and drop them in a lit cooking pot.
- Cook anywhere: Portable Pots from Zonai Device Dispensers let you set up a kitchen on the spot.
- Cooking doubles healing: a cooked ingredient restores twice the hearts it does raw.
- Roast in a pinch: drop food near any fire to roast it, no pot needed.
- One effect per dish: mixing two different effects cancels them both.
- Elixirs: need a critter plus a monster part. Mixing critters with regular food gives you Dubious Food.
- Blood Moon: cooking between 11:30 PM and 12:15 AM on a Blood Moon night guarantees a critical bonus.
Effects That Are New in TOTK
Most effects carry over from Breath of the Wild, but the sequel adds a handful built around its new world. Here’s what to grab:
| Effect | What it does | Key ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Gloom Recovery | Repairs hearts damaged by Gloom | Sundelion, Sun Pumpkin |
| Gloom Resistance | Protects you from Gloom | Dark Clump |
| Glow | Makes Link glow in the dark | Brightcap, Glowing Cave Fish, Deep Firefly |
| Slip Resistance | Lets you climb in the rain | Sticky Frog, Sticky Lizard |
| Swim Speed Up | Faster swimming | Splash Fruit |
| Hot, Cold and Stormy Weather Attack | Stronger attacks in matching weather | Fire Fruit, Ice Fruit, Shock Fruit |
Sundelions are the big one. Gloom eats your max hearts in the Depths, and a Sundelion meal is the fastest fix.
TOTK Recipes Worth Memorizing
| Dish | Ingredients | Why make it |
|---|---|---|
| Sautéed Peppers | Spicy Pepper | Cheap cold resistance for Sky Islands and snow |
| Energizing Steamed Mushrooms | Stamella Shroom, Stambulb | Stamina refill for long climbs |
| Mushroom Skewer | Any mushrooms | Easiest effect meal, great with Sunshrooms or Chillshrooms |
| Simmered Fruit | Any fruit | Hearty fruit or Splash Fruit meals |
| Steamed Mushrooms | Any mushroom plus any vegetable | Pair a mushroom and a vegetable with the same effect |
| Fried Egg and Rice | Bird Egg, Hylian Rice | Simple, filling village meal |
| Omelet | Bird Egg | Works with a single egg |
| Dark Curry | Dark Clump, Hylian Rice, Goron Spice | Gloom Resistance for Depths runs |
Want the strongest buff meals? Check out our best TOTK recipes guide, and the cooking and elixir crafting guide for the full mechanics.
Every TOTK Elixir
The critter decides the elixir’s effect, so pick it first, then add any monster part.
| Elixir | Effect | Critters |
|---|---|---|
| Hearty | Full hearts plus extra | Hearty Lizard |
| Energizing | Restores stamina | Restless Cricket, Energetic Rhino Beetle |
| Enduring | Extra stamina | Tireless Frog |
| Spicy | Cold resistance | Summerwing Butterfly, Warm Darner |
| Chilly | Heat resistance | Winterwing Butterfly, Cold Darner |
| Electro | Shock resistance | Thunderwing Butterfly, Electric Darner |
| Fireproof | Flame guard | Smotherwing Butterfly, Fireproof Lizard |
| Hasty | Speed up | Hightail Lizard, Hot-Footed Frog |
| Sneaky | Stealth up | Sunset Firefly |
| Mighty | Attack up | Bladed Rhino Beetle |
| Tough | Defense up | Rugged Rhino Beetle |
| Sticky | Slip resistance | Sticky Frog, Sticky Lizard |
| Bright | Glow | Deep Firefly |
Pro Tips for Filling the Recipe Book
- Gather everything: pick up fruit, mushrooms and critters as you travel. Odd ingredients often unlock new entries.
- Use the fire too: roasted and frozen versions get their own entries, so toss raw food near a campfire or leave meat out in the cold.
- Stack the same effect: four Spicy Peppers beat one, and a fifth adds even more time.
- Save dragon parts: they boost critical chances and stretch elixir timers. Our dragon farming guide shows where to find them.
- Switch 2 Edition bonus: the Zelda Notes Daily Bonus in the Nintendo Switch app can hand out meals and other rewards once per day.
TOTK Recipe Book FAQ
How do I see my recipes in Tears of the Kingdom?
Press the + Button to open your Pouch, go to the Food tab and press the X Button on a dish to bring up its recipe.
How many recipes are in Tears of the Kingdom?
The numbered Recipe Book runs past 200 entries, including pot meals, roasted and frozen food, elixirs and Fairy Tonic.
What heals Gloom damage in TOTK?
Meals cooked with Sundelions or Sun Pumpkins have Gloom Recovery, which repairs hearts damaged by Gloom.
How do you make an elixir in TOTK?
Cook at least one critter with at least one monster part. The critter decides the effect, such as a Sticky Frog for a Sticky Elixir.
Nailed it? Cook often, roast and freeze the odd ingredient, and let the Recipe Book do the remembering for you. Coming from the first game? Our Breath of the Wild recipe guide shows what changed.
