25 Beginner Recipes That Will Make You a More Confident Cook

Since learning how to cook is one of those adult life lessons that never seems to end, we've pulled together 25 easy-to-follow, creative, exciting recipes that will teach you new techniques, increase your flavor repertoire, and build your confidence as a chef.

Fried Egg: There's a simple and surprising way to fry your eggs a little tastier and a little healthier—olive oil! Before you cling too tightly to your butter pats, click on over and give this fried egg recipe a read.

Matcha Smoothies: Skip the coffee and opt for a tasty matcha smoothie recipe. It's creamy, caffeinated, and healthy.

Poached Egg in the Microwave: Every beginning chef starts off with a microwave and a little determination. Learn how to make this breakfast staple without all the fuss and muss of boiling water and trying not to explode your egg.

Vietnamese Coffee: This Vietnamese coffee recipe has a surprising twist that you're going to have to read to believe. We won't spoil it here for you, but it'll have you "purring" in anticipation.

Candied Bacon: Bet you didn't know bacon could get any better. Add pumpkin spice to see what we mean.

Everything Bagel Frittata: Maybe the best part of an everything bagel is everything but the bagel. This carb-free frittata captures all the best parts of a morning everything bagel and cream cheese.

Chrissy Teigen's Fruit Salad: From her follow-up cookbook, Cravings 2, comes this salad-turned-dessert recipe with fruit and coconut milk that will satisfy any... well... craving.

Egg White Omelette: This magical, fluffy egg-white omelette recipe comes from an actual castle — yes, actually. Cook up a royal breakfast fit for the queen you are.

King Cake Beignets: If your sweet tooth is bigger than your need to party then you're going to love these King Cake inspired beignets.

Honey Hazelnut Baked Brie: Who needs love when you can have cheese? You can combine the two with this heart-shaped honey hazelnut baked brie.

Vegan Queso Dip: Okay, yes, we've all heard about vegan "cheese," but this roasted-cashew based crowd pleaser has been party tested to stunning results.

Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions: Caramelized onions are a flavorful way to punch-up any meal, but they can be tricky and time-consuming to make. Making them in your slow cooker, however, is a hands-off way to make a large batch of caramelized onions to use immediately or save for later.

Easy Cauliflower Rice: A low carb favorite, cauliflower rice is super easy to make. This recipe breaks it down into three simple steps that you'll be able to add to your weekly meal prep.

Bok Choy Stir Fry: Add a new vegetable to your arsenal with this simple and fresh bok choy stir fry. Don't worry — this recipe shows you how to prepare it.

Cilantro Cauliflower Rice: Up your cauliflower rice game with this tasty and tangy recipe from Nom Nom Paleo, which adds lime and cilantro to a basic cauliflower rice for just a little extra carb-free kick.

Vegan Chick Pea Curry: Curry is a great cost-effective make-ahead dish, and this recipe combines simple ingredients with delicious seasonings for a vegan take on an Indian staple.

Grilled Cheese: You know what every grilled cheese needs? More cheese. This recipe shows you the best way to get a crispy, extra cheesy grilled cheese sandwich.

Almond-Crusted Cod: If you're getting sick of baking chicken, it's time to learn about cod. This simple and easy-to-follow recipe gives you a crunchy, flakey, and flavorful fish to satisfy your taste buds and your lean protein goals.

Vegan Portuguese Kale Soup: A vegan-friendly take on a family recipe combines kale, cabbage, lima beans, and potatoes for a hearty, comforting bowl for cold days.

Pork Cutlets: Great for beginner chefs, these cutlets use bread crumbs and dijon mustard for a tasty dinner that takes only a few minutes to create.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas: Sheet pan meals save you on dishes and are super easy to make. This recipe for shrimp fajitas in a sheet pan takes only a few minutes to assemble and will give you plenty of leftovers for a festive salad the next day.

Honey-Lemon Chicken Thighs: Chicken thighs don't get the love they deserve seeing how they're chicken breast's cheaper and juicier counterpart. This recipe uses honey and lemon for a zesty and crispy batch of chicken thighs you'll love.

Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies: There's no better way to learn than to mimic what you see, and if you're on Instagram, you're probably seeing a lot of these cookies. Try out these IG worthy shortbread cookies and find your place in the #foodie world.

Vegan Ice Cream: Even if you aren't vegan, you'll love this two-ingredient "nice cream" that will satisfy your sweet tooth without taking hours to prepare.

Hot Fudge Sauce: Believe it or not hot fudge from scratch can be easy to make. This recipe comes reccomended from the pros—namely Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.