Even anime that doesn't center around food often features meals that make the viewers' mouth water; there is love in the details like steam rising from recently cooked rice or the slow drizzle of sauce on a pancake.
There are anime that totally dedicate themselves to stories that revolve around the art of food making, and these are shows you definitely wouldn't want to watch while hungry. However, they may inspire you to try new foods or attempt a different recipe. Not every cooking anime is the same, either. Some revolve around competitions, others are slice-of-life, and there are even those that are in the realm of fantasy.
10 Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma
To begin, Food Wars! is the most popular cooking anime to date. For avid anime fans, even those who don't care about cooking, Food Wars! is a must-watch. In terms of genre, it is a slice-of-life comedy. The protagonist is Soma Yukihira and his dream is to become a full-time chef that surpasses the skills of his father. He enrolls in Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, where the student often participate in food-based competitions. The anime has run from 2015 to today with 86 episodes. Compared to other cooking anime, that is a lot of content!
9 Cooking Master Boy
Also known as Chūka Ichiban!, this anime is a little on the older side. It ran from 1997 to 1998 with a total of 52 episodes.
What sets it apart from other cooking anime is its time and location. The story takes place in 19th century China during the Qing Dynasty in a fictional era called "The Era of the Cooking Wars." The fiction aspects and the lore of the era are very interesting and include legendary pieces of cookware that have powers. The protagonist is a 13-year-old boy named Liu Mao Xing who gets recognized as a cooking genius and goes on a journey to become a Super Chef.
8 Dream-Colored Pastry Chef
With 50 episodes, this adorable anime ran from 2009 to 2010. The story follows a clumsy 14-year-old girl named Ichigo Amano. She has no talent except for eating cake—very relatable. However, at a Sweets Festival, her refined cake tastes are recognized, and she is invited to become a pastry chef at St. Marie Academy. She gets a lot of help too from three sweets princes and three spirits.
The show is pure shoujo genre fluff, which is a welcome distraction now and then. The dessert designs definitely awaken the sweet tooth.
7 Yakitate!! Japan
This anime ran from 2004 to 2006 with 69 episodes. Its story is a little more unique than just a protagonist who wants to be an amazing chef. This main character, Kazuma Azuma, actually wants to create a national bread for Japan. He wants to call it "Ja-pan"—a Japanese pun that gets lost in translation, as "pan" means bread in Japanese.
Besides cooking, the show is also in the comedy genre. For example, some are able to make bread out of sheer power, anger, and/or passion.
6 Fighting Foodons
If you are in the mood for something a little weirder, then Fighting Foodons may be the cooking anime for you. It ran from 2001 to 2002 with 26 episodes and its a fantasy anime. In the world of this show, foods are also monsters called "foodons."
Chefs have been kidnapped and forced to make powerful foodons in order for the main villain to try to rule the world. The protagonist, Chase, is a chef who also has foodons and faces the villains in combat to try to save the world.
5 Silver Spoon
Part comedy, part coming-of-age, and part slice-of-life, Silver Spoon is a unique anime that gets into the world of cooking, food production, and farming. The story follows the main character as he attends the rural Ooezo Agricultural High School.
The anime has two seasons, each with 11 episodes, and ran from 2013 to 2014. Both the manga and anime have won numerous awards and even received a live-action film.
4 Toriko
Don't let the screenshots fool you, as this is an anime about cooking. The protagonist, Toriko, is a Gourmet Hunter who seeks the rarest ingredients for his meals. His confidant, Komatsu, is also a talented chef. Toriko often fights against the Gourmet Corps, which wants to take control of the world's entire food supply.
It is one of the more bizarre cooking animes out there, as it also fits the genres of adventure, fantasy, and comedy. It is that uniqueness though that has kept the show interesting enough to get 147 episodes.
3 Bento
With just 12 episodes, this is an easy anime to just watch over a weekend. The center of the plot is in Bento Brawls, which are all-out fights over half-priced bento boxes. So, of course, this anime is also a comedy. It should also be known that it is also in the harem genre and has a lot of fan-service moments.
It is definitely not an anime for everyone, but its entire Bento Brawl idea is pretty funny. To be fair, this show is less about cooking and more about getting cheap food through a blood-sport.
2 Ristorante Paradiso
Also known as Rispara, this 11 episode anime mixes romance and cooking. The show is about Nicoletta and how walking into a certain Italian restaurant changed her life. The short anime is slow-paced and quiet, and is suited for someone who wants a more peaceful show to watch.
The strongest point is the show's characters, all who have their own stories to tell. It's also important to note that the show is not a shoujo anime, but a josei anime, which means it is intended for an older and more mature audience.
1 Cooking Papa
This adorable anime has 151 episodes and ran from 1992 to 1995. It centers on salaryman Kazumi Araiwa, who is a great cook, but doesn't let anyone in his workplace know. Instead, everyone in his company believes his wife cooks his meals.
The manga this anime is based on is especially cute, as it had full recipes for the dishes featured at the end of each chapter.