How to Find Inspiration for Recipes as a Food Blogger

Let me paint a picture for you: the new season is approaching, you sit down to fill out your content calendar with some exciting new recipes… and your mind goes blank. Nada. Zilch. 😱

Let’s be real — we’ve all been there!

As food bloggers and content creators, it can sometimes feel really overwhelming to come up with new recipe ideas time and time again. So what do you do when you need to hit publish on a new post but can’t think of anything?

To help you out, let’s explore some of the unique ways you can find inspiration for recipes and get those creative juices flowing again.

1. Jot down ideas as they come to you.

Whether your most amazing recipe ideas come to you when you’re trying out a new restaurant in town or when you’re falling asleep, it’s important to write them down!

And the best part? You can do this anywhere. Scribble down your thoughts in a notebook, add them to one of your Asana boards, or type them into the Notes app on your phone.

Just make sure to record all your ideas so you can reference them later when planning out your content calendar. That way, you’re not starting from scratch when deciding which recipes you want to test next.

2. Research and experiment with new flavor pairings.

The more you develop your own recipes, the more you’ll learn what flavors pair well together.

Chocolate and peanut butter? Obviously! But what about a pairing like salmon and mango? You might not realize how beautifully they taste when paired together unless you do some experimenting in the kitchen.

And if you’re looking for something to pair with a particular ingredient, my go-to resource is this amazing book called The Flavor Bible.

It has thousands of ingredient entries that are organized alphabetically and cross-referenced based on what flavors pair well together. Whenever I can’t decide what recipe to try making next, I like to comb through my copy to get new ideas that I might not have thought of on my own.

By deepening your understanding of flavor pairings, you’ll start to come up with fresh, exciting ideas and develop stronger recipes that your readers will love.

3. Learn about culinary ratios.

A culinary ratio is a fixed proportion of one ingredient or ingredients relative to another.

Culinary ratios are oftentimes more applicable when it comes to baking (rather than cooking) because baking is such an exact science, but they’re important for any chef to keep in mind when planning out recipes.

For instance, the culinary ratio for bread is 5:3 — five parts flour to three parts liquid. So if you’re experimenting with a new recipe for pumpkin sourdough, you’ll want to use this ratio as a guideline, then add in your additional flavors or ingredients to spice things up. But by following that basic ratio, you’re more likely to have success with your recipe.

Here’s a quick overview of some common culinary ratios:

When you’re brainstorming ideas for new recipes, having a basic understanding of culinary ratios helps take the guesswork out of recipe writing. Plus, it can be helpful to research different culinary ratios to get some new ideas for what types of recipes to try next!

4. Explore around on Pinterest.

Without a doubt, Pinterest is a gold mine for recipes. And that means it can be a great place to explore when looking for new recipe ideas!

For instance, let’s say you’re planning out recipe ideas for the upcoming autumn season. You can log into Pinterest and search ‘fall recipes’ to see what comes up. You might see that pumpkin and apples are a common theme… what if you considered working on a pumpkin pappardelle recipe or an apple chai macaron recipe?

While you’re not researching on Pinterest to copy other people’s work, it can be helpful to see what recipes are trending and think of a way to put your own unique spin on them.

5. Think about what foods are trending or in-season.

Seasonal food is typically tastier, fresher, and packed with more nutrients than food consumed out of season, so why not showcase those seasonal ingredients in your recipes?

Take a trip to your local farmer’s market and stroll around to see what produce is available. Also, don’t forget that readers will be searching for recipes featuring in-season produce! By sharing recipes featuring those ingredients, you’ll be creating content that your audience will love.

And don’t forget to think about any upcoming holidays, events, or occasions when planning content! Think about what your readers are currently focusing on and create recipes that will excite and energize them in that current moment.

Whether that’s back-to-school lunch ideas or simple Thanksgiving desserts, it can be so helpful to think of content ideas with your audience in mind.

Curious what foods are trending right now?

Browse through our Trending Now in Food Blogging articles to learn more!

Now we’re excited to hear from you: What’s your favorite way to get inspiration for new recipes? Let us know in the comments below!