Alton Brown's Top Recipes

We've gathered all of Alton Brown's best recipes together to make it easy for you to browse and pick your favorites.

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Photo By: Tara Donne ©Food Network

Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne

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Photo By: Tara Donne

Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne

Photo By: Tara Donne

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Photo By: Tara Donne ©Food Network

Photo By: Tara Donne

Photo By: Tara Donne ©FOOD NETWORK : 2012, Television Food Network, G.P.

Photo By: Tara Donne

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This perfect, classic macaroni and cheese is all about contrast, with a crunchy, buttery topping and a creamy, cheesy interior.

Get the Recipe: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Good Eats Meatloaf

Alton uses a loaf pan as a mold, and then flips the meatloaf onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for cooking. With this method, your meatloaf will have a sweet and crispy crust on the outside.

Get the Recipe: Good Eats Meatloaf

Good Eats Roast Turkey

With thousands of five-star reviews, this has been the most popular recipe on FoodNetwork.com for years! Alton’s foolproof roast turkey recipe is sure to come in handy this Thanksgiving, or for any festive feast.

Get the Recipe: Good Eats Roast Turkey

Guacamole

Alton’s secret tool for perfect guacamole is a potato masher. You get a chunky mash, instead of a puree or chopped up chunks. Cover the guacamole and let it sit at room temperature for an hour before serving, so all the flavors meld together.

Get the Recipe: Guacamole

French Toast

Luckily for nonmorning people, perfect French toast starts in the evening. First you can mix up the custard the night before so the flavors mature (and so you don’t have to do it in the morning). Also, leave your bread out on the counter overnight to dry up — dry bread soaks up more custard and stays sturdy while cooking.

Get the Recipe: French Toast

Sugar Cookies

This versatile cookie dough is perfect for cut-out, decorated cookies. Alton uses powdered sugar instead of flour to dust his countertop before rolling these out — this cuts down on excess gluten, which could make your cookies tough.

Get the Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Alton follows a simple formula for great dips: a creamy base, plus a few main ingredients and three supporting seasonings. Following this method, Spinach and Artichoke Dip couldn’t be simpler. Serve it warm in a slow cooker for a crowd-pleasing party food.

Get the Recipe: Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Simple mashed potatoes don't have to be bland. For extra flavor and creaminess, Alton adds 6 cloves of garlic poached in half-and-half along with grated Parmesan cheese to this creamy side dish.

Get the Recipe: Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Who Loves Ya Baby Back?

You can make these tender, saucy baby back ribs in your oven, no smoker required.

Get the Recipe: Who Loves Ya Baby-Back?

Creme Brulee

Alton adds an extra dose of vanilla flavor to his creme brulee by using vanilla sugar. This is made by adding leftover, used and washed vanilla bean pods to your sugar container, where the sugar soaks up the aroma and flavor.

Get the Recipe: Creme Brulee

Lentil Soup

This easy, healthy soup is one of Alton’s favorites. Once the lentils are fully cooked, you can either leave them whole or puree them with a stick blender to make the soup thicker.

Get the Recipe: Lentil Soup

Buffalo Wings

Alton’s secret to perfect Buffalo wings is to double-cook them. He steams them first, to render out some of the fat without overcooking or drying them out. Then he cooks them in the oven at high heat to crisp up the skin.

Get the Recipe: Buffalo Wings

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

This staple of Thanksgiving dinners and family suppers has never tasted so good. Alton mixes fresh green beans with homemade, creamy mushroom sauce before topping the mixture with crispy baked onions.

Get the Recipe: Best Ever Green Bean Casserole

The Chewy

For chewy chocolate chip cookie fans, Alton uses science and a few simple ingredient swaps to make these the chewiest cookies ever.

Get the Recipe: The Chewy

Fried Chicken

Instead of adding seasonings to the breading, Alton liberally covers chicken pieces with a spice rub first and then dredges them in flour. This way, the flour coating keeps the spices from burning.

Get the Recipe: Fried Chicken

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Alton uses a modified version of his bagel recipe to make these classic soft pretzels, boiling them for about 30 seconds before baking at high heat.

Get the Recipe: Homemade Soft Pretzels

Granola

This simple granola recipe uses maple syrup for sweetness and extra flavor.

Get the Recipe: Granola

Tres Leche Cake

The three milks in this cake are in the glaze: a mixture of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and half-and-half. This glaze is poured over the baked cake and once it sinks in you're left with a moist, irresistible dessert.

Get the Recipe: Tres Leche Cake

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

You can do most of the work for these cinnamon rolls the night before, which makes them the perfect sweet, gooey treat for breakfast celebrations or get-togethers.

Get the Recipe: Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Salsa

For extra flavor and sweetness, Alton roasts a couple jalapeno peppers before adding them to this fresh summer salsa.

Get the Recipe: Salsa

Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

This quick and easy version of macaroni and cheese is so creamy and flavorful, it’s sure to impress both kids and adults.

Get the Recipe: Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

Pumpkin Bread

Alton uses fresh pumpkin and toasted pumpkin seeds to make a fabulous fall treat. Simply use a box grater or the shredding disc on a food processor to shred up the fresh pumpkin before mixing it into the batter.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

Cocoa Brownies

These rich and moist brownies are perfect for any occasion. Be careful not to beat them on too high of a speed or for too long, or you’ll end up with too much air in the batter and more of a cake than a brownie.

Get the Recipe: Cocoa Brownies

Shepherd's Pie

This classic comfort food makes a great one-dish dinner: lamb mixed with veggies and topped with creamy mashed potatoes.

Get the Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Eggnog

Homemade eggnog, made with real eggs and cream and spiked with bourbon, is an irresistible holiday indulgence. Alton even includes a cooked version, if you’d rather not drink raw eggs.

Get the Recipe: Eggnog

Carrot Cake

Alton uses a food processor to whip up this moist, easy cake, and then tops it with rich cream cheese frosting.

Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake

Angel Food Cake

This fluffy, light cake is made with lots of egg whites, cake flour and sugar, but no fat.

Get the Recipe: Angel Food Cake

"Instant" Pancake Mix

Keep a container of premixed dry ingredients for pancakes at the ready in your pantry. When you’re ready to eat, you’ll just need to mix in buttermilk and butter before you start flipping pancakes.

Get the Recipe: "Instant" Pancake Mix

Serious Vanilla Ice Cream

Alton’s secret to great ice cream is letting the cream and sugar mixture chill overnight, to mellow the flavors and texture.

Get the Recipe: Serious Vanilla Ice Cream

Pizza Pizzas

For pizza night, you can’t go wrong with Alton’s basic recipe, featuring fresh dough, a little sauce and any toppings you like. Crank your oven up to 500 degrees F for a nice crunchy crust.

Get the Recipe: Pizza Pizzas

Peanut Butter Fudge

You can make Alton's fudgelike candy with just a few ingredients and a microwave.

Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge

40 Cloves and a Chicken

Alton's healthy chicken dinner gets great flavor from 10 sprigs of fresh thyme and 40 peeled garlic cloves.

Get the Recipe: 40 Cloves and a Chicken

Hot Cocoa

Skip store-bought cocoa and make Alton's easy version at home. Your homemade mix will keep for about 2 years in the pantry as long as it's sealed tight.

Get the Recipe: Hot Cocoa

Buff Smoothie

When it comes to Alton's smoothies, frozen fruit is best. Alton starts with liquids (soy milk and acai juice), then adds frozen bananas, strawberries, blueberries and peaches. Don't turn the blender speed to high at first; let the machine slowly blend everything together instead.

Get the Recipe: Buff Smoothie

Crepes

Start with Alton's base recipe for crepes, made with only a handful of ingredients, then tweak it with add-ins like sugar, vanilla or fresh herbs, depending on if you're craving sweet or savory flavors.

Get the Recipe: Crepes

The Baked Potato

Alton's go-to baked potato comes together easily in the oven. Pierce the potato with a fork — this will help moisture escape — then rub it with oil, season it and let it bake in the oven.

Get the Recipe: The Baked Potato

Whipped Cream

If you have sugar and cream, then you're set to make Alton's quick-fix topping. Once it's fluffy, it can be stored for up to 10 hours; just whisk it again before using.

Get the Recipe: Whipped Cream

Royal Icing

Ideal for delicate piping, Alton's speedy icing is made with only three ingredients and, perhaps best of all, can be made a few days in advance.

Get the Recipe: Royal Icing

Garden Vegetable Soup

Consider Alton's healthy soup the ultimate clean-out-your-refrigerator recipe. He combines a few pieces each of chopped carrots, potatoes, green beans and corn to create a warming, satisfying recipe that will feed a crowd. Just before serving, he brightens up the broth with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Get the Recipe: Garden Vegetable Soup

Oven-Roasted Broccoli

Toasted panko breadcrumbs add welcome texture to Alton's quick-roasted broccoli, which he finishes with nutty Parmesan cheese for a decadent bite.

Get the Recipe: Oven Roasted Broccoli

Corned Beef

Not just for St. Paddy's Day entertaining, this corned beef gets its signature juiciness from a whopping 10 days' brine in a sweet, salty mixture of brown sugar, mustard seeds and salt.

Get the Recipe: Corned Beef

All American Beef Taco

Spruce up your taco night routine with Alton's tried-and-true recipe, featuring his fan-favorite Taco Potion #19, a blend of spices, including chili powder, cumin and hot smoked paprika, which he uses to flavor the ground beef.

Get the Recipe: All American Beef Taco

Gazpacho

Juicy ripe tomatoes and a cool cucumber add sweetness to Alton's chilled soup, while a jalapeno and splashes of balsamic and Worcestershire balance out the flavor by adding heat and welcome tang. Once it's chilled, serve the soup with fragrant basil for a fresh finish.

Get the Recipe: Gazpacho

Ambrosia

A five-star classic destined for potlucks and picnics, Alton's big-batch dessert features a sweet mash-up of clementine oranges, maraschino cherries and marshmallows, while chopped pecans bring texture to the dish. Alton recommends chilling it for a few hours so the flavors have time to marry.

Get the Recipe: Ambrosia