If you’re regularly cooking up delicious food, a WordPress recipe theme gives you a chance to share those tasty creations with the world. But with all the options out there, finding the perfect food WordPress theme to give your food the attention it deserves can be tough.
To help, we’ve collected 15+ of the best WordPress recipe themes for all types of food blogs. We’ll jump into the themes right away. Then, at the end of the post, we’ll share some tips to help you choose the perfect recipe theme for WordPress.
15+ Best WordPress Recipe Themes in 2019
Whether you want a free WordPress recipe theme or you’re willing to crack open your wallet, you should be able to find a great option in this list.
1. Foodica
Foodica is a responsive WordPress recipe theme with a great minimalist style that puts the focus where it belongs – on the pictures of your delicious food.
You’ll get a bold slider to showcase your latest or featured recipes, as well as plenty of spots to promote your social media following.
To help you pick the style that’s right for you, Foodica comes with nine built-in color schemes that let you quickly switch up your food blog’s looks.
Foodica is built to work with the free Recipe Card Blocks plugin at WordPress.org, which lets you create well-formatted recipes to share with your hungry readers.
The advantage of this approach is that you’re able to use the native WordPress block editor to add your recipe content, rather than trying to learn a new interface like a lot of other food themes make you do. Don’t worry, though – if you’re still using the older Classic WordPress editor, you can also easily add recipes using Foodica’s recipe shortcode builder.
Once you have some recipes, Foodica includes a built-in Recipe Index feature that lets you create a page that lists all your recipes, along with helpful search and filter options for your visitors:
Finally, there are some other goodies to help you make your food blog a success:
- Foodica is responsive and retina ready, which means it’s going to look awesome on every single device.
- You get four built-in banner ad locations to help you monetize your site, either by adding your own banner ads or using a service like Google AdSense.
- Foodica offers WooCommerce support if you want to create an eCommerce store (you can sell eBooks, merch, and more).
- Foodica is translation-ready and WPML compatible.
- You can easily create a great-looking contact form using WPForms.
2. Cookely
Cookely is a newer WordPress recipe blog theme that comes packed with options to help you showcase your recipes and build a following.
Like Foodica, it’s got a clean design that does a great job showcasing your recipes and images.
One of the standout features in Cookely is that it’s optimized to help you build an email list from day one, with a built-in inline subscribe widget, as well as an option to showcase a notification bar subscribe widget (pictured above).
Also like Foodica, Cookely relies on the free Recipe Cards Blocks plugin to help you showcase your recipes using the native drag-and-drop WordPress block editor. Or, if you’re still using the Classic WordPress editor, you can use the recipe shortcode generator instead.
Cookely also gives you that same great Recipe Index feature to help visitors search your entire recipe catalog, along with custom widgets to display categories and tags:
And to help you make Cookely your own, Cookely comes with lots of customization options, including six different color schemes, plus unlimited color tweaks in the theme options area.
Beyond that, you get:
- A responsive and Retina-ready design that ensures your recipes look great no matter if people are browsing from a phone, tablet, or laptop.
- Four built-in banner ad locations to help you monetize your food blog.
- Translation ready design if you want to go multilingual or use a different language.
- A featured recipe area to showcase your best creations.
- An Instagram feed widget to bring in your social content, as well as multiple spots for social media follow buttons to grow your following.
- Multiple blog layout options, including both a grid and list approach.
- WooCommerce support.
3. Astra
Astra is technically a multipurpose WordPress theme, but bear with us here because it actually makes a stellar option for a WordPress recipe blog, as well. See, the big draw with Astra is that it’s flexible and you can turn it into pretty much anything you want…including a food blog.
By using its integration with WordPress page builders like Elementor, you can build your designs with simple drag-and-drop. Or, if you’re willing to spring for the premium Agency package, you can actually import a pre-built food and recipe demo site and then customize it using your chosen page builder.
Now, the one downside of Astra’s multipurpose approach is that it doesn’t have any baked-in way to display recipes. However, you can easily remedy that by using the free Recipe Card Blocks by WPZOOM plugin at WordPress.org.
4. Divine
Divine is a WordPress food blog theme that’s powered by the popular Genesis framework. Genesis is made by StudioPress, who have been acquired by popular managed WordPress host, WP Engine.
The benefit of using Genesis as the framework is that you get a performance and SEO-friendly foundation for your food blog.
However, the downside is that you’ll need to purchase both the Genesis Framework and the Divine child theme, which is why this one is so pricey at $129.95 (or, if you already own Genesis, you can grab just the child theme for $75).
However, if you’re willing to look past that price tag, you get a clean WordPress recipe theme that gives you lots of spots to showcase your food imagery, as well as built-in functionality to grow your email list and showcase your Instagram profile.
Divine doesn’t include built-in recipe card functionality, but it is built to integrate with the WP Recipe Maker plugin. You could also use Recipe Card Blocks by WPZOOM :)
5. Kale
Kale is a minimal free WordPress recipe theme that also offers a premium version with more functionality.
It gives you a stripped-down look with a bold slider that showcases your latest or featured recipes.
You’ll be able to choose from multiple blog layout options, and a built-in integration with MailPoet makes it easy to start growing your email list.
While the free version looks nice, the downside is that it lacks a lot of the essential recipe functionality you’ll need. However, if you’re willing to pay for the premium version, you’ll get access to:
- A recipe shortcode builder.
- A recipe index template, like you get with Foodica and Cookely.
- Built-in ad spots.
- Unlimited color schemes.
- Built-in Pinterest sharing functionality.
- WooCommerce support for eCommerce.
- ….plus a lot more.
6. Sprout & Spoon
Sprout & Spoon is a premium WordPress food blog theme sold through ThemeForest, where it has a solid 4.63-star rating on over 1,700 sales.
It offers similar looks to the Cookely theme from above, with large featured images at the top to showcase your latest recipes, as well as a built-in newsletter subscribe box right below.
You’ll also get other helpful functionality like:
- Multiple spots for social media follow icons.
- An “About Me” widget to share your story with visitors.
- An email subscribe widget (in addition to the inline subscribe box).
- A built-in Instagram feed at the bottom of your site.
To create your recipe cards, Sprout & Spoon comes with its own built-in Solo Pine Recipes plugin. Unfortunately, this plugin is not listed at WordPress.org like the Recipe Card Blocks plugin, so you can only use it if you purchase the Sprout & Spoon theme.
However, it does make it easy to create recipes, and you’ll also be able to create a recipe index like you can with the Foodica and Cookely recipe themes.
7. MH FoodMagazine
As the name suggests, MH FoodMagazine is a free WordPress recipe theme that helps you create a food blog using a magazine-style layout, which is the most distinctive thing about this theme.
However, the downside is that MH FoodMagazine lacks any built-in recipe card or index features, so you’ll need to turn to a third-party WordPress recipe plugin to add that functionality. This is pretty easy with the Recipe Card Blocks plugin, though. And if you love the magazine layout, that trade-off might be worth it for you.
8. Foodie Pro
Like Divine, Foodie Pro is a premium WordPress recipe theme for the Genesis framework. As such, the same trade-offs apply – you get an optimized, search engine ready foundation, but you’ll pay quite a bit more for that privilege because you need to purchase both Genesis and the Foodie Pro child theme.
Foodie Pro doesn’t include its own recipe card functionality, opting instead to recommend the WP Recipe Maker plugin. It does include its own recipe index, though, as well as other nice features like:
- Built-in social media follow buttons.
- Included email subscribe box.
- Multiple blog layout options.
- Responsive design.
- Built-in ad display locations.
To learn more, check out our Foodie Pro vs Foodica comparison.
9. Blossom Recipe
Blossom Recipe is a great free WordPress recipe theme for food bloggers on a budget.
Don’t let the free price tag fool you, though – the design still looks pretty professional right out of the box, and it comes with more advanced features like:
- An email subscribe notification bar.
- Social media follow buttons.
- Multiple page and post formats for different kinds of recipe content.
- A live customizer to tweak theme options.
If you want more functionality, the Pro version adds:
- Unlimited color schemes.
- More blog layout and homepage layout options.
- Infinite scroll.
- Built-in advertisement locations.
10. Daily Dish Pro
Daily Dish is another WordPress food blog theme built on the Genesis framework.
It offers a stripped-down, minimal design with not much going on. Depending on your preferences, that could be a good or a bad thing!
While the design itself is pretty basic, it still gives you important features like:
- Social media follow icons.
- An email newsletter subscribe widget.
- Multiple page and blog layouts.
However, to add recipe cards and/or a recipe index, you’ll need to turn to a third-party recipe plugin like Recipe Card Blocks.
11. Savor
Savor is a premium WordPress recipe theme that also offers a similar look to the Cookely theme that we featured above. That is, you can showcase your latest recipes with a big, bold featured image slider at the top.
Savor comes with its own custom recipe card feature, as well as plenty of options in the WordPress live customizer. The only downside is that there’s no built-in recipe index functionality, so your visitors won’t have an easy way to browse your entire recipe catalog.
12. Velure
Whether you’re a fashion, lifestyle or food blogger with a recipe website, you can adapt Velure to meet your needs in no time at all. Boasting trendy features like an Instagram bar and numerous unique widgets, Velure’s responsive design and easy contact form is sure to wow and inspire.
13. Food & Cook
Food & Cook is a premium WordPress recipe theme with a bold full-width parallax section at the top of the page to help you showcase your recipes. Beyond that, one of the most unique things is that it comes with functionality to let your visitors submit their own recipes.
Other helpful features with this theme are:
- 11 different page layouts.
- Support for schema markup to help you get rich snippets.
- Recipe index functionality.
- Built-in recipe card functionality (this functionality is in the theme, though, which means that your recipes are essentially “locked in” to this specific theme).
14. Neptune
Neptune is another premium WordPress recipe theme sold through ThemeForest that offers a unique homepage layout (pictured above).
Beyond that, you’ll get built-in recipe card functionality to display instructions and nutritional information. And like Food & Cook, it also includes functionality to let visitors submit their own recipes.
A few other unique features are:
- Built-in icons to highlight recipe information, like vegetarian recipes or recipes from a specific cuisine.
- A “meal planner” feature that lets people plan their meals using your recipes.
- A built-in recipe timer.
- Instant Ajax recipe search.
- An option for visitors to search by recipe ingredients.
- User ratings and “likes” for recipes.
However, like Food & Cook, Neptune’s recipe functionality is built into the theme, which means it would be tough to switch themes in the future.
15. Veggie Lite
Finally, Veggie Lite is another free WordPress recipe theme that’s a good option if you’re on a budget.
It offers a simple, mobile-first layout that makes a great option for a food blog. And if you decide you want more functionality in the future, there’s a premium version that adds more functionality and customization options.
How to Choose the Best WordPress Recipe Theme for Your Needs
Now for the important question – how do you choose one of these WordPress recipe themes for your food blog?
Here are a few tips to help you pick the perfect theme…
First, consider the recipe functionality itself, as recipes are obviously going to play a huge role in your content. The best approach is for your theme to integrate with a separate recipe plugin, as this ensures that you can take your recipes with you if you ever want to change themes in the future. For example, the Foodica and Cookely themes are specifically built to work well with the Recipe Card Blocks plugin, which means you’re never locked in.
Beyond individual recipe cards, you should also look for a theme that helps you create a searchable index of your entire recipe catalog so that visitors can find food that meets their unique tastes and diet. For example, both Foodica and Cookely offer a built-in recipe index like this:
Beyond that, pay special attention to responsive design, as a lot of people will be browsing your food recipes from a smartphone or tablet in the kitchen. Don’t just look for “responsive design” on the feature list – actually open the theme’s demo on a mobile device and play around with it to make sure the mobile experience is great.
Finally, consider the customization options that you’ll get – features like unlimited color schemes, custom CSS, use of the WordPress live customizer, etc.
Pick a WordPress Recipe Theme for Now and the Future
Whether you choose a free WordPress recipe theme or opt for a premium option, you’ll want to look for a theme developer who’s dedicated to maintaining your theme and keeping abreast of WordPress best standards. This sets your food blog up for success both now and in the future.
In the end, your choice comes down to your own personal preferences, but here are two of our favorites that meet all the criteria we’ve laid out:
Now it’s your turn – let us know your favorite food blog theme in the comments!