There are dozens of recipes that can be used to cook different meals in Stardew Valley — many of which have stat-increasing buffs or effects that will help in a variety of situations. Some of these increase your resistance to monsters while others make you a better farmer.

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But, some recipes are better than others. Which ones should you focus on when diving into the mines or going fishing on a rainy night? This list is not an exhaustive one of every recipe, but instead the ones that will probably help you the most in general.

Updated on July 10, 2021 by Michael Christopher: There's always time for a little cooking in Stardew Valley, whether to help in the mines or give you a bit of a Luck boost. No matter what you're looking to do around the valley, these recipes are sure to help. We've refreshed this list to improve the readability.

16 Ginger Ale

A new recipe added in the 1.5 update is Ginger Ale. This fizzy drink is a great thing to bring when heading to the Mines, Skull Cavern, or the new Volcano dungeon. It'll take three Ginger (foraged on Ginger Island) and a bit of sugar to make it. You can obtain the recipe from the dwarf vendor on the fifth floor of the Volcano dungeon for 1,000g.

When consumed, Ginger Ale adds a +1 boost to Luck for five minutes. However, what makes this so great is that it's a beverage, so it'll stack on top of food that offers Luck, such as a Lucky Lunch or Spicy Eel.

15 Fruit Salad

This recipe offers the most Health out of every recipe in the game, with a whopping 118 points. It also provides 263 points of Stamina, making it a powerhouse for stat recovery. The earliest this recipe can be obtained is by watching The Queen of Sauce on Fall 7 of Year 2, but luckily obtaining the ingredients is a little easier.

The recipe takes one Melon, one Blueberry, and one Apricot, all of which can be bought as seeds from Pierre's and grown on the farm. It's definitely worth keeping some of this salad around if you find yourself using a lot of stamina or taking a lot of damage quickly. ConcernedApe really wants you to eat your fruits!

14 Triple Shot Espresso

As you explore the valley, you might start to grow tired of how long it takes to walk from place to place. A horse can help, as can a Return Scepter. But, what's more readily available and will give you a quick jumpstart every morning? Some Coffee! Of course, the classic Coffee is great, offering a Speed boost for just over a minute. But, why not crank it up a notch?

Triple Shot Espresso, created using three regular Coffees (or purchased), will you give a Speed boost for more than four minutes. Both of these "dishes" will give you +1 Speed, but the Espresso lasts way longer. You can buy the recipe from Gus for 5,000 gold.

13 Sashimi

Sashimi, the art of slicing raw fish into very thin pieces, makes an appearance in Stardew Valley as a dish. This dish can be created using basically any fish in the game. You'll receive the recipe from Linus in the mail after reaching three hearts with him.

What makes Sashimi so great is not the buffs it offers, as there are none, but because of its general availability and usefulness.

When diving deep in the various mines, you can stack food to keep you alive and energized, and Sashimi is one of the easiest to get your hands on. Use all those Snails and Periwinkles from your Crab Pots to make an incredible quantity of Sashimi. It can also be made from a wide variety of common fish to increase their sell price, since Sashimi sells for more than many fish do.

12 Complete Breakfast

Loved by Alex, the Complete Breakfast is a great way to start your day, especially if you have some work to do around the farm. This hearty meal provides an astounding 200 energy and 90 health. It takes a Fried Egg, a Milk, a plate of Hashbrowns, and a serving of Pancakes to cook this dish.

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With all of that food, you can expect quite the satisfying start to your day. The Complete Breakfast will grant you +2 to Farming and +50 Max Energy, too. This is an absolute beast of a dish that everyone should keep on hand. The Queen of Sauce will teach you the recipe on Spring 21, Year 2.

11 Farmer's Lunch

Once you've gulped down your Complete Breakfast and broken a sweat tending to the crops and caring for the animals, you'll want to take an afternoon break and chow down on some Farmer's Lunch. This great recipe offers not only excellent health and stamina regeneration but provides a +3 boost to your Farming skill for over 5 real-time minutes.

The recipe is also simple, taking one Omelet and one Parsnip — one of the fastest and easiest crops to grow in the game. You'll unlock this recipe once you reach Level 3 in Farming, making it a great early-game recipe to have.

10 Miner's Treat

After reaching Mining level 3, you'll be able to create this rainbow lollipop called the Miner's Treat. It can also be found in treasure rooms in Skull Cavern or bought from the Dwarves (one in the Mines and one on level 5 of the Volcano) and Krobus (on certain days).

If you're diving into the Mines or the Skull Cavern, this is a handy go-to snack. Not only will it recover 56 health points and 125 energy, but it'll add +3 to your Mining skill, which will make your Pickaxe more efficient. It also increases Magnetism by +32, meaning you'll be able to pull in items from further away and not miss them. It's made from two Cave Carrots, plus a Sugar and a Milk.

9 Pumpkin Soup

While you're in the mines, the Miner's Treat will definitely help in terms of the actual mining. But, there are also going to be a ton of enemies flying your way and trying to knock you out. This is where Pumpkin Soup can come in handy.

This recipe, which is given to you by Robin after reaching seven hearts with her, will buff your Defense by +2, which is fantastic. It'll also add +2 Luck, which is great when mining. It costs just a single Pumpkin and a Milk to create and will restore 200 energy and 90 health.

8 Trout Soup

For many players, the early game is a struggle financially. It's hard to get a profitable farm up and running in the first few weeks, so many turn to fishing. Fishing can be profitable if done right, but it's difficult without a better rod or high Fishing level.

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This is where Trout Soup can be a blessing. This soup, which is made with Rainbow Trout and Green Algae, adds +1 to Fishing. It's learned from the Queen of Sauce on Fall 14 of Year 1. It's not the best Fishing buff in the game, but it's easily available from Willy's shop from the start. It's an easily-acquired and invaluable dish for the early game.

7 Seafoam Pudding

Once you've moved past the need for a single point buff in Fishing from Trout Soup, you'll need a recipe that really packs a punch for your Fishing skill. This is where Seafoam Pudding will come in handy. You'll learn it at Fishing Level 9 — it's made from a Flounder, a Midnight Carp, and some Squid Ink. It'll add a whopping +4 to Fishing.

You'll want to make a couple of these if you're hunting the Legendary Fish. These five fish are extremely difficult to catch, so anything helps. But, Seafoam Pudding will really increase your chances. This dish can also help you get a special item that we won't spoil here!

6 Eggplant Parmesan

This vegetarian classic can be learned by reaching seven hearts with Mayor Lewis, who will then send you the recipe. The dish itsellf also be purchased from Krobus or Gus on a rotating basis. All it takes to make is an Eggplant and a Tomato.

Eggplant Parm is a great choice for mining. For almost a full five minutes, it'll buff your Mining skill by a point and add +3 to your Defense. This is extremely useful in combatting enemies, especially at such a cheap ingredient cost.

5 Crab Cakes

A strong appreciation of Crabs runs through this game, not just from Willy's love for the sea critters, but from the ability to raise and cook with them as well. Crab Cakes are an excellent recipe that can be obtained on The Queen of Sauce's Fall 21 broadcast of Year 2. With one Crab, one Egg, some Wheat Flour, and some Oil, you'll have a massive stat regeneration dish that also gives +1 each to Speed and Defense.

The buff lasts for over 16 minutes and is excellent for those trying to make their way through the Skull Caverns quickly. They even have a 50% chance of being dropped by Iridium Crabs in the Caverns, making it quite convenient (not to mention a lifesaver).

4 Roots Platter

If you're struggling against enemies that just won't seem to die, you could try and find a stronger weapon or the right Ring... or you could eat the Roots Platter. This fantastic dish consists of Cave Carrot and Winter Root and gives a +3 buff to Attack, the strongest Attack buff from any recipe.

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The Roots Platter is unlocked by reaching Combat Level 3, which is early enough to be super helpful in Stardew's mines. Plus, you'll naturally run into Cave Carrots while mining, making it a win-win situation for everyone involved... except the monsters.

3 Lucky Lunch

It's unclear what it tastes or feels like, but the Lucky Lunch is a Stardew classic. It's taught to viewers of the Queen of Sauce on Spring 28 of Year 2. It requires a Sea Cucumber, a Blue Jazz, and a Tortilla. It can also appear in Krobus' shop, the Saloon, or at the Traveling Cart.

This strange meal will add a fantastic +3 to your Luck stat. This is an extremely good buff, especially when doing anything that requires a bit of luck, like trying to find a Prismatic Shard. Remember, food and drink buffs stack separately, so if you really want a Luck boost, you can drink some Ginger Ale on top of eating the Lucky Lunch for a total of +4 Luck.

2 Survival Burger

This recipe is for the foraging addicts — those players who love collecting everything in sight. If it's on the ground, it's up for grabs! The Survival Burger, besides looking extremely tasty, provides a +3 buff to Foraging, which also makes your axe proficiency much stronger. Being able to quickly chop down a bunch of trees and harvest tons of wood will speed up the crafting and production of your entire farm by a considerable amount.

This recipe unlocks at Foraging level 2, making it an amazing early-game support for initial building and crafting.

For those looking to get closer to Emily, she also loves this dish, for some reason.

1 Spicy Eel

You'll want different buffs when mining, or engaging in various other tasks around the valley. Often, you could use a bit more Luck, as well as the ever-present need for more speed. Well, you can't go wrong with the Spicy Eel dish. It'll add +1 to Luck and +1 to Speed. If you're trying to get to the 100th floor of Skull Cavern, Spicy Eel will be your best friend. You'll feel like a ladder-finding machine.

George sends you this recipe after you reach seven hearts with him. It takes a Hot Pepper and an Eel to make, meaning it's a cheap dish to make, too. Plus, the buffs last for seven minutes, which is much longer than many other recipes.

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