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- Business Insider put over 160 recipes from celebrity chefs to the test to find the tastiest winners.
- We've tried everything from breakfasts and dinners to desserts and specialty bread.
- Some winning recipes came from Guy Fieri, Ree Drummond, Carla Hall, Ina Garten, and more.
Business Insider put the best recipes from celebrity chefs head-to-head to find the most delicious salads, desserts, bread, beverages, and more.
Here are some of the winners, from hearty breakfasts to refreshing cocktails.
Editor's note: This story was originally published in September 2021 and most recently updated on December 26, 2024.
- Breakfasts
- The winning chef's scrambled eggs had parsley as a secret ingredient
- Out of the many omelet recipes, the best one was microwaved
- The key to fluffy blueberry pancakes is whipped eggs
- Try overnight oats in a canteloupe
- Use simple and fresh ingredients to make delicious blueberry muffins
- Use toasted oats for a hearty loaf of banana bread
- The sweetest cinnamon rolls use strong coffee and maple syrup
- Use canned pumpkin puree for sweet, flavorful pumpkin bread
- Three different kinds of alcohol are used to make a sweet and crispy French toast
- Out of all the breakfast burritos, the best one had steak
- Jeff Mauro's recipe for homemade hash browns came together quite easily
- Side Dishes
- For flavorful corn on the cob, try a spicy chile-lime recipe topped with cheese
- The most delicious baked potatoes took all day to make
- The best stuffing is the easiest to make
- To make the best guacamole, you'll need fresh ingredients
- Easy and affordable ingredients can make the tastiest deviled eggs
- This celebrity chef's garlic bread was buttery, spicy, and not at all soggy
- The best cornbread didn't have any butter but turned out soft and fluffy
- For pillowy biscuits, use cake flour and sea salt
- The tastiest rolls were also pull-apart
Breakfasts
The most important meal of the day deserves a great recipe. Food writers Paige Bennett and Tiffany Leigh tested scrambled eggs, omelets, blueberry pancakes, and breakfast burritos to see if they were worth the hype.
The winning chef's scrambled eggs had parsley as a secret ingredient
Paige Bennett for Insider
Emeril Lagasse's flavorful recipe for scrambled eggs was food writer Bennett's favorite.
Though the seasoning alone had 10 ingredients, the rest of the technique only required eggs, cheese, milk, butter, and salt. According to Bennett, the cooking process was easy and took only a couple of minutes.
The eggs were incredibly creamy, runny, and cheesy, paired well with fresh parsley.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made scrambled eggs using 8 recipes from famous chefs to find the best one.
Out of the many omelet recipes, the best one was microwaved
Paige Bennett for Insider
Bennett had a couple of favorite omelet recipes, but one of her favorites included Carla Hall's microwaved eggs.
Filled with mayonnaise, lemon juice, broccoli, and butter, the end result was fluffy and light. It had a nice balance of creamy cheese and crunchy vegetables.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made omelets using 6 recipes from famous chefs, and it surprisingly involved strawberries and microwaves.
The key to fluffy blueberry pancakes is whipped eggs
Paige Bennett for Insider
Bobby Deen's winning recipe calls for whipped egg whites.
According to Bennett, the hardest part was whisking the eggs into stiff peaks, but the rest was simple and quick. The final stack was fluffy and delicious, especially with syrup.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' recipes for blueberry pancakes, and the best used whipped egg whites.
Try overnight oats in a canteloupe
Paige Bennett for Insider
Nancy Fuller serves up a hybrid of chia-seed pudding and overnight oats in half of a cantaloupe, then tops the concoction with blueberries and honey.
Bennett put all of the ingredients except the blueberries in a container and placed them in the fridge overnight. The flavor goes so well with the blueberries and honey.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 4 celebrity chefs' recipes for overnight oats, and the best was served in a cantaloupe.
Use simple and fresh ingredients to make delicious blueberry muffins
Paige Bennett for Insider
Ina Garten's simple take on classic blueberry muffins proved to be the best of the bunch.
After using basic ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to make the dough, Bennett folded in buttermilk, butter, eggs, lemon zest, and blueberries to make golden and moist muffins.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' blueberry muffin recipes, and the best one was the easiest to make.
Use toasted oats for a hearty loaf of banana bread
Paige Bennett for Insider
To make Alton Brown's banana bread, swap regular flour for homemade toasted-oat flour.
Bennett found the hardest part was making the flour without a food processor. After toasting and pulverizing oats and mixing them in eggs, stick everything in the oven for 10 minutes.
The final product has a distinct nutty flavor without being overpowering.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 3 banana-bread recipes by Ree Drummond, Alton Brown, and Curtis Stone. One famous chef's use of oats blew me away.
The sweetest cinnamon rolls use strong coffee and maple syrup
Paige Bennett for Insider
Ree Drummond had the best one-pot recipe for gooey and perfect cinnamon rolls.
After rolling out the dough and filling it with the coffee mixture, Bennett baked them and found that the ingredients made for the fluffiest rolls.
The sugary maple-filled icing is so good, it could be eaten out of the bowl.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made cinnamon rolls using 3 celebrity-chef recipes, and the best one blew me away.
Use canned pumpkin puree for sweet, flavorful pumpkin bread
Paige Bennett
Bobby Flay's recipe calls for a ton of spices, canned pumpkin, and pantry staples like sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Bennett mixed the wet and dry ingredients together and folded in toasted pecans and walnuts for an added crunch.
This bread had the richest pumpkin flavor of all the recipes, plus a moist texture and nutty kick.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made pumpkin bread using 3 recipes from celebrity chefs, and the best was the easiest to make.
Three different kinds of alcohol are used to make a sweet and crispy French toast
Paige Bennett for Insider
To make Guy Fieri's French toast, you'll need orange-flavored and creme de banana liqueur, dark rum, milk, cinnamon, and brown sugar. This recipe turned out to be the most expensive of the bunch, thanks to the alcohol.
Bennett thickened caramel sauce, dipped and fried bread, and carefully sautéd sliced bananas.
The sweet toast was soft but slightly crispy. The bananas gave it a hint of freshness, and the caramel sauce was delicious. You won't even need maple syrup.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made French toast using 3 celebrity chefs' signature recipes, and the best one cost over $40 to make.
Out of all the breakfast burritos, the best one had steak
Tiffany Leigh
Fieri's breakfast burrito recipe calls for ingredients like skirt steak, scrambled eggs, onions, and pico de gallo. This recipe made the best-looking burrito and had an umami flavor thanks to the juicy steak.
Leigh arranged the filling, made up of steak, eggs, diced potatoes and onions, cheese, salsa roja, and lettuce, on the tortilla and then griddled the burrito for a couple of minutes. This gave the burrito a nice golden-brown color and grill marks.
The result was an incredibly satisfying breakfast dish loaded with flavors and textures.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made breakfast burritos using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and Gordon Ramsay's disappointed me most.
Jeff Mauro's recipe for homemade hash browns came together quite easily
Andy Lynes
Writer Andy Lynes thought Mauro's recipe for hash browns was easy to follow and produced a recognizable version of the breakfast classic.
Notably, this recipe didn't call for eggs or onions. Mauro's recipe required a short list of potatoes, butter, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne powder.
The final hash browns had a great color from the spices, and they crisped up nicely in the pan.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried hash-brown recipes from Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, and Jeff Mauro, and the best was the easiest to make.
Side Dishes
A meal isn't complete without a generous side. We tested everything from different kinds of bread to salads and spreads to find which ones should be staples at your dinner table.
For flavorful corn on the cob, try a spicy chile-lime recipe topped with cheese
Paige Bennett
Bennett followed corn recipes from Fieri, Giada De Laurentiis, Trisha Yearwood, and Aarón Sánchez.
After grilling the corn for 20 minutes, Sánchez seasons it with rocoto-chile paste, fresh cilantro, lime juice, butter, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Bennett topped it with cotija cheese, cilantro, and butter for a spicy and cheesy main dish.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tested 4 corn on the cob recipes by celebrity chefs, and the best was the spiciest.
The most delicious baked potatoes took all day to make
Paige Bennett
Fieri's "Bomb Bakers" potatoes have to soak in brine for two to eight hours before they are rolled in salt and baked.
Bennett let her potatoes marinate in saltwater for six hours, then rolled them in garlic salt, seasoning salt, kosher salt, and black pepper.
She topped them off with a horseradish spread, sour cream, and black pepper for creamy potatoes that packed some heat.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried baked-potato recipes from Ina Garten, Guy Fieri, Cat Cora, and Nancy Fuller. My favorite took nearly 7 hours.
The best stuffing is the easiest to make
Paige Bennett for Insider
Garten's stuffing was Bennett's favorite because of its complex flavor and easy preparation.
It required only one type of bread, baguettes, which made it easier to prepare. It also had fresh herbs, apples, and almonds combined with savory onions and celery.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made stuffing using 4 recipes from celebrity chefs — the best used a boxed mix and beat Ina Garten's.
To make the best guacamole, you'll need fresh ingredients
Paige Bennett for Insider
Sánchez's guacamole is stuffed with a ton of ingredients, which made it the most time-consuming recipe of them all.
After using a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients, Bennett noted that the chile, cilantro, sliced radish, and queso fresco added a nice kick to the avocado.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 4 famous chefs' guacamole recipes, and I'd make all of them again.
Easy and affordable ingredients can make the tastiest deviled eggs
Paige Bennett for Insider
Bennett tried deviled-egg recipes from Alex Guarnaschelli, Rachel Ray, and Paula Deen. Guarnaschelli's eggs were not only a breeze to make, but they were also creamy.
Simply toss egg yolks in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients until they become soft. They have a nice kick thanks to the hot sauce, scallions, and paprika.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made deviled eggs using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best were the cheapest to make.
This celebrity chef's garlic bread was buttery, spicy, and not at all soggy
Paige Bennett for Insider
The ingredients for Fieri's recipe are a little more complex than others, but the process is quite simple.
Bennett added all the ingredients to a bowl and slathered them on a French baguette. The parmesan, hot sauce, scallions, and parsley balanced each other out.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' garlic bread recipes, and the best one has hot sauce in it.
The best cornbread didn't have any butter but turned out soft and fluffy
Paige Bennett for Insider
Hall follows her grandmother's recipe for golden cornbread. Bennett tested it out and found her technique to be simple and straightforward.
After making a thick batter, heat a cast-iron skillet and pour the mixture in. The creamed corn and canola oil made for a slice of soft and savory bread.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made cornbread using 5 celebrity chefs' recipes, and there's only one I wouldn't eat again.
For pillowy biscuits, use cake flour and sea salt
Paige Bennett for Insider
Fieri's buttermilk biscuits had similar ingredients to other recipes. Bennett mixed the ingredients in a food processor, cut the dough into rectangles, and brushed them with butter and salt.
She was initially skeptical of the scone-like appearance but found the cake flour made for a soft and delicious biscuit.
Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 4 celebrity chefs' biscuit recipes, and the best were little pillows of deliciousness.
The tastiest rolls were also pull-apart
Paige Bennett for Insider
