As 2018 comes to a close, we reflect on all the delicious foods we’ve made throughout the past 12 month. We pretty much love all of the foods we’ve posted, but a fun part of running a food website is seeing which recipes and articles you, our lovely readers, respond to the best.
It seems that you share our deep love of desserts, but that we also go out of our way to buy fresh produce and eat healthy. This means fresh smoothies and juices in the morning and lightened up renditions of classic dishes. We like to keep our cooking simple, and we welcome a good crock pot recipe.
Though we’re surprised some of these recipes beat out others, your readership speaks. We’re glad you loved them so much. And we’ll use this knowledge in the future when bringing you even more delicious recipes in 2019.
Here are the 15 most popular recipes of 2018:
(Note: Of course, recipes that have recently been posted haven’t had a full year to stew. Results can only give a snapshot of what was popular this year, and recent recipes will likely rise to the top for 2019.)
1. Homemade canned applesauce
Our most popular recipe was really more of a how-to. And it turns out that readers everywhere are looking for how they can safely and easily cook and can applesauce at home.
2. easter eggs dyed with rice
Dying Easter eggs — a recipe or not a recipe? It’s debatable so we included it. Watch the video and learn how to dye hard-boiled eggs using rice and food coloring.
3. tropical smoothie
Even in the cold of months, this tropical smoothie topped our readership charts — perhaps we needed a mid-winter pick-me-up? Chia seeds continued to be wildly popular this year, so this one is no surprise.
4. vegetarian stuffed pepper
A perfect dinner plan for the increasingly popular #MeatlessMonday movement. This recipe uses a delicious mix of ricotta, spinach and onions to stuff bright and tasty bell peppers.
Spinach, ricotta stuffed peppers, a satisfying vegetarian alternative
5. Crock pot mashed potatoes
You know what makes mashed potatoes even better? When you just have to turn on the crock pot and go about your day. Readers loved the idea of these mashed red skinned potatoes ready on high in four hours.
6. Broccoli cheese casserole
It’s a childhood favorite. Heck, it’s a now favorite. Readers went crazy for this warm and cheese broccoli casserole — especially around Thanksgiving.
7. Tortellini appetizer
Easy appetizers are always popular. This red, white, and green tortellini dish is perfect for the holidays.
8. pumpkin delight
We sure love our pumpkin spice everything. This light and fluffy pumpkin delight could easily take down your pumpkin pie as your favorite dessert of fall.
9. keto blackberry smoothie
Keto dieters are always looking for new and delicious recipes, and since they can’t have much fruit, smoothies are usually off the table. This one has just a bit for flavor, but still sticks to the standard Keto rules.
10. berry pretzel salad
This berry pretzel salad is a Midwest classic. Crushed pretzels topped with a creamy layer then cool Jell-O, and fresh berries. It’s a summertime staple, but readers clearly craved it all year long.
11. Honey mustard garlic shrimp
It’s hard to pass up on a dinner option that is ready in just 20 minutes — especially one this healthy and full of flavor.
12. green juice
Juicing continues to be popular, and this green juice gained a loyal following. Lemon and ginger bring zing to your daily greens. The blend can make waking up in the morning a little easier.
13. pizzelle
Sometimes a crispy, flavorful pizzelle is just what your day needs. Readers everywhere were looking for authentic Italian recipes, and loved our version.
14. pineapple, cucumber salad
It’s a flavor combination you might not expect, but it’s so cool and refreshing, you’ll want to whip this one up for every summer even from now on.
15. crock pot chicken tikka masala
Ethnic foods continue to move more mainstream. In 2018, readers loved this easy crock pot recipe for the Westernized Indian recipe chicken tikka masala.
Also see, a perfect Christmas punch recipe.
