20 Best Online Cooking Classes That Make Perfect Gifts

Did you know that The Kitchn ran a totally free cooking school a while back? It’s true, we did! If you missed it, you can still find it online and go through it at your own pace. (And, you should tell all your friends about it.) But, with the holidays right around the corner, if you’re looking for a gift for the special someone in your life who loves to cook, we’ve rounded up a handful of amazing online classes to choose from. After all, what better cooking gift is there than a class they can take to learn a new skill and get busy in the kitchen? Ahead, you’ll find online cooking classes that they can take at their own pace (such as MasterClass), as well as live, interactive classes you can take together, too.

These classes cover a wide enough range that you’ll find something for any food-lover, regardless of their skill level or favorite dishes. They can make everything from fresh pasta with an Airbnb cooking class hosted by an Italian nonna to spicy jambalaya with a New Orleans chef. There’s no doubt that these online cooking classes will be a great gift for couples.

1. Gordon Ramsay MasterClass

Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking has been so popular over the years that MasterClass has added a follow-up course. In the original offering, students learn everything from knife skills and kitchen setup to butchery and pasta. Graduates of the first class can move on to the next level, where lessons cover restaurant-inspired recipes such as crispy duck, cauliflower steak, and sesame-crusted tuna.

Buy: Gordon Ramsey MasterClass, $10 a month for access to MasterClass

2. Wolfgang Puck MasterClass

Chef Wolfgang Puck’s MasterClass covers many of the cooking techniques that this OG celebrity chef incorporated at his famed restaurants Spago and CUT. Each of the 16 lessons covers a different recipe (béchamel sauce, tuna sashimi) or aspect of Puck’s cooking and business philosophies. Classes are available on demand, so your loved one can go at the pace that works for them. (MasterClass has plenty of other cooking class options, too.)

Buy: Wolfgang Puck MasterClass, $10 a month for access to MasterClass

3. Brit + Co’s B+C Baking/Cooking Bundle

For just $10 every month — or $19 for a single class — you’re giftee will have access to over 45 pro-taught cooking and baking courses from Brit + Co, a media company that aims to “enable [women] to use creativity to shape [their] future.” There are plenty of creative options (like “Cake Decorating with Fresh Flowers”) as well as ones that serve more everyday uses (like “Efficient Weeknight Cooking”) that’ll take a home chef’s skills to the next level in just about an hour. Once enrolled, they’ll have access to a downloadable workbook filled with recipes, a supply list, and tips for achieving the best results.

Buy: B+C Baking/Cooking Bundle, $10 per month

4. Airbnb Experiences

Airbnb has tons of immersive online experiences, including a huge assortment of online cooking classes that cover a range of cuisines. And, similarly to their experiences that take place all over the globe, these online classes are taught by cooking pros from different countries. For instance, your loved one can learn to make authentic Italian desserts with Make Cannoli With a Sicilian Home Chef, or they can inject some unexpected fun into cooking with Spice Up Life With Thai Food. Most classes are under $30 per person and are great for beginners and seasoned home cooks alike.

Buy: Airbnb Online Cooking Classes, starting at $8 on Airbnb

5. The Chef & The Dish

For another global cooking experience, private classes from The Chef & The Dish are a great option. Date nights, dinner parties, or just weeknights at home will be instantly upgraded by taking a class with their roster of chefs from Italy, Thailand, Spain, Peru, Turkey, and more. The Chef & The Dish team trains each chef and tests every dish to ensure an amazing experience that covers a range of skill levels. You can search classes by country, dietary preference, or even your mood (like family dinner night or a beach-side meal, to name a few). Learn how to make spicy Jambalaya, fresh pasta with ragù, authentic pho, and so much more from the comfort of your kitchen.

Buy: The Chef & The Dish Private Cooking Classes, starting at $149 per class

6. Craftsy

As a destination for learning new skills like quilting and sewing from pros, Craftsy also offers a variety of expert-led cooking and baking classes. You can either sign up for their premium service or pay à la carte per class, making it a great option for gifts. They offer skill-based food classes like Classic Croissants, Modern Techniques and 25 Essential Grilling Techniques, which would be perfect to gift to your favorite baker or griller. There are also cuisine-specific courses like the Mexican Comfort Food and Indian Restaurant Favorites. Similar to MasterClass, each class is prerecorded and includes several sessions so you can go at your own pace.

Buy: Craftsy Cooking Classes, starting at $4.99 per course

7. Sur La Table

Sur La Table is one of our go-to retailers for finding picks from highly coveted brands such as Le Creuset, All-Clad, and Staub, so it’s no surprise that they have an amazing line of online cooking classes, too. There are so many expertise areas, cuisines, and dishes to choose from, and the selections are always changing depending on the season. Each class is live so you can ask questions as they come up, and they’re between 90 and 120 minutes long. They’re priced by household, so you can have as few or as many members as you’d like!

Buy: Sur La Table Online Cooking Classes, $29 per household

8. Uncommon Experiences

The Brooklyn-based retailer Uncommon Goods has expanded its gift offerings with the launch of Uncommon Experiences — a curated online selection of unique virtual classes, tutorials, and expert-led educational experiences. Culinary offerings include a Chocolate Tasting for Two, a Smoky Cocktails Class & Drink Smoking Kit, and more. In most cases, your chosen class will come with an accompanying kit meant to provide you with the ingredients to cook, bake, and mix up the featured dish.

Buy: Uncommon Experiences, starting at $30 per experience

9. Dominique Ansel MasterClass

We are INTO these MasterClasses! This series with Dominique Ansel (of cronut fame) covers essential techniques for crafting delectable desserts and pastries. Students will leave the class armed with the knowledge of everything from how to make fruit tart fillings to perfecting croissant-making skills. Get this for anyone who’d love to go to pastry school but can’t swing the time or the money. Trust us — you’ll want to invite yourself over after they complete this course.

Buy: Dominique Ansel MasterClass, $10 a month for access to MasterClass

10. Skillshare

From basic knife skills to complex cooking techniques (croissants, anyone?), Skillshare has it all. They’ve teamed up with culinary heavyweights like Eataly, Plated, and The Meatball Shop to craft a dynamic library that will keep budding cooks sautéing, braising, and baking for months. Bonus: Amateur mixologists can get in on the fun, too, thanks to lessons like bartending 101 and developing a signature cocktail. Truly, there are so many classes to choose from through Skillshare that you can find something for everyone!

Buy: Skillshare, $14 a month

11. ChefsSteps Studio Pass

The folks at ChefsSteps are seriously impressive. They’re science-minded and actually nerdier than Alton Brown (if you can believe it). This pass scores your loved one behind-the-scenes videos, exclusive cooking guides, scientific insights, and online Q&A sessions. Get this for anyone who’s ever wondered why some chocolate cookies are better than others or if it’s actually possible to cook a fish in the microwave (and enjoy eating it).

Buy: ChefsSteps Studio Pass, $5.75 a month

12. Udemy

At-home chefs and newbies alike will find something to enjoy at Udemy, which offers up courses that cover dynamic topics like crockpot cooking and a Thai master class. Classes are led by pro chefs, restaurant owners, and cookbook authors, so you know the info you’re getting is legit.

Buy: Udemy Cooking Classes, starting at $13.99 per class

13. The Table Less Traveled

For the home cook who wants to learn how to make authentic dishes from around the world, a gift card for The Table Less Traveled is a perfect present. Open-to-the-community classes are live-streamed from chefs’ home kitchens, whether that means your loved one will be learning how to make teriyaki salmon straight from a master in Osaka or gluten-free empanadas from an expert in Costa Rica.

Buy: The Table Less Traveled Gift Certificate, starting at $10

14. Cakeflix

Cake designing, baking, and decorating are intricate art forms, and a gift card from CakeFlix will help your loved one create bakery-level treats, all from the comfort of their own kitchen. Available courses cover everything from how to build bespoke, three-dimensional wedding cakes to making and arranging delicate sugar flowers.

Buy: CakeFlix Gift Card, starting at $99

15. Veecoco

Veecoco is the go-to option for your vegan friends, or even for those people in your life who just want to brush up on their plant-based-cooking skills. The platform offers more than 1,000 lessons taught by nearly two dozen expert chefs. One happy customer says, “Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be anything more amazing, they come out with a new class!” Gift cards are available for one month or three.

Buy: Veecoco Gift Card, starting at $39

16. Class Pop!

Foodies will be left super satisfied after one of these classes from Class Pop!, which teaches the basics of so many different dishes like hand-crafted pizza, traditional Chinese dim sum, and homemade Polish pierogi. Each class is taught by professional chefs with live and interactive Q&As, as well as fellow classmates from around the world to meet.

Buy: Class Pop!, starting at $19 each class

17. Rouxbe

A Rouxbe membership comes with access to 75 self-paced lessons — covering everything from how to roast a prime rib to the best way to handle a chef’s knife — and hundreds of recipes, along with personalized instructor feedback. After they grade your work, you’ll receive a certificate of completion. You can even join an exclusive Facebook page to interact with fellow students!

Buy: Rouxbe, $10 a month

18. CocuSocial

Your giftee can cook alongside chefs in real-time with live CocuSocial classes, which they’re sure to appreciate. The platform includes instructors from 15 cities across the U.S., and classes don’t exceed 20 people, so they can benefit from closer instruction.

Buy: CocuSocial, starting at $19 each class

19. YesChef

Work alongside the world’s greatest chefs in your kitchen with a subscription to YesChef. Featuring classes from established names like Jamie Oliver, Nancy Silverton, and Erez Komarovsky, each class is formatted like a documentary, combining food-centric storytelling and cooking instruction for a truly enjoyable online cooking experience.

Buy: YesChef, starting at $9.80 a month (normally $15)

20. America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to finely hone your cooking skills, America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School has a course your recipient is sure to love. Each course is led by the same experts who develop the brand’s iconic recipes and star in its award-winning television shows so you know they’re going to be learning from the best.

Buy: America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School, $19.95 per month