28 Sous Vide Recipes for Perfectly Cooked Meals, Every Time
Whether it's a slab of steak, perfectly tender lobster, or even some homemade vanilla extract, an immersion circulator will give you great results.
We've long sung the praises of sous vide cooking at Serious Eats. After all, what better way to guarantee juicy meat or tender vegetables with a relatively hands-off approach? The method involves cooking food in a sealed plastic bag (sometimes vacuum-sealed) in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath, offering complete control over whatever it is you're trying to cook. Whether you want to make an evenly cooked steak, a buttery summer lobster roll, or even some homemade vanilla extract, an immersion circulator will produce a stellar end product. Below are some of our favorite sous vide recipes to get you started. The only question is: Which one will you be making first?
Sweet Recipes
Homemade Vanilla Extract
We tested and found that this homemade vanilla extract is better (and cheaper!) than store-bought.
List Link:Homemade Vanilla Extract
Toasted Cream
Cooking cream low and slow gives it all the subtle flavors of browned butter, making it perfect for adding to delicate purées, soups, and ice cream.
List Link:Toasted Cream
Vegetables
Sous Vide Glazed Carrots
Sous vide carrots are intensely flavorful and perfectly cooked.
List Link:Sous Vide Glazed Carrots
Sous Vide Corn on the Cob
Want guaranteed corn on the cob that's extra-flavorful and juicy? Sous vide is the way to go.
List Link:Sous Vide Corn on the Cob
Poultry
Sous Vide Buffalo Chicken Wings
Cooking chicken wings sous vide allows you to get perfectly cooked meat that's supremely juicy.
List Link:Sous Vide Buffalo Chicken Wings
Sous Vide Chicken Breast
Sous-vide techniques will give you chicken with unparalleled levels of juiciness.
List Link:Sous Vide Chicken Breast
Sous Vide Duck Confit
Not only does sous vide cooking produce an exceptional version of confit duck leg, it's far easier than the traditional method.
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The Best Classic Chicken Salad
The juiciest, most flavorful chicken salad is possible!
List Link:The Best Classic Chicken Salad
Hot and Numbing Sichuan Chicken Salad (Bang Bang Ji Si)
Sous vide is the modern way to make this Sichuan classic without the banging.
List Link:Hot and Numbing Sichuan Chicken Salad (Bang Bang Ji Si)
Beef and Lamb
Sous Vide Steaks
Thanks to precise temperature control, this steak turns out more consistently than traditional steak, every time.
List Link:Sous Vide Steaks
Sous Vide Smoked Brisket
Through sous vide cooking, you can achieve consistently moist and tender brisket at home.
List Link:Sous Vide Smoked Brisket
Sous Vide Rack of Lamb
For rack of lamb that's evenly medium-rare from edge to edge, sous vide cooking is by far the best approach.
List Link:Sous Vide Rack of Lamb
Sous Vide Leg of Lamb With Mint, Cumin, and Black Mustard
Robustly flavored leg of lamb—perfectly cooked, thanks to a sous vide circulator—can stand up to an intense seasoning of crunchy mustard seeds and cumin.
List Link:Sous Vide Leg of Lamb With Mint, Cumin, and Black Mustard
Pork
Overnight Sous Vide Bacon
A little planning ahead yields crisp bacon that melts in your mouth—what more could you want on a Sunday morning?
List Link: Overnight Sous Vide Bacon
Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
The juiciest, most evenly cooked pork tenderloin ever, all ready for your next dinner party.
List Link:Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
Sous Vide Barbecue Pork Ribs
Here, we have tender and meaty pork ribs with a crusty bark or rich glaze of sauce—no smoker required.
List Link:Sous Vide Barbecue Pork Ribs
Sous Vide Pork Chops
Using an immersion sous vide cooker is the easy, foolproof way to guarantee extra-juicy pork chops.
List Link:Sous Vide Pork Chops
Sous Vide Barbecue Pulled Pork Shoulder
We've got a step-by-step guide to making sous vide barbecue pork shoulder—finished in an oven or smoker, complete with a smoky flavor and flavorful bark.
List Link:Sous Vide Barbecue Pulled Pork Shoulder
Sous Vide Carnitas for Tacos (Crispy Mexican-Style Pulled Pork)
Crisp, juicy, and tender carnitas are the undisputed king of the taco cart, but they're even better when cooked sous vide.
List Link:Sous Vide Carnitas for Tacos (Crispy Mexican-Style Pulled Pork)
Sous Vide Pork Shoulder Chashu
This recipe uses precise temperature control to yield soft, juicy, and flavorful slices of pork shoulder chashu that still have some bite.
List Link:Sous Vide Pork Shoulder Chashu
Overnight Sous Vide Canadian Bacon or Breakfast Ham
Cooked low and slow overnight, sous vide ham retains all of its juiciness, but gains an incredibly luxurious, buttery-soft tenderness as its connective tissue and muscles break down.
List Link:Overnight Sous Vide Canadian Bacon or Breakfast Ham
Seafood
Sous Vide Salmon
This sous vide salmon recipe yields perfectly flaky, tender fish that you won't want to stop eating.
List Link:Sous Vide Salmon
Sous Vide Lobster
If buttery, tender, sweet poached flavor is what you're after, there's no better way to cook lobster than sous vide.
List Link:Sous Vide Lobster
Butter-Basted Sous Vide Halibut
This recipe yields buttery, well-browned halibut with a juicy, medium-rare center.
List Link:Butter-Basted Sous Vide Halibut
Sous Vide Shrimp With Garlic, Sherry, and Smoked Paprika
Cooking shrimp sous vide allows you to infuse them with flavor. In this recipe, we use the flavor profile of the Spanish tapas standby, gambas al ajillo.
List Link:Sous Vide Shrimp With Garlic, Sherry, and Smoked Paprika
Sous Vide Tuna
Cooking tuna sous vide is foolproof and allows you to fine-tune the results.
List Link:Sous Vide Tuna
Sous Vide Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls (With Lemon and Butter)
This version of a lobster roll is made in the classic naked style you'll find in Connecticut, dressed with nothing more than a little butter and lemon juice.
List Link:Sous Vide Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls (With Lemon and Butter)
Sous Vide Maine-Style Lobster Rolls (With Mayonnaise)
Served cold with a touch of mayonnaise and lemon, this version of a lobster roll is what you'll find up and down the coast of New England.
List Link:Sous Vide Maine-Style Lobster Rolls (With Mayonnaise)