These Are the Most Searched Recipes of 2022, According to Google

Google's top trending searches of the year may surprise you.

The year is rapidly coming to a close, and who better to tell us what trended in the culinary world more than a company whose Maps Timeline feature can tell you the exact moment you were at any restaurant in the country throughout the year? Yes, we are talking about Google.

The digital giant released its annual Year in Search data, analyzing "the trillions of searches that defined the past year" to determine the biggest trends in the United States in 2022. (Just don't call these trends "top searches" as Google instead looks at the terms that had the most significant sustained spike compared to last year, meaning perennial favorites like "pumpkin spice latte" are less likely to make the cut.)

Of course, not all searches are food and wine related (I know, I know), meaning the top overall searches were terms like "Wordle," "Election results," and "Betty White" (who was somehow one spot higher than "Queen Elizabeth"). Don't worry. Google also broke things down into categories, so plenty of the findings fit our niche, including the top 10 recipe searches of the year. 

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Coming in at number one was "sugo," a tomato-based pasta sauce typically made with tomatoes, basil, olive oil, onions, and garlic. 

Along with the sauce, Google users searched for "Cincinnati chili," "marry me chicken," "quick pancake," "mango pie," "green goddess salad," "Jennifer Aniston salad," "Grinder sandwich," "Bella Hadid sandwich," and "The Bear spaghetti."

Google also broke out the data for TikTok-inspired recipe searches, and though some overlap did exist, the lists were slightly different. Searches for "cinnamon roll" topped the TikTok-specific list, followed by "pink sauce," "grinder sandwich," "green goddess salad," "cowboy caviar," "marry me chicken," "salmon rice bowl," "pot roast," "Mexican rice," and "crab rangoon."

In the beverage department, "Aperol spritz" surged to the top of alcoholic drinks searches, managing to hold off number two, "espresso martini." Rounding out the top ten were "dirty Shirley," "cosmopolitan," "negroni," "dirty martini," "hot toddy," "lemon drop martini," "mai tai," and "pina colada."

Non-alcoholic drinks also continued to rise in popularity throughout 2022. Google saw users seeking out booze-free versions of several classics, including "non-alcoholic rum," which topped the list, followed by non-alcoholic "mint julep," "red wine," "tequila," "vodka, "beers," "margarita," "mulled wine," "whiskey," and "pina colada."

The ongoing economic upheaval also meant that several related searches landed on lists that weren't specifically about food and beverages. For example, under searches for shortages, "baby formula," "sriracha," "food," "cream cheese," "avocado," and "lettuce" all made the top ten.

And though "gas" topped the list of people searching why things are so expensive, "eggs," "saffron," and "lettuce" all also made the top ten.

Want to see what the rest of the world was searching for all year long? See all the top terms on Google's hub for the Year in Search 2022 here.