Reddit is a website made up of over 138,000 active forums called "subreddits," which serve individual communities with various interests. For years, food subreddits have become my go-to source for new recipes, inspiration, and cooking advice. Here is a starter guide to Reddit's biggest and most active food communities so you can find which subreddits are best for you.

Note: the following list does not include food subreddits related to alcohol use, eating disorders, or specific companies.
avocado, brunch, avocado toast, fries, sandwich, overhead, Meal, vegetable, salad, tomato, sauce, meat, pasta, lunch
Denise Uy

The main ones

r/food: Discuss everything food-related from cooking and recipes to restaurant reviews with over 17 million other foodies. 

r/Cooking: Ask questions, share tips and tricks, and discuss all things cooking related.

r/recipes: Find, request, and share recipes for all kinds of sweet and savory dishes.

r/cookingforbeginners: Ask questions and browse basic recipes and techniques in this subreddit dedicated to learning and teaching about cooking.

Dietary restrictions

r/vegetarian: Share vegetarian recipes and food pictures or discuss what it's like to be vegetarian with thousands of others in the community.

r/vegan: This subreddit is dedicated for vegans and anyone interested in veganism to share stories, ideas and recipes.

r/glutenfree: Share your experiences with being gluten-free and find gluten-free restaurants, dishes and recipes in this subreddit.

Fitness-oriented

r/fitmeals: Find new recipes and advice on how to cook delicious meals that fit your macronutrient, caloric and dietary needs.

r/keto: This community is dedicated to sharing thoughts and experiences about the low carb, high fat ketogenic diet. Browse the food porn [FP] tag for pictures of keto food and recipes.

r/1200isplenty - While this subreddit's name refers to a 1200-calorie diet, don't feel discouraged if that is not your goal. This community shares tips, recipes and advice for anyone interested in low calorie meals.

egg, bacon, toast, fried egg, scrambled, hash
Zoe Denenberg

Meal-specific

r/BreakfastFood: Find recipes for or post pictures of breakfast food with fellow breakfast aficionados.

r/dessert: Share recipes, pictures and eatery recommendations or discuss your favorite desserts.

Savory

r/grilledcheese: Grilled cheese lovers can post recipes, photos or share stories about the classic sandwich. But heads up: anything more than just bread, butter and cheese is strictly considered a melt.

r/pizza: Share your recipes for homemade pizzas or post pictures of your favorite kind of pizza.

r/sushi: This subreddit is dedicated to all things sushi, including pictures, videos and stories.

r/ramen: Discuss your favorite ramen dishes and restaurants or share your best ramen-related experiences.

Meat

r/meat: Join other meat-lovers in this subreddit to discuss everything meat-related.

r/bacon: Share your pictures and passion for bacon with other die-hard pork lovers, but beware: turkey and plant-based bacon posts are not allowed.

r/steak: Post pictures of your favorite steak, share grilling techniques and your most memorable steak experiences.

Chocolate Iced, cinnamon and sugar, Sugar, cocnut, chocolate, glazed doughnuts, glazed donuts, Glazed, top pot doughnuts, Seattle, top pot, doughnuts, donuts
Sierra Orsak

Sweet

r/CAKEWIN: This community is dedicated to photos of beautifully decorated cakes, both professional and homemade.

r/SatisfIcing: Check out this subreddit to watch satisfying icing and cake decorating GIFs and videos.

Cooking on a budget

r/budgetfood: Ask questions or share advice and recipes for cooking on a budget.

r/MealPrepSunday: Join over 1 million Redditors in discussing all things meal prep, whether you're prepping to save time, money or for fitness goals.

r/EatCheapAndHealthy: This subreddit is dedicated to asking questions and sharing advice on how to eat healthy while on a cheap budget.

Ethnic cooking

r/JapaneseFood: Share pictures of your favorite Japanese dishes, whether they're homemade or ordered in a restaurant. 

r/IndianFood: This subreddit is dedicated to sharing recipes for all kinds of Indian cuisine so that you can improve your home cooking skills.

lights, view, Sunset, skyscrapers, mr.purple, Bar, rooftop bar, rooftop, City, Nyc, New York, Skyline
Kate Lawlor

Local food

r/chicagofood: Look for great eatery recommendations or share your favorite spots in the Chicago area.

r/FoodLosAngeles: Share pictures, reviews and websites of the best food in and around Los Angeles.

Community-based

r/tonightsdinner: Share original pictures and recipes of your favorite dinner dishes.

r/52weeksofcooking: Every week, Reddit's moderation team assigns an ingredient, technique, cuisine or inspiration for you to cook and share to the rest of the community.

r/MimicRecipes: Request or share mimic recipes for popular dishes.

pizza, pepperoni, dough, crust, sauce, mozzarella, cheese
Emily Waples

Acts of kindness and services

r/snackexchange: Find someone from another region or country to exchange snacks with via snail mail.

r/Random_Acts_Of_Pizza: Send pizza to a Redditor in need or submit your own request for some free pie.

r/Food_Pantry: This charitable subreddit is dedicated to providing meals and hygienic necessities for those in need.

Drinks

r/tea: Discuss all kinds of drinks made from soaking leaves or twigs in water, as well as herbal infusions, yerba mate and other tisanes.

r/Coffee: Share your favorite kinds of coffee and best brewing techniques with fellow caffeine fanatics in this subreddit. A weekly thread is created for asking any coffee-related questions.

Method-based

r/BBQ: Ask questions and discuss all things barbecue with fellow pitmasters.

r/slowcooking: Join a community of over 1.8 million Redditors to share pictures, ideas and recipes for meals in which a slow cooker is used.

r/breadit - This subreddit is all about making homemade bread,  including loaves, bagels and croissants.

r/castiron: Discuss cast iron cookware and share pictures of foods cooked with cast iron. You can even arrange to swap cookware with a Redditor in a dedicated pinned thread.

soup, corn, chowder, Lunch, cafe, Restaurant, Kitchen
Alex Frank

Food service industry

r/KitchenConfidential: Share your experience as a restaurant or kitchen worker with fellow food service industry employees.

r/TalesFromYourServer: Browse or share your own funny or infuriating stories as a server, as well as industry advice.

Food porn

r/FoodPorn: View and share food porn: simple, attractive pictures of all kinds of delicious food.

r/dessertporn: Check out this subreddit to view food porn of your favorite desserts, including cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies and even sweet breakfast foods.

r/VeganFoodPorn: This subreddit is dedicated to food porn of vegan dishes only.

Humor

r/WeWantPlates: Have you ever been served food inside of roadkill? Browse endless pictures of food served on unconventional surfaces and containers. 

r/shittyfoodporn: Take a look at this hilarious take on r/foodporn, but with gross foods.

r/ShowerOrange: Yes, this is the infamous subreddit dedicated to eating citrus fruits in the shower.

That completes my guide to Reddit's largest and most active food and cooking communities. With 17 different categories listed, I hope this guide helped you find the exact food subreddit you were looking for, or perhaps discover something entirely new and unexpected about food.