It’s no secret that the High School Musical franchise was a huge part of our childhood, and that we all dreamed of having the life of Troy and Gabriella at some point or another. Because of these movies, we went through phases where we were randomly obsessed with basketball, we thought we were professional dancers because we had the choreography to “We’re All In This Together” nailed, and we wanted to work at a country club one summer.
Whether you realized it or not, these movies also mentioned and showed a ton of delicious foods, and the inner foodie and forever HSM fan in me just had to make a complete list of all those foods and find the recipes to each and every one. Want to reminisce about your childhood with your gal pals one night? Throw some pillows on the floor, turn on Netflix, and watch the three greatest movies of all time while munching on these goods inspired by the films.
1. Crème Brûlée
Remember that time when Zeke didn’t stick to the status quo and admitted his hidden passion for baking, making everyone crave crème brûlée? Same. This basketball-player-turned-chef describes this dish as a “creamy custard-like filling with a caramelized surface”, adding it’s “really satisfying” too. I couldn’t agree more! This recipe has only five ingredients and would make Zeke really proud.
2. Cheese Fries
So maybe Gabriella didn’t really dump her cheese fries on Sharpay on purpose, but they still looked pretty good, right? Or maybe not…but they’re still a huge part of the story. You think Rachael Ray’s recipe for cheese fries taste as good as they look in HSM? Bet on it.
3. Sub Sandwich
When Ms. Darbus goes into Coach Bolton’s office to tell him that his son Troy better not mess up her Twinkle Towne show, he was chilling, eating a sub sandwich. I felt like this crucial moment in the movie, where Coach Bolton finds out his sporty son doubles as a singer (shocking), totally deserved a spot on this list. Here’s the recipe that’ll have you singing.
4. Cookies
Zeke bakes “strudels, scones, even apple pandowdy.” But his cookies look next level good. You probably remember them, from the scene where Troy gets mad because Gabriella isn’t talking to him, so Zeke bakes some cookies for Troy before telling him the truth about why Gabriella is shutting him down. He baked them fresh that day, and told Troy he should probably try them before he tells him the rest, remember? He even made them for Sharpay towards the end of the movie, and she asked him for more! That’s how good they were, so you should probably make them using this recipe ASAP.
5. Pi Pie
Kinda punny, kinda delicious. The guys got the girls a “pi pie” in honor of their Scholastic Decathlon (a cake with a pi symbol on it), and I totally had to find a recipe to recreate. Perfect for Pi Day, coming up soon on March 14th!
6. Iced Tea
To be more specific, you should be drinking iced tea imported from England, because that’s exactly what Sharpay drinks. But in this case, any iced tea will do! Here’s the easiest and tastiest recipe.
7. Turkey
Want to know what’s fabulous? Turkey imported from Maine. At least, according to Sharpay. Turkey from anywhere is delicious though, so you should definitely try to make Ina Garten’s recipe! Serve it with the iced tea, and you have yourself a day without clouds of gray, and full of skies of blue.
8. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Probably one of the cutest scenes in the second movie is Troy and Gabriella having a picnic on the golf course at the country club. What’d they bring? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, obviously. This classic lunch takes two seconds to prepare, but just in case you have no idea how it goes, take a look at this recipe.
9. Cheeseburger
TBT to when Chad served Troy a regular cheeseburger, but Troy sent it back, because he ordered swiss on his burger. Seriously Troy, getcha head in the game. I know you think you’re so cool with your new Italian shoes, but you can’t just go out and boss around your best friend. Here’s the recipe so you guys can make your own!
10. Hotdogs
After battling it out at a baseball game/dance competition, Ryan and Chad are seen spreading an array of condiments on some hot dogs. It’s the perfect celebration to nailing a dance number after telling everyone you “don’t” dance. Okay, Chad, you just keep telling yourself that. Here’s a fun recipe that’ll have you going your own way…to the kitchen.
11. Brownies
What time is it? Time to make brownies! According to Ryan, Gabriella’s mom makes the best brownies. Troy knows, because he’s had them. I haven’t tried them, but I wish I had some in front of me right now. I definitely need to whip some up using this recipe.
12. Chamomile Tea
The cure when feeling stressed or tired is always chamomile tea. A hot cup always makes me feel better! Apparently, Mr. Fulton from Lava Springs Country Club feels the same way, because after being fed up with Sharpay, he asks Taylor to make him a cup. It’s easy to make it with a tea bag, but make it from scratch using this recipe!
13. Soy Latte
Make sure it’s a non-fat, no foam, soy latte, with one packet of sweetener, organic of course. It’s the way to Sharpay’s heart! She was so happy when her assistant Tiara Gold brought it for her; her reaction was exactly like mine when someone brings me food. This recipe for an iced soy latte sounds super good!
14. New York Deli
Read: corned beef, potato salad, and big apple parfait. That was the menu at East High School the day that Ryan and Sharpay performed that big “I Want It All” number, and let’s be real, we were all craving that big apple parfait on Ryan’s lunch tray. Actually, right here, right now, that’s all I want. Naturally, I found recipes for the corned beef, potato salad, and apple parfait so that we could all pretend to be East High School students for a day.
15. Tuna Surprise
Chad is trying to ask Taylor to prom, and Taylor be like, “Oh, hey Chad, there’s tuna surprise on the menu, it’s good.” Tay, was it that good that you had to tell him in the middle of him asking you to prom? Honestly, probably. I didn’t really know what it was, but I looked it up and it’s basically a tuna casserole, and it sounds amazing. Lucky for us, Rachael Ray saves the day again with an awesome recipe.
16. Margherita Pizza
Dear pizza, “all I wanna doooo, is be with you, be with youuu.” Again, Troy and Gabriella have a picnic, but this time indoors. he brought her some margherita pizza because it’s her favorite, and later it was shown that they ate the whole box! If Gabriella likes it, it must be good. Try this recipe, and see for yourself!
17. Chocolate Covered Strawberries
What’s a picnic without chocolate covered strawberries? That’s a line said by Troy Bolton himself at that same margherita-pizza-filled picnic with Gabriella. They both enjoyed them thoroughly, and even shared the last one. Cute, right? Make them using this recipe! They’re exactly what you didn’t know you were looking for.
It’ll be hard to resist not making these recipes and going back to your childhood for a day. It’ll be an even bigger challenge to not sing the HSM songs as you eat, but it’s okay, I fully support that. Make sure to make extras though, because if not, you’ll be all Sharpay-like, saying: