Hungry foodies search for pancake recipes the most as they research cooking tips (2024)

THE most searched for recipes online are pancakes, fish and chips - and banana bread.

Statistics from Google search figures show that people in the UK searched for a simple pancake recipe up to 368,000 times a month in the past four years, with that number rising to 522,000 times a month on average in 2021.

Other popular recipes people are keen to learn via the internet are chicken curry, fajitas and carbonara – with 49,500 searches each on average each month since 2017.

And research of 2,000 adults found 62 per cent regularly turn to the internet when they're trying to find a recipe - as only eight per cent have NEVER used the world wide web for cookery help.

The research, commissioned by Birds Eye also found despite the average household owning seven cookery books, half of those polled find it easier to use an online recipe.

While one in twenty (six per cent) even admitted to using cookery books for display purposes only.

But 43 per cent have been inspired by social media to try out a new recipe, with Facebook and Instagram being the most popular.

A spokesperson from Birds Eye said: “After the challenges and changes to our daily habits we’ve all encountered over the last 18 months, it’s incredibly interesting to understand what meals the nation is now searching for and how they’re searching for them.

“Chicken breast recipes have been a midweek staple for many years, being a great option for a meal-for-one to catering for a dinner party, but the huge increase in searches for these following lockdown suggests how we are now more eager than ever to experiment with new recipes.”

There have also been shifts in recipe searches during the pandemic.

‘Simple chicken breast recipes for dinner’ saw a 4,900 per cent increase in searches when comparing data from August 2019 to July 2020, with August 2020 to July 2021

Searches for ‘chicken pasta recipes for dinner’ have also risen by 1,106 per cent.

The average adult estimates they search for seven recipes online each month, and that they would be ‘lost’ without the Internet when it comes to cooking.

A quarter were also guilty of using the internet to search for really simple instructions, such as how to boil an egg.

And 38 per cent of those polled via OnePoll said they have discovered their favourite recipes on the internet.

The spokesperson added: “Social media has been a great way for us to reach a new audience with exciting and delicious chicken grills recipes.”