If there’s one thing about the Gourmet Traveller reader, it’s that they like to eat. But more than that, they like to cook. With the year coming to a close, we take a look back on the recipes you returned to time and time again.
Our most popular recipes of 2025 feature obvious favourites — Tony Tan’s smoky char kway teow and our fragrant chicken noodle soup continue to have a special place in your hearts — and some dark horses. There were the usual stir-fries, curries and noodle dishes, and classic soups, specifically of the ham hock variety, climbed the charts this year. Plus, perennial favourites such as chicken souvlaki, beef taco rice and Dan Hong’s towering crisp eggplant dish were a hit once again.
Your favourite desserts wouldn’t quit, including Flour and Stone’s lemon dream cake, Black Star’s signature strawberry and watermelon cake, and Gerard Yaxley’s Persian love cake. Then, there were the hot cross buns, chocolate cakes and zingy lemon desserts you had on high rotation.
But, it was our ever-comforting beef and potato Massaman curry that you clicked and cooked the most this year.
It’s time to give these recipes an encore. Ready, steady — cook.
Most popular recipes of 2025
Beef and potato Massaman curry
Have a few hours up your sleeve? There are worse ways to spend them than cooking a big pot of this curry.
Black Star Pastry’s strawberry and watermelon cake
The iconic cake from Black Star Pastry with layers of dacquoise, watermelon and rose-scented cream.
What does it take to make the best hot cross buns?
We tested three hot cross bun versions from three cookbooks, and combined them to create the best hot cross buns recipe of all time.
Ham hock soup
The comfort bowl you need when the temperature starts to dip.
Gerard Yaxley’s Persian love cake
With a kiss of nutmeg.
Fragrant chicken noodle soup with ginger and turmeric
Turmeric, ginger, chilli and broth — this chicken noodle soup is just what the doctor ordered.
Ricotta-polenta cake with lemon-rosemary syrup
Enjoy a slice of this fragrant, versatile cake at any time of day. And you can make the whole thing in just over an hour.
Flour and Stone’s lemon dream cake
Recipe for lemon dream cake by Nadine Ingram from Sydney bakery Flour & Stone.
Sri Lankan fish curry
The beauty with fish is that it cooks in a flash, and in this curry it’s both fast and fiery.
Crunchy chilli and lemon potatoes topped with goat’s cheese
Goat’s cheese adds a creamy finish to dreamy, roasted lemon potatoes.
Dan Hong’s crisp eggplant with fish-fragrant sauce
Fish-fragrant sauce doesn’t actually have any fish in it, but its sweet, sour and spicy elements are traditionally used to cook Sichuan fish dishes and give this dish its name.
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Malaysian-style spicy roast chicken (Ayam percik)
A traditional Malaysian chicken recipe swimming in spicy gravy.
Pea and ham soup recipe
The appeal of this classic soup recipe with humble origins is nothing new – and with these robust flavours, it’s little wonder.
Harissa chicken with carrot, rice and quinoa pilaf
Chicken, boring? Things look up with the addition of harissa, the North African spice paste.
Pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter
A combination that’s a classic for good reason.
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Ginger-carrot cake with salted butterscotch frosting
Recipe for ginger-carrot cake with salted butterscotch frosting.
Bethany Finn’s lemon delicious pudding
Don’t forget the cream.
Flour and Stone’s chocolate Manjari cake
The famous signature chocolate Manjari cake by Nadine Ingram from Sydney bakery Flour & Stone.
Hellenika’s chicken souvlaki
You’ve never had chicken souvlaki this good. This recipe, courtesy of Brisbane’s Hellenika, is sure to become your new go-to.
Tony Tan’s char kway teow
Char kway teow is a perennial Malaysian favourite for a reason. Tony Tan shows us how it’s done.
Vietnamese chilli and lime caramel pork stir-fry
A winning midweek meal to have on rotation.
Roast chicken, pancetta and Brussels sprouts tray bake
Pancetta-wrapped chicken and roasted, buttery Brussels sprouts. What else could you want?
Eton mess
Whether the Eton mess was created by a happy accident or divine design, this thoroughly English dessert is heaven in a bowl.
Louis Tikaram’s stir-fried snake beans with pork
It’s one of the Stanley chef’s all-time favourite Chinese dishes, for good reason.
Ultimate mac and cheese
This is comfort food at its best.
Eggplant parmigiana
There’s a little labour involved in frying the eggplant slices before layering them, but the result is worth it.
How to make beef rendang
When it comes to making the ever-popular rendang, patience is indeed a virtue. Persevere and you’ll be richly rewarded with a dish of delicious complexity.
Flourless chocolate cake with hazelnut and buttermilk
Every great baker needs a great flourless chocolate cake recipe. Here’s the one we swear by.
Beef taco rice
Beef taco rice is an Okinawan specialty that is an example of how fusion is by no means a dirty word.
Tony Tan’s guide to making sweet and sour pork
It’s sweet and sour but not as we know it. Tony Tan reveals the true brilliance of this much-loved Cantonese classic.
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