Summary
Replenishing health inThe Legend of Zeldaseries used to involve cutting grass and smashing rocks for stray hearts, downing a tall glass of Lon Lon Milk, or catching one fairy or another. ThenBreath of the Wildintroduced cooking dishes to the series, providing a new way to replenish health with more variety.Tears of the Kingdomkeeps up the cooking with a whole host of new recipes to tuck into.
Different dishes can provide other perks as well, like the Hasty dishes increasing speed, Energizing dishes refilling stamina, Chilly for Heat resistance, Spicy for Cold resistance, and more. While those may come in handy, it’s the health boosts that’ll keep Link and the player in the game. So, if players are looking for a way to recover, these are thebest food recipes to heal Link’s healthinTears of the Kingdom.
Updated December 21st, 2023, by David Heath:In a year that was packed with high-profile releases,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomfeels like it came out further back than it did. The game only came out in May 2023, but that might as well have been 2013 after the likes ofStreet Fighter 6,Baldur’s Gate 3,Alan Wake 2,Final Fantasy 16,Hi-Fi Rushand more.
Nonetheless,TOTKwas a smash hit, following upBreath of the Wild’s formula in such a way that series producer Eiji Aonuma said the series may continue working with its formula. Which means there will likely be more open worlds for Link to roam in the future, and more dishes to cook. Until then, this list has been updated with some more dishes for Link to tuck into to recover health, along with a few info tweaks.
14Spicy Fruit & Mushroom Mix
Recovers 5 Hearts
The simplest dishes can give Link back a heart or two, and sometimes less. But if players want ones that’ll give them more hearts for their buck, they’ll have to load up on ingredients. Grab a few Hylian Shrooms and Spicy Peppers, and the player can make theSpicy Fruit & Mushroom Mix.
It offers 6 & a half minutesof Cold Resistancefor any wintry location, keeping Link going if there’s a blizzard going on or an icy cavern to explore.. More importantly, it’ll refill 5 of Link’s hearts. If push comes to shove in even temperate locations, this is a dish worth keeping in mind.
13Spicy Sautéed Peppers
Unless they have a whole abundance of Spicy Peppers, that is. The mushrooms are fine enough, yet 5 Spicy Peppers are enough to make theSpicy Sautéed Peppers. It’ll also heal 5 hearts if the player needs to get Link out of a pinch.
It’ll also give Link 12 & a half minutes of Cold Resistance, so it might be best saved for when Link’s right in the thick of Gutanbac Shrine and other snowy areas. But if the player has more than enough Spicy Peppers to go around, then the Spicy Sautéed Peppers are worth consideration.
12Spicy Pepper Steak
Recovers 3-7 Hearts
The Spicy Peppers are great for Cold Resistance, though when health is the name of the game, it’s worth mixing 3 Spicy Peppers with 2 Steaks to make theSpicy Pepper Steak. Aside from sounding tasty, it’ll recover up to 7 Hearts with the right meat (Prime to Gourmet).
This dish gives players more bang for their buck than the Spicy Sautéed Peppers, albeit at the cost of withstanding the snow and icy breezes. It only offers 8 & a half minutes of Cold Resistance, which is still a decent amount of time. It’s just worth keeping in mind if the player intends on hanging around in the snow or just needs a pick-me-up.
11Honeyed Apples
Recovers 5-7 Hearts
If fishing for crabs proves too tedious, players can head towards the woods and knock down enough Courser Beehives to get some honeycomb. They only need one to combine with the regular old apples to makeHoneyed Apples, yet there’s no harm in stocking up.
The Honeyed Apples will also restore 7 hearts each, without any bonus effects. That can be enough if staying in the game againsta tough bossor testing challenge is all the player is after. Golden Apples are harder to find, but they’ll also count towards this recipe, and provide more Hearts if used.
10Hylian Tomato Pizza
Recovers 6 Hearts Minimum
With a whole range of international dishes somehow cropping up in the fantasy world of Hyrule, it’s no surprise they’d also have their own type of pizza. On its own, theHylian Tomato Pizzais a simple cheese and tomato pizza. It just needs Hateno Cheese and Hylian Tomatoes, before using Tabantha Wheat for the base.
The basic pizza recovers 6 Hearts, but it can be topped with more than just cheese and tomato. The dish can provide more effects, and slightly more Hearts, if the player adds some Meat to the pizza. The Cheese alone is tricky to get, as it requires beating the Letter to Koyin sidequest to access it, so it’s worth saving some Prime Meat to pep up the pizza once that mission is complete.
9Meaty Rice Balls
Recovers 7-10 Hearts
If that seems a little fiddly, or if time is of the essence, then players might prefer to make someMeaty Rice Balls. With just some chunks of ordinary Raw Meat and 2 servings of Hylian Rice, Link can make his own version of onigiri, one of Japan’s top snack items.
A single portion can recover 7 hearts at the minimum, and up to 10 hearts if Link has some Prime or Gourmet Meat to use instead of the regular Raw Meat. The issue here is getting enough Hylian Rice. If players can’t afford to buy it from Beedle at the Wetland Stable, they’ll have to mow the tall grass on the Hylian Plains for a while.
8Gourmet Poultry Pilaf
Recovers 10 Hearts Minimum
Pilaf, or Pilau Rice, is a very widespread dish with a lot of variations. Originating from Central Asia, it expanded to Eastern Europe, South Asia, East Africa, South America, the Caucasus, and now Hyrule. With some Hylian Rice, Goat Butter, a Bird Egg, and a Raw Whole Bird, Link can cook someGourmet Poultry Pilaf.
It takes Gourmet Meat like the Raw Whole Bird to get the most out of the dish, as it recovers at least 10 Hearts, with a few more if the player throws in a Hearty item. Though if they’re not having much luck getting that Raw Whole Bird, they can use a Raw Bird Thigh for the Prime Poultry Pilaf and get 7 Hearts, or a Raw Bird Drumstrick for the plain Polutry Pilaf for just 6 Hearts.
7Copious Meat Skewer
Recovers 10 Hearts
There are enough dishes for players to experiment with. Players could even challenge themselvesto a vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan run ofTears of the Kingdomto see if it’s doable. It worked forMetal Gear Solid 3. That said, one of the few dishes that heals the most hearts in one go requires turning Link into an omnivore at least, or a full carnivore.
Kill enough boars, wolves, and more, and Link will get 5 different chunks of Raw Meat. Cooking them all together will produce theMeat Skewer, which will heal 10 hearts in one serving. It’s essentially a full heal for most of the game’s run and a very decent boost for the rest of it.
6Honey Crêpe
Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any vegetarian or pescetarian dishes in the game that don’t provide a decent heal. If players want to do those runs, or simply have a sweet tooth, they may want to tuck into theHoney Crêpe. Just one, fully made crêpe can recover 10 hearts, and recover a quarter of Link’s stamina too.
However, it does require a lot of ingredients for a lot of Hearts. The Bird Egg, Tabantha Wheat, Fresh Milk, and Cane Sugar are essential and cannot be replaced. But if the player can’t get the Courser Bee Honey, they can use Wildberries instead. This will turn it into the Wildberry Crepe, and it’ll provide the same amount of Hearts.
5Hearty Gourmet Meat & Seafood Fry
Provides Full Recovery and Bonus Hearts
As Link fights off Hyrule’s monsters, he’ll get different types of meat drops from them. The regular and Prime Meats can produce the plain and Prime Meat & Seafood Fry, but if players want more Hearts, they’ll need to use the Gourmet Meat. With just 1 Gourmet Meat, then some seafood like the Hyrule Bass or Sanke Carp, Link will get the standard Gourmet Meat & Seafood Fry to regain 8 hearts.
Either fish can be replaced with others to gain perks, like the Chillfin Trout to gain heat resistance. The best fish to use for health recovery is the Hearty Bass or Hearty Salmon to make theHearty Gourmet Meat & Seafood Fryand get those extra hearts to temporarily stand up against big foes for longer.
