Overview
Want your Sim to become a top chef? Learn how to build the Cooking skill in The Sims 4, unlock recipes from different Packs, and use cheats to speed things up. This guide covers everything from skill-building tools to rare dishes.
About the Cooking skill
- The Cooking skill comes with The Sims 4 Base Game, and is a 10 level skill.
- More recipes are often added with new Packs and Base Game updates.
- Elder, Adult, Young Adult, and Teen Sims can all build this skill.
- The Cooking skill is needed to progress in the Culinary career, specifically the Chef branch.
- The Cooking skill is needed to complete the Master Chef Aspiration.
- The following Lot Traits can help build this skill:
- Chef’s Kitchen: This comes with The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack. Sims will build their cooking skills faster and get the Inspired Chef Moodlet after cooking.
- Homey: Sims will build their cooking skills faster, and they’ll get a Happy Moodlet.
How to build the Cooking skill
There are a few ways your Sim can level up their Cooking skill. Some Cooking interactions and abilities only unlock once your Sim reaches a higher skill level.The quickest way to build your Sim’s Cooking skill is to get in the kitchen! There are multiple Items Sims can use to build skill, with some being added in specific Packs. In The Sims 4 Base Game, buy a counter, and a stove or grill from Build Mode to get started.Extra stoves and grills are sometimes added with new Packs, but there are some more specialist Items that can be used for cooking—some of which come with new recipes to try!
- ChowBella Portable Pizza Oven, ChowBella Heart Waffle Maker, and the ChowBella Stand Mixer from The Sims 4 Home Chef Hustle.
- Paramount Cauldron and the Cauldron of Excellency with The Sims 4 Realm of Magic.
- Sulani Volcanic BBQ Searer with The Sims 4 Island Living.
- The Kate & Berry Sweet Treats Fabricator 3000 with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies.
- Full Disclosure Chef Station and “I Dream of Sous” Chef Station from The Sims 4 Dine Out.
- Grace Under Pressure Cooker with The Sims 4 For Rent.
- The Sweet Tooth Ice Cream Machine with The Sims 4 Cool Kitchen Stuff.
Reading skill books will work towards building skills, but is slower than other methods. Books will only get you as far as level 9 of a skill. To buy skill books:The skill books are:
- 1Select a bookshelf and choose Purchase Books.
- 2In the pop-up, select the drop-down at the top-left that reads Show All.
- 3Choose Skill and scroll through to find the book you want to buy. These will be added to your Sim’s bookshelf.
- Cooking Vol 1: Let’s Cook!
- Cooking Vol 2: Let’s Keeping Cooking!
- Cooking Vol 3: I’m Here to Cook!
If you own The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure Game Pack, the Peace and Quiet Lot Trait helps your Sim build skill faster when reading skill books.
If you own The Sims 4 Discover University Expansion Pack, your Sim can attend skill-building classes. These are rabbit-holes, so your Sim will leave the Lot for some time and then come back when the class is over. Note: Skill Classes are only available between 9 a.m.– 9 p.m.
- 1In Live Mode, select your Sim’s phone.
- 2Open the Business app (the briefcase icon).
- 3Choose Sit in on Skill Class (§250).
- 4In the pop-up menu, choose Cooking. Your Sim will leave the Lot and return after class.
If you own The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack, your Sim can learn or teach the Cooking skill using the Sharing is Caring Whiteboard. You’ll find this in Build Mode.
Cooking skill levels
As your Sim builds the Cooking skill, they’ll unlock new rewards, abilities, and interactions along the way. A green progress bar will appear above your Sim’s head and gradually fill up as they’re building a skill. You can also check their progress by:- 1Entering Live Mode.
- 2Selecting the Sim Panel (bottom left).
- 3Selecting the Skills tab.
At this level, your Sim will be able to make lots of basic recipes.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes: This also unlocks the Combo Add trick move when cooking.
- Eggs and Toast
- BLT
- Chips and Salsa, Fish Tacos.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes: They’ll also unlock the Talk about Cooking interaction.
- Pan Fried Tilapia
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pancakes.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes:
- Spaghetti
- Strawberry Cake.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes:This level also unlocks:
- French Toast
- Fish and Chips.
- the Competent Cook Moodlet when they’re cooking
- the ability to Mentor other Sims in this skill.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes: This level also unlocks some new trick moves when your Sim is cooking.
- Blue Confetti Cake
- Chili.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes:
- Blackened Bass
- Omelet.
At this level, your Sim unlocks
- the Flavorize ability, which makes food higher quality
- the recipe for Apple Pie.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes: The Give Cooking Tips interaction is also unlocked.
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Cioppino.
At this level, your Sim unlocks the following recipes:
- Roast Chicken
- Tuna Casserole.
Cooking Recipes
Have you unlocked all the Cooking Recipes available in The Sims 4? Check out the lists below.Note: not all Expansion Packs include new recipes. Your Sim will make higher-quality food (and it’ll be cheaper to make!) if they use high-quality ingredients from the garden. Check out our gardening guide for tips on how to grow food in The Sims 4.All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Base Game. The Off-the-Grid Lot Trait also unlocks some extra recipes.
*These recipes can only be made on an Outdoor Grill.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Asado* | 1 | ||
| Chicken Chimichurri Skewers* | 1 | ||
| Chimis* | 1 | ||
| Chocolate Cake | 1 | ||
| Choripanes* | 1 | ||
| Classic Vanilla Cupcakes | 1 | ||
| Eggs and Toast | 1 | ||
| Elotes* | 1 | ||
| Garden Salad | 1 | ||
| Grilled Cheese | 1 | ||
| Grilled Plantains* | 1 | ||
| Hamburgers* | 1 | ||
| Hamburger Cake | 1 | ||
| Hot Dogs* | 1 | ||
| Japchae | 1 | ||
| Mac and Cheese | 1 | ||
| Pan De Muerto | 1 | ||
| Pão de Queijo | 1 | ||
| Pinchos* | 1 | ||
| Pollo a la Brasa* | 1 | ||
| Rice Cake | 1 | ||
| Three Sisters Chilli* | 1 | ||
| Tofu Dogs* | 1 | ||
| Vegetable Dumplings | 1 | ||
| Veggie Burger* | 1 | ||
| White Cake | 1 | ||
| BLT | 2 | ||
| Brigadeiro | 2 | ||
| Challah | 2 | ||
| Chips and Salsa | 2 | ||
| Faux Meat Protein Plate | 2 | ||
| Fish Tacos | 2 | ||
| High Energy Protein Plate | 2 | ||
| Mămăligă | 2 | ||
| Minty Mocha Cupcakes | 2 | ||
| Pambazo | 2 | ||
| Scrambled Eggs With Bacon | 2 | ||
| Tteokguk | 2 | ||
| Vegan Pambazo | 2 | ||
| Carrot Cake Cupcakes | 3 | ||
| Chocolate Chip Cookies | 3 | ||
| Churrasco* | 3 | ||
| Faux Meat Casserole | 3 | ||
| Flirty Heart Cookies | 3 | ||
| Fried Fish* | 3 | ||
| Hallacas | 3 | ||
| Galbi-jjim | 3 | ||
| Grilled Chicken* | 3 | ||
| Mucenici | 3 | ||
| Pancakes | 3 | ||
| Pan Fried Tilapia | 3 | ||
| Silly Gummy Bear Pancakes | 3 | ||
| Taco Casserole | 3 | ||
| Zaatar Manakeesh | 3 | ||
| Angry Flaming Spaghetti | 4 | ||
| Acarajé | 4 | ||
| Black and White Cookies | 4 | ||
| Fish and Chips | 4 | ||
| Knafeh | 4 | ||
| Matzo Ball Soup | 4 | ||
| Minced Pork Noodles | 4 | ||
| Spaghetti | 4 | ||
| Strawberry Cake | 4 | ||
| The Butterscotchman Cupcakes | 4 | ||
| French Toast | 5 | ||
| Fried Fish Plate | 5 | ||
| Salmon* | 5 | ||
| [Sim's Name] Signature Cake | 5 | ||
| Strawberry Fizzy Cupcakes | 5 | ||
| Baked Chocolate Mousse | 6 | ||
| Blue Confetti Cake | 6 | ||
| Butter Chicken | 6 | ||
| Chili | 6 | ||
| Palak Paneer | 6 | ||
| Red Velvet Cupcakes | 6 | ||
| BBQ Ribs Plate* | 7 | ||
| Blackened Bass | 7 | ||
| Boiling Frog Hot Pot | 7 | ||
| Crown Roast | 7 | ||
| Golden Omelet | 7 | ||
| Mud Carp | 7 | ||
| Obsidian Omelet | 7 | ||
| Omelet | 7 | ||
| Steak* | 7 | ||
| Steamed Fish | 7 | ||
| Super Chocolate Tummers Bomb Cupcakes | 7 | ||
| Apple Pie | 8 | ||
| The Baconing Cupcakes | 8 | ||
| Cioppino | 9 | ||
| Roast Chicken | 10 | ||
| Tuna Casserole | 10 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 City Living Expansion Pack.
Food Stalls come with this Expansion Pack, which adds more recipes to your game. Before Food Stall recipes are unlocked, your Sim needs to have tasted them first. Do this by getting your Sim to try foods at Stalls in San Myshuno.Your Sim doesn’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Faux BLT | 2 | ||
| Tofu Tacos | 2 | ||
| Faux Meat Bowl | 3 | ||
| Faux Meat and Chips | 5 | ||
| Faux Meat Butter Chicken | 6 | ||
| Vegetable Chili | 6 | ||
| Chicken Stir Fry | 9 | ||
| Tofu Stir Fry | 9 | ||
| Roast Tofu Chicken | 10 | ||
| Vegetable Casserole | 10 |
- Banh Mi
- Bean and Cheese Burrito
- Bhel Puri
- Brochette
- Chicken Burrito
- Curry
- Dango
- Egg Rolls
- Empanadas
- Ensaymadas
- Goi Cuon
- Lumpia
- Mapo Tofu with Pork
- Merguez
- Nigiri
- Pho
- Pork Adobo
- Pufferfish Nigiri
- Ramen
- Samosa
- Siopao
- Spinach Wrapped Veggie Burrito
- Sweet and Sour Eggplant
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Tajine
- Taquitos
- Tomato Wrapped Veggie Burrito
Food Stalls come with The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack, which adds more recipes to your game. Before Food Stall recipes are unlocked, your Sim needs to have tasted them first. Do this by getting your Sim to try foods at Stalls in Brindleton Bay.Your Sim doesn’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
- Haddock Sandwich
- Lobster Roll
- Popcorn Shrimp
- Seafood Chowder
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack.
Grand Meals come with this Expansion Pack, and Sims don’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Honey Cake | 1 | ||
| Scout Cookies | 1 |
- Fish Dinner
- Grand Breakfast
- Ham Dinner
- Turkey Dinner
- Tofurkey Dinner
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Island Living Expansion Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Coconut Cake | 3 | ||
| Poke Bowl | 3 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Popcorn Crickets | 1 | ||
| Cricket Meal | 3 | ||
| Bombardier Beetle Stir-Fry | 5 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Snowy Escape Expansion Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Onigiri | 1 | ||
| Beef Ramen | 2 | ||
| Egg Ramen | 2 | ||
| Matcha Tea Cake | 2 | ||
| Miso Ramen | 2 | ||
| Seaweed Ramen | 2 | ||
| Tri-Color Dango | 4 | ||
| Beef Yakisoba | 5 | ||
| Fish Yakisoba | 5 | ||
| VeggieYakisoba | 5 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Cheese | 1 | ||
| Golden Eggs and Toast | 1 | ||
| Lactose Free Milk Bread | 1 | ||
| Lactose Free Yorkshire Pudding | 1 | ||
| Milk Bread | 1 | ||
| Obsidian Eggs and Toast | 1 | ||
| Yorkshire Pudding | 1 | ||
| Beef Wellington | 2 | ||
| Faux Beef Wellington | 2 | ||
| Golden Scrambled Eggs and Bacon | 2 | ||
| Obsidian Scrambled Eggs and Bacon | 2 | ||
| Watermelon Salad | 2 | ||
| Aubergine Parmesan | 3 | ||
| Blueberry Pie | 3 | ||
| Charming Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Lovely Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Mysterious Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Nightly Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Raspberry Pie | 4 | ||
| Spicy Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Verdant Mushroom Soup | 4 | ||
| Berry Scones | 5 | ||
| Chocolate Pie | 5 | ||
| Chocolate Scones | 5 | ||
| Pumpkin Scones | 5 | ||
| Blueberry Jam Crumpets | 6 | ||
| Buttered Jam Crumpets | 6 | ||
| Cottage Pie | 6 | ||
| Faux Cottage Pie | 6 | ||
| Faux Meat Pie | 6 | ||
| Meat Pie | 6 | ||
| Pumpkin Stew | 7 | ||
| Bangers and Mash | 9 | ||
| Faux Meat and Mash | 9 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Tortilla Wrapped Veggie Dog | 1 | ||
| Churros | 2 | ||
| Corndog | 2 | ||
| Fried Chicken Sliders | 2 | ||
| Hamburger Sliders | 2 | ||
| Meatball Tamale Bites | 2 | ||
| Rainbow Brownies | 2 | ||
| Veggie Sliders | 2 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Horse Ranch Expansion Pack.
*These recipes can only be made on an Outdoor Grill.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Bison Stew* | 1 | ||
| Pan de Campo* | 1 | ||
| Wild Nut Soup* | 1 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion Pack.
Food Stalls come with this Expansion Pack, which adds more recipes to your game. Before Food Stall recipes are unlocked, your Sim needs to have tasted them first. Do this by getting your Sim to try foods at Stalls in Tomarang.Your Sim doesn’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Burmese Samosa Soup | 1 | ||
| Halo-Halo | 1 | ||
| Steamed Rice | 1 | ||
| Coconut Rice | 1 | ||
| Khao Niao Mamuang | 1 | ||
| Banh Xeo | 2 | ||
| Bibingka | 2 | ||
| Malaysian Satay | 2 | ||
| Pancit Bihon | 2 | ||
| Banh Cuon | 4 | ||
| Tofu Pad Thai | 4 |
- Banh Mi
- Bean and Cheese Burrito
- Bhel Puri
- Brochette
- Chicken Burrito
- Curry
- Dango
- Egg Rolls
- Empanadas
- Ensaymadas
- Goi Cuon
- Lumpia
- Mapo Tofu with Pork
- Merguez
- Nigiri
- Pho
- Pork Adobo
- Pufferfish Nigiri
- Ramen
- Samosa
- Siopao
- Spinach Wrapped Veggie Burrito
- Sweet and Sour Eggplant
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Tajine
- Taquitos
- Tomato Wrapped Veggie Burrito
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Boiling Death Frog Hot Pot | 7 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack.
Food Stalls come with this Expansion Pack, which add more recipes to your game. Before Food Stall recipes are unlocked, your Sim needs to have tasted them first. Do this by getting your Sim to try foods at Stalls in Ondarion.Your Sim doesn’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Puff Puff | 2 | ||
| Green Crab Linguine | 3 | ||
| Pastel con Nata | 3 | ||
| Bolinhos de Bacalhau | 4 | ||
| Palm Nut Soup | 4 | ||
| Egusi Soup | 5 | ||
| Panna Cotta | 6 | ||
| Kontomire Soup | 7 |
- Jollof Rice
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Holiday Celebration Pack.Note: The Holiday Celebration Pack is free to download. It requires The Sims 4 Base Game and all game updates to play.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Winter Cake | 2 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat Game Pack.
*These recipes can only be made on an Outdoor Grill.Your Sims can also cook on the fire pits. These recipes include:
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Franks and Beans* | 1 | ||
| Grilled Fruit* | 1 | ||
| Baked Potato* | 2 | ||
| Fried Fish | 3 | ||
| Shish Kebabs* | 4 | ||
| Breakfast Scramble* | 5 | ||
| Camper’s Stew* | 6 | ||
| Fruit Cobbler* | 7 | ||
| Gumbo * | 8 | ||
| Walleye Surprise* | 9 |
- Beetles
- Hot Dog
- Marshmallows
- Roasted Fish
- Veggie Dog.
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Spa Day Game Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Sugar-Free Carob Coconut Cake | 1 | ||
| Superfood Salad | 1 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Dine Out Game Pack.
With the Dine Out Game Pack comes the addition of Experimental Foods. Your Sim can only make these at home if they have a Chef Station and have tried them first in a restaurant. They’ll also need to have a level five in the Cooking skill to make these recipes.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Fruit Salad | 1 | ||
| Italian Meatballs | 4 | ||
| Minestrone | 5 | ||
| Clam Chowder | 6 |
- Artisan Fish Trio
- Crystallized Coco Blocks
- Cured Meat Crisps on Reclaimed Forest Wood
- Cubed Ahi with Veggie Wasabi Matrix
- Free Range Sixam Pit Beast
- Glacier Infused Iceberg Lettuce
- Glazed Heirloom Bamboo Roll
- Honeycomb Garden Vegetable Cups
- Honeyed World Fruit Charcuterie
- Jungle Moss-Egg with Lavender Wisps
- Rustic Pâté Drizzled in Aged Jus
- Savoury Bacon Love Petals
- Semi-Firm Beet Noodles
- Sizzled Brisket over Sour Clover Salad
- Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core
- Spherized Fruit Gel in Foam Nest
- Tiger Shrimp in Smoked Dewdrop Broth
- Vanilla Sea Shells and Chocolate Caviar
- Vertical Berry Cake
- Volcano Pasta
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Vampires Game Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Plasma Fruit Salad | 1 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure Game Pack.
Food Stalls come with this Expansion Pack, which adds more recipes to your game. Before Food Stall recipes are unlocked, your Sim needs to have tasted them first. Do this by getting your Sim to try foods at Stalls in Selvadorada.Your Sim doesn’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Remedy of the Ancients | 1 |
- Arepa de Pabellòn
- Arepa Rellena con Perico
- Baleada
- Buñuelos
- Curanto
- Empanadas de Verde
- Feijoada
- Plantos Fritos
- Pastel de Palmito
- Pastel de Camarão
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Star Wars™: Journey to Batuu Game Pack. Food Stalls come with this Expansion Pack, which adds more recipes to your game. Before Food Stall recipes are unlocked, your Sim needs to have tasted them first. Do this by getting your Sim to try foods at Stalls in Batuu.Your Sim doesn’t need to have a specific skill level to cook these recipes.
- Artisan Fish Trio
- Crystallized Cocoa Blocks
- Honeyed World Fruit Charcuterie
- Jungle Moss Egg with Lavender Wisps
- Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core
- Tiger Shrimp with Smoke Dew
- Volcano Pasta
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Werewolves Game Pack.
*These recipes can only be made on an Outdoor Grill.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Grilled Luna Fish* | 1 | ||
| Mushroom Steak* | 1 | ||
| Steak Tartare | 2 | ||
| Blue Steak* | 7 |
The Sims 4 Home Chef Hustle Stuff Pack comes with the Pizza Oven and the Waffle Maker. Both of these Items add new recipes.
| Pizza Oven Recipes | Skill Level | ||
| Pizza Marinara | 1 | ||
| Cheese Pizza | 1 | ||
| Pizza Margherita | 2 | ||
| Pepperoni Pizza | 2 | ||
| Herb Foccacia | 3 | ||
| Pineapple Pizza | 3 | ||
| Pizza Caliente | 4 | ||
| Sweetcorn Pizza | 4 | ||
| Garden Pizza | 5 | ||
| Canadian Bacon Pizza | 5 | ||
| Kebab Pizza | 6 | ||
| Sfincione | 6 | ||
| Seafood Pizza | 7 | ||
| Tikka Masala Pizza | 7 | ||
| Pizza Quattro Stagioni | 8 | ||
| Artful Focaccia | 9 | ||
| Curious Pizza | 10 |
| Waffle Maker Recipes | Skill Level | ||
| Plain Waffles | 1 | ||
| Berry Waffles | 1 | ||
| Pumpkin Spice Waffles | 2 | ||
| Chicken and Waffles | 3 | ||
| Banana Split Waffles | 4 | ||
| Apple Bacon Waffles | 5 | ||
| Mushroom Waffles | 6 | ||
| Cured Fish Waffles | 7 | ||
| Saffron Waffles | 8 | ||
| Heart’s Desire Waffles | 9 | ||
| Pleasantly-Unpleasant Waffles | 10 |
All the Cooking recipes that come with The Sims 4 Spooky Stuff Pack.
| Recipe | Skill Level | ||
| Spooky Cookies | 2 | ||
| Cheese Eyeballs | 3 | ||
| Zombie Cake | 4 |
Cooking skill cheats
When using skill cheats, type in the number of the level you want to reach. For example, putting stats.set_skill_level major_ homestylecooking 7 into the cheat bar will get your Sim’s Cooking skill up to level 7.PC and Mac
PlayStation®
Xbox
- 1Press Control + Shift + C to open the cheat dialogue box.
- 2Type testingcheats true and press Enter to turn on cheats.
- 3Type stats.set_skill_level major_ homestylecooking [skill level] and press Enter.