Food plays a vital role in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Both raw ingredients and cooked dishes help Link recover health and stamina. Some foods also offer extra protection against harsh weather, such as cold or heat. Learning which recipes are most effective is an important skill for surviving the many challenges across Hyrule.
The game offers 118 different cooked food dishes and 12 basic elixirs, each with variations. Recipes made from standard ingredients are straightforward, while elixirs require critters and parts from monsters or guardians. It’s a good idea to gather and stockpile whatever you find. You never know when these may come in handy.
Best Recipes to Restore Stamina
When exploring high mountains or running from enemies, stamina can deplete quickly. Some recipes can restore or boost your stamina wheels, helping you reach new places in Hyrule.
Examples include:
- Enduring Fried Wild Greens: Adds 2 extra stamina wheels. Made with 5 Endura Carrots.
- Enduring Steamed Meat: Adds 1 stamina wheel. Uses 2 Endura Carrots, 2 Endura Shrooms, and 1 Raw Gourmet Meat.
- Energizing Salt-Grilled Fish: Fully refills up to 3 stamina wheels. Created with 2 Staminoka Bass, 2 Stamella Mushrooms, and Rock Salt.
- Energizing Honey Candy: Replenishes nearly 3 stamina wheels. Made with 5 Courser Bee Honey.
Using these recipes efficiently can keep you moving longer between rests or before needing to recharge.
Recipes for Restoring Hearts
In tough battles or dangerous encounters, restoring health is crucial. Starting with only three hearts, you’ll want to use recipes that maximize health recovery.
Examples include:
- Fish and Mushroom Skewers: Fully recovers health and grants 20 extra hearts. Crafted with Big Hearty Truffles and Hearty Salmon.
- Full Recovery Dishes: Such as “Copious Seafood Skewers” or “Fish Skewers,” which restore all health plus additional hearts.
- Steamed and Glazed Meats: Max out to 28 hearts with 4 Raw Gourmet Meats plus a vegetable like Endura Carrot or Durian.
- Special Fruits: Like Steamed or Glazed Fruit, to boost health while exploring.
Early in the game, focusing on full-heart recovery can prevent constant reloading from death and keep you alive longer.
Weather Resistance Recipes
Hyrule’s unpredictable climates require cold, heat, and electric resistance. Foods labeled “spicy” grant cold resistance, “chilly” for heat, and “electro” for electricity.
Examples include:
- Spicy Steamed Mushrooms: Protects against cold for 30 minutes, made with Sunshrooms, Farosh’s Horn shard, and spices.
- Chilly Fruits: Like “Chilly Fruit and Mushroom Mix,” lasting 30 minutes against cold.
- Electro Fish and Mushroom Skewers: Protect against electricity for 30 minutes, using Voltshrooms, Farosh’s Horn, and other critters.
- Special ingredients such as shards of dragon horns can extend resistance effects significantly (up to 30 minutes or more).
While farming dragon parts can be dangerous and time-consuming, wearing weather-resistant clothing is often easier and more efficient for enduring extreme conditions.
Speed Boosting Recipes
Sometimes escaping danger is smarter than fighting. Recipes that boost movement speed are useful for quick getaways.
Examples:
- Hasty Fruit and Mushroom Mix: Grants 30 minutes of increased speed using Fleet Lotus Seeds, Rushroom, and Farosh’s Horn shard.
- Hasty Veggie Cream Soup: Offers 11 minutes of increased movement speed with Swift Carrots, Milk, and Monster Extract.
- Hasty Apple Pie: Provides about 10 minutes of fast travel, made with apples, Fleet-Lotus Seeds, and sweeteners.
Keep a couple of these handy—they’re helpful for quick escapes but less critical than health or stamina recipes.
Combat Boost Recipes
Boosting attack or defense helps when facing powerful enemies. “Tough” dishes increase defense, while “mighty” dishes increase attack.
Examples include:
- Tough Salt-Grilled Fish: Strong defense boost for nearly 5 minutes, prepared with Armored Porgy and Rock Salt.
- Mighty Simmered Fruit: Attack boost for 30 minutes, using Mighty Bananas and dragon parts.
- High-defense dishes are best saved for boss fights or tough encounters with enemies like Lynels.
Stealth Recipes
Sneaking past enemies like the Yiga Clan can sometimes be the best strategy. Some recipes temporarily boost stealth abilities.
Examples:
- Sneaky Fried Wild Greens: Provides 30 minutes of stealth boost, made with Silent Princess, fairies, and Farosh’s Horn.
- Sneaky Steamed Fish: Offers 10 minutes of increased stealth with Silent Princess, Sneaky River Snails, and other critters.
- More stealth foods can help you navigate hazardous areas undetected.
Having these on hand makes sneaking easier when you prefer avoiding combat.
Elixir Combinations
Elixirs are made from critters (frogs, insects, lizards) combined with monster parts. The type of critter determines the elixir’s nature, while monster parts affect how long it lasts.
Some of the most powerful monster parts include:
- Bokoblin Guts
- Moblin Guts
- Lizalfos Tails
- Lynel Guts
- Keese Eyeballs and others
Popular elixir recipes might provide:
- Extra hearts (with Hearty Lizards)
- Stamina regeneration
- Increased attack, defense, or stealth
Preparation might require farming dangerous creatures, but these elixirs can be game-changers during boss fights or extended exploration.
Final Tips
It’s wise to keep a variety of recipes and elixirs ready. Health and stamina recovery are always a priority, especially early on. Weather resistance and stealth foods are useful but can often be replaced with armor or clothing for durability.
Overall, gathering ingredients and understanding how to combine them effectively will give you many strategic options. Stock up on versatile recipes—you never know when you’ll need a quick boost to survive or escape in Hyrule.
