How to Make Cooking Videos on TikTok

Creating a cooking video that actually gets views on TikTok is about much more than just pointing your phone at a saucepan. It's a mix of a delicious recipe, smart filming, fast-paced editing, and a solid understanding of how the platform works. This guide breaks down the entire process from start to finish, giving you actionable steps to turn your kitchen creations into viral sensations.

Pre-Production: Planning Your Viral Recipe

The best TikTok videos feel spontaneous, but the reality is they often start with thoughtful planning. A little prep work before you even touch an ingredient will save you headaches and result in a much better final product.

Step 1: Choose the Right Recipe

Not every recipe is built for TikTok. The platform favors content that is visually striking, easy to follow, and either satisfyingly simple or shockingly unique. When picking a recipe, keep these factors in mind:

• Visual Appeal: Think about moments that will look amazing on camera. We're talking about a slow-motion cheese pull, a glossy chocolate drizzle, vibrant colors from fresh vegetables, or the satisfying texture of crispy fried chicken. Things that are gooey, melty, crispy, or colorful are your best friends.
• Simplicity: While a five-course gourmet meal is impressive, a recipe that can be explained in 60 seconds is much more likely to succeed. Recipes with fewer ingredients and straightforward steps are ideal because viewers feel they can actually replicate them at home. Think one-pan dinners, 3-ingredient desserts, or clever food hacks.
• Trend-Savvy: Pay attention to what's trending on the #foodtok tag. Did feta pasta go viral? Is everyone trying to make cloud bread? Tapping into a trend can give your video an instant boost, but you can also go the other way by focusing on classic comfort foods that are always in demand.

Step 2: Create a Basic Shot List

You don't need a professional storyboard, but a simple shot list will keep you focused while filming. This is just a quick outline of every single action you need to capture. It prevents you from getting halfway through editing only to realize you forgot to film yourself adding the salt.

A shot list might look like this:

• Close-up of cracking an egg into a bowl
• Overhead shot of whisking eggs
• Shot of pouring egg mixture into a hot pan
• Sizzling pan sounds (ASMR!)
• Close-up of spatula flipping the omelet
• Final plating shot with a sprinkle of herbs

Thinking in small, individual clips like this is the key to creating a dynamic, fast-paced TikTok video.

Step 3: Prepare Your Ingredients and Workstation (Mise en Place)

Mise en place is a French culinary term that means "everything in its place." For a cooking video creator, it's non-negotiable. Before you hit record, do the following:

• Measure everything out: Have your flour, sugar, spices, and liquids measured and ready in small bowls. This prevents awkward pauses where you're fumbling with a measuring cup, and it looks a thousand times more professional.
• Do your prep: Chop all your vegetables, mince your garlic, and grate your cheese ahead of time. The filming process should be about assembling, not prepping.
• Clean your station: Make sure your countertops are clean, your stove is wiped down, and there's no unnecessary clutter in the background. Your audience is here for the food, not the dirty dishes in your sink.

Production: Filming Your TikTok Masterpiece

With your planning complete, it's time to shoot. Good filming technique is what separates grainy, hard-to-watch videos from clean, engaging content that keeps people hooked.

Nail Your Lighting

Lighting is the most important element of any video. You don't need expensive studio lights to get a great shot. Natural light from a window is your most powerful tool. Set up your station so that the window light is hitting your subject from the front or the side. Avoid backlighting (where the window is behind your food), as it will throw your subject into shadow.

If natural light isn't an option, a simple ring light works wonders. Position it to cancel out harsh kitchen overhead lights and give your food a bright, appetizing look.

Get Your Angles Right

Variety is everything. A single, static angle is boring. Switch between these key shots to keep your video dynamic:

• The Overhead Shot: This classic "Tasty-style" angle is perfect for showing the whole process in one frame, like mixing ingredients in a bowl or what's happening in a pan. A tripod with an overhead arm makes this much easier.
• The 45-Degree Angle: This shot is great for showing action from a more personal perspective, such as you chopping ingredients or taking a bite of the final product.
• The Extreme Close-Up: Use this to highlight texture and satisfying details. Get up close on butter melting in a hot pan, sprinkles being added to a cake, or steam rising from a fresh bowl of pasta. These shots are perfect for creating those "satisfying" ASMR moments.

Most importantly, always shoot vertically. TikTok is a vertical platform, and any horizontal video will be shrunken with ugly black bars.

Keep Your Shots Stable

Shaky footage is hard to watch and looks unprofessional. A tripod is your best friend here. If you don't have one, get creative. Prop your phone up against a stack of books or a heavy mug. Just make sure your camera is perfectly still for each shot.

Post-Production: Editing for Maximum Impact

Editing is where your collection of clips transforms into a cohesive, attention-grabbing story. TikTok's algorithm prioritizes watch time, and a tight edit is the best way to keep viewers watching until the end.

Choose Your Editing Tool

You have two main options for editing your video: the built-in TikTok editor or a third-party app.

• TikTok's Editor: Great for simple edits, adding trending sounds, and applying basic text overlays. It's quick and convenient if your needs are minimal.
• External Apps (like CapCut): For more control, an app like CapCut (which is also owned by TikTok's parent company, Bytedance) is a game-changer. It offers more advanced features like custom text templates, better transitions, and precise control over clip timing. Most top creators edit in CapCut and then upload the final video to TikTok.

The Art of the Quick Cut

The pace of TikTok is incredibly fast. Your goal is to eliminate any and all dead air. Trim every single clip down to its essential action. The moment a pour starts, that's where the clip should begin. The second it ends, the clip should stop. A two-second video of an egg cracking is more effective than a five-second video where nothing happens at the beginning and end.

Keep your video short. While TikTok allows for longer videos now, the sweet spot for recipes is often between 15 and 45 seconds.

Use Text Overlays to Guide the Viewer

Many users watch TikTok videos with the sound off, so text on screen is essential for a recipe video. Add short, simple text captions for each step (e.g., "Add 1 cup flour," "Mix until combined," "Bake at 350F"). Place the text strategically so it doesn't cover the most important part of the visual action. This makes your recipe easy to follow and more accessible.

Leverage Trending Audio and Voiceovers

Audio is half the experience on TikTok. There are two primary approaches:

1. Trending Sounds: Using a popular song or audio clip can help your video get discovered by a wider audience. Scroll through your For You Page to see what's currently popular. If you find a trending sound that fits the vibe of your recipe, use it. Just make sure you adjust the volume so it complements your video without overpowering any ASMR sizzles or crunches.
2. Voiceovers: Creating your own voiceover is a fantastic way to inject personality into your videos and build a real connection with your audience. You don't need a robotic voice that simply lists ingredients. Tell a story, describe the flavors and smells, and let your unique personality shine through. You can record this directly in TikTok or CapCut after your visual edit is complete.

Priming for Virality: Publishing and Promotion

You've made a great video. Now it's time to make sure people actually see it.

Write a Compelling Caption

Your caption should be short and serve a purpose. Start with a hook that grabs attention - it could be a question ("The best chocolate chip cookie recipe you'll ever try?") or a bold statement ("You need to make these cheesy garlic bread bombs!"). End with a call to action (CTA) to encourage engagement, like "Save this recipe for later!" or "What should I make next?"

Master Your Hashtags

Hashtags help categorize your content and help TikTok show it to the right audience. Use a mix of broad, niche, and trending hashtags.

• Broad: #food #cooking #recipe #foodtiktok
• Niche: #onepotmeal #veganbaking #airfryerrecipes
• Trending: Look for any relevant food trends currently happening on the app.

A good strategy is to use 3-5 hashtags that accurately describe your video.

Post at the Right Time

Posting when your followers are most active can give your video an initial velocity boost. Generally, afternoons and evenings (from 4 PM to 9 PM in your local time zone) are strong posting times, as people are getting off work or school. Once you post a few videos, check your TikTok Analytics. Under the "Followers" tab, TikTok will show you an hour-by-hour breakdown of when your specific audience is most active. Use that data to guide your future posting schedule.

Engage With Your Community

Social media is a two-way street. When comments start coming in, respond to them! Answering questions, thanking people for their compliments, and engaging with feedback signals to the algorithm that your post is fostering community. Prioritize replying to comments within the first hour of posting, as this early engagement can help extend your video's reach.

Final Thoughts

Creating a standout TikTok cooking video comes down to a clear formula: combining a visually appealing recipe with clean filming, fast-paced editing, and smart publishing strategies. By putting in a little work at each stage, from planning your shots to engaging with your comments, you can go from simply sharing a recipe to building a genuine community around your content.

As you get into a groove and start creating content consistently, keeping your schedule straight across multiple platforms like TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts can feel chaotic. At Postbase, we designed our visual calendar to solve this exact problem. Since our platform was built for short-form video from day one, you can plan, schedule, and publish your videos across all your accounts from one central dashboard. Best of all, you can trust our reliability - your posts will go live exactly when you want them to, every single time.