Highlights

• Recipes in this list all sell for between 350-500g per portion, making them some of the best-selling recipes in Stardew Valley.
• The fewer ingredients you need, the higher profit you turn.
• Befriend the villagers and watch the Queen of Sauce to obtain the recipes below.

One of the best things about playing Stardew Valley is getting as much money as humanly possible, and thankfully, the game presents players with plenty of different avenues to rake in the dough. Most players usually go for the crops with the biggest profit margins, like cauliflower in Spring or pumpkins in Fall. Some make as many kegs of wine as they can and wait for the eventual payday.

Another sometimes overlooked option is to cook one of the game’s dozens of recipes in order to sell them. This method takes a bit more effort, but when going for the fanciest meals, you can make yourself a pretty penny all while going for the Gourmet Chef achievement.

Updated on April 17, 2024 by Gabrielle Castania: With the launch of the Version 1.6 update last month for Stardew Valley on PC, we're swinging back to several of our Stardew Valley articles to make sure everything is still accurate after the update.

Unless stated otherwise in the ingredients list, each recipe listed below requires only one of the ingredients mentioned.

10 Autumn’s Bounty

"A Taste Of The Season"

There are two other recipes in Stardew Valley that sell for 350g - Fiddlehead Risotto and the Complete Breakfast - but Autumn’s Bounty is much easier to make (with far fewer and more common ingredients) and gives you max profitability. If you plant the right Fall crops, you can make tons of this dish throughout the season.

The meal replenishes 220 energy and 99 health, and it also gives a buff to both Foraging and Defense. It's a solid bet for anyone using the Wilderness Farm map! To get it, get Demetrius' relationship up to seven or more hearts, and he'll soon send the recipe in the mail.

9 Pumpkin Pie

"Silky Pumpkin Cream In A Flaky Crust"

Pumpkin Pie is a recipe that’s a bit more involved than others, as it requires a crop, an animal product, and some store-bought ingredients as well. More specifically, it needs a pumpkin, milk, sugar, and wheat flour.

Pumpkin Pie replenishes 225 energy and 101 health, and while this recipe doesn’t have any buffs or bonuses associated with it, it’s a great one to make to get into the festive, autumnal spirit. It looks great on your grange display at the Fair, too, so display before you sell!

8 Poi

"A Traditional Food With A Delicate, Sweet Flavor When Eaten Fresh"

Poi was added in the huge 1.5 update as part of the Ginger Island expansion. All that’s required to make Poi is four Taro Roots, one of the Ginger Island crops, which you'll find fairly frequently. Players can acquire the Taro Tuber seed from the Island all year round, or from around town during the Summer season.

Poi doesn’t have a ton of payoff when it comes to stats, as it only restores 75 energy and 33 health, but it’s not tough to make after growing Taro Roots, and has a nice payout at 400g. Work on your friendship with Leo to unlock the recipe in the mail.

7 Red Plate

"Full Of Antioxidants"

Not only is the Red Plate relatively easy to make (as long as you've got access to Red Cabbage seeds already), but it makes for a nice profit as well as a nice boost in energy. Made only using only two fairly easy-to-grow ingredients, the Red Plate sells for 400g, or if consumed, gives the player a +50 boost to Max Energy.

Emily will send you this recipe in the mail after they surpass seven hearts of friendship with her, even if you're not intending to romance her. As far as the ingredient-to-meal ratio goes when it comes to profit, Red Plate is a good bet to boost income.

6 Rhubarb Pie

"Mmm, Tangy And Sweet!"

Looks like pies are pretty valuable in Pelican Town, because Rhubarb Pie is another dish that goes for a hefty sum. The recipe calls for one Rhubarb, some wheat flour, and sugar, and restores 215 energy and 112 health. You can learn to make your very own Rhubarb Pie when you reach seven friendship hearts with Marnie, who will then send the recipe in the mail soon after.

Keep in mind that Rhubarb is one of the more difficult crops to come by in the game, as the seeds can only be purchased from the desert town Oasis, or from the Traveling Cart. If you happen to grow any Iridium-quality Rhubarb, you should make sure to sell them instead of the pie, because those go for 40g more.

5 Fruit Salad

"A Delicious Combination Of Summer Fruits"

Full of summer fruits, the fruit salad can be difficult to make if players don’t plan ahead a little bit during their first summer in Pelican Town. The recipe calls for an apricot, along with a blueberry and a melon, so it will be important to already have an apricot tree ready to harvest to make this meal.

Eating this meal will give the player 263 energy and 118 health. The tricky part is waiting for the recipe, since it doesn't unlock until pretty late into your second year.

4 Triple Espresso Shot - 450g

The Triple Shot Espresso isn’t exactly a meal, per se, but it sure sells like one. It’s a simple recipe that only requires the player to combine three cups of Coffee - hence the triple shot. While the Triple Shot Espresso only gives the player eight energy and three health, it does grant the Speed bonus that is a must-have for the mid-to-late game.

Of course, it’s among the most profitable meals to sell in the game, too, so it’s likely that most players who make the Triple Shot Espresso are looking to gain some extra gold in the first place.

3 Pink Cake

"There's Little Heart Candies On Top"

The Pink Cake is one of Stardew Valley’s best-looking recipes, so it makes sense that it would sell well, too. Of course, the Pink Cake uses some ingredients that are pretty valuable to begin with, including a Melon, wheat flour, sugar, and an Egg.

This sweet dish will net players 250 energy and 112 health, and can be acquired by watching “The Queen of Sauce” on 21 Summer, Year 2, or by catching it on a rerun. According to the item description, the Pink Cake also has “little heart candies on top,” which is a nice touch.

Just be mindful on selling too many, since plenty of townsfolk love this dish, too!

2 Tropical Curry

"An Exotic, Fragrant Curry Served In A Pineapple Bowl"

It's no wonder Tropical Curry is one of the most profitable recipes in Stardew Valley, because it has some of the more difficult-to-obtain ingredients of any dish in the game. You can obtain Coconuts from Oasis or Ginger Island (or occasionally from the Traveling Cart), but Pineapples can only be obtained by visiting Ginger Island.

Tropical Curry grants players 150 energy and 67 health, but the real advantage to eating it rather than selling is the Foraging bonus. You can purchase the Tropical Curry recipe at the Ginger Island Resort after you've restored that part of the Island.

1 Fish Taco - 500g

The Fish Taco is arguably the best recipe in the game, but you will need to put in some work in order to reap the rewards. One of the difficulties of the recipe is that two of its ingredients require prior preparation: the Tortilla and the Mayonnaise, a valuable artisan good.

You also need to get your hands on a Red Cabbage, available in Year Two, and a Tuna fish. The Fish Taco replenishes 165 energy and 74 health, and also grants a Foraging bonus. Be sure to befriend Linus, as he'll send you the recipe in the mail sometime after you've reached seven hearts with him.