Here at Serious Eats, we’ve been known to reverse-engineer a recipe or two: We’ve spent plenty of time recreating fast-food favorites, like In-N-Out’s Double-Double Animal Style burger and McDonald’s hamd pie. Fast-food staples aren’t the only meals worth recreating at home, though, and there are many restaurant or coffee shop staples that our editors much prefer to make themselves. Below, you’ll find our favorite copycat recipes, including a riff on Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana, takeout-worthy pad Thai, and a pumpkin spice latte so cozy it rivals Starbucks’.
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01 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
“I lived in South Korea for three years, and after growing up in the Midwest, it opened up a whole new world of food for me. Some of my favorite memories were fall trips to the mountains, stopping for bibimbap made with freshly harvested vegetables and eggs collected that morning. Recently, my husband and I found a traditional Korean restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Feeling nostalgic, I ordered the bibimbap. It was soooo good, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Seoyoung Jung’s recipe is exactly what my fall needs right now.” – Anna Basel, newsletter editor
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02 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
“Now that we’re fully in soup season, I require a warm bowl of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana on a near-weekly basis. Or, more accurately, I crave Daniel’s version of Zuppa Toscana, which is heavy on the fennel, thickened with rustic chunks of Russet potato, and made in the comfort of my own home. A mountain of grated Parm and a torn piece of baguette is a must for serving each bowl.” – Ashlee Redger, writer
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03 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
“I really can’t abide spending money on pasta dishes at a restaurant. Nearly $38 for a small-ish plate of cacio e pepe? Nope. This recipe makes it incredibly easy to make a fantastic cacio e pepe at home. Swirled artfully on a plate with a pair of tongs, you’d never know the difference.” – Grace Kelly, senior editor
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04 of 08
“I associate spaghetti limone most closely with Lil’ Frankie’s in the East Village, where Frank Prisinzano has practically canonized the dish in New York City. With copious showers of Parmesan, an intense jolt of lemon, and plenty of butter to balance it all, it’s a remarkably simple but exceptionally memorable pasta.” – Laila Ibrahim, associate culinary editor
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05 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
“When I moved to NYC in the ’90s, my brother took me to Chinatown to buy a wok, then he introduced me to Bangkok Center Grocery and showed me all the ingredients I needed to make pad Thai, including dried shrimp, pressed tofu, and preserved radish. As a grad student on a limited budget, I wasn’t able to go to restaurants, but that was OK, because the pad Thai I could make at home was so much better than what was served in most Manhattan restaurants at the time. I still love making pad Thai at home, and Derek Lucci’s recipe is spot-on.”- Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director
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06 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
“I’m not going to lie: I love a pumpkin spice latte. I do, however, find most coffee shop versions way too sweet. This homemade version is balanced, nicely spiced, and not too sweet—plus, it’s made with real squash!” – Genevieve Yam, senior editor
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07 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / QiAi
“I was lucky enough to grow up eating McDonald’s apple pies when they were still fried, with flaky, crisp shells and warm, gooey apple filling. Amanda’s copycat recipe brings back everything I loved about them, and I’m a BIG fan. These are absolutely worth heating up a vat of frying oil for.” – Leah Colins, senior culinary editor
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08 of 08
Credit: Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
“I never buy chocolate chip cookies because they are almost always a letdown: They’re usually too sweet, not chewy enough, or overbaked. These Levain Bakery-style cookies are just as good as—if not even better—than the original ones in New York City, and making them myself means there’s no need to get in line.” – Genevieve
Levain Bakery-Style Super-Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
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Dining and Cooking