1. Banana Bread
Average search volume (past year): 672,000
Category: Dessert
Average cost per serving: $0.23
Top five most interested states:
- Alaska
- Montana
- Vermont
- Wyoming
- Maine
Banana bread was far and away the most-searched recipe in the United States; every single month, roughly 1 in 500 Americans searches for a banana bread recipe. (Think about that next time you’re stuck in line at the airport.) It’s no wonder this recipe has such wide appeal—it’s sweet, rich, relatively inexpensive, and easy to make (as far as baking projects go). Alaska was the state with the highest relative interest in this recipe.
Banana bread is, far and away, the most searched for recipe online.
2. Meatloaf
Average search volume (past year): 410,000
Category: Main Dish
Average cost per serving: $1.34
Top five most interested states:
- West Virginia
- Vermont
- Maine
- South Dakota
- Wyoming
Meatloaf may be the ultimate comfort food. According to our analysis, it’s the most sought-after main dish recipe by a wide margin, too, garnering 10% greater search volume than chili, the next entry on the list. With a forgiving recipe that allows for wide-ranging variations, meatloaf is a popular recipe all over the country.
3. Chili
Average search volume (past year): 373,000
Category: Main Dish
Average cost per serving: $2.92
Top five most interested states:
- Colorado
- Vermont
- Wyoming
- Montana
- Kentucky
Another hearty entree that invites variations and creativity, chili placed third in terms of average search volume. Interest in this recipe shifted west, with states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana ranking highly—though Vermont and Kentucky rounded out the top five, indicating the broad appeal of this dish that combines heat, flavor, and comfort in a single bowl.
Chili is a popular search in some of the country’s coldest states!
4. Pancakes
Average search volume (past year): 351,000
Category: Breakfast
Average cost per serving: $0.17
Top five most interested states:
- Vermont
- Montana
- Alaska
- Utah
- Maine
Placing fourth were pancakes, easily beating out their breakfast rival french toast (which ranked sixth on the list); perhaps this could be chalked up to the fact that pancakes are slightly less expensive to make, or that French toast often involves somewhat stale bread, which not everyone has on hand. Vermont, the maple syrup capital of the country, appropriately placed first here.
5. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Average search volume (past year): 342,000
Category: Dessert
Average cost per serving: $0.23
Top five most interested states:
- Montana
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Vermont
- Wyoming
It will not surprise anyone to learn that chocolate chip cookies are the most-searched cookie recipe in America—though not the most popular dessert; recipes for these delicious cookies only had about half the search volume as banana bread recipes. Interestingly, Montana and Alaska placed 1-2 for banana bread as well, suggesting these two large, sparsely populated states may share a sweet tooth.
Second only to banana bread among deserts, chocolate chip cookies remain a sought-after classic.
6. French Toast
Average search volume (past year): 306,000
Category: Breakfast
Average cost per serving: $0.23
Top five most interested states:
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Alaska
- Utah
Montana, Alaska, and Utah appear to be equal-opportunity breakfast lovers, as they place in the top five for french toast as well as for pancakes. Meanwhile, Vermont did not crack the top five for this recipe, indicating that residents of the Green Mountain State have a clear preference when it comes to indulgent breakfasts.
7. Lasagna
Average search volume (past year): 269,000
Category: Main Dish
Average cost per serving: $2.83
Top five most interested states:
- Vermont
- Maine
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- North Dakota
Lasagna has the distinction of being the highest-latitude recipe on the list—frigid Wisconsin was the southernmost state among the top five most interested—which makes sense for such a rich, filling pasta dish.
8. Alfredo Sauce
Average search volume (past year): 195,000
Category: Main Dish
Average cost per serving: $1.47
Top five most interested states:
- Wyoming
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Montana
- Utah
Alfredo sauce was also popular among cold-weather states—particularly those around the Rocky Mountains—indicating that this hearty pasta sauce has a particular appeal to high-altitude Americans.
States you don’t normally think of as being especially Italian top the list of searchers for alfredo sauce.
9. Margarita
Average search volume (past year): 183,000
Category: Cocktail
Average cost per serving: $2.18
Top five most interested states:
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- District of Columbia
- Rhode Island
Margaritas appear to be particularly popular in New England, with four of the top five most interested states located in that region—perhaps because people in the Northeast are looking for some south-of-the-border flavor to get them through their cold winters?
10. Old Fashioned
Average search volume (past year): 182,000
Category: Cocktail
Average cost per serving: $1.86
Top five most interested states:
- West Virginia
- Montana
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Vermont
Rounding out the list was another cocktail: the OId Fashioned, which was only slightly less popular than the Margarita. It received the most interest from West Virginia—perhaps owing to the fact that the state borders Kentucky, the rumored birthplace of the cocktail (and third-ranking state on the list).
The old fashioned’s bourbon content may have something to do with its popularity in Kentucky.
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