Here are some of the best Japanese cooking YouTube channels that I watch.
When I want to figure out how to cook something specific, I usually go back and forth between a few different sites and videos to compare their recipes and techniques. Then, I just pick one that seems the easiest, and try it out.
After cooking something a few times, I can usually figure out what I like, and then customize the recipe to my own liking.
Below are the YouTube channels I use most often. Some are in English, some are in Japanese, and one is even in Chinese!
English Channels
Cooking with Dog (Japanese w/ English subtitles)
The O.G. YouTube channel for Japanese cooking. At first, it’s really weird to see a lady cooking with a dog sitting on the counter, but you’ll get used to it. Unfortunately, the dog died a while back, and she doesn’t produce videos quite as often anymore. The channel has all of the classic Japanese dishes, as well as many others.
Cooking with Chef Dai
A Japanese chef in the UK somewhere that shares great recipes and other useful cooking skills. He doesn’t update very often, but his videos are all clear and easy to follow. My onsen tamago recipe is based on his.
Adam Liaw
Not specifically a Japanese cooking channel, as he also cooks many other Asian dishes (Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian etc.). There are plenty of Japanese recipes though. The videos are super professionally produced, and easy to follow. He talks super calmly and seems like a really nice guy.
ハゲのへたくそ料理runnyrunny999 (English w/ Japanese subtitles) –
One of the first Japanese cooking channels I used to watch back in college when I had no idea what I was doing. Run by some regular Japanese dude that just likes to cook for fun. The recipes are super casual, and easy for people with limited cooking experience. Often, he does not use the “proper” way to cook a dish, but it ends up being delicious anyways. He also posts lots of other random videos about Japanese snacks and stuff.
My Midnight Japanese Recipes
A newer Youtube channel I discovered a little while back. He posts very simple, straightforward, and delicious Japanese recipes. Videos are nicely shot/edited, and very easy to follow along.
Japanese
白ごはん.comチャンネル (Japanese)
YouTube channel for the great sirogohan.com website. Most of the recipe videos are simple and clear with no narration, so you don’t need to worry about understanding Japanese. The videos are also usually quite short (around 5 minutes or less), which is nice for people with less patience.
kurashiru [クラシル] (Japanese)
YouTube channel for the kurashiru.com website. Huge variety of recipes — classic Japanese dishes, as well as desserts and fusion style dishes. Some videos are short and sweet, while others are long and detailed, so you will definitely find something that suits you.
Check out the channel here!
macaroni (Japanese)
Another channel that mainly produces super condensed recipe videos (1-2 minutes). Very useful for quickly browsing and getting ideas on what to cook.
Chinese Channels
MASA’s Cooking ABC (Chinese w/ English subtitles)
Masa is a Japanese chef living in Taiwan, and making Japanese cooking videos in Chinese. Impressive! Not sure how I came across his channel, but I’m glad that I did.
If you don’t understand Chinese, then simply click the “CC” button to get some nice English subtitles. All of his recipe videos are super clear and very well explained. Over 300 recipes and counting.
Conclusion
That’s my list! It will grow (or maybe shrink) as I discover more awesome cooking channels.
What are your favourite Japanese cooking YouTube channels? Let me know in the comments, or send me a message!
