37 American recipes

Explore regional dishes such as New England clam chowder, Californian tacos, New York deli-style sandwiches and Louisiana crab cakes, alongside Grandma pizza pie made famous by Italian-Americans, and Houston's Viet-Cajun prawns.

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Tuck into your American food and escape to the USA virtually with our foodie road trip in Portland.

Easy American recipes

Corn dogs

Make these classic American fairground snacks for parties, and serve with your favourite condiments.

Philly cheesesteak

Our homemade version of this fully loaded sandwich, originating in Philadelphia, sees tender, sliced ribeye layered with onions, peppers and cheese, and finished with ketchup and mayo.

Hot dogs with mustard slaw

Possibly THE most famous American food. Make a quick homemade slaw with cabbage, pepper and celery and top frankfurters or sausages with it with a moreish snack.

Ultimate grilled reuben sandwich

This our ultimate version of a New York favourite. In just 10 minutes you can be enjoying that salty beef, tangy sauerkraut and melting cheese.

Fall-apart bourbon ribs

Few things are more satisfying to eat than tender, sticky ribs. This recipe adds a bourbon kick to the sweet glaze, providing a real depth of flavour.

New York crumb cake

Packed with greens and a deeply savoury broth, this is a real winter warmer – use the best quality sausages you can findThis bake is all about the ratio, size and texture of the crumb – at least a third to three-quarters of the cake – and large, fall-apart-in-your-mouth rubbles.

Street cart soft pretzels

Soft yet slightly chewy, with a dark golden skin from being boiled before baking, these pretzels are slow-fermented for a richly flavoured dough. Finish with fat crystals of salt.

Spicy cumin lamb noodles

The Shaanxi province is known for its fiery, spice-laden cuisine. This recipe uses store-bought noodles with ground, toasted spices for intense flavour.

Californian-style baja shrimp and blackened corn salad

The cool coastal food of southern California relies on sensational seafood married with Mexican flavours. Use smoky ancho chillies to flavour the shrimps and serve with grilled corn and green chilli dressing.

Viet-Cajun fried prawns

The Vietnamese community of Houston, Texas, has created its own twist on a crawfish boil by frying them in a mixture of Cajun and Vietnamese seasonings. We’ve substituted king prawns for the crayfish.

Pulled pork carnitas

These tender pulled pork carnitas are inspired by recipe writer John Gregory-Smith's favourite taqueria in the world: Salud in Barrio Logan, San Diego. This grungy café serves kick-ass food and killer frozen margaritas.

Grandma pizza pie

This crisp baking-tray-baked pizza, made famous by Italian-Americans, is loaded with spicy Peppadews and pepperoni.

Kale hush puppies with lemon aïoli

Hush puppies are little American savoury doughnuts in a polenta batter. A classic side dish for seafood, they are also great for parties. These vegetarian kale ones are perfect dunked into a zingy aioli dip.

New England clam chowder with oyster crackers

Chowder is a classic dish, thick and creamy with the salty sweet flavours of bacon and clams. Oyster crackers are small, salted crackers added to the top of the soup, a bit like croutons.

New Orleans-style po' boy

The po’ boy is a New Orleans classic. The fried fillings include catfish, oysters and soft-shelled crab. What makes it extra special is the remoulade, a spiced Cajun mayo-based sauce. Here's our version.

Mac 'n' cheese with bacon

How do you make mac 'n' cheese better? Add bacon of course! This oozing cheesy pasta bake is also rich with Red Leicester and finished with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Double up the recipe to feed a crowd.

Turkey meatball subs with quick wedges

Fill bread rolls with meatballs for an easy party snack. This easy sub recipe, made healthy with turkey mince is served with quick sweet potato wedges on the side.

Hot and smoky beef chilli

Beef chilli is a classic American sharing dish to please a crowd. Made with chipotle chilli and fresh green chilli this is both warming and with a kick. Serve with guacamole and rice to feed a crowd.

Pickled onion rings

Onion rings are the best match for beer. This version comes from Quality Chop House and is drowned in homemade pickle, coated with beer batter, then deep-fried until crisp and golden.

Californian-style avocado fries

Just when you thought you’d reached peak avocado, California comes up with something new. These creamy wedges coated in toasty shards of crunchy corn tortilla are delicious with huevos rancheros or spice-rubbed steak, or dipped in hot sauce or salsa and served with a cold beer.

Deep-dish pepperoni pizza

With this style of pizza the ingredients are layered the opposite way to Italian pizza. Cheese first, then toppings, then sauce. Ready-grated mozzarella has less moisture than whole so will give you melty stringiness without becoming too watery, so although it seems a slightly inferior choice it’s the best thing to use here.

The full works burger

We like our burgers piled sky-high with ‘the works’ – that means EVERYTHING including our secret sauce (made from four very simple ingredients), sweet and sour onions, emmental cheese, gherkins, frilly lettuce, and more.

Homemade potato tots, fried egg, spiced avocado and hot sauce

Potato tots are very popular in America. These homemade potato tots, fried egg, spiced avocado and hot sauce make a great brunch dish.

Chipotle corn and shrimp cakes

This is the ultimate weekend brunch; spicy shrimp cakes served with fragrant coriander oil, soft boiled eggs and parmesan shavings.

Chicken hot wings with blue cheese slaw and skinny fries

Chicken wings make the best comfort food. Serve with homemade fries and a quick slaw of white cabbage and red onion and blue cheese for an indulgent dinner.

Louisiana crab cakes

These crabcakes are easy to prepare and perfect for entertaining family and friends. Using chilli tortilla chips as the coating gives them extra crunch and heat but you can also use normal ones, if you like.

Steakhouse-style spinach gratin

This is a different way to eat spinach and a great way to get one of your five-a-day. Make this easy steakhouse-style gratin recipe as a side for your US-style feast.

American-style hand pies

Recipe writer Edd Kimber says… ‘I have a soft spot for American hand pies – they’re like a fancy version of Pop-Tarts. You can fill them with whatever you want. For my version I wanted to do something you could take on a journey or throw in a lunch box, so they’re filled with a simple fennel, sausage, tomato and mozzarella mixture.’

Maple barbecue beans

Try this BBQ side dish with a US-style twist. Slow-cooked in maple syrup, bacon and yellow mustard, the beans soak up all the smoky sauce.

BBQ pulled pork

Pulled pork is a great recipe to feed a crowd, served up in soft buns with crunchy coleslaw for a party.

Beef jerky

Ever wanted to make your own jerky at home? This simple recipe is super punchy and has just the right amount of chew. Serve as a snack with an ice cold beer.

American desserts

Pecan pie

Try this sweet 'n' salty recipe for a great dessert or teatime treat, perfect with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche.

Hummingbird cake

Pineapple and banana meets heady spices in this glorious American cake recipe, sandwiched together with a cream cheese buttercream.

S'mores chocolate and salted caramel pots

Here the classic US campfire snack of toasted marshmallow and chocolate squished between two biscuits is reworked to create an elegant layered dessert.

Red velvet cake

Give your chocolate cake a red tinge in this classic American cake recipe, covered in silky-smooth cheese frosting for extra indulgence.

Lemon s’mores meringue pie

This recipe for lemon s’mores meringue pie makes for a stunning dinner party dessert. Toasted marshmallows added to the filling of this pie give it an extra bump of flavour and a gooey texture.

Baked raspberry cheesecake

A classic American dessert, baked cheesecake is an easy entertaining idea. The fresh raspberries on top cut through the rich body of the cheesecake. Try our other cheesecake recipes here.