Italian Cooking Shows Online - The Italian language, food and culture at your fingertips.
Have you ever watched Italian cooking shows on YouTube? Or even better, for the Italian lovers, have you ever watched cooking shows on YouTube in Italian? If you haven’t…you must, because there is a whole world there to explore, and it is absolutely one of my favorite ways to learn Italian for the kitchen and cooking. All the delicious Italian recipes you learn along the way are a bonus…a pretty good one too :)
Below are some of my favorites, with the first two being the ones that I have watched most often. I enjoy watching them in Italian for the language learning aspect of it but there are ones that are in English if you are more interested in actually understanding the cooking :) and I have included that information as well. This is just the tip of the iceberg but honestly there is enough information and recipes in the shows below to last you a lifetime. So watch, enjoy, learn, and then go cook something amazing!
Giallo Zafferano
The first one I ever started watching and definitely one of my favorites….and maybe the most famous one on the list. Giallo Zafferano, which means “Yellow Saffron” in Italian has been around since 2006. Founder Sonia Peronaci is no longer a part of Giallo Zafferano itself but is still cooking her Italian heart out on her own YouTube channel…Sonia Peronaci (link below). She is great and her channel should be on your list too. Giallo Zafferano’s “ricette per bambini” (recipes for kids) are some of my most favorite to watch with my 2 little ones because they are so unique and fun. Giallo Zafferano is available in English and Spanish on YouTube (links below) now as well. And if you love it as much as I do, and you want to see and know more, then the Giallo Zafferano website offers shopping, magazine subscriptions as well as a place where they host other bloggers creating cooking videos :) So much good stuff right here!
Caro Diario
Caro Diario means “Dear Diary” in Italian and I absolutely love the girl that does this cooking channel. She is sweet, quirky and funny. She does all of the videos in her kitchen but they are done well and the sound quality is good. She does speak fast though so be ready to put on your Italian listening ears for this one.
(in Italian)
Pasta Grannies
Oh this! This is the best! Pasta Grannies travels around Italy searching our Grannies (Nonne) who are still cooking for their families, and happily and proudly sharing it all. British creator Vicky Benneson started Pasta Grannies in 2014 and in 2019 the first Pasta Grannies cookbook was introduced. I don’t really know if this is for learning how to cook or learning Italian, but I do know that watching these amazing Nonne will bring you nothing but joy. The shows have English subtitles when the Nonne are speaking and there is an English narrator for the rest.
Cook Around TV
I haven’t been watching this channel very long but I love the gentleman that started it. His name is Luca Pappagallo. Ah! How amazing is that name! For any of you that don’t know, Pappagallo means “parrot” in Italian and I have always loved the word. Besides having an amazing name, he also puts out some amazing and easy dishes. A joy to watch…especially if you are needing to awaken the appetite :)
(In Italian)
Cook Around TV Website (in Italian) Here
Cucina Con Noi (cucinaconoi)
This is an interesting channel. There are some videos that have speaking but most of the videos that I have seen are just of the cooking with Italian subtitles that tell you the cooking instructions. This is kind of a neat way to learn Italian…not to mention all the yummy food you get to see being made:) They have a English YouTube channel as well (link below). They also have a website (In Italian -link below) with all of their recipes.
Ricette Della Nonna
This channel just makes my heart so happy. This is such a simple beautiful channel to watch, especially if you love Italy and Italian Grandmas. Watching Nonna Maria makes you feel like you are part of the family…just hanging out in the kitchen cooking with Grandma. So amazing!
(In Italian)
Vincenzo’s Plate
This channel is fantastic! I first found out about Vincenzo from my Italian teacher and have been watching him since. His videos are in English but he is 100% Italian. He sometimes has his Italian Nonna in them too, which is always a pleasure to watch. If you go to his website (link below), you can get information about his tours in Italy as well as cooking classes you can take…if you happen to live in Sydney, Australia :)
(In English)
Vincenzo’s Plate Website (in english) Here
If you love Italy or Italian cooking as much as I do (or even half as much) I know you will find something fun and interesting to watch here. These shows are such an enjoyable way to learn more about the food and culture of Italy. They are also amazing for learning the Italian language, different cooking techniques and new recipes!