cooking

The 10 Most Popular Recipes of August 2024

Including crispy corn fritters, grilled arayes, and basil fried rice.
Corn fritters frying in a castiron skillet.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon

This August, we savored the last parade of summer produce before fall’s arrival. You readers loved these fritters, in which ears of sweet corn are transformed into lacy-edged patties. The crispy rounds pair well with a sticky hot honey (that I’m also drizzling on pizza). You also enjoyed this easy-as-can-be summer toast, which piles juicy heirloom tomatoes onto a funky blue cheese butter.

But it wasn’t all corn and tomatoes—we also have recipes to usher us toward fall. Like this one-pot delight where mapo tofu meets chili mac. Its savory heat is attributed to the hardworking duo of doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorns, both tamed by grated cheddar and sour cream. Or, these chocolate cookies where brownie meets cheesecake. The yield is two—and just two—and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want them both for yourself.

Read on to explore August’s recipes.

  • Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley
    3/10

    Divorce Salad

    With balsamic marinated beans, lots of cheese, and crispy onions, this meal-prep-friendly dinner salad is one you’ll have on repeat.

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  • Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    4/10

    Basil Fried Rice

    With minimal prep time and a faster cook, this basil fried rice recipe with crispy onions, ginger, and fresh chiles should be in your weekly summer rotation.

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  • Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell
    5/10

    Mapo Chili Mac

    Tingly mapo tofu meets cozy Midwestern chili mac in this one-pot dinner.

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  • Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    6/10

    Preserved Lemon and Tomato Chicken

    This simple recipe pairs salty preserved lemon with sweet-bright cherry tomatoes to form a sauce you’ll spoon up until the last drop.

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  • Photograph by Travis Rainey, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley
    7/10

    Chocoflan

    Part silky flan, part decadent chocolate cake, chocoflan, or impossible cake, as it is sometimes called, feels like a magic trick, inverting in the oven as it bakes.

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  • Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley
    8/10

    Tomato Toast With Blue Cheese Butter

    You’re a few minutes away from the snack of the season.

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  • Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    9/10

    Garlic-Coconut Shrimp and Green Beans

    Every stir-fry needs a star to keep you coming back. In this speedy shrimp recipe, it’s a crispy coconut and garlic topping you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.

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  • Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Christina Allen
    10/10

    Grilled Arayes With Creamy Cucumber Salad

    These Middle Eastern meat-stuffed pitas get their earthy, spiced flavor from baharat, a blend typically comprised of cumin, allspice, black pepper, and more.

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Nina works across Bon Appétit and Epicurious, solving mysteries like “Why do beans make us fart?” and “What is that white stuff oozing out of my chicken?” She also edits and produces recurring columns like It’s That Simple and has even developed a recipe or two
Associate Editor, Cooking