Who needs cookbooks when you’ve got the internet and social media to tell you what and how you should be cooking?

Google’s list of Australians’ 10 top culinary searches in 2025, compiled as part of its annual analysis of most-searched-for things, offers insight into trending tastes over the year that was.

The recipes are a mixture of the traditional, such as hot cross buns, to those that have gone viral on social media, with the latter ranging from treats such as Dubai chocolate and cloud cakes, to concoctions promising wellness and weight-loss.

Hot cross buns

Given that most supermarkets have hot cross buns for sale straight after Christmas, it’s impressive that so many Aussies are making their own – or at least looking up recipes for them. Here’s where we admit we’ve also Googled the recipe every Easter for the past decade or so and have yet to go as far as buying the currants and mixed spice. Good intentions and all that.

In an inspired move, Gourmet Traveller this year tested three bun recipes from three cookbooks and combined them to make what it reckons is the best hot cross bun of all time… maybe we’ll try that in 2026.

Hot cross buns were hot in more ways than one in 2025. Photo: Pexels

Pink salt trick

We can attribute this one to influencers. The so-called “pink salt diet trick” went viral on TikTok and YouTube after being spruiked as a sure way to shed kilos while also enjoying other benefits like reduced bloating and better sleep.

Some recipes involve simply mixing a small amount of pink salt with warm water and lemon juice, while the more complicated include ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, lime juice, cayenne pepper,  honey, ginger and turmeric. But while the pink salt may look pretty in your pantry, expert advice suggests the diet trick should be approached with caution.

Dubai chocolate

Given both the popularity and cost of Dubai ­– or “Dubai-style” – chocolate, it’s not surprising people want to try making it themselves.

The original bar, launched in the United Arab Emirates and inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern dessert knafeh, includes a pistachio and tahini cream and crispy shredded kadayif (or kataifi) filo pastry encased in milk chocolate. Most of the online recipes feature similar ingredients, but taste.com.au does offer cheat’s version using shredded wheat and green food colouring.

Interestingly, Dubai tops Google’s 2025 travel searches – which just proves people how far people will travel for good chocolate.

Easter recipes

Turns out it’s not just hot cross buns we’re obsessed with, but all Easter foods.

So what does a Google search for “Easter recipes” turn up? Everything from roast lamb, baked glazed salmon and air-fryer cob loaf, to Easter egg rocky road, hot cross scones, and hot cross bun tiramisu loaf. Now there’s something to bookmark for next year.

Pornstar martini

This passionfruit-flavoured cocktail has been around ­for a while – in fact, it was invented by South African-born bartender (AKA “mixologist”) Douglas Ankrah more than 20 years ago – but it continues to be a favourite among those who like their drinks on the fruity side.

London-based Ankrah apparently once said the name came from what he thought a porn star might like to drink. However, you’re just as likely to find the recipe under the less provocative name of “passionfruit martini”, with its key ingredients including passionfruit liqueur, vodka and champagne.

@marthastewartlivingThe Passion Star Martini—also known as the Pornstar Martini—is a playful, provocative cocktail that’s just right for summer sipping. It features a heady combination of passion fruit and vanilla and is shaken until ice cold and frothy, then served up in a coupe glass. Learn how to make the drink of summer at the link in our bio.♬ Little Things – Adrián Berenguer

Japanese mounjaro

In the same vein as the pink salt trick, the “natural mounjaro recipe” has gone viral as a wellness trend said to aid weight loss and metabolic health.

Taking its name from the weight-loss drug Mounjaro, the recipe generally includes ingredients such as lemon juice, ginger, raw honey and apple cider vinegar ­– some variations add pink salt, cinnamon or cayenne pepper.

Bacon dessert

Desserts featuring bacon have featured regularly on Australia’s MasterChef ever since UK chef Heston Blumenthal made his signature bacon and egg ice-cream on the show 12 years ago. It’s apparently all about the way the smoky, salty, crispy flavour of the cured meat marries with something sweet and creamy.

Why exactly bacon desserts were trending in 2025, we’re not sure, but at least one Instagram influencer predicted a “bacon boom” back in February, even spruiking the idea of bacon cocktails.

@masterchefau Mimi’s dish is bacon’ the Judges second-guess… 🥓 #MasterChefAU Watch on @channel10_au ♬ original sound – MasterChef Australia

Cloud cake

It can look a bit like an old-school sponge cake, but cloud cake is usually made without flour ­­– which means many versions are also suitable for gluten-intolerant sweet-tooths.

Recipes abound on social media, all of them promising a dessert that’s fluffy, “light as a cloud” and melts in your mouth. It would be hard to beat Nigella Lawson’s chocolate cloud cake, which includes Cointreau, and Poh Ling Yeow’s lemon version is heaven-sent.

 

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A post shared by Poh Ling Yeow (@pohlingyeow)

Ninja slushie

We can only assume this search relates to appliance maker Ninja’s “Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker”, which comes with a steeper price tag than most conventional blenders but promises to be “the ultimate party starter”.

There’s all sorts of recipes online, from frozen cocktails and mocktails, to milkshakes and frappes. And, before you ask – yes, you can slushie a pornstar martini.

Turkish pasta

Didn’t know this was a thing? Well, put down the spag bol and listen up.

Australia-based influencer Anna Paul kicked off the trend when she posted a TikTok sharing her mother’s recipe for a Turkish pasta dish (top). The base recipe sounds simple enough – beef mince cooked with onion, curry powder, pepper and sweet paprika ­– but it’s served on top of a sauce made of Greek yoghurt, with a sweet paprika and butter combo drizzled over everything.

The recipe has had more than 2.3 million likes and Paul has 5.8 million TikTok followers, so no wonder it’s gone viral. “This whole meal only takes as long as it takes pasta to cook,” she promises.