TikTok culinary influencers are preparing for an economic downturn.
There was a time when the food trends of TikTok seemed to require a significant budget to recreate — it felt like everyone with a chef’s knife was grilling wagyu. FoodTok leaned heavily towards the aspirational. But that landscape has shifted. Following the election of Donald Trump and the imposition of challenging tariffs, the market faced downturns and the threat of rising prices. In light of this economic reality, FoodTok has adapted. Now, you’ll find a plethora of budget-friendly, or even recession-themed, recipes and food hacks making the rounds. Scroll through your FYP, and you’re bound to notice this clear trend. Wagyu is out; finding ways to stretch a bag of rice is in.
Recognizing the struggles many faced, Kiki Rough began sharing a series on “recession cooking” — meals that are not necessarily gourmet but are budget-friendly and satisfying. Although she wasn’t primarily a cooking creator, she had experienced hard times and learned to cook through necessity. In just a couple of months with her “Recession Cooking Series,” her following skyrocketed from 60K to 250K, with her introductory video accumulating 4 million views. “It just resonated with so many people beyond me, which is both painful and sad,” Rough mentioned in an interview. “I read the comments, and I want so badly to help everyone, and that hurts. … What inspired the series is knowing that I had survival knowledge and, given the economic shifts, more people were going to need it.”
Look around, and you’ll see other creators focusing on budget-conscious meals. Popular creator Justine Doiron crafted an entire series on low-waste, inexpensive meals by clearing out her pantry. Another creator, zielzebub, portrays an “old poor” character giving a “new poor” character lessons on affordable eating through a variety of posts. Dean Bosko has adopted the tagline “eating like a medieval peasant until all my credit cards are paid off” to share budget-friendly meal ideas. These themes have emerged in recent months and have gained considerable popularity. Some creators, like zielzebub, have notably shifted their content focus to budget meals after finding success with their affordable hacks. Now, it comprises the bulk of his account, with several videos exceeding a million views. It’s likely that more creators will follow suit.
The data supports this trend: TikTok reports that the hashtag #budgetmeals had 64.3K posts — a 20 percent increase — between March 16 and April 15.
Rough, 28, residing in the Chicagoland area, initially began sharing recession meal ideas after losing her job in January. She is currently juggling three jobs while filming her recipes after work, often late into the night. Rough hopes that one day her posts will generate enough income to ease her schedule, but the positive response from online followers motivates her to continue. “I have one follower, God bless her, whose mother is very old and she’s her caretaker,” Rough shared. “Somehow, I keep hitting the mark with the meals her mom wants to eat — it feels so gratifying.” This dynamic illustrates the rise in budget cooking: creators aim to post content that resonates. If budget meals are gaining traction, it’s no surprise that others will join in on the trend. It seems like yet another indicator of the current economic climate. However, many are simply sharing their knowledge and aiming to help others who are concerned about finances.
A creator like @DollarTreeDinners has been doing this successfully for quite some time, and now her ideas are inspiring action from others. She started crafting meals using shelf-stable ingredients stored in Ziploc bags, aiming to provide a simple meal option for pantries or to donate meals to local food banks. This initiative motivated creator @yourbarefootneighbor to raise funds to distribute hundreds of those meals.
Not to sound overly dramatic, but food really does center around community. Given the challenging times, sharing affordable and delicious ways for individuals to nourish themselves has the potential to alleviate significant stress. That’s part of why Rough ends her videos with a heartfelt message: “Please remember to eat, and also, I love you.” “The year I learned how to cook like this was undeniably — hands down — the worst year of my life,” Rough reflected. “And in a way, it’s like, ‘Oh, I had to go through that so I can help everyone now.’”
