What You Get With a New York Times Cooking Subscription
The New York Times Cooking subscription gives you access to the full archive of recipes published by the Times, plus features like personalized recipe collections, shopping lists, and meal planning tools. You can search by ingredient, cuisine, dietary preference, or cooking time. The subscription also removes ads from the Cooking section of the Times website.
This is a separate subscription from a New York Times news subscription — you can buy Cooking alone, or bundle it with a news subscription at a lower combined price. The Cooking subscription works on web browsers and through the New York Times app on phones and tablets.
The Times publishes new recipes several times per week, and all of them become part of your searchable archive once you subscribe. You can save recipes to collections, email them to others, and adjust serving sizes on the page itself.
Key Takeaways
- A New York Times Cooking subscription costs a set monthly or annual rate and gives you access to all published Times recipes without ads.
- You can save recipes to personal collections, generate shopping lists from multiple recipes at once, and scale ingredient amounts up or down.
- The subscription works on the Times website and mobile app, and you log in with your New York Times account.
- You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings — there is no lock-in period.
How to Start a Cooking Subscription
Go to nytimes.com/cooking and look for the subscription offer, usually displayed near the top of the page. Click through to the pricing page, where you will see options for monthly or annual billing. Enter your email address and create a password, or sign in if you already have a New York Times account.
You will then enter payment information — the Times accepts major credit cards, and if you already subscribe to the Times news edition, you can use the same payment method on file. After you complete the purchase, you are subscribed when ready and can start searching and saving recipes right away.
If you already have a New York Times account for news or other services, you do not need to create a new one — just sign in with your existing credentials and add the Cooking subscription to your account.
Pricing and Billing Options
The New York Times Cooking subscription has a monthly rate and an annual rate. The annual option costs less per month if you pay upfront for the full year. Pricing can vary based on promotions the Times is running, so the rate you see when you sign up may differ from what new subscribers see later.
If you already subscribe to the New York Times news edition, you can add Cooking to your existing subscription at a discounted rate rather than paying full price for both separately. You manage both subscriptions through the same account.
The Times bills your payment method on the same day each month (for monthly plans) or each year (for annual plans). You can view your billing history and upcoming charges in your account settings at any time.
Features You Can Use Right Away
Once you are subscribed, you can search the entire Times recipe archive by keyword, ingredient, cuisine type, dietary restriction, or cooking time. The search results show prep time, cook time, and difficulty level for each recipe. You can filter results to show only recipes that are, for example, vegetarian, gluten-free, or ready in under 30 minutes.
The "Save" button on each recipe adds it to your personal collections — you can create collections by meal type, occasion, or any category you choose. When you save multiple recipes, you can generate a single shopping list that combines all the ingredients, with quantities adjusted for the number of servings you need.
The recipe pages themselves let you scale ingredient amounts up or down by changing the serving size. You can also email recipes to friends or family, and leave personal notes on recipes you have made.
Pausing or Canceling Your Subscription
You can pause your Cooking subscription for up to three months without canceling it entirely. This means you keep your saved recipes and collections, but you stop being charged, and you lose access to the full archive until you resume. To pause, go to your account settings, find the Cooking subscription, and select the pause option.
If you want to cancel instead of pause, you can do that through the same account settings page. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — if you are on a monthly plan and cancel on the 15th of the month, you keep access through the end of that month. You can resubscribe at any time, and your saved recipes will still be there if you sign back in with the same account.
The Times does not charge a cancellation fee, and you do not need to contact customer service to pause or cancel — it is all self-service through your online account.
Accessing Recipes on Different Devices
Your Cooking subscription works on any web browser at nytimes.com/cooking, and also through the New York Times app on iPhone, iPad, and Android phones. Your saved recipes and collections sync across all devices — if you save a recipe on your phone, it appears in your collections on your computer, and vice versa.
You log in with the same New York Times account on every device. If you are already signed into the Times news app or website, you do not need to sign in again for Cooking — your subscription carries over.
The mobile app lets you search recipes, view step-by-step instructions with photos, and check off ingredients as you shop. Some users find the app version easier to use in the kitchen because the screen stays on and the text is larger.
What Happens If Your Subscription Ends
If your subscription expires or you cancel, you lose access to the full recipe archive and the ad-free experience. You can still view some Times recipes for free on the public web, but the number is limited and you cannot access the full searchable database or use the save and collection features.
Any recipes you saved while subscribed remain in your account — if you resubscribe later, they will still be there. Your collections and notes do not disappear; they just become inaccessible until you renew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my Cooking subscription with family members?
The subscription is tied to your individual New York Times account. If you want multiple people in your household to have access, each person would need their own subscription. However, you can email individual recipes to family members, and they can view those recipes even without a subscription.
Do I need a news subscription to get Cooking?
No — Cooking is a separate subscription that you can buy on its own. If you already have a news subscription, you can add Cooking at a lower combined rate, but neither one requires the other.
Can I read recipes to read offline?
The web and app versions do not have a built-in read feature, but you can take screenshots, email recipes to yourself, or print them directly from your browser. Some users copy and paste recipes into a notes app or document for offline storage.
What if I forget my New York Times password?
Go to nytimes.com and click "Sign In," then select "Forgot your password?" You will receive an email with a link to reset it. Use that link to create a new password, then sign in to access your Cooking subscription.
Are there recipes I cannot access even with a subscription?
The subscription gives you access to all recipes published in the Times Cooking section. Some recipes from the Times Magazine or other sections of the newspaper may not appear in the Cooking archive, but the vast majority of Times recipes are included.