What the New York Times Cooking subscription includes

The New York Times Cooking subscription gives you access to the full recipe archive on the New York Times website and app — roughly 20,000 recipes — plus features that help you plan meals and organize your cooking. You get an ad-free recipe experience, the ability to save recipes to personal collections, and access to video cooking lessons. The subscription is separate 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 service includes a weekly newsletter with recipe recommendations, seasonal cooking guides, and articles about food and technique. You can search recipes by ingredient, cuisine, dietary preference, and cooking time. The app lets you add ingredients from recipes directly to a shopping list, and you can scale recipe quantities up or down before you cook.

Key Takeaways

  • The New York Times Cooking subscription costs a monthly or annual rate and covers access to 20,000 recipes, video lessons, and an ad-free browsing experience.
  • You can purchase Cooking alone or bundle it with a New York Times news subscription at a discounted combined price.
  • The subscription works on the New York Times website and the dedicated Cooking app for iOS and Android.
  • You can save recipes to collections, scale ingredients, and build shopping lists directly from the app or website.
  • A free account lets you read a limited number of recipes per month before you hit a paywall.

How to start a subscription and what it costs

To start a New York Times Cooking subscription, go to nytimes.com/cooking or open the Cooking app and look for the subscription prompt. You will be asked to create or sign in to a New York Times account. The subscription requires a payment method — a credit or debit card — and you can choose to pay monthly or annually. Annual plans typically cost less per month than paying month-to-month.

New York Times also offers bundle deals that combine Cooking with a news subscription. The bundle price is lower than buying both separately. If you already have a news subscription, you can add Cooking to your existing account without creating a new one. You can manage your subscription, change your payment method, or cancel anytime through your account settings on the New York Times website.

What you can do with a free account before paying

Without a subscription, you can read a certain number of recipes per month on the New York Times website for free — the exact number varies. Once you reach that limit, you will see a message asking you to subscribe to read more. Free accounts can browse the recipe index and see recipe titles and photos, but you cannot access the full recipe text, video lessons, or save recipes to collections.

The free tier is designed to let you try the service and see whether the recipe collection matches what you cook. If you find yourself hitting the monthly limit regularly, a subscription removes that cap entirely.

How to use the app and website features

The New York Times Cooking app is available for iPhone and Android. The website works in any web browser. Both versions let you search by ingredient, cuisine type, dietary restriction, and cooking time. When you open a recipe, you can scale the ingredient quantities by adjusting the number of servings — the app recalculates all amounts automatically.

To save a recipe, tap or click the bookmark icon. You can organize saved recipes into custom collections — for example, "Weeknight Dinners" or "Desserts for Company." The app has a shopping list feature that pulls ingredients from recipes you select; you can check items off as you shop. Video lessons appear alongside relevant recipes and teach techniques like how to dice an onion or make a pan sauce.

Canceling your subscription

You can cancel your New York Times Cooking subscription anytime through your account settings on the New York Times website. Log in, go to your account page, find the Cooking subscription, and select the option to cancel. You will retain access to your saved recipes and collections through the end of your current billing period. After cancellation, you revert to the free tier with its monthly recipe limit.

If you have a bundle subscription that includes both Cooking and news, canceling Cooking removes only that portion; your news subscription continues. You can also pause your subscription for a set period if you want to step back temporarily without fully canceling.

Comparing Cooking to other recipe services

Other recipe websites and apps — like Serious Eats, Bon Appétit, AllRecipes, and Yummly — offer free recipe content with ads or freemium models. Some charge for premium features like ad-free browsing or advanced search. The New York Times Cooking subscription is a paid service from the start, with no free premium tier; the free version is limited by recipe count per month.

The main difference is the source and editorial approach. New York Times recipes are tested and written by the publication's food staff and contributors. If you already read the New York Times for news and want recipes from the same source, the subscription bundles both. If you prefer free recipe content or want to sample multiple sources, free services may suit you better.

Troubleshooting common issues

If you are having trouble signing in, make sure you are using the correct email address and password for your New York Times account. If you forgot your password, use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page to reset it. If you subscribed but still see the paywall, sign out completely and sign back in — sometimes the app or browser needs to refresh your subscription status.

If you are not seeing video lessons or certain features, check that your app is up to date. Open your device's app store, search for "New York Times Cooking," and install any available updates. If you have a technical problem that does not resolve after updating and signing out and back in, you can contact New York Times customer service through your account settings or the help section of the website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my subscription with family members?

New York Times subscriptions are tied to a single account. Family members would each need their own subscription. New York Times does offer a family plan for news subscriptions that covers multiple people, but check the current offerings on the New York Times website to see if a family Cooking plan is available.

Do I need a New York Times news subscription to use Cooking?

No. Cooking is a separate subscription. You can buy Cooking alone without a news subscription. However, if you already have a news subscription or want both, bundling them together costs less than buying each separately.

What happens to my saved recipes if I cancel?

Your saved recipes and collections remain in your account through the end of your billing period. After cancellation, you lose access to them once your subscription ends. If you resubscribe later, your saved recipes may or may not be restored depending on how long you have been canceled; contact New York Times support to ask about your specific account.

Can I use the Cooking subscription on multiple devices?

Yes. You can log into your New York Times account on the website and the app on different devices — phone, tablet, computer — and your subscription works on all of them. Your saved recipes and collections sync across devices when you are signed into the same account.

Is there a student or discount rate for Cooking?

New York Times periodically offers promotional rates for new subscribers. Check nytimes.com/cooking for current offers. Student discounts are sometimes available for news subscriptions; check whether they extend to Cooking or a bundle on the New York Times website.