The best cooking classes in Brooklyn: pasta, pizza, baking, and more

Kings County Distillery offers a beginner-friendly whiskey-tasting experience for those wanting to learn more about this rich and complex spirit. As you taste a wide range of different whiskeys, you'll also learn about the history of whiskey and how it's produced, barrel-aged, and blended, including what makes different kinds of whiskeys unique (what is the difference between a rye and a bourbon). This course is designed to teach anyone how to determine and evaluate the different flavors within each whiskey and how to judge the quality of whiskey. Students will enjoy half-ounce pours of straight bourbon, peated bourbon, bottled in bond bourbon, chocolate whiskey, and a seasonal infusion.

Anyone looking for an introductory course in brewing their own beer at home should consider this class at Bitter & Esters. This class is designed to provide as much hands-on experience as possible, so students will go through the entire process of brewing a five-gallon batch of beer. They'll also get to taste some of the individual ingredients and style the beer to their own tastes (so fans of dark beers won’t be left with an IPA). Since beer takes two weeks to brew, students won't be able to take home their creations immediately, but they can come pick up their beer later, even going so far as to bottle it themselves.

Combine spirits and ice cream in this boozy dessert making class offered by the Instagram-famous ice cream shop, Tipsy Scoop Brooklyn. In this class, you’ll learn how to blend alcoholic spirits with ice cream in order to create unique, flavorful treats that are perfect for a hot summer afternoon or an evening spent relaxing with friends. You’ll get hands-on experience creating these amazingly beautiful and delicious ice cream treats and you’ll learn about the process of infusing ice cream. In addition to their famous flavors, you’ll have the opportunity to sample their current rotation and purchase your own seasonal ice cream cocktails.

Learn how to transform a delectable dessert into a work of art (that remains a delectable dessert) in any of the cake decorating classes offered at the New York Cake Academy. Under the guidance of experienced instructors who have years of cake decorating experience, you can learn the fine art of using buttercream and fondant to create stunning displays. Whether you want to enroll in a single course or one of the academy’s many certificate-granting multi-course programs, you are sure to find a class that helps you channel your inner cake boss.

Join Italian Master Chef, Gianluca, for an evening cooking class that aims to help students learn a complex Italian classic. In this pasta-making class, students will learn about the history behind pesto alla Genovese, which is the vibrant and herby green sauce known around the world simply as pesto. Chef Gianluca will teach participants the original way to make pesto, with a traditional mortar and pestle. In addition, participants will make fresh tagliatelle pasta while learning about other types of pasta sauce, ingredients, and techniques. Anyone is welcome to join this class, as no experience is required. Just bring an appetite, a beer or wine to sip on, and a willingness to learn!

Another one of the many well-established NYC culinary schools, Home Cooking New York offers residents and visitors a wide range of different home cooking classes aimed at helping new and experienced chefs expand their repertoire and become more comfortable in their home kitchens. Classes cover everything from the basic skills every home cook should know to more specialized recipes, including speciality diets and regional cuisines. Whether you are looking to start your journey as a home chef, learn how to save money cooking at home a few nights a week or learn how to make your favorites for yourself and guests, consider one of the many options available at Home Cooking New York.

If you're looking for a unique date night experience, this pizza party class could be the perfect fit for you and your partner. You'll start by learning about the history and origins of traditional pizza and how some of today's most popular variations came into existence, as well as how pizza became such a staple of American cuisine. Then, you'll enter the kitchen and learn the secrets to kneading and rolling the perfect pizza crust. While the class focuses on Neapolitan pizza making traditions, students will have the chance to let their inner chef shine by adding whatever toppings they prefer.

Located just across the river in the Lower East Side, Abigail’s Kitchen offers a slew of home cooking classes that offer hands-on training and support for new and experienced chef’s alike. Whether you are looking to learn basic cooking skills like knife-handling, simple recipes for things like homemade sushi, pasta and pizza, or elaborate meals like a Tuscan or Thai dinner, Abigail’s Kitchen is certain to have a class that suits your needs. Abigail’s Kitchen is a full service, working restaurant, so you’ll be learning your cooking skills with the guidance of professionals and you’ll be doing your cooking in a full-stocked commercial kitchen space.

Learn how to cap off your meals by taking a dessert course at Atelier Sucré, one of NYC’s most well-regarded baking academies. Here, you can learn to make simple desserts like tarts, cakes and cookies or enroll in a more immersive and challenging croissant or creme brulee course. All of these classes are hands-on experiences taught by experienced bakers and students are certain to leave the course more confident in their baking abilities than when they entered. You can replicate all of these recipes at home and you’ll leave the class with your own creation ready to share and eat.

At CocuSocial Cooking Classes, participants learn the art of mixology through a discussion on six different cocktails in their Shaken Up: Mixology Basics class. Specifically, students will craft two of these tasty concoctions to test out their bartending skills and add a personal flair. The instructor will pair students up into groups of two to four people, making the class more interactive and fun. Then, they will guide participants through various aspects of bartending and cocktail-making, such as stocking your bar with appropriate liquors, picking the right glassware, adding decorative garnishes, and improvising when ingredients are sparse. Students will leave with fun new skills to make their next party memorable and enjoyable!

This group cooking class focuses on simple, crowd-pleasing recipes that will surely impress the guests at your next dinner party. Hosted in a home kitchen with a professional chef, this intimate experience covers a wide range of recipes. For the main course, you'll cook red snapper with avocado salsa and roast chicken with herbs. You'll also learn professional techniques for making a savory pan sauce with chicken drippings, which provides a natural, rich flavor. You'll also whip up a rice pilaf and roasted butternut squash to accompany your main dishes. And be sure to save room for dessert because this class closes with a recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Indulge your love of bold flavors with an exclusive group cooking class, perfect for friends, family, or colleagues seeking a hands-on cooking experience. In this Thai cooking class, you and your group will learn how to cook with complex ingredients like lemongrass, lime leaves, and galangal as you prepare a menu featuring tom kha goong, chicken satay, chicken green curry, coconut rice, and pad Thai. You'll enjoy unlimited beer, wine, and soft drinks, with the option to upgrade to a full bar. The event begins with drinks, followed by a detailed menu discussion, prep at individual butcher block tables, and cooking in the kitchen, and culminates in a communal feast around a shared table.

In this group experience, participants will learn popular and flavorful hors d’oeuvre and cocktail recipes that are bound to impress the guests at your next party, holiday get-together, or special occasion. Your host will walk each participant through the cocktail making process using homemade syrups in delicious flavors such as ginger, lemongrass-lime, and black cherry. This is an intimate experience for a small number of participants, which can elevate the group experience. Then, participants will make crowd-pleasing hor d'oeuvres, including a prosciutto and olive tapenade, spinach and feta phyllo triangles, and fresh mozzarella crostinis, to name a few. To end the experience, your group will enjoy making a dark chocolate mousse with whipped cream and sea salt.

Learn more about the timeless delight of French pastries during this three-hour session, where participants will master the art of crafting buttery croissants before learning two additional variations — a sweet pain au chocolat and a savory ham and cheese version. The class begins with a welcome from the host, followed by a quick icebreaker to get to know the other participants. Next, you'll review the event schedule while enjoying complimentary snacks and soft drinks. Students will then be divided into teams to observe expert demonstrations before rolling up their sleeves for a hands-on baking session. The event concludes with the reward of enjoying freshly baked croissants straight out of the oven.

If you and your friends or colleagues want to recreate a steakhouse experience at home, this event is worth checking out. Enjoy unlimited beer, wine, and soft drinks (or upgrade to a full bar with an additional charge) as you prepare an entire steak dinner, complete with a salad, a side, and desserts. The menu begins with a wedge salad, a classic pairing when indulging in a steak dinner. You'll then learn how to make a smoky macaroni and cheese side to accompany the star of the show— steak au poivre, a classic French preparation with a creamy and spicy peppercorn sauce. To close the meal, you'll create a decadent molten chocolate cake with ice cream on the side. You'll cap off the experience by eating your meal together.

Attending a professional cooking class offers numerous advantages over attempting to learn these skills independently. A professional class provides a structured learning environment led by experienced instructors with years of training. These instructors offer valuable guidance and feedback that can significantly accelerate the learning process and help students avoid common pitfalls. Professional classes also provide students with plenty of hands-on practice, which reinforces understanding and helps to build confidence in a supportive environment.

These events also typically provide access to specialized equipment, ingredients, and resources that may not be available to individuals learning on their own. The collaborative environment often found in these classes creates a sense of community among students, enabling them to share ideas and exchange experiences. Ultimately, enrolling in a professional cooking or baking class equips individuals with essential culinary skills while also fostering a deeper appreciation for the delicate crafts of cooking and baking.

With the tremendous variety of cooking classes available in Brooklyn, it may be difficult to decide which one you want to take. You can narrow your search by the things that interest you most. If you're just starting out as a home cook, a more basic class like Knife Skills or Pizza at Home might be a good place to start. If you're a more experienced cook wanting to expand your skills and try new ingredients, a class about sushi or Bangladeshi cuisine could be the perfect fit. 

You can also select a class based on what you want to do with your new skills. Maybe you just want to learn the basics of one recipe, so you can attend a class that focuses on the step-by-step process of creating a single dish. Or, if you're hoping to learn several recipes to host a party or bulk up your family's recipe book, a class that teaches multiple recipes at once would be a great option.