The 26 best cooking classes in NYC

Located in SoHo, Home Cooking New York is a culinary training center that has been serving New Yorkers for over twenty years. They are a full test kitchen with courses covering basic cooking techniques and specific regional cuisines. If you are new to home cooking, consider a course like their Knife Skills class, which will teach you how to be comfortable chopping, dicing and slicing vegetables and meats, or their how to cook series, which teaches students practical and easy recipes for working with fish, vegetables or pork. If you are feeling more adventurous, they offer a wide variety of different regional cooking courses that will see students preparing their own full French, Thai, Vietnamese or Korean meals (among a lot of other options).

Atelier Sucré, located in East Harlem, is one of the premiere French cooking schools in NYC. With the help of professional instructors and access to a fully stocked test kitchen, you’ll be able to get guided, hands-on training in making a range of delicious treats (baking is something of a speciality at Atelier Sucré). If you are feeling adventurous, enroll in their flagship French Croissant course and learn how to make these flaky pastries that are a delicious complement to any meal. If you want a bit of hometown flavor, consider enrolling in their NYC bagel making course and learn the art of making the finest artisanal bagels in the world. They even offer courses like pizza and pasta workshops for students looking to learn how to make a complete meal.

Can you ever have too much cake? The answer is heck no. Even bad cake is good cake, so if you happen to flunk a bake, it's probably still edible, even if it looks like a crumbling pile of sponge, frosting, and choc. The NY Cake Academy has several courses available, from Valentine's cookie decorating to macaron baking, you'll be shown the proper skills and techniques to become a baking whizz. 

If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift that provides a memorable, interactive experience, a gift card for cooking classes in NYC is an ideal option. Gift cards minimize the stress of having to find a specific class for the food lover in your life by allowing them to choose the culinary adventure that best suits their taste. Participants can choose from specialized options like sushi and pasta making or opt for more outside-the-box classes like BYOB varieties and ones that teach cooking techniques. The interactive nature of cooking classes makes them perfect for date night, a group event, or stepping outside their comfort zone to meet new friends with similar interests.

Each year, Americans spent over 40 billion dollars on pizza, making it one of the most consumed foods in the country. The average American will eat about 46 slices of pizza a year (about 23 pounds of pizza), which is honestly kind of staggering. If you want to help contribute to this without having to order upwards of 60 pizzas a year, consider enrolling in a pizza making class. In these classes, you’ll learn just how versatile pizza actually is as a dish (upgrade from sausage and cheese to a Margarita or Chicken Alfredo pizza) and you’ll learn tips and tricks for ensuring that you can make restaurant-quality pizza in your home kitchen.

Sushi can be rather intimidating to make on your own. Not only has it acquired an air of class and refinement in the states, it also tends to involve working with raw fish, something first time chefs might not be comfortable with. However, sushi is an easy to prepare, versatile dish once you get used to making it and one of the best ways to do so is to enroll in a sushi making class. These courses provide students with hands-on training in the art of preparing sushi rice, rolling and cutting everything from simple salmon or tuna rolls to more complex multi-ingredient rolls and how to best source sushi-grade fish. There are also a lot of options for vegetarian or cooked fish preparation if that is more up your alley.

Roll up your sleeves and get ready to make your very own pasta dough alongside an expert from Murray's Cheese in NYC. This hands-on workshop walks participants through the process of making handmade pasta dough, letting it rest, and tasting different varieties of cheese to learn which ones will best elevate pasta dishes. Participants will also learn how to shape their pasta creations and some wine before taking their creations and newfound knowledge home to cook and enjoy. This workshop includes tastings of three different types of cheese and three pairings with all of the pasta-making ingredients and signature accompaniments provided to participants. This course is an ideal choice for food enthusiasts or anyone who’s interested in learning new cooking skills.

The croissant is one of the most delectable pastries you can make, but it is also one of the most challenging to make properly. It requires multiple rounds of cooling and proofing, and you must fold a lot of butter into these flaky, layered pastries. In this course, you’ll learn to make three different croissants: traditional croissants, pains au chocolat, and savory ham & cheese croissants. By the end of the course, you’ll be a more confident baker, have a new recipe you can prepare at home and leave with a handful of your own finely crafted flaky pastries.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Italian cuisine, this is the perfect place to start. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned cook, this fun and casual class will walk you through the basics of fresh, homemade pasta from scratch. With the help of an Italian Master Chef, your culinary journey will take you from Liguria, home of Genoa’s famous Basil pesto, to Emilia Romagna, known for the traditional Bolognese sauce. With all equipment and materials provided, this is a great class for those looking to learn authentic pasta-making techniques and enjoy a genuine taste of Italy without stepping foot on a plane. The best part? Sitting down and enjoying the food together at the end. Don’t forget to bring a friend!

Learn the basics of cake decorating in this introductory course that will have you creating stunning works of edible art using buttercream and tools like piping bags, spatulas and turntable. In this class, You’ll learn important techniques and design principles (including how to make shells, stars, zig-zag and rosettes), then you’ll put your new skills into action in a live cake decorating exercise, in which you will have the chance to design your own impressive cake. By the end of the course, you’ll have decorated your first cake (hopefully, first of many) and you’ll be ready to try your hand at more elaborate piping and design classes.

If you are not an experienced chef, learning to cook can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know where to begin. This introductory cooking course aims to help by covering a wide range of essential culinary skills that you can put to use in your home kitchen. You’ll learn to cut vegetables, prepare and debone poultry, make pan sauces to add tons of flavor to your meals and how to work with fish, shellfish, beef, eggs and pasta. Once you complete this six-week course, you’ll be ready to make meals that are bound to impress.

Located in Greenwich Village, Abigail’s Kitchen is a full restaurant test kitchen where students can come to learn everything from the basics of handling a knife to the art of cooking authentic Chinese dumplings. These classes are hands-on experiences that will give students the confidence that they need to replicate these recipes in their home kitchen. Abigail’s also tries to help students become more confident in sourcing and securing the right ingredients and spices for their dishes. They offer courses that focus on properly shopping for fish, spices and other ingredients in New York’s Chinatown or one of its many Indian markets. This training will help novice chefs find the highest quality ingredients and ensure they aren’t making cooking mistakes before they even enter the kitchen.

BiteUnite offers a unique opportunity to dive into hands-on culinary experiences that are as fun as they are educational. With a wide range of classes to choose from, this cooking community makes it easy to find the perfect experience for any skill level or interest. Some popular class highlights include Sushi making, Thai cooking, and hands-on pasta making. They also offer dessert classes and can teach you how to create delicious donuts or macarons from scratch, all while providing an inside look at authentic tips, tricks, and techniques. It’s the ideal way to get your hands messy, expand your culinary horizons, and connect with others who share a similar love for food. Don’t miss out on the chance to cook, learn, and have the time of your life.

This course is recommended for all pasta lovers. It’s the perfect place to learn essential handmade pasta techniques like kneading, rolling, and shaping, all while making mouthwatering dishes that can easily be recreated at home. The menu includes dishes like fettuccine and spinach ricotta ravioli paired with a delicious red sauce. Perfect for friends, dates, or family, this class is designed to be easy, relaxed, and full of flavor. Bring your favorite beverage and your appetite, and get ready to become a pasta aficionado!

Want to bring a fresh twist to some old classics? Consider enrolling in a handmade pasta class so you can ditch the hard boxed noodles for handmade ingredients the next time you want to prepare spaghetti, lasagna or even stuffed pastas like ravioli. Watch attentively as the instructor demonstrates the proper technique for making fresh pasta, then replicate the steps at your personal cooking station. You’ll learn how to prepare dough, hand shape noodles (or use a pasta cutter) and how to ensure that your noodles are perfectly cooked.

One of the first things you need to master when learning to cook is how to use your tools. Learning to use a knife can seem intimidating at first both because it has an aura of danger and because it is one of the least exciting parts of learning to cook. In classes like these, you’ll get hands-on experience working with an array of kitchen knives as you learn the basics of cutting, slicing, dicing, julienning and chopping vegetables, as well as deboning and fileting meat. By the end of the course, you’ll be a master of working with everything from large chefs’ knives to tiny paring knives.

CocuSocial aims to make learning to cook a social experience, and they offer a wide range of classes that aim to make cooking an enjoyable activity. These classes are all BYOB/BYOW, and they are a perfect group activity for corporate team-building, birthdays, bridal showers or just a fun night out that is capped off with a hand-cooked meal. Course offerings range from practical knife skills courses and foundational cooking courses (where you’ll learn essential skills for cooking veggies and proteins) to courses focusing on specific dishes and regional cuisines, such as their sushi-making or hand-made pasta workshops.

Believe it or not, making your own sushi actually isn’t that difficult. Procuring sushi-grade fish is probably the hardest part—and luckily, the instructors at Taste Buds Kitchen will take care of that for you. All that you have to do is layer the ingredients, roll ‘em up into tasty rolls and eat them, of course. You'll also be taught how to make your own dumplings. Mmmm.

Roni-Sue’s Chocolates offers a Make and Take Truffle workshop for anyone looking to make a batch of these bite-sized dessert treats. This course, taught by a master chocolatier, will see students moving step-by-step through the cooking process as they create a dozen truffles and a fine ganache. This course provides students with everything they need to start making truffles and teaches skills that are easy to replicate at home in a reasonable amount of time. Enroll in this course and you’ll become known for the delicious truffles that you can bring to any social gathering.

There is something really special about a well-made, perfectly balanced cocktail. Something less special about it is the price, which can often get pretty high in a place like NYC. You can skip the hassle of going to a bar and paying 20$ for an Espresso Martini by learning to mix your own drinks in this fun and accessible mixology course. You can impress your friend or mix yourself up a nightcap in style with the skill you’ll learn for an expert mixologist. You’ll learn to make three classic cocktails, each with a modern twist (a martini, a margarita and an Old Fashioned) and you’ll learn the science behind cocktail making, so you’ll leave prepared to start crafting your own artisan cocktails at home.

The French Macaron is widely considered to be among the more difficult desserts to get right, especially for novice bakers. Atelier Sucré understands this and offers a hands-on, step-by-step course for students looking to master the fine art of baking this delicate and delicious cookie. In this course, students will learn how to bake these cookies from scratch, including the filling, and they will be able to bake them under the supervision of a skilled instructor who can help make things a breeze for students. Plus, once the session ends, everyone will have their own plate of delicious gluten-free Macarons to celebrate a successful bake.

Murray’s Cheese is the premiere artisan cheesemonger in New York City, and they have been supplying locals with fine and rare cheese for over eight decades. In addition to selling cheeses from all over the world, they also have their own cheese-making facilities, and they offer a range of classes teaching students how to make their own cheeses at home. In their Mozzarella Making class, students will learn to stretch different kinds of mild mozzarella, all while sampling other pulled cheese curds. Students will also enjoy a pair of wines selected by Murray’s own sommelier to pair with the cheese curds and leave the event with their own stretchy mozzarella balls and the knowledge they need to start making fresh mozzarella at home.

One of the most difficult parts of any group meal is deciding what food will please anyone. Luckily, you can always fall back on pizza. In this virtual pizza-making event, available in-person or online, students will learn how to make their own Neapolitan-style pizza at home, including freshly made pizza dough and the perfect sauce and toppings. The course is taught by a professional chef who will guide everyone through making and baking a pizza, and participants will have all of the necessary ingredients supplied, making this an ideal course for online group events.

As sushi has become more popular stateside, there is a pervasive belief that sushi is basically impossible to make and that only a Jiro-level master can make an adequate California roll. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and in this virtual sushi workshop, participants will learn how easy it is to make sushi at home. An expert sushi chef will guide participants through properly making and seasoning their rice, layering ingredients in either a roll or a piece of nigiri and cutting the sushi in preparation for serving. Participants will be sent all of the ingredients they need to make the sushi base (including wine, rice, vinegar, seaweed and rolling tools) and an allotment for the fish and vegetables of their choosing (don’t worry if you aren’t interested in handling raw tuna).

Chocoholics can take their addictions to the next level with classes held at Valrhona’s Dumbo kitchen. Aside from learning how to actually make chocolate, students can also take courses in sweet studies like Seasonal Desserts and Bon Bons. And since each course is taught by a working pastry chef, you know you're getting top-notch instruction. 

Milk Bar cakes and cookies may be everywhere now, but they're still just as delicious. Milk Bar offers Build-A-Cookie and Build-A-Cake experiences so you can make the coveted treats yourself. 

Whether you want to know how to cook high-quality meats or learn how to prepare them like a professional butcher, these are the classes for you. Learn how to make and cook sausage and different cuts of steak and pork in one of these hands-on classes. They also offer classes where you’ll learn how to butcher these animals, ensuring that you get exactly the right cut of meat.

Learn the art of pasta making from talented chefs right in the heart of NYC. This hands-on workshop takes students through each step of the dough-making process, from kneading to rolling and shaping fresh pasta. This class is ideal for beginners and those who want to learn these essential pasta skills, as well as couples or solo participants looking for a fun and social experience where they can learn something new. The menu for this class includes a classic bruschetta with tomatoes and basil, Tagliatelle alla bolognese or pesto, and a brownie with ice cream. The standard menu includes gluten and egg, but vegetarian and vegan options are available. Book the Hands-On Pasta Making course for a truly memorable evening and the chance to learn cooking skills from trained chefs.

Unleash your inner chef with a hands-on pasta-making experience at EVÈNTO in NYC. These interactive classes are designed for anyone eager to master pasta-making techniques while enjoying a memorable evening in the heart of the city. Participants are guided through the art of creating fresh pasta, from kneading the dough to crafting shapes like gnocchi and tagliatelle. There are events like the Pasta Making Dance Party and Italian Sunday Pasta Dinner that blend culinary creativity with an upbeat atmosphere. Choosing a pasta making experience at EVÈNTO offers the chance to learn authentic techniques and pasta dishes from scratch.