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Published August 1st 2024
Food lovers are always looking for inspiration, and one way to do that is to follow influencers and content creators.
Influencers can have a big impact on their followers' purchasing decisions, and brands that work with them can build stronger relationships with new and existing audiences.
Using Brandwatch Influence, we searched for the top food influencers on Instagram and YouTube. We looked for accounts with at least 100k followers and mentions of "food," "recipes," "cook," or "chef" in their bio or account name.
You can jump directly to the influencer lists here:
Let's dive in and take a look at the most influential food influencers and why they are so successful.
Instagram is one of the largest social networks, and influencers turn to the platform to connect with their audiences with high-quality and entertaining photos and videos.
Here are the top 10 food influencers on Instagram, ranked by average engagement:
| Rank | Influencer | Avg. Engagements | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Song | 802k | 2.6m |
| 2 | ChefKoudy | 337k | 775k |
| 3 | Anatolii Dobrovolskyi | 335k | 2.7m |
| 4 | Abir El Saghir | 318k | 8.6m |
| 5 | Betul Tunc | 315k | 10.5m |
| 6 | Lucie | Butterhand | 286k | 727k |
| 7 | Bread by Elise | 275k | 1m |
| 8 | Cooking with Marshmello | 249k | 2.7m |
| 9 | Olivia Tiedemann | 192k | 4.4m |
| 10 | Alfie Steiner | 177k | 4.1m |
Alfie Steiner is a food content creator from the UK. His Instagram account is all about plant-based food. From turning traditional dishes into vegan versions, like gazpacho or garlic butter, to implementing trending foods like lion's mane or gochujang, his account inspires his followers to enrich their plant-based diets.
Next up is Olivia Tiedemann, a private chef based in New York and the Hamptons. In her videos, she combines her culinary skills with her dry sense of humor. She shares her expertise with her followers in her videos, which feature sophisticated dishes like lobster ravioli and king crab bisque.
DJ Marshmello is best known for his music, but he also loves food, and his Instagram account, Cooking with Marshmello, shares his latest culinary creations. From plantain chips to marshmallow cake and chicken shawarma, he cooks it all, and with his songs playing in the background, his cooking videos are a clever way to promote his music.
Bread by Elise is a baker and recipe developer, and that's what she does on her Instagram account. She shares her latest baking creations like saffron sugar rolls or blueberry bagels. No wonder her creative creations get a lot of engagement.
Lucie is a home cook and content creator. She specializes in sharing comfort food recipes, from garlic bread and tomato soup to potato croquettes, and her easy-to-follow videos have been viewed millions of times.
Betul Tunc is a baker and food photographer from Turkey whose account celebrates the world of baking. From traditional Turkish recipes to international cuisines, her visually stunning videos inspire viewers to make food from scratch.
Abir El Saghir is a Lebanese content creator known for her cooking videos featuring Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine. Her high-quality videos show her in the kitchen, accompanied by appealing music and AMSR sounds. Her account is a celebration of tradition, and her sense of humor makes her relatable to the audience.
Anatolii Dobrovolskyi is a professional chef from Ukraine, and on his account, he shares funny videos of himself testing viral food hacks. From time-saving peeling techniques to recreating viral recipes, he tries them all, and his reels get millions of likes.
ChefKoudy is the second most popular Instagram food influencer. He's a Czech-American who shares not only recipes on his account, but also funny videos about relatable food situations. Whether it's eating food in a certain order or trying to eat candy in the car without the children knowing, his entertaining videos have been viewed millions of times.
On Instagram, Kenny Song is at the top. Kenny is a home cook from Toronto who uses Instagram to share his love of cooking and making videos. His account is full of videos of him cooking mostly Asian dishes that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and ear. His ASMR cooking videos get an average of over 800k likes.
Here are the top 10 food influencers on Instagram, ranked by average engagement:
| Rank | Influencer | Avg. Engagements | Subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooking with Marshmello | 574k | 2.8m |
| 2 | Iron Chef Dad | 432k | 3.3m |
| 3 | Ryancantcook | 400k | 2m |
| 4 | Great Indian ASMR | 365k | 13.1m |
| 5 | Mari ZD | 351k | 1.7m |
| 6 | That Little Puff | 326k | 32.6m |
| 7 | Kenny Song | 302k | 1.5m |
| 8 | Rootedinspice | 292k | 840k |
| 9 | Little Remy Food | 260k | 1.1m |
| 10 | Gaezari | 235k | 2.3m |
Kicking off the top 10 YouTube influencers list with some Korean goodness, Gaezari's channel is all about Korean food. In his videos, he shows what he eats for lunch at the office or getting lunch boxes from traditional Korean markets.
Little Remy Food is a content creator and home cook from the US. On her account, she likes to experiment with the latest food trends like tanghulu or chocolate bark. Covering mostly sweet dishes, it's clear that Little Remy Food has a sweet tooth.
Chaheti, behind the Rootedinspice account, started her channel in 2021 when she wanted a change from her everyday life. On her account, she shares fusion cuisine, family recipes, and insights into desi food and culture.
Next up is Kenny Song. Not only is he number one in the Instagram food influencer rankings, but he's also made it into the top 10 YouTube influencers. His content strategy is the same as on Instagram, with high-quality videos of him cooking mostly Asian dishes.
That Little Puff is a special entry on this list. This meow chef takes cooking seriously like a human. Starting the account in 2020 during the pandemic, the channel is full of Puff cooking and testing life hacks. He may not eat the food, but his dishes are purrfect.
Mari ZD is next on the list, and her account is all about sweet food. In her ASMR and mukbang videos, she eats all kinds of sweets, from gummy bears to pink candy and giant chocolate creations in the shape of savory foods.
Great Indian ASMR comes in at number four, and as the name suggests, this account is all about Indian food and ASMR. They share traditional Indian dishes, creative food creations, and their occasional excursions into international cuisines.
Next up is Ryancantcook. Despite his name, Ryan is not without talent in the kitchen. He's a chef who enjoys experimenting with spicy ingredients and doing food challenges, which often involve spicy foods. He also enjoys collaborating with other content creators to make entertaining content.
Second on the list of top YouTube influencers is Iron Chef Dad. On the account, Susur Lee, a Canadian celebrity chef, shares his recipes, cooking hacks, and fast-food tastings. In all his professionalism, he doesn't forget humor, and one of the videos with the most engagement is an April Fools video on how to cook with ice.
If this name sounds familiar, it's not the first time DJ Marshmello has been mentioned on this blog. Already listed in the top 10 list of Instagram food influencers, he has managed to climb to the top of the YouTube food influencers list. On his Cooking with Marshmello channel, he cooks all kinds of meals while wearing his iconic Marshmello helmet.
And there you have it. The most influential food influencers on Instagram and YouTube. With influencer marketing tools like Brandwatch Influence, brands can easily discover influencers and content creators that align with their brand values and manage their influencer relationships in one place.
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