A big part of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s allure comes down to the game’s focus on survival elements. Hunting and fishing both play into this mechanic, and all members of the Van der Linde gang will be at their best when the whole crew is kept well-fed. That means Arthur can and should be tracking down food whenever possible. Of course, sometimes Arthur himself could use a hot meal, which is where all of the Red Dead Redemption 2 cooking recipes come into play. Keep reading to learn about each of the game’s available recipes and what it takes to get to grubbing.
How to Start Cooking in Red Dead Redemption 2
Arthur doesn’t start his outlaw career as a master chef. Instead, he has to learn the tools of the trade. In Red Dead Redemption 2, cooking primarily involves the campfire, itself available after setting up camp. Once the fire is roaring away, select the Cook option to bring up a menu of ingredients available for cooking. Select it, apply heat until the food is done, then consume it immediately or save it for another time.
Later in the game, Arthur gains the ability to augment his food by cooking with spices. However, this requires the use of a grill. Fortunately, around the game’s Chapter 2 Mission titled Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego, the campfire will be upgraded with a grill. It can only be used when camping with a horse donned with the player’s main saddle, but chances are good that will be the case most of the time.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Cooking Recipes
Below is the full list of Red Dead Redemption 2 cooking recipes. Most recipes call for a specific type of meat that will be available from a variety of different types of animals. It doesn’t matter which type of animal meat is used, so long as the ingredient itself falls into the same category. In addition, some dishes—not all—can be cooked with spices. Generally speaking, Mint is used to increase the Stamina restoration of a dish, while Oregano and Thyme are used to increase its Health restoration.
The Red Dead Redemption 2 cooking recipes listed below are sorted alphabetically by the game’s standard recipe names. Adding spices will change the overall recipe’s name as well as its restorative properties. Those changes in recipe names will be reflected within each base recipe listing.
Gritty Fish
- Ingredients: Gritty Fish Meat
- Acquired From: Blue Gill, Bullhead Catfish, Channel Catfish, and Longnose Gar
- Effect: Slightly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: None.
Plain Big Game
- Ingredient: Big Game Meat
- Acquired From: Alligator, Bear, Cougar, Panther, and Wolf
- Effect: Fully restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Big Game, Oregano Big Game, Thyme Big Game
Plain Crustacean
- Ingredient: Crustacean Meat
- Acquired From: Crab
- Effect: Moderately restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Crustacean, Oregano Crustacean, Thyme Crustacean
Plain Exotic Bird
- Ingredient: Exotic Bird Meat
- Acquired From: Parakeet, Parrot, and Pelican
- Effect: Greatly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Exotic Bird, Oregano Exotic Bird, Thyme Exotic Bird
Plain Flaky Fish
- Ingredient: Flaky Fish Meat
- Acquired From: Chain Pickerel, Lake Sturgeon, Largemouth Bass, Muskie, Northern Pike, Perch, Redfin Pickerel, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass
- Effect: Moderately restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Flaky Fish, Oregano Flaky Fish, Thyme Flaky Fish
Plain Game Bird
- Ingredient: Gamey Bird Meat
- Acquired From: Booby, Condor, Cormorant, Crane, Crow, Gull, Eagle, Egret, Hawk, Heron, Loon, Oriole, Owl, Pigeon, Quail, Raven, Robin, Songbird, Sparrow, Spoonbill, Vulture, and Woodpecker
- Effect: Slightly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: None.
Plain Herptile
- Ingredient: Herptile Meat
- Acquired From: Frog, Gila Monster, Iguana, Toad, and Turtle
- Effect: Slightly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: None.
Plain Mutton
- Ingredient: Gristly Mutton
- Acquired From: Goat, Ram, and Sheep
- Effect: Moderately restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Mutton, Oregano Mutton, Thyme Mutton
Plain Plump Bird
- Ingredients: Plump Bird Meat
- Acquired From: Chicken, Goose, Rooster, and Turkey
- Effects: Moderately restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Plump Bird, Oregano Plump Bird, Thyme Plump Bird
Plain Pork
- Ingredients: Tender Pork Loin
- Acquired From: Boar, Peccary, Pig
- Effects: Greatly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Pork, Oregano Pork, Thyme Pork
Plain Prime Beef
- Ingredients: Prime Beef Joint
- Acquired From: Bison, Bull, Cow, and Ox
- Effects: Greatly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Prime Beef, Oregano Prime Beef, Thyme Prime Beef
Plain Stringy Meat
- Ingredients: Stringy Meat
- Acquired From: Armadillo, Badger, Bat, Beaver, Chipmunk, Coyote, Fox, Muskrat, Opossum, Raccoon, Rat, Skunk, Snake, and Squirrel
- Effects: Slightly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: None.
Plain Succulent Fish
- Ingredients: Succulent Fish Meat
- Acquired From: Herring, Sockeye Salmon, and Steelhead Trout
- Effects: Greatly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Succulent Fish, Oregano Succulent Fish, Thyme Succulent Fish
Plain Venison
- Ingredients: Mature Venison Meat
- Acquired From: Buck Deer, Elk, Moose, and Pronghorn
- Effects: Greatly restores cores for all attributes.
- Spiced Variations: Minty Venison, Oregano Venison, Thyme Venison
These are all of the Red Dead Redemption 2 cooking recipes. Assuming they get out to hunt or fish on occasion, players shouldn’t have too much trouble keeping Arthur as well as the rest of the Van der Linde Gang fed. It’s worth looking out for spices when exploring or foraging too, as the added boost to health or stamina restoration when used in cooking recipes can always come in handy during particularly long missions or drawn-out firefights.
