Hearty and heart-warming, our beef and potato Massaman curry is the most popular winter recipe this time around. Of course, perennial favourites ham hock soup and our classic pea and ham soup closely follow. All three dishes are deeply comforting and warm you from the inside out, making them the best winter recipes for Gourmet Traveller readers and home cooks.
Winter means plenty of inside hibernation and, with it, time – luxurious time! – to spend in the kitchen. That likely explains why our how-to guides on making Bourke Street Bakery’s famed meat pie from scratch and golden, crackly porchetta also feature in our most popular winter recipes hitlist.
Soups, stews and curries – be it lightning-fast wonton soup, beef Bourguignon or chicken noodle soup – also made the list. Of course, puddings are also popular this time of year, including our lemon delicious pudding and our best-ever bread and butter pudding recipe.Â
Here are our best winter recipes to cook in 2025, in order of popularity.Â
Beef and potato Massaman curry
Have a few hours up your sleeve? There are worse ways to spend them than cooking a big pot of this curry.
Ham hock soup
The comfort bowl you need when the temperature starts to dip.
Pea and ham soup recipe
The appeal of this classic soup recipe with humble origins is nothing new – and with these robust flavours, it’s little wonder.
Eggplant parmigiana
There’s a little labour involved in frying the eggplant slices before layering them, but the result is worth it.
Gerard Yaxley’s Persian love cake
With a kiss of nutmeg.
Fragrant chicken noodle soup with ginger and turmeric
Turmeric, ginger, chilli and broth — this chicken noodle soup is just what the doctor ordered.
Boeuf Bourguignon
The recipe for the traditional braise of Burgundy may have changed slightly, but one ingredient remains non-negotiable: a bottle of the region’s red wine.
Our best bread and butter pudding recipe
Just what you need on a cold winter’s night, a bowl of luscious bread and butter pudding. Make sure to leave room for seconds.
Flour and Stone’s lemon dream cake
Recipe for lemon dream cake by Nadine Ingram from Sydney bakery Flour & Stone.
French onion soup
French onion soup is a bistro classic for good reason. For this recipe, we’ve given an already rich soup some extra luxe touches, because you may as well go all in on decadence.
Ricotta-polenta cake with lemon-rosemary syrup
Enjoy a slice of this fragrant, versatile cake at any time of day. And you can make the whole thing in just over an hour.
Black Star Pastry’s strawberry and watermelon cake
The iconic cake from Black Star Pastry with layers of dacquoise, watermelon and rose-scented cream.
Dan Hong’s crisp eggplant with fish-fragrant sauce
Fish-fragrant sauce doesn’t actually have any fish in it, but its sweet, sour and spicy elements are traditionally used to cook Sichuan fish dishes and give this dish its name.
Ultimate mac and cheese
This is comfort food at its best.
Cheat’s wonton soup
This wonton soup is an express version of the recipe that cuts time, not flavour.
Bourke Street Bakery’s guide to making the perfect meat pie
From the filling to the pastry, the founders of the Australian and New York bakery powerhouse show how to make the classic pie, step by step.
Mandarin and ginger syrup cake
It’s the whole boiled mandarins that make this a go-to cake for the winter season.
Easy duck and sausage cassoulet
This classic French stew typically takes hours of simmering to do right. But we’ll make an exception for this recipe.
How to make porchetta
Including how to score the perfect crackling.
Greek lamb meatballs with orzo, tomato-garlic sauce and fried oregano
A quick and easy lamb meatballs recipe primed for weeknight dinners.
Pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter
A combination that’s a classic for good reason.
Flourless chocolate cake with hazelnut and buttermilk
Every great baker needs a great flourless chocolate cake recipe. Here’s the one we swear by.
How to make beef rendang
When it comes to making the ever-popular rendang, patience is indeed a virtue. Persevere and you’ll be richly rewarded with a dish of delicious complexity.
Torta Caprese
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for torta Caprese.
Shepherd’s pie
Arguably one of the most comforting foods around, this simple but satisfying sheperd’s pie is a winner any day of the week.
Now check out our best quick and easy winter recipes for midweek cooking.
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