The 7 Top Recipe Trends Our Readers Loved This Year

We had some hungry readers in 2022. Obviously hungry for delicious meals, but here at Clean Plates our readers had a particular hunger for all things healthy, fresh, and convenient. Between easy weeknight meals to using the freshest seasonal produce—as well as a few go-to healthy pantry staples—the Clean Plates community wanted the very best for their plates this year. So based on our internal data, here are the top recipe trends our readers couldn’t get enough of in 2022.

Related: Sign up to receive delicious recipes, expert advice, and shopping tips in your inbox!

1. Sheet pan dinners

Courtesy of Minimalist Baker

There’s nothing quite as simple and satisfying as a sheet pan dinner on a weeknight. Our readers were obsessed with these 13 Healthy & Easy Fall Sheet Pan Dinners, full of seasonal cravings and deliciously healthy meals that will leave you feeling satisfied at the end of your day!

2. Seasonal recipes

Courtesy of Spend With Pennies

Along with the appeal of sheet pan meals, it seems our readers also loved the idea of cooking seasonal produce. Our readers enjoy keeping things fresh and enjoying all the season has to offer, like with these 8 Healthy Fall Dinner Ideas That Are Ridiculously Cheap.

3. Recipes with canned sardines

Shutterstock

Canned sardines certainly had a moment over on TikTok and social media this year — known popularly as “hot girl food” — and it seems our readers also enjoyed the recent obsession. Not only are sardines incredibly healthy for you, but they also make for easy meals when you need something in a pinch, like with these 9 Incredibly Delicious Ways to Eat Canned Sardines.

4. Overnight oat recipes

Mix it in the evening and have a healthy breakfast waiting for you in the morning—what’s not to love? Overnight oats are delicious as well as versatile, and these Overnight Oats Recipes That Go Way Beyond Cinnamon and Honey were certainly a hit with our readers as one of the top recipe trends in 2022.

5. Recipes with a bag of spinach

Image credit: Cotter Crunch

Don’t let that bag of spinach go to waste in the back of your fridge! You can use up the entire thing with these 8 Healthy Spinach Recipes That Use Up the Whole Bag, a hit with our readers this year. It seems our readers love to find ways to use up their pantry staples and refuse to let all of those staples go to waste.

6. Recipes with chicken thighs

We know that boneless, skinless chicken breast tends to be a go-to for healthy weeknight meals, but chicken thighs also make for tasty dinners in a pinch. Sure they aren’t as popular as the former, but these 11 Healthy (and Delicious) Chicken Thigh Recipes may make you a convert. It certainly did for our readers!

7. Greek-yogurt-based desserts

Image credit: Recipe Runner

Healthy dessert—is that even possible? Thanks to Greek yogurt, it certainly is—and it seems our readers are desperate for healthy ways to mix up their favorite sweets at home. These 8 Healthy Greek Yogurt-Based Desserts That Don’t Use Refined Sugar were a hit with all of our healthy foodies, and we have a feeling you’re going to love them, too.