In 30 seconds:
- Searching for the top food influencers on social media? We’ve listed them all here (plus how to work with each).
- Influencer marketing in the food industry has a 10x higher ROI than traditional advertising. So how can you make the most of it?
- Data drives results when it comes to food influencer marketing. We’ve got something to help with that.
Looking for the top food influencers to skyrocket your campaign? You might want to take a bite out of these. Influencer marketing in the food industry has led to a 16% increase in purchase intent, so partnering up with these grub-savvy creators can help you boost sales.
Why do influencers work so well? Answer: people trust them. 61% of consumers trust influencer recommendations, compared to 38% who trust brand-produced content. Utilising food influencers within your strategy will help expand your reach and foster meaningful relationships with your audience. They offer that sprinkling of credibility that your brand needs to connect with social media users (and they add a ton of creative flavour too).
When choosing which influencer to work with, you must be a picky eater. Every creator brings their own unique skills to the table, and they need to align with your brand values. If a partner doesn’t fit with your brand messaging, their followers will notice. Especially if they’re young. Authenticity is the most important value for Gen Z, and 90% of millennials say it’s an important factor when deciding which brands they like to support. So only collaborate with talent that works with your brand.
How can you find the best food influencers for you? We’ve got a whole list for you to discover. So let’s dig in.
Healthy food influencers
1. Yumna Jawad (@feelgoodfoodie)
Instagram: @feelgoodfoodie (3.6M followers)
YouTube: Feelgoodfoodie (594K subscribers)
TikTok: @feelgoodfoodie (1.8M followers)
Yumna Jawad is the founder and CEO of food blog, Feel Good Foodie. Starting out by learning to cook over the phone with her Mum, she now holds the attention of over 3.6 million trusted Instagram followers. She calls her recipes “healthy-ish”, but they are full of goodness and fresh ingredients. Her images are gorgeous as she’s a great food photographer too. She and her viral food trends have been featured by Live with Kelly & Ryan, The Today Show, Good Morning America, PEOPLE, Vogue, and the New York Times.
How can you work with them?
Yumna’s ethos is centred around eating to feel good. That’s what a lot of young social media users want too.
Gen Z, who make up over 40% of TikTok users and just under 40% of Instagram users, are actually rather health-conscious. 72% of Gen Z respondents see healthy eating as an integral part of their physical and mental health, with 71% making an effort to eat healthy food at home. Brands looking to target health-conscious individuals could work with talent like Yumna to get their message across in a transparent way that delivers results.
2. Violet Witchel (@violet.cooks)
TikTok: @violet.cooks (2.1M followers)
Instagram: @violetwitchel (127K followers)
YouTube: Violet Cooks (3.06K subscribers)
If you’re looking for a main course of mouth-watering recipes with a side of lifestyle, Violet Witchel is the creator to follow. She shares healthy recipes, stories about her life and even includes her family in some of her content. Covid-19 was the catalyst to her success as it was lockdown that spurred her on to post home cooking videos.
How can you work with them?
There’s one big reason why Violet is so popular among her followers: she’s relatable. Generation Z and Millennial consumers tend to follow social influencers who they consider most authentic and relatable. Making sure you let someone like Violet communicate with their audience in their most authentic voice is crucial. Then you can communicate with your audience truthfully and effectively.
3. Ella Woodward (@deliciouslyella)
Instagram: @deliciouslyella (2.1M followers)
YouTube: Deliciously Ella (306K subscribers)
Ella Woodward is a food blogger, empire builder and down-to-earth healthy eating advocate. Her plant-based vegan recipes have helped her create a brand called “Deliciously Ella” where she sells nutritional products and ingredients. As a food writer, she understands how to pitch her content and get the right words across along with the right visuals. The result? A delicious Instagram feed full of healthy and practical inspiration.
How can you work with them?
When working with influencers, it’s essential to know what you’re getting. Ella has an established brand, identity and vision. Companies could align with this and focus on different aspects of her message. This could be through wellness content, vegan food, gluten-free recipes or healthy eating. Whatever you choose to focus on, ensure your values align with hers and keep your communication transparent.
Luxury food influencers
4. Daniele Rossi (@danielerossichef)
TikTok: @danielerossichef (2.5M followers)
Instagram: @danielerossichef (1.2M followers)
YouTube: Daniele Rossi Chef (5.88K subscribers)
Want to satiate those gourmet cravings? Digital creator and chef consultant Daniele Rossi may be the creator for you. He has made a name for himself on the culinary side of social media platforms and helps restaurants achieve Michelin stars. In short – he’s firmly planted himself as an expert in culinary innovation. He began on Instagram but soon expanded to TikTok and Youtube, sharing his own recipes with exceptional ingredients. His focus? Creating a “beautiful community, based on sharing, respect and the exchange of ideas”.
@danielerossichef Buonanotte dolce pistacchio ❤️ #imparacontiktok #ricettepervoi #food ♬ The Departure (Persistence of Vision) - Max Richter
How can you work with them?
Who do foodie influencers like this attract? Answer: more foodies. Brands have the opportunity to access a niche, close-knit, ingredients-loving community through collaboration with Daniele. Although his content ranges, most of his videos aren’t for beginners so keep that in mind. His work tends to be fast-paced and sometimes revolutionary, so you may want to pair new innovative product launches with his work.
5. Notorious Foodie (@notorious_foodie)
TikTok: @notorious_foodie (3.1M followers)
Instagram: @notorious_foodie (902K followers)
YouTube: Notorious Foodie (2.02K subscribers)
If you were to sum up Notorious Foodie’s content in three words it would be, quick, precise and OTT (we’re talking caviar with baked potatoes). His recipes are fast-paced and have a real rhythm. Clearly a masterful chef, the content on his page concentrates on expensive yet exceptional morsels.
How can you work with them?
This TikTok-first food influencer inspires a lot of duets. Other TikTok creators frequently share their reactions to his videos using collaborative features. He’s even had the TikTok star @kelz and the infamous @gordonramsayofficial review his food. What does this mean for brands? Working with this TikToker to create a stand-out recipe won’t just call attention to his millions of followers – you can potentially even benefit from additional UGC reactions and organic growth as his videos spark more conversations.
6. Jet Bent-Lee (@jetbentlee)
TikTok: @jetbentlee (5M followers)
Instagram: @jetbentlee (62.9K followers)
YouTube: Jet Bent-Lee (277K subscribers)
Although Jet Bent-Lee is the owner of these social media food accounts, it’s his father Susur Bent-Lee who steals the show. Susur is an Iron Chef – one of the in-house team of experts pitted against competitors on the popular cooking show Iron Chef America (sort of like a higher stakes masterchef).
This account is not based on recipe tutorials, but instead features humorous videos of Jet and his Dad doing various food challenges. Often Jet will ask his Dad to “make this gourmet”, referencing a relatively cheap food item like a TV dinner. With over 5 million followers and some of their videos hitting tens of millions of views, it’s clear that their followers are here for it.
@jetbentlee turning a TV Dinner 📺 🍽️ gourmet. #tvdinner ♬ Mary On A Cross - Ghost
How can you work with them?
The impromptu and fun style of Jet Bent-Lee’s videos shows how effective it can be to look “unrehearsed”. They both have natural chemistry, and this helps win viewers over. Brands should note that their videos often include a practical element of tasting or changing certain products in a non-traditional way. Use this to your advantage and get the duo to change up your product to see what a new, fresh idea might do for leads.
Food challenges are a popular content category on TikTok. If you want to learn how to leverage these to grow your brand, read our article, TikTok Food Challenges: How Brands Can Get Involved.
Comedy food influencers
7. Nadia Caterina Munno (@thepastaqueen)
TikTok: @thepastaqueen (2.6M followers)
Instagram: @thepastaqueen (1.8K followers)
YouTube: The Pasta Queen (843K subscribers)
“Just Gorgeous” is Nadia’s signature tagline and her recipes are indeed that. She shares authentic Italian dishes on her Instagram account and TikTok, taught by her Nonna and family. Her Italian roots come through in these tasty recipes, and her personality shines with a ton of comedic flavour.
@the_pastaqueen The winds of passion brought this Broccoli Pesto with Breadcrumbs …. Just gorgeous
How can you work with them?
Nadia has a specific niche: pasta. If you have a product that aligns with this, then she may be the perfect influencer to partner with. She has already collaborated with Mutti and Whole Foods Market. Her content style is up-front and comedic, so don’t shy away from humorous ideas.
8. Lynn Yamada "Lynja" Davis (@cookingwithlynja)
TikTok: @cookingwithlynja (14.8M followers)
Instagram: @cookingwithlynja (1.2M followers)
YouTube: @cookingwithlynja (5.45M subscribers)
Lynn Yamada Davis is just your average sweet Grandmother, or is she? The content on her food influencer accounts is anything but average. Her quick-witted, visually dynamic videos have attracted millions of followers. She’s a comedic tour de force.
@cookingwithlynja Honeycomb Candy 🍯
How can you work with them?
Lynn’s content garners thousands of comments per post. Globally, an average of 77% of TikTok users say they read the comments on posts and videos. This means brand partnerships could result in higher engagement rates. Consider your marketing goals and KPIs, and if conversational engagement is a top priority, Lynn could be the right fit.
9. Will Hughes (@whatwilly)
Instagram: @whatwillycook (219K followers)
TikTok: @whatwilly (85.4K followers)
YouTube: WHATWILLY (5.58K subscribers)
Will Hughes produces content that’s simply fun. He’s one of the few home cooks on Instagram that puts a quirky (and brilliantly hilarious) twist on his narrations. His unique vocabulary and scrumptious food recipes make for an exciting foodie account. As far as Instagram influencers go, Will Hughes serves up delicious meals with a heavy dose of Gen Z humour.
How can you work with them?
Will is taking young audiences by storm. His humour and deadpan narration appeal to Gen Z especially, so if your brand is looking to target this age group, Will may be your answer.
Educational food influencers
10. Martyn Odell (@lagomchef)
TikTok: @lagomchef (930.3K followers)
Instagram: @lagomchef (42.9K followers)
YouTube: The Lagom Chef (1.18K subscribers)
Martyn Odell labels himself as the “Food Waste Disruptor”. Why? He wants his followers to learn how to cook intuitively, creatively, sustainably and without stress. His recipes are less about measuring and more about “feeling”. He may not be what you would call a food stylist (he makes a lot of mess), but his down-to-earth, educational videos have helped him build his following on TikTok to almost 1M. He’s also currently featured in the official TikTok advert.
@lagomchef Roast potato - keep them vegan to support your vegan friends if you want! My god these were wild! That blue cheese sauce was defo not vegan but tasty! King Edward potatoes were used - super fluffy and perfect for this. #fyp #foryoupage #viral #potato #roastpotatoes #cooking ♬ original sound - Lagomchef
How can you work with them?
Martyn is the epitome of authenticity. His videos feel off the cuff, creative and understandable. That’s why he’s built such a loyal community. Martyn has created a close-knit bunch of supporters who know that he only creates good food, and collaborate with food-related brands he really cares about. He’s known to create giveaways and competitions with other brands, and this may be a perfect way for your brand to drum up engagement and promote UGC.
11. Chef Ziad (@thechefziad)
TikTok: @thechefziad (529.8K followers)
Instagram: @thechefziad (3.02K followers)
YouTube: Just Ziad (458 subscribers)
If you want to go back to basics, Chef Ziad is the right food influencer to follow. His content series “kitchen skills 101” has attracted thousands of views, and he shares simple but effective techniques to get your cooking on point.
@thechefziad Replying to @♡Autumn♡ lets cut onuons in a few different ways 🧅 #cookingtiktok #cookingbasics #cookingbeginner #cookingtips #knifeskills ♬ Au Revoir - Sweet After Tears
How can you work with them?
This food influencer tries to make everything as simple as possible in his videos, so why mess with something that works? If your brand were to collaborate with him, it’s worth keeping things paired back and focusing on the process for the most successful food content. He uses many kitchen tools, so food tech brands may also have a perfect collaboration here.
12. Nathan Smith AKA Mr Grubworks (@thegrubworkskitchen)
TikTok: @thegrubworkskitchen (868.9K followers)
Instagram: @thegrubworkskitchen (112K followers)
YouTube: The Grubworks Kitchen (1.11K subscribers)
Nathan Smith is a flavour-filled content creator and labelled “CEO of FLAYVAS”. His videos are educational, fast and often full of spice. He has an infectious personality that you can’t help but want to see more of.
@thegrubworkskitchen Spicy roasted garlic butter chicken tenders, who wants the recipe 👀 #tenders #foodtok #learnontiktok ♬ About Damn Time - Lizzo
How can you work with them?
Nathan is present in his community. When you head into the comments section, you can see him answering questions about his videos and interacting with his audience. This consistent engagement is what brands need. Collaborating with Nathan would mean unprecedented access and understanding of a hyper-engaged audience pool. It can help you boost your reach and understand your audience and what they’re looking for. Then you can apply this knowledge to your current organic content too.
Celebrity food influencers
13. Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver)
Instagram: @jamieoliver (9.2M followers)
TikTok: @jamieoliver (463.1K followers)
YouTube: Jamie Oliver (5.76M subscribers)
Although already a household name, the restaurateur, chef and celebrity Jamie Oliver has been shaking things up online. His “Foodtube” (YouTube channel) saw success at the start of his digital journey, and soon Insta and TikTok were in the fray. Jamie is a reliable source of all things food-related – but especially handy home recipes. So, whether you’re scrambling eggs for brunch or cooking that showstopper dinner at a party, you know he’s got your back.
How can you work with them?
Part of Jamie’s success is down to how accessible he makes cooking. He creates simple, easy and seriously delicious food. This has resulted in a huge following and a legendary personal brand. Companies looking to partner with this star need to look at long-term collaborations. He is known for working closely with specific brands to really create a “family” and joint ethos.
14. Gordon Ramsay (@gordonramsayofficial)
TikTok: @gordonramsayofficial (35.6M followers)
Instagram: @gordongram (13.9M followers)
YouTube: Gordon Ramsay (5.76M subscribers)
You may know him for his legendary quotes like “It’s RAW!” or “You’re an idiot sandwich”, but Gordon Ramsay has gone above and beyond to make these nuggets of pop-culture infamous. Where? On TikTok. Although Gordon Ramsay has multiple channels, his TikTok account shines out as a beacon of humour where he reviews other FoodTok videos with one of his viral hashtags #ramsayreacts.
@gordonramsayofficial #duet with @liamslunchbox Pro Tip: slapping your #meat doesn’t make it any better🤦🏻♂️ #ramsayreacts #tiktokcooks ♬ SAD! ~ lofi - Closed on Sunday
How can you work with them?
A collaboration with Gordon Ramsay doesn’t have to look like a recipe. It could be a review, a duet, or a snippet of BTS footage. This versatility mixed with his sheer mass of followers would help any brand awareness campaign skyrocket. Since people may consider Gordon in the God tier of influencers, he’ll be picky about his partnerships. So make sure your strategy is watertight before starting any outreach.
15. Ree Drummond (@thepioneerwoman)
Instagram: @thepioneerwoman (4.2M followers)
TikTok: @thepioneerwoman (1.1M followers)
YouTube: Ree Drummond The Pioneer Woman (3.13K subscribers)
If you see “The Pioneer Woman” on your Instagram feed, you’ll likely be met with comforting meals and a kind welcoming face. American household name and family-friendly cook Ree Drummond has created a happy space on her Instagram page and has since gathered over 4 million followers. She shares her Food Network programmes plus loads of BTS footage and lifestyle content.
How can you work with them?
Ree Drummond’s recipes are comforting, easy to make and based on family. And that’s the magic word. Brands looking to collaborate with Ree should consider how their target audiences might align and create a lasting partnership that makes the most out of her loyal following.
Fork ready? Take a bite out of this.
Finding the right influencer can be challenging. Hopefully, this list has helped with ideas and angles. But the real key for any brand-influencer campaign is ensuring you and the creator are a match made in foodie heaven.
How can you ensure this happens? Data. The more information you have at your disposal, the better your influencer campaigns will be.
You need to understand your audience, your influencer’s audience, their content style and how they align with your KPIs. If you want to boost brand awareness, a celebrity influencer might be a good fit, but if you want to create meaningful connections with an engaged community or to create content for a specific niche, perhaps a micro-influencer would be better.
So, how can you get that delectable data and extrapolate it? That’s where we come in. When we work with brands, we use our in-house tool, Bytesights to spot food influencers (and other kinds of influencers too) who are perfect for every brand or individual campaign.
For example, we’re able to identify influencers who are just beginning to grow or gain momentum. We can also see which brands they’ve organically mentioned, to make a natural fit. We also track campaigns in real-time, giving us the necessary data to make swift, beneficial strategical decisions. Want to find out more? Read more about Bytesights here or get in touch to ensure your food influencer campaigns always bear fruit.
Ready to chow down on some more insights? Dig into these:
