How To Unlock Cooking In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Before you can start whipping up delicious meals on your island, there are a few steps you need to take to unlock DIY Cooking Recipes and the ability to cook at a cooking station. Below is a simple guide to help you unlock cooking and start learning DIY Recipes from our DIY Recipe Island.

Important: Make sure your game is updated to version 2.0. If you've logged into ACNH after November 5, 2021, you should already have the update. But if you're unsure, go to the home menu, hover over Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and press the plus button to check the version. If you need to update, you can do that from the same menu.

If you’ve "completed" your island—meaning you’ve hit a 3-star rating, K.K. Slider has performed, and you’ve seen the credits roll—but still don’t see any cooking options or haven’t unlocked any cooking station recipes yet, head over to Resident Services and interact with the NookStop Kiosk. Use the "Redeem Nook Miles" feature and look for the "Be a Chef! DIY Recipes+" option, which you can grab for 2,000 Nook Miles. That might be all you need to get cooking!

If you haven’t hit that 3-star rating yet, or still don't see the cooking option, no worries! I’ll walk you through step by step on how to progress your island and unlock the cooking feature.

Step 1: Upgrading Resident Services

Make sure your Resident Services has been fully upgraded from a tent to the building. Check out this article for detailed instructions on how to complete the upgrade.

Step 2: Obtaining The 3 Star Island Rating From Isabelle

Inside the Resident Services building, speak to Isabelle to get your island’s current rating. Once you reach 3 stars, K.K. Slider will visit, and the credits will roll. For a step-by-step guide on how to achieve a 3-star rating, see this article.

Step 3: Completing the DIY Customization Workshop

You’ll need to complete the DIY Customization Workshop with Tom Nook at Resident Services. This can be done during either the tent or building phase of Resident Services. You’ve likely done this early in the game, but if not, go ahead and complete it with him.

If you've done all of these things, it's likely that the only piece you're missing is upgrading your NookPhone to have the "Be A Chef" feature!

Check this video out for more tips and tricks on obtaining cooking recipes and get cookin'!