Ranked: Jamie Oliver's 27 best-ever recipes and cooking tips

Jamie to the rescue

Jamie Oliver has made a career out of giving home cooks the confidence to make memorable meals that don't require the priciest ingredients or technical expertise. Over the years, his handy hints have included tried-and-tested techniques for perfectly poached eggs (every time) and simple guides to baking brilliant bread with only three ingredients. Here, we count down to reveal Oliver's best-ever recipes and cooking tips. How many have you tried?

Read on to discover Jamie Oliver's greatest recipes and kitchen hacks – counting down to our favourite of them all.

27. Harissa cauliflower traybake

A real crowd-pleaser, this simple traybake requires very little prep, with the oven doing all the hard work for you. A quartered head of cauliflower, three sliced red peppers and 14oz (400g) fresh tomatoes are mixed in a roasting tray with a bulb of garlic, 2 tbsp each olive oil and red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp rose harissa pasta, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a splash of water, before being covered and cooked in an oven at 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7 for an hour, removing after 40 minutes to stir through the juices. Oliver suggests serving the dish with couscous, plain yogurt and fresh mint.

26. Three-ingredient flatbreads

Homemade flatbread you can whip up in less than five minutes? Yes please! To make, set a 24cm (9.5in) frying pan over a medium heat while you mix 4 tbsp strong bread flour, 1 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 tbsp water and a pinch of salt. The result should be much thicker than a pancake batter, but not as thick as a dough. Spread over the base of the pan, cook for a minute or so, then flip over and cook on the other side. Serve warm as an accompaniment to curries, soups or stews, or stuff with your favourite sandwich filling.

25. Rib-eye stir-fry with dan dan noodles

Fed up of traditional steak dinners? Oliver’s flavour-packed recipe, served with spicy Sichuan-style noodles, is guaranteed to impress. Everything comes together in just 40 minutes, making it an ideal midweek option. This hassle-free recipe sees the rib-eye steak seasoned with fresh ginger, chilli, garlic and lime juice, while a simple broth helps add a depth of flavour to the noodles. Get the whole family involved and allow everyone around the table to customise their bowl with garnishes, from coriander leaves to crunchy beansprouts.

Get the recipe for rib-eye stir-fry with dan dan noodles here

24. Frugal fruit granita

Looking for an ultra-simple, fabulously frugal sweet treat idea? Oliver’s tinned fruit granita might just be his easiest recipe yet. This cheat’s granita can work with any tinned fruit in syrup (think strawberry, pear, cherry, pineapple or mandarin); simply pair with a splash of zingy liquid (elderflower cordial works well with canned strawberries, while lime and lemon juice could be great alternatives), then transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour into a freezeproof container and freeze for around five hours. To serve, use two forks to scratch the surface until icy crystals form, decant into bowls or glasses and top with a dollop of yogurt or crème fraîche.

23. Fluffy scrambled eggs

For perfectly soft and fluffy scrambled eggs, Oliver suggests that there's no need to add milk or cream. In fact, you only need two ingredients: eggs and butter. Start by dropping a generous knob of butter into a saucepan set over a medium heat. Then whisk two eggs per person in a bowl and season. Once the butter has melted, go in with the eggs and stir with a spatula every five seconds. When the eggs are just cooked, remove the pan from the heat and push the eggs into one corner to stop them from overcooking. Serve at once.

22. Sweet pea orecchiette

For a brilliant midweek meal, look no further than Oliver's sweet pea orecchiette. Dice 1lb 5oz (600g) potatoes and a bunch of spring onions and fry together for 15 minutes in a large pan, adding 11oz (320g) frozen peas for the last five minutes. Meanwhile, cook 10.5oz (300g) dried orecchiette in boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes, then drain and toss with your potato and pea mix. Finish with plenty of finely grated pecorino cheese and serve immediately.

21. Homemade baked beans

Baked beans are the ultimate British comfort food, and Oliver has a quick recipe for a homemade version that blows tinned versions out of the water. Simply fry chopped garlic and chilli until softened, then add tinned cannellini beans, plum tomatoes, smoked paprika and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until the mix reaches your desired consistency.

20. Easy apple crumble cookies

Fruity and buttery, these apple crumble cookies take the hard work out of baking. Blitz 3.5oz (100g) each of dried apple, diced unsalted butter and golden caster sugar with 7oz (200g) self-raising flour and an egg in a food processor. Divide the mixture into 24 even-sized balls and then squash them into flat-ish circles on a baking sheet. Bake for eight to 10 minutes at 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6 and eat as soon as they're cool.

19. Mango rice pudding

This easy mango rice pudding recipe takes advantage of frozen mango chunks and store cupboard pudding rice to deliver a dessert to remember. To make, simmer 5oz (150g) pudding rice, a few star anise, 12oz (350g) frozen mango and 4 tbsp runny honey in 23fl oz (700ml) water for 25 minutes. Stir through 4 tbsp yogurt, divide among bowls and finish with another drizzle of honey.

18. Modern Greek salad with feta parcels

Simple, light and extremely delicious, it’s hard not to love Oliver’s refreshing take on this Greek classic. The usual crumbled feta is given a makeover and replaced with crispy, cheese-loaded parcels instead. A tin of chickpeas, feta, spinach leaves, lemon zest and paprika are blitzed in a food processor until combined. This mixture is portioned, dolloped onto sheets of filo pastry and folded to form rough parcel shapes, which are brushed with olive oil and fried until the bottom crisps up. The parcels are then baked until golden and crunchy, before being served with the zingy, herby salad.

Get the recipe for modern Greek salad with feta parcels

17. Three-ingredient gnocchi

Oliver says that a grandmother, or nonna, from Rome taught him how to make gnocchi with just floury potatoes, Tipo 00 flour and nutmeg. In this recipe, 2lb 2oz (1kg) cooked, cooled and mashed potato is sprinkled with 3.5oz (100g) 00 flour and a whole, grated nutmeg. The mix is brought together by hand, then formed into gnocchi shapes. All that's left to do is cook the gnocchi in boiling, salted water until they rise to the surface. Drizzle with olive oil and top with plenty of Parmesan (or stir through your favourite pasta sauce) to serve.

16. Classy crab spaghetti

Coming together in just 20 minutes, this zingy seafood dish is a brilliant recipe to have in your repertoire. Ideal for a midweek dinner, chopped chilli and garlic are sautéed until softened, before brown crab meat and fish stock are added and simmered for around 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. The crab mix is then folded through al dente spaghetti, with freshly chopped parsley and zippy grated lemon zest giving the dish a lovely final lift.

Get the recipe for crab spaghetti here

15. Chicken, sausage and bacon puff pie

A comforting classic with an Oliver-style twist, this recipe may take a little while to come together, but we promise the result is absolutely worth the effort. This chicken, sausage and bacon puff pastry pie is the perfect dish to bring out when cooking for friends and family and everyone will love the addition of sharp English mustard and peppery watercress to the creamy pie filling. Hosting vegetarians? Swap the meat for the root vegetables of your choice, along with potatoes and leek.

Get the recipe for chicken, sausage and bacon puff pie here

14. Tangerine dream cake

Perfect for a celebration, this stunning centrepiece is guaranteed to impress. The sweet bake comes together in as little as an hour and delights with its citrussy flavour and delicate consistency. This recipe calls for a bundt tin, but a non-stick baking dish would work well too. Once cooked and cooled, decorate the cake with icing sugar infused with tangerine juice and thin slices of the fruit.

Get the recipe for tangerine dream cake here

13. Dukkah roast chicken

Rich with flavour, this recipe takes roast chicken to a fragrant new level. After being seasoned with preserved lemon, red chilli, fresh rosemary and the juice of a whole pomegranate, the bird is then roasted to perfection. Once rested, the dish is finished with a drizzle of honey and scattered with dukkah, a Middle Eastern seasoning combining herbs, nuts and spices – the recipe calls for a shop-bought blend, but you could easily make your own by grinding together toasted nuts (hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios work well), spices (cumin, coriander, cayenne and fennel seeds), toasted sesame seeds and salt.

Get the recipe for dukkah roast chicken here

12. Speedy spinach paneer

Oliver has a whole book about how restaurant-quality food can be made at home with minimal ingredients and minimum fuss. His spinach and paneer recipe, for instance, will feed two and calls for just a handful of unsalted cashew nuts, an onion, 2 tsp rogan josh curry paste, 3.5oz (100g) diced paneer cheese and 7oz (200g) baby spinach. Toast the nuts in a frying pan, then pop to one side and fry the onions with the curry paste until softened, before adding the cheese and spinach. Serve topped with the toasted nuts.

11. Peri peri chicken

Fiery and fragrant, Oliver’s intensely tasty recipe will satisfy any peri peri cravings – and thankfully, the oven does most of the hard work for you. While the chicken and potato wedges are cooking (all in the same dish, to minimise washing up), you can make the sauce by blitzing roasted chillies, onion and garlic with red wine vinegar and fresh mint – if you end up with any leftover, the sauce is fantastic for pepping up salads and sandwiches.

Get the recipe for peri peri chicken here

10. Broccoli quiche

This easy broccoli and cheese–loaded quiche is guaranteed to take a starring role on any buffet table. Oliver swaps the usual shortcrust pastry for filo here, resulting in a lovely light and flaky finish. The recipe calls for a mix of cottage cheese and Cheddar, but you could swap for any other cheese you have to hand (Swiss, goats’ cheese or feta would all work well).

Get the recipe for broccoli quiche here

9. Perfectly crisp baked potatoes

Baked potatoes are the cornerstone of many a comfort food meal, and the best ones are made with love and care. Oliver has two tips for brilliant baked potatoes: the first is to wash your potatoes and then make sure the skin is bone-dry before popping them in a piping hot oven. Then, after the potato is baked to perfection, slice it open immediately. Leaving it unopened will make the inside steam and become soggy.

8. Three-ingredient pancakes

Pancakes are the perfect weekend breakfast treat, and true to form, Oliver has a take that is fast and fuss-free. All you need is three ingredients and one regular-sized mug. Measure out a mug each of self-raising flour and milk, then mix in a bowl with a beaten egg and a pinch of salt. Add ladlefuls of the batter to a hot, buttered frying pan and you'll have perfect pancakes in no time.

7. Cheat’s sausage carbonara

The major cheat in Oliver's sausage carbonara is using sausages for the meatballs. Just slice open the sausage casings, squeeze out the meat and shape into balls for a quick and easy route to tasty (albeit not especially authentic) meatballs. As for the carbonara sauce, that's just a case of beating a large egg with some chopped parsley and finely grated Parmesan. Toss the sauce with your cooked pasta and sausage meatballs for a delicious midweek win.

6. Cheat’s white sauce for lasagne

Oliver is known for his savvy time-saving hacks, and this cheat’s white sauce for lasagne is nothing short of game-changing. Forget about faffing about making a roux; for this simple sauce all you need to do is finely chop three anchovies, then mix in 17fl oz (500ml) crème fraîche and a handful of finely grated Parmesan, before seasoning with salt and pepper. For a looser, creamier consistency, he recommends adding a splash of milk.

5. Crispy roast potatoes

Everyone knows a roast dinner is only as good as the roast potatoes, and Oliver has some sage advice to take your roasties to the next level. First, parboil the potatoes in chicken stock. This gives the spuds extra flavour and has the bonus of leaving you with a starchy stock perfect for making gravy. Next, after the potatoes have been roasting for an hour, take them out of the oven and lightly squash each one. The outrageous crispiness this little hack gives the roast potatoes is sensational.

4. Simple smash burgers

Want to make a tasty smash burger at home? Ultra-thin, crispy-edged and downright delicious, Oliver’s take on the old-school American diner staple is hard to beat – and it comes together in under 15 minutes. The caramelised onions add incredible flavour to the smashed burger patty, which is seasoned with plenty of black pepper and paprika. Oliver recommends serving it in a fluffy bun with ketchup, sliced gherkins and mustard.

Get the recipe for smash burgers here 

3. Crispy bacon

Oliver offers not one but two ideas for achieving perfectly crispy bacon every time. The first is putting the rashers into a cold pan with a drizzle of olive oil and then gradually bringing the pan to a medium-high heat. Then, as the bacon starts to cook, place something heavy on top to ensure it stays flat and cooks evenly. Method two is less labour-intensive: stick the grill on full whack and slide the oiled rashers underneath it. Cook until beautifully crisp and curly, with little pools of bacon fat in the middle.

2. Easy homemade bread

There's nothing like the taste of fresh bread – but making it yourself can feel daunting. That's why Oliver stripped things back with this simple three-ingredient recipe. Just stir a sachet of dried yeast into 22fl oz (650ml) tepid water and leave to sit for five minutes. Then add 2lb 2oz (1kg) strong bread flour and a touch of salt. Mix, knead well and leave to prove until doubled in size. Knock the dough back, shape it and then prove again for half an hour before baking in a 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 oven for 35 minutes.

1. Perfectly poached eggs

Still haven’t cracked the art of producing perfectly poached eggs? Oliver suggests that it’s not as difficult as you may think, if you follow a few crucial steps. Firstly, he recommends sourcing the freshest eggs possible – even if it means foraging at the back of the supermarket shelf. Secondly, he says to bring the pan of water to the boil and then reducing the heat to avoid boiling the egg. He’s also an advocate of cracking the egg into a bowl first, then gently dropping it into the water to keep the egg intact. He suggests leaving it to poach for three minutes for a soft, squidgy finish.

Ready for more top tips? Discover these food hacks that are borderline genius