Food influencers play a major role in shaping today’s food trends and consumer tastes. They’re incredibly effective at building brand awareness, expanding reach, and driving engagement through mouthwatering content.
If you’re looking to partner with foodie influencers, an influencer marketing platform can streamline the process, saving you valuable time and ensuring you connect with the right audience.
In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to Ainfluencer—a completely free, user-friendly, and AI-powered platform designed to help you discover and connect with vetted creators. But before we do, let’s take a look at our top 15 favorite foodie creators on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Best Food Influencers to Collaborate with
Below, you can find a list of the most popular creators who specialize in foodie content. They have gained many followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Top 5 Instagram Food Influencers
Let’s kick off our top influencers in the food industry with the best Instagram creators:
1. Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver)
One of the top food influencers on Instagram is Jamie Oliver, a famous British chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author who gained fame with his television series The Naked Chef in 1999.
Jamie’s cooking style focuses on using fresh ingredients and simple techniques. He’s even created numerous campaigns like Jamie’s School Dinners and Food Revolution to improve nutrition in schools and raise awareness about food quality.
He’s also won many awards for his work in food and teaching people about it, including becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2003.
On Instagram, Jamie Oliver shares a mix of engaging content that includes recipes, cooking tips, behind-the-scenes glimpses of his life as a chef and father, and promotional material for his cookbooks and products.
- Instagram Followers: 10.5M
- YouTube Followers: 6M
- TikTok Followers: 923K
- Eng Rate: 0.14%
2. Ella Woodward (@deliciouslyella)
33-year-old Ella Woodward is a well-known British food writer, entrepreneur, and wellness expert who’s famous for her plant-based recipes and focus on whole-body health.
She’s also written several best-selling cookbooks, including Deliciously Ella, which became the UK’s best-selling debut cookbook. Ella uses Instagram to share eye-catching plant-based recipes, usually featuring whole, natural ingredients.
- Instagram Followers: 2.4M
- YouTube Followers: 300K
- TikTok Followers: 117.6K
- Eng Rate: 0.17%
3. David Chang (@davidchang)
This American influencer and TV personality is best known for founding the Momofuku restaurant group. What makes 44-year-old David Chang stand out is his innovative dishes, particularly the pork belly bun, which often blends traditional Asian flavors with modern techniques.
Chang has won many awards, including multiple James Beard Awards and Food & Wine‘s Best New Chef.
- Instagram Followers: 1.8M
- YouTube Followers: 18.3K
- TikTok Followers: 293K
- Eng Rate: 0.15%
4. Angie Caruso (@healthfulradiance)
Angie Caruso is one of the best NYC food influencers focusing on healthy eating and living. She created her Instagram account during her recovery from an eating disorder to promote body positivity and the joy of eating well. On her Instagram account, Angie shares recipes, wellness tips, and reflections on her recovery.
- Instagram Followers: 595K
- TikTok Followers: 145.4K
- Eng Rate: 0.63%
5. Katie Belly (@thebellychronicles)
If you are looking for a popular NYC foodie micro-influencer, then, Katie Belly is a good choice. She creates content about all kinds of food experiences, from restaurant reviews and home cooking to food adventures on her travels.
- Instagram Followers: 50K
- Eng Rate: 0.79%
Best TikTok Food Influencers
Let’s find some of the top food influencers on TikTok with millions of likes and engaging videos:
1. Emily Mariko (@emilymariko)
With over 12M followers and 761M likes on TikTok, Emily Mariko tops our list of the best food creators on this platform. Born on January 9, 1992, in Los Angeles, Emily is a former fashion influencer who used to work under “Sharewear”.
She became super popular because of her salmon rice bowl recipe, which uses leftover salmon, rice, soy sauce, Japanese mayo, avocado, and seaweed. One video of this dish got over 70 million views and went viral.
- TikTok Followers:12.7M
- Instagram Followers:1.9M
- YouTube Followers: 1.4M
- Eng Rate: 7.63%
2. Mariam (@mxriyum)
Over 198M likes and 7M+ followers have turned Mariam, a 25-year-old creator, into one of the most successful food influencers. Her social media accounts usually include easy-to-follow recipes from Gigi Hadid’s chicken cutlet sandwiches to cheese-stuffed garlic Naans.
- TikTok Followers: 7.6M
- Instagram Followers: 1.5M
- YouTube Followers: 102K
- Eng Rate: 9.23%
3. Khairul Aming (@khairulaming)
Let’s meet one of Malaysia’s food influencers, who’s especially popular during Ramadan for his “30 Hari, 30 Resepi” series—he shares a new recipe every single day of the month. On TikTok, Khairula often posts about traditional Malaysian dishes and practical cooking tips.
In 2023, Khairul Aming won Creator of the Year at the TikTok Awards Malaysia, showing how influential he is on the platform. He also founded Sambal Nyet, a successful sambal brand that’s seen huge sales growth since launching in 2021.
- TikTok Followers: 5.4M
- Instagram Followers: 4.2M
- YouTube Followers: 242K
- Eng Rate: 9.36%
4. Tiffy Chen (@tiffyooks)
Tiffy Chen, known as @tiffyooks on TikTok, shares 60-second cooking tutorials and delicious home recipes inspired by her Taiwanese heritage. She’s currently working on her cookbook, released in February 2024, featuring 88 family recipes that celebrate Taiwanese street food.
- TikTok Followers: 3.3M
- Instagram Followers: 2.7M
- YouTube Followers: 1.1M
- Eng Rate: 6.93%
5. Josh Elkin (@thejoshelkin)
Born in 1982, Josh Elkin first got famous with the Epic Meal Time series, where he showed off some over-the-top meals. Since then, he has mostly focused on breakfast dishes—he even calls himself the “Undisputed Breakfast Champ.”
His TikToks are full of quick, eye-catching recipes that lots of people enjoy, and Josh often uses trending sounds and challenges to get people involved. Besides, in his “Full Discourse Podcast,” Josh interviews food community members about the evolution of food and their personal journeys.
- TikTok Followers: 2M
- Instagram Followers: 1.4M
- YouTube Followers: 216K
- Eng Rate: 5.91%
Famous Food Influencers on YouTube
Here, you can find the most popular social media food influencers with high engagement and lots of followers on YouTube:
1. Andrew Rea (@bingingwithbabish)
Andrew Rea, the famous YouTuber, runs a popular food channel Binging With Babish with over 10M subscribers. The channel focuses on recreating iconic dishes from movies and television shows, often with a humorous and educational twist.
Andrew is an American filmmaker and cook who created Binging With Babish in 2006. He makes two main types of videos: “Binging with Babish,” where he recreates famous meals from movies and TV shows, and “Basics with Babish,” which teaches basic cooking skills to people cooking at home.
- YouTube Followers: 10.3M
- Instagram Followers: 1.1M
- TikTok Followers: 500K
- Eng Rate: 1.55%
2. Trevor James (@thefoodranger)
The Food Ranger, created by Trevor James, is a popular YouTube channel focused on exploring and showcasing street food from around the world, especially in Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Trevor’s content usually is mainly about his interesting street food tours, where this Canadian influencer talks to vendors and shares the stories behind the food.
- YouTube Followers: 5.9M
- Instagram Followers: 1.2M
- Eng Rate: 1.08%
3. Emmeline Mayline Cho (@emmymade)
Emmeline Mayline Cho, another American food YouTuber, started her channel in 2010 as EmmyMadeInJapan. She used to focus on Japanese culture and cuisine while living in Japan.
Now, Emmeline posts diverse food-related videos, including taste tests of international snacks, military rations, and unusual food items from around the world.
- YouYube Followers: 3.04M
- Instagram Followers: 356K
- TikTok Followers: 447K
- Eng Rate: 2.62%
4. Ethan Chlebowski (@EthanChlebowski)
Ethan’s YouTube channel with 400 videos is all about teaching viewers the “hows and whys” of cooking and the science behind culinary techniques. His popular “Cooking Like a Chef” series shows him recreating dishes from famous chefs.
Other videos explore things like shopping for groceries without a list and healthy cooking. Ethan is 31 years old and launched his channel in 2018, inspired by family traditions and his grandmother’s baking.
- YouTube Followers: 2.17M
- Instagram Followers: 150.7K
- Eng Rate: 22.51%
5. Dzung Lewis (@honeysuckle)
Dzung Lewis is an American YouTuber who wrote “The Honeysuckle Cookbook”, including 100 wholesome recipes designed for busy home cooks. This 42-year-old influencer started her channel in 2009.
She makes fancy recipes easier, often adding Asian flavors. She also inspires young women to use food and lifestyle to be creative and build community.
- YouTube Followers: 1.42M
- Instagram Followers: 304K
- Eng Rate: 5.70%
Now that you’ve seen some of the best social media food influencers, let’s talk about how to find the perfect fit for your brand—influencers who can truly connect with your audience and boost your sales.
How to Discover the Top Food Influencers on TikTok and Instagram?
The most effective and time-saving way to find your ideal food creator is using a reputable influencer marketplace like Ainfluencer which enables you to search through a rich database of mega, macro, and micro food influencers on Instagram and TikTok.
Here are the reasons why Ainfluencer is your best solution to discover the right food content creators:
- Ainfluencer is the only 100% Free, DIY platform that lets you create unlimited campaigns at no cost (no contracts or subscription fees). It only gets 20% of commissions from influencers.
- You can use over 20 AI filters like niche, age, location, follower count, and more to search through 1M+ only-vetted influencers,
- It offers valuable data about each influencer including engagement rates, impressions, past collabs, and brands they’ve worked with,
- Ainfluencer also allows you to measure main metrics like engagement rate, conversion, and ROI,
- Its end-to-end management system enables you to create your campaign, message influencers, negotiate deals, and pay fees within the platform,
- With Shopify integration, you can track your campaign performance in real-time,
- Unlike many other platforms, Ainfluencer uses an escrow payment system, holding funds until both parties fulfill the agreed-upon terms.
Want to reduce your influencer marketing costs?
FAQs
We’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about food content creators. Keep reading:
1. What Are Food Influencers?
A food influencer is an online content creator who specializes in food-related topics and has gained many followers across social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These influencers share a passion for culinary experiences, offering diverse content including recipes, restaurant reviews, cooking techniques, and food trends.
2. Who Is the Most Popular Food Influencer?
The most popular food content creator is Gordon Ramsay with 18.4 million followers on Instagram and 40M TikTok followers. He also has 21 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
3. Who Is the Biggest Food YouTuber?
Gordon Ramsay is the most famous food YouTuber with 21.1M subscribers. He has shared 1.8k videos on his channel, focusing on recipe tutorials, tips, techniques, and the best bits from his archives.
4. What Is the Difference Between a Food Blogger and an Influencer?
The main difference between a food blogger and a food influencer lies in their content focus and platform usage. Food bloggers typically create in-depth articles, recipes, and reviews on their own websites, offering detailed information and personal experiences related to food.
In contrast, food influencers usually promote food trends and products through visually attractive content on social media like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
4. How to Become a Food Content Creator?
To work as a culinary influencer, just follow these simple steps:
- Find Your Niche: Decide what kind of food content you want to create (e.g., baking, vegan recipes, restaurant reviews),
- Choose Your Platform: Next, select where you want to share your content (e.g., Instagram, YouTube, blog, TikTok),
- Provide Required Equipment: Good lighting, camera/phone, and editing software are essential,
- Develop Your Style: Find your unique voice, theme, and aesthetic for your content.
- Create Consistent, High-quality Content: Post regularly and focus on engaging visuals and informative captions/descriptions,
- Engage with Your Audience: It’s very important to respond to comments, and messages, and participate in relevant communities.
- Network with Other Creators: Collaborate with other creators and monitor their content to learn more,
- Consider Monetization Strategies: You can also explore options like sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, or creating your own products once you’ve built your follower base.
Bottom Line
We provided a comprehensive overview of the top food influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. We also offered insights into their content style, follower demographics, and engagement rates.
As we just discussed, Ainfluencer is a free platform to help you discover and connect with the perfect food influencer for your brand. Remember, the right creator can improve your brand awareness, sales, and audience engagement. Now that you know that, get started on creating your next influencer marketing campaign!
