Harry Potter-Inspired Recipes From the Wizarding World

A carefully crafted collection of Harry Potter-Inspired recipes with authentic foods and drinks from the books so you can create your own back-to-school feast, end of term banquet, or magical holiday party for any Harry Potter fan.

There are quite a few unofficial Harry Potter cookbooks out these days with recipes for some of the more creative, imagined foods like chocolate frogs or cockroach clusters. But as I was recently re-reading the Harry Potter books with my kids, I was inspired to gather together a list of foods for a more authentic Harry Potter experience that focuses on the wizarding fare that even us muggles frequently make and enjoy in the real world, especially ones that we can recreate without a lot of fussy decorating skills. Wands at the ready and let’s make some magic!

I have so many delicious and authentic recipes that would make the perfect Harry Potter inspired meal.

Our family is definitely obsessed with Harry Potter. A little known fact is that I came up with my blog name while re-reading “Order of the Phoenix” when it mentioned the “the most noble and ancient House of Black” and I thought – why not House of Nash? The rest is history.

We have each read (and listened to) the books multiple times and visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida. I even made it to Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station in London on a recent trip, and would love to take the girls to England and Scotland to see some of the locations where the movies were filmed (even if I will forever be first and foremost a fan of the books over the movies).

I thought it fitting to share this round-up of my Harry Potter-inspired recipes to celebrate his birthday on July 31st. But I also think September with the start of the new school year when students return to Hogwarts would also be a great time for a back-to-school feast. A magical Harry Potter Halloween meal could be turned into a dark, spooky Hogwarts, or a Christmastime meal also feels very nostalgic to the books with the holidays playing a big role in Harry Potter’s life, especially with the generosity of Molly Weasley’s incredible cooking and treats.

Dinner First

Every time I have read the books I always found myself drooling over the banquets whipped up by the Hogwarts house elves and served on golden platters. J.K. Rowlings descriptions of tureens of soup, plates of meat pie, bowls of creamy mashed potatoes, and the aroma of roast beef always left me salivating. Here are some of my favorite dinner recipes that exist in both the wizarding and muggle world that I think you’ll love! Serve them with some fizzy drinks or pumpkin juice for a delightful meal fit for any witch or wizard.

• Cornish Pasties – These were served as a food item during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Cornish pasties are golden, flaky pastries filled with tender chunks of beef, succulent potatoes, and sweet onions, all perfectly seasoned and baked to perfection. Each bite is a savory delight, offering a comforting, hearty taste of traditional British cuisine from Cornwall, England.
• French Onion Soup – Sirius Black’s surly house elf, Kreacher, served French Onion Soup at 12 Grimmauld Place to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But Molly Weasley also served this classic soup made with caramelized onions, a rich, savory broth, and crusty cheese toasts to Harry at his first night in the Burrow.
• Steak and Kidney Pie – “Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he’d left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he’d forgotten all about it.” Steak and kidney pie is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. This savory meat pie is served several times throughout the books at Hogwarts and also found on the menu at the Leaky Cauldron. My beef steak pie doesn’t have any kidney in it, but the meaty beef & mushroom pie is a close approximation of this dish.

• Salmon – In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Aunt Petunia serves salmon for dinner while Aunt Marge is staying with the Dursleys.
• Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Lamb Chops, Yorkshire Pudding, Salad – Each of these dishes are served several times at Hogwarts including the start-of-term feasts and regular meals in the Great Hall.
• Chicken and Ham Pie – “To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cake all summer, this was paradise, and at first, Harry listened rather than talked as he helped himself to chicken and ham pie, boiled potatoes, and salad.“ Molly Weasley was known for the delicious home cooked meals she prepared for her family. This chicken and ham pie was the first dinner Harry enjoyed in the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
• Shepherds Pie – “Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Hermione behind them, wearing a well-you-did-break-school-rules sort of expression. Harry didn’t enjoy his shepherd’s pie as much as he’d thought.” Harry’s sour mood was a result of detention with Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Bangers and Mash – Harry Potter eats Bangers and Mash for dinner on the evening when Dumbledore’s Army meets for the first time in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

• Molly’s Corned Beef – For all Molly’s prowess in the kitchen, like any mother she had kids who didn’t always appreciate what she made. Molly’s corned beef sandwiches appear on the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone much to Ron’s chagrin when his mom packs him sandwiches to eat for the train ride but he comments, “she always forgets I don’t like corned beef.”
• Burgers – Hagrid and Harry eat burgers in Paddington Station after a day spent in Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. That day was Harry’s first real exposure to the wizarding world and I would imagine eating something familiar like a cheap burger would have been just the thing for him. “He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them.”
• Sausage Rolls – Another British classic, these are mentioned in the Great Hall in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Sausage rolls feature juicy, seasoned sausage meat wrapped in a buttery, flaky puff pastry, then baked to a golden crisp and can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. “It was someone being tortured!” said Neville, who had gone very white, and spilled sausage rolls all over the floor. “You’re going to have to fight the Cruciatus curse!”
• Stews – Rich stews are mentioned several times throughout the Harry Potter books, including at the welcoming feast in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have several stews for you to enjoy like my Traditional Beef Stew or this delicious Fish Chowder.
• Turkey Sandwiches – “After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt to full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they’d stolen his prefect badge”. From Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Roast Chicken – This is one of the many dishes mentioned in the welcome feast at Hogwarts during Harry’s first year and Mrs. Weasley makes a roast chicken at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix in Book 5. Readers of the series know that Harry was undernourished (in more ways than one) by his aunt and uncle, so this banquet must have been particularly meaningful to him.

• Meatballs – In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mr. Weasley is escorting Harry to his hearing at the Ministry of Magic when they run into Kingsley Shacklebolt, a fellow member of the Order of the Phoenix who is working undercover for the Order. After a polite but professional conversation to keep their closer relationship secret, Mr. Weasley lowers his voice to Shacklebolt and says “If you can get away before seven, Molly’s making meatballs.”
• Baked Potatoes – We know these were served at Harry’s first Halloween feast at Hogwarts. “Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.” Then Mrs. Weasley also makes them for the celebratory dinner when Ron and Hermione are made prefects in Book 5.
• Turkey – The house elves seem to enjoy serving roast turkey during the holidays at Hogwarts. They make one hundred of them for the Christmas feast during Harry’s first year, and then they are mentioned again at the Yule Ball in Book 4.
• Fisherman’s Pie – The version served at the Leaky Cauldron at Universal Studios Orlando has salmon, cod, and shrimp with mashed potatoes on top. Think shepherd’s pie, but with a seafood filling.

Odds and Ends

There are a few food references that don’t fit neatly into the dinner, breakfast, or dessert category but shouldn’t be overlooked when rounding up foods from the wizarding world.

• Turkey Gravy – Since the “silver boats of thick, rich gravy” are served at the same feast as one hundred roast turkeys, I’m pretty sure my favorite turkey gravy is spot on for what would have magically appeared on the enchanted tables of the Hogwarts Great Hall.
• Homemade Bread – There are also references to bread slices and lumps of cheese as well as buttered bread in multiple books in the series. My soft, white sandwich bread is a likely choice, but so are the golden brown loaves of homemade French bread. Or you could also try this sweet molasses brown bread, which I could totally see on Mrs. Weasley’s table.
• Cranberry Sauce – Forget the canned, jellied cranberry sauce because it’s unlikely that you would find a can opener in a wizard home anyway. Magic up an infinitely more delicious base of my easy homemade cranberry sauce instead.

• Pumpkin Juice – A very popular drink served on multiple occasions at Hogwarts and sold on the Hogwarts Express. Harry wishes he had some while they are flying to Hogwarts in the Weasleys car that Harry and Ron stole in Book 2 when Dobby the House Elf magically blocked them from getting onto Platform 9 ¾ and they missed the Hogwarts Express. “He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch.” Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Butterbeer – This ever popular drink that is sold at both Harry Potter Universal Parks can be made at home! It’s first appearance is in the third book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry and his friends get to go to Hogsmeade as an off-campus trip.
• Hot Chocolate – A rich & creamy favorite worldwide, hot chocolate gets numerous references in the Harry Potter books. Harry spills his on the Knight Bus before he has a chance to drink it, Molly Weasley serves it in her kitchen one evening after Fred & George set off a display of Dr. Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-State, No-Heat Fireworks, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley’s enjoy it before going to bed after watching the Quidditch World Cup (Ginny dozed off and spilled hers all over the floor), and Professor Dumbledore suggests it for Ginny Weasley at the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, stating “I always find that cheers me up.” That’s not the first time we hear about Dumbledore and hot chocolate though because earlier that same year Dumbledore was on his way to the kitchens to get a cup of hot chocolate one night when he discovered a petrified Colin Creevey. 
• Eggnog – This holiday classic is served at Christmas time both at Hogwarts and at the Burrow where Mr. Weasley uses it as a distraction by offering everyone a glass after Fleur Delacour insults Mrs. Weasley’s favorite singer, Celestina Warbeck’s, rendition of “A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love.”

Wizarding Breakfasts

Harry hates to miss a meal, especially breakfast. I can’t blame him because I’m the same way. Some of the breakfast foods mentioned in the Harry Potter books are cereal, fried tomatoes, kippers, porridge, rolls, and toast with marmalade and jam. Some of our other favorites are:

• Bacon – Bacon is a favorite breakfast food in the wizard world and is mentioned in most of the Harry Potter books, including Chamber of Secrets, Goblet of Fire, and Deathly Hallows. British bacon is a little different from American bacon, though. British bacon, known as “back bacon,” is thicker and meatier, with a juicy, ham-like flavor. American bacon, or “streaky bacon,” on the other hand, is made from pork belly, resulting in thinner, crispy strips with a smoky, salty taste.
• English Muffins – An toasted English muffin with butter melting into its nooks and crannies has to be one of the most perfect foods in the world. Store-bought English muffins are good, but fresh, homemade ones are even better.
• Crumpets – I don’t know why I haven’t made these yet at home. A couple years ago I went to England with a friend and I ate crumpets every chance I got. They are hard to find in the States though!
• Fried Eggs – Do we need a tutorial on how to fry an egg? Because they are one of my favorite breakfast foods and I’m particular in how I like them. Over-easy, for the record, with a still runny yolk.

Authentic Harry Potter Dessert Recipes

I love that J.K. Rowling didn’t skimp on the sweet finishes enjoyed to many of the meals in the Harry Potter books. From pastries, to ice cream, to candy, there was always something delicious to indulge in for the boy who lived and his wizarding friends.

• Mrs. Weasley’s English Toffee and Fudge– Mrs. Weasley loved sending holiday treats including her toffees and fudge to her kids and Harry Potter. I’m impartial to my chocolate walnut fudge, but peppermint bark fudge is fanciful enough to be offered in any wizard home.
• Apple Pie – Pies of both the sweet and savory variety are talked about in most of the books, but apple pie is specifically mentioned more than once. The most mentioned pie? Mince pie. Lemon Meringue Pie and Cranberry Pie also get specific mentions.
• Plum Cake – “Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted sweater from Mrs Weasley and a large plum cake.” From Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• Sticky Toffee Pudding – This particular dessert isn’t actually mentioned in any of the books, but the Leaky Cauldron serves it in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it is one of my favorites. It felt right to include it in this list.

• Ice Cream – There are numerous references to ice cream throughout the Harry Potter books, with plenty of flavors that I haven’t gotten around to trying yet like the strawberry & peanut butter ice creams Harry buys for himself, Ron, and Hermione in Diagon Alley or the chocolate and raspberry ice cream with chopped nuts that Hagrid buys for Harry from Florean Fortescue’s ice cream parlor. Horace Slughorn also serves it at Slug Club meetings.
• Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream – One ice cream flavor that deserves special acknowledgement is the homemade strawberry ice cream made by Molly Weasley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This description of a family meal at the Burrow is one of my favorite scenes in all of the books. “By seven o’clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs. Weasley’s excellent cooking, and the nine Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. Mr. Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had their homemade strawberry ice cream, and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle.”
• Chocolate Eclairs and Jam Donuts – How amazing would it be to have treats magically appear in front of you? “When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs, and jam donuts…..”. From the Start-of-Term-Feast in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. Chocolate eclairs also appear in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
• Marshmallows – Harry and Ron enjoyed these toasted during Christmas time in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

• Harry’s 11th Birthday Cake – This cake is described as being somewhat squashed with pink frosting and green icing spelling out “Happee Birthdae Harry”. It is one of the first foods mentioned in the series, appearing in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Birthday Cake – Numerous birthday cakes and other cakes are mentioned throughout the books. At various points, Hagrid, Hermione, and Ginny each bake birthday cakes for Harry. Cauldron cakes, carrot cake, and chocolate cake are also all mentioned in the books or seen in the movies, and I even recreated Hagrid’s famous birthday cake that he brings Harry for his 11th birthday.
• Doughnuts – Vernon Dursley gets a large doughnut on his lunchbreak at Grunnings in the first few pages of the first Harry Potter book. They also pop up a few other times in some of the other books.
• Rhubarb Crumble – “Three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard later and the waistband on Harry’s jean’s was feeling uncomfortably tight (which was saying something, as the jeans had once been Dudley’s.)” On the first night staying at 12 Grimmauld Place in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• Nut Brittle – “Mrs Weasley had sent [Harry] a scarlet jumper with the Gryffindor lion knitted on the front, also a dozen home-baked mince pies, some Christmas cake, and a box of nut brittle.“

• Pumpkin Pasties – These are another option on the sweets trolley on the Hogwarts express and mentioned in multiple books. They are on my “to-make” list for this site because I was super disappointed in the ones at Harry Potter World in Orlando and I know I can do better. It has to just be pie crust with pumpkin pie filling!
• Treacle Tart – Harry’s favorite dessert! He even smelled treacle tart when Professor Slughorn introduced the strong love potion Amortentia to the potions class in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
• Fruitcake – There are loads of references to fruitcake throughout the books. Molly Weasley sent them to Harry on more than one occasion, including his 14th birthday, and Hagrid offered some homemade fruitcake to Harry and Ron. Uncle Vernon even tried to hammer a nail with a fruitcake to close up the mail slot so that Harry can’t receive his first Hogwarts letter in the first book! I don’t have a traditional fruitcake recipe to share, but these fruitcake cookies are absolutely irresistible!
• Knickerbocker Glory – Dudley Dursley throws a fit at the zoo when his knickerbocker glory ice cream sundae doesn’t have enough ice cream on top. Harry gets to enjoy Dudley’s leftovers as a result. It’s worth noting that this is the first food referenced in any of the books, appearing in the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There isn’t a specific recipe for this treat as it is basically a layered ice cream sundae, but it should be served in a tall, conical glass and the version I had at Gillray’s when I was in London was made with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and stewed rhubarb with almond slivers and a cherry on top.

• Spotted Dick – Snigger all you like, but this classic British dessert is a light and fluffy steamed suet pudding studded with plump, juicy currants and raisins, all drenched in a rich, creamy custard sauce. “”Treacle tart, Hermione!” said Ron, deliberately wafting its smell toward her. “Spotted dick, look! Chocolate gateau!” But Hermione gave him a look so reminiscent of Professor McGonagall that he gave up.” Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Petunia Dursley’s Pudding – This confection is described as being made with whipped cream and sugared violets and was meant to be served to Uncle Vernon’s boss before Dobby drops it on the kitchen floor in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. Pudding means dessert, but this sounds like a trifle to me, likely made by layering pieces of sponge cake or angel food cake, homemade whipped cream, plenty of fruit, and edible flowers for decoration.
• Candy – There is plenty of candy mentioned throughout the Harry Potter books. Things like candy floss (cotton candy to those of us outside of Britain), sherbet lemons (one of Dumbledore’s favorites), candied pineapple (Professor Slughorn’s favorite), acid pops, sugar quills, Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans, Drooble’s best blowing gum, chocolate frogs, skyving snackboxes (including Fever Fudge, Nosebleed Nougat, Puking Pastilles, and Fainting Fancies), ton-tongue toffee, canary creams, Weasley’s dragon roasted nuts, cockroach clusters, fizzing whizbees, peppermint toads, Honeydukes licorice wands, and pink coconut ice.

I’m sure I have missed some of the real food references throughout the books (I definitely skipped over such delicacies as goblin pie and vampire blood lollipops), but if you think of others I’m missing, I would love to hear below!