The Recipe You Should Make Based on Your Favorite Taylor Swift Album

Taylor Swift fans, it’s your era! Although she started as a relatively unknown country singer when she debuted her eponymous first album in 2006 at just 16 years old, less than two decades later, Swift has now grown into the popstar of a generation. It seems like every tour stop, dinner date (have you tried her go-to French Blonde cocktail yet?), and fashion choice is headline fodder, and now, not only is Swift in the thick of an internet-breaking global tour, but she was also named TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year.

On the heels of the debut of her 11th original album, we couldn’t resist creating a guide Taylor-made (sorry) for the Swifties. We’re dishing up the recipe to make based on your favorite T. Swift album: Are you more nostalgic like folklore? Feeling fierce like Reputation? Maybe you’re enchanted by Speak Now? Based on which album speaks to you the most, there’s a recipe pairing for you, handpicked by culinary pros—who also happen to be superfans. 

Taylor Swift

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Hot Honey Chicken and Waffles

We can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be leaving any teardrops on your guitar if you dish up this spiced-up comfort dish, reliving the memories of the early 2000s via humble country hits like “Tim McGraw” and “Our Song.”

“Taylor Swift’s debut album inspires classic Southern dishes that still have international appeal,” explains Chris Roache, director of restaurants at RMD Group in San Diego, California.

Featuring a cornbread-inspired waffle and buttermilk fried chicken all slathered with cream cheese-hot honey spread, this recipe will have you asking yourself to “play it again” and serve up a round of seconds.

Fearless 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Macarons

Tender and sweet like a teenage “Love Story,” Sarah Fennel of Broma Bakery and upcoming cookbook Sweet Tooth recommends rolling up your sleeves and saying “You Belong With Me” to a batch of colorful sandwich cookies in honor of this 2008 release.

“Why not be ‘Fearless’ in the kitchen, too, and tackle a daunting baking project like homemade French macarons?” she says. “This recipe is foolproof thanks to the stable Swiss meringue in the batter, so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Once you’ve mastered the classic, we bet you’ll have the confidence—and serious cravings—to try a few flavor variations, including lavender-rosemary, lavender-honey, citrus twist, birthday cake, and peppermint.

Speak Now 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Shortcut Sugar Buns

“And she is yelling at a bridesmaid / Somewhere back inside a room / Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry…” Fennel swoons over Swift’s lyrics in the album’s namesake song and calls this particular phrase “iconic.”

“But what pastry is Taylor referring to?” Fennel muses. “A croissant? A cheese danish?”

We’re not 100% sure, but we can definitely verify that we were thoroughly enchanted by these simple yet bakery-quality sugar buns, which is why they’re perfect for fans of this 2010 album. (Psst… They start with store-bought puff pastry.) Who wouldn’t want to call one of these cute curlicue pastries “Mine?”

Red 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Red Velvet Brookies

“Call me crazy, but l think Red calls for something … red,” Fennel says, reflecting on this 2012 release.

Since “Everything Has Changed” and fans of this album are probably in the mood to “Begin Again,” we couldn’t stop at the classic red velvet cake. Enter: these soft and chewy cream cheese-swirled red velvet bar cookies “that you can house while listening to ‘All Too Well’ on repeat—the 10-minute version, obviously,” Fennel says.

1989 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Baked Donuts

While this 2014 album was fully loaded with breakup anthems like “All You Had to Do Was Stay” and “Bad Blood,” none were on top 40 radio repeat (and stuck in our heads) quite as much as “Shake It Off.”

Clarice Lam, pastry chef and author of Breaking Bao, says “I Wish You Would” make a batch of powdered sugar donuts to give a nod to that iconic bop.

“Shaking off the extra powdered sugar from the donuts before eating these sweet pillowy treats will leave you without a care in the world,” Lam says.

Reputation 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

“Ahh ‘Reputation,’ the darkest era we’ve seen yet,” Fennel reminisces while reflecting on the 2017 release.

Yes, we know that we’re leaning heavy into the desserts with these pairings—but according to Roache, “Nothing says ‘The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now’ like chocolate. It’s dark on the outside but is sweet to eat.”

In honor of Swift’s sweet friendship with culinary queen (and BHG contributor) Ina Garten, we recommend fans of Reputation whip up this “Delicate” dark chocolate masterpiece. “Call it What You Want,” Garten says: This lands somewhere between chocolate torte and a molten chocolate cake once it’s finished.

Lover 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Confetti Gluten-Free Birthday Cake

“‘Lover’ is a pastel wonderland of bright colorful optimism, and sprinkles are all about optimism and joy,” says Jessie Sheehan, recipe developer, baker, and cookbook author.

And we know that Swift is sweet on sprinkles: In a quick-fire interview as part of Vogue’s 73 Questions in 2016, Swift was asked about the best birthday cake she’d ever had and replied: “It was from Milk Bar [the naked cake is literally called “Birthday Cake” on their menu]. It was my 25th birthday. It was so good that even Jay-Z raved about it.”

Milk Bar owner Christina Tosi made this colorful cake for Swift again for her most recent birthday. In the “Afterglow” of her 34th party, the sprinkle-studded cake made Swift’s Instagram grid. You can buy that exact recipe from the Milk Bar Store online or recreate something quite similar using our just-so-happens-to-be Gluten-Free Birthday Cake recipe as a guide. (Don’t skip the tip about turning it into a confetti cake by stirring ½ to ¾ cup of rainbow sprinkles into the cake batter!)

folklore 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings

Fennel says that this poetic early pandemic era album asks for something that’s “perfect for inhaling while you cry listening to ‘cardigan.’”

We think this cozy and surprisingly-quick chicken stew will bring you “peace” as you work through all of your emotions. As we were on a mission to find the just-right comfort food recipe for all of the folklore fans, we had an “epiphany” that this dinner idea would be particularly fitting since it’s crowned with golden cornmeal dumplings. Those can pay tribute to all of the singer/songwriter’s gold and platinum albums and her 14 Grammy Award wins (and counting).

evermore 

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Mac and Cheese Dogs

This surprise December 2020 drop “always gives cozy autumn vibes to me,” Fennel says.

We already covered the stew space, so we decided to take fans of this collection on a trip to the “coney island” boardwalk on a crisp fall day. There, we’ll order (OK, whip up) a dressed-up hot dog that is sure to bring you a dose of “happiness.”

Start with classic hot dogs and buns, then give the dish a glow-up with a quick batch of homemade mac and cheese. Open a bottle of bubbly to cut through the richness and raise a glass to the brilliance that is “champagne problems.”

Midnights

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Nacho Fries

October 2022’s album is probably best known for introducing us to the catchy and relatable lyrics that have since generated countless memes: “It's me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” 

But no one is an “Anti-Hero” when they put a big batch of Nacho Fries on the table. We selected this for “Midnights” devotees in tribute to Swift’s penchant for fast-food faves. (Her go-to order is a classic cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake, that Vogue interview revealed.) 

Because truly, “Karma” is getting to indulge in all of the fries (with seemingly ranch, if you dig) without having to share.

The Tortured Poets Department

Your Taylor Swift recipe pairing: Girl Dinner

Although this almost-guaranteed record-breaking album has yet to hit the airwaves at the time of publication (its release date is April 19), Kyla Haren-Moye, resident cheesemonger and director of hospitality and guest experiences at The Walls Vineyards, has the perfect Rx: Girl dinner.

“While there’s no exact recipe, there is always an element of surprise—because a true ‘girl dinner’ is a medley of whatever is tasting fabulous at the moment,” Haren-Moye says. And we can only anticipate that Swift’s newest album will be full of surprises. 

Feel free to mix and match: “On the board as in life, you need the salty and the savory to make the sweet that much better,” Haren-Moye says.

To pair with your girl dinner, she suggests pouring some rosé. (The Walls actually has one called Cruel Summer!) It pairs nicely with a smörgåsbord of foods, and it glows with fresh spring energy.