Instagram Food Posts: Mouthwatering Content Ideas for IG

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | May 29, 2024

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There’s nothing that can stop someone’s fingers from scrolling mindlessly on Instagram quite as fast as a mouthwatering food post. Whether it’s a flat-lay photo of a scrumptious meal or an indulgent recipe Reel, Instagram food posts effortlessly captivate anyone. From jaw-dropping knife skills to irresistible cheese pulls to mukbangs, food culture has captured the hearts of the entire community.

While culinary creations are among the easiest types of content to consume, they’re also among the most challenging to create. People behind food accounts must be skilled in many areas, including cooking, photography, editing, and graphic design.

Do you want to learn how to make amazing food content and rise through the ranks to become an influential food creator? You’re in luck—that’s exactly what this guide is for. Whether you’re a food stylist, restaurant reviewer, or all-around foodie, you’ll learn how to make top-notch food posts on Instagram. Let’s jump right into it!

A flat-lay photo of a fruit bowl surrounded by colorful fruits on the table.

How To Post Food Pics on Instagram

Almost everyone active on Instagram has probably posted at least one food photo. But it doesn’t mean the food posts were necessarily any good. Creating amazing food content is an art; lazily pointing your camera at food isn’t going to cut it.

Are you interested in learning how to post food pics on Instagram that are mind-blowingly tantalizing and mouthwatering? Here’s how to do it, step by step:

1. Prepare your subject. Make sure you have food that looks amazing right in front of you. Plate your food as prettily and with as much finesse as you can. If you’re eating at a restaurant, don’t touch the food until you take the perfect photo.

2. Choose the right position for taking a food photo. If it’s possible, sit somewhere with natural lighting to prevent shadows from ruining your photo. Choose a nice background for your food shot, whether it’s a beautiful wooden table or an aesthetically pleasing kitchen counter.

3. Snap away with your phone camera. Make sure to capture all the details of the meal—even the sides and drinks. Try to get as many angles of the dish as you can. That way, you can have plenty of photo options available.

4. Upload your photo on Instagram. Create a new post and choose your favorite food picture from the ones you took. Then, edit it however you want. Consider adding photo filters that add warmth to your food pic for a cozy touch.

5. Write a mouthwatering caption. Tell your followers about the meal you’re having, the ingredients in it, why you cooked it, and more. Don’t forget to add food-related hashtags to boost your post’s visibility!

6. Finally, hit “share” to publish your food pic. Then, sit back, relax, and watch people drool over your scrumptious food photo!

Someone taking a photo of a basket of fried chicken tenders with their phone.

How To Become a Food Influencer on Instagram

Taking delicious, hypnotizing food pictures is one thing. It’s a completely different thing to launch a career as a food influencer.

Do you want to take a crack at this super popular niche on Instagram as you start your creator journey? Here are some tips on how to become a food influencer on Instagram.

  • Choose a food niche: Do you have a specific approach to food you want to emulate in your content? Perhaps you want to center your food account on healthy dishes, or maybe grub comfort food is more your thing. Or maybe you want to focus on a specific type of cuisine. Define that niche before moving forward.
  • Set up your Instagram account: Choose a profile photo that shows off your foodie personality. Write a bio that tells people more about your food account and what they can expect from it.
  • Create a food content strategy: Plan out what type of content you want to post on which days. Build a content calendar to keep track of what food posts you upload throughout the month.
  • Produce and publish your food posts: Take photos, film videos, and edit all your content so that they’re ready for posting. Before publishing them, plan how you want your overall feed design to look so it can be aesthetically pleasing.
  • Be open to collaboration opportunities: The bigger you get on Instagram, the more brand deals you’ll have the opportunity to do. Collaborate with food companies, food blogs, chefs, and other food accounts whenever you can.

Two female content creators taking a selfie while holding up some kitchen ingredients.

Creative Content Ideas for Delectable Instagram Food Posts

Do you want to make your first Instagram food post but don’t know what route to take to execute it? We’ve got your back. Here are some creative ideas for food bloggers, stylists, and everyday foodies who want to make the best food content:

  • Quick recipe videos for people to follow in their kitchen. Show them the entire process, step by step. Make sure to edit these Reels with smooth, seamless transitions for maximum impact. Write the full recipe in the caption. Alternatively, you can link people to a food blog post where they can view the recipe later.
  • Restaurant and café reviews to recommend yummy establishments to your followers. According to Gitnux, 88% of people trust social media recommendations when it comes to food and restaurants. Use your influence to promote deserving food establishments in your area.
  • Posts featuring a region’s local cuisine. This is perfect for travel influencers who are also foodies. Remember to add a location tag to content surrounding a specific country’s cuisine!
  • Vegan versions of popular dishes. This makes the food community more inclusive to those with dietary restrictions.
  • Dishes where every ingredient is made from scratch. Content like this promotes organic living, farming, and other sustainable practices in the kitchen.
  • An “ingredient spotlight” post where you can educate your followers about a specific kitchen ingredient. It can be anything from proteins to vegetables to condiments. Then, share dishes you can make with this star ingredient.

A woman taking a photo of her food at a restaurant while dining out with a friend.

When Is the Best Time To Post Food on Instagram?

Now that you have content, the next question is naturally, “When is the best time to post food on Instagram?”

Well, the best time to post Instagram content, in general, depends heavily on your audience. The most common strategy for brands and influencers is to post when their followers are active on the platform. You can see when your followers are most active on Instagram by checking your Insights page.

By publishing content when people are online, you can drive high engagement on your post immediately. This triggers the algorithm to push out your content more since it’s getting so much traction, leading to higher reach.

Aside from that, you can also strategize when you post your food content according to meal times. Post your content when you think people are most hungry. This includes early in the morning, before breakfast, or while waiting for dinner. People are more likely to engage with appetizing food posts.

The same strategy applies if you produce recipe content. Publish your food posts an hour or so before meals, when people might be deciding what to make. Seeing your content during this time may inspire them to recreate your dish.

Someone taking a photo of a table full of delicious snacks like pizza and cheese boards.

5 Best Food Instagram Accounts To Follow for Mouthwatering Foodie Content

Do you want to follow the biggest cooking experts, food photographers, and all-around foodies who post tantalizing food content on Instagram? Here are some of the best food Instagram accounts to follow:

  1. Gordon Ramsay: EverybodyHerews this celebrity chef for his cutthroat food commentary and unmatched talent in the kitchen. Follow him for tantalizing photos and videos about his signature dishes.
  1. Jamie Oliver: This is another celeb chef known for his scrumptious food recipes. He also fills his feed with sumptuous-looking meals through carousel posts featuring his favorite recent meals. Bonus: he posts content with his adorable family, too!
  1. Nutrition by Kylie: Kylie might not be a celeb chef, but she’s an amazing foodie and dietician with amazing stories about food. She specializes in making content to educate people about the most efficient ways to prepare delicious meals.
  1. Nik Sharma: This underrated James Beard finalist shares insightful info about popular ingredients and dishes.
  1. Tina Choi: Tina is a food scientist and creator who doesn’t just share content about the food she makes. She also shares reviews of the food she tries outside, especially when she travels the world.

5 Best Instagram Cooking Accounts: Recipe Pages To Check Out

Are you more interested in finding quick and easy recipes and cooking tutorials on Instagram? Here are some of the best Instagram cooking accounts that will guide you daily in the kitchen:

  1. Tasty by Buzzfeed: This account is very popular for food experiments and seasonal dishes. But the cool thing is that they show you how to make these foods step by step. It’s the perfect go-to page for easy, trendy, and sometimes outrageous recipes.
  1. The Minimalist Baker: If you have a sweet tooth, give this food account a follow. Not only do they teach you how to whip up decadent desserts, but they write the recipe in captions, too. You have a visual cue to go by with their recipe video and a step-by-step guide.
  1. Carolina Gelen: Carolina doesn’t let her food outshine her personality, even if her dishes are exquisite. She also shows her face and talks about her food experiences with her followers as she cooks her food. It makes you feel as though you’re cooking with a chatty friend!
  1. Spoon Fork Bacon: This recipe page is run by a food stylist and photographer combo. So, their content isn’t just helpful for home cooks—it’s aesthetically appealing and appetizing, too. Plus, they have a food blog where all their recipes from the Instagram page can be found.
  1. Ballerina Farm: Hannah of Ballerina Farm uses products straight from their family farm to whip up American classics in the kitchen. Aside from cooking videos, the account also has family and farming content.

A female content creator recording a video of herself decorating a berry cake in the kitchen.

Let More People Discover Your Food Posts with Path Social!

Creating food content is a terrific way to share your passion for food with others on Instagram. Plus, with every luscious food Instagram post, you make a bigger name for yourself as a food creator online.

Producing amazing food posts can be tricky. But if you keep at it and come up with fresh ideas for culinary creations, you’ll rise to the top.

Do you want more people to see and engage with your Instagram food posts? Path Social can help with that. We use AI to power our targeting algorithms, allowing us to push your content out to your intended audience. That way, people who are most likely to enjoy your food content can discover your page faster. Before you know it, you’ll have a boost in your following thanks to genuine fans. Gain more followers and build a community of fellow foodies on Instagram today!