Why You Can’t Copyright That Perfect Pasta Recipe (And What You Can Protect Instead)

You’ve spent hours fine-tuning your signature dish. You scoured local markets for the perfect ingredients. You tested five different spice ratios, jotted down notes like a scientist in a lab, and maybe even researched traditional cooking methods from another culture. So it feels a little… off… that someone could just take your recipe and post it as their own, right?

And yet, that’s exactly how it works.

In today’s social media world—where creativity feels like currency—it’s jarring to realize that your viral-worthy recipe isn’t actually protected by copyright. At least, not the way you think.

Here’s why: recipes, in their basic form, are considered a combination of facts and ideas—and under U.S. copyright law, facts and ideas can’t be copyrighted. A list of ingredients and a set of straightforward steps is treated more like a how-to manual than a piece of original art.

That might sound frustrating (and unfair), but imagine the chaos if it were possible to copyright recipes. Say someone copyrighted a basic mac and cheese recipe. That would mean no one else could legally publish or post a similar version. Would using 160 grams of cheese instead of 150 make it legally distinct? How different is different enough? You can see how fast things would get messy—and litigious.

That’s why brands like Coca-Cola guard their formulas in secret vaults. Because once a recipe is made public, there’s no legal way to stop someone else from using the ingredients and instructions.

But all hope is not lost.

Here’s the loophole that many food bloggers and cookbook authors rely on: while you can’t copyright the idea of a recipe, you can copyright your expression of that idea. That means the photos you take, the stories you tell, the cultural context, the personal memories, and even your unique tone of voice—all of that can be protected as original content.

This is why successful recipe content today goes beyond just “1 cup flour, 2 eggs.” The story of your grandma’s Sunday sauce, the beautifully styled images, the kitchen fails you overcame along the way—that’s what turns your recipe into a creative work. And that’s what copyright law does cover.

So What’s the Takeaway?

1. If you want to share a recipe and keep it “yours,” go big on storytelling, visuals, and voice. Turn your recipe into a narrative, not just a set of steps.

2. If you’re inspired by someone else’s recipe, you can still make it your own—tweak the technique, swap ingredients, add a personal twist. That’s not stealing. That’s how food evolves.

At the end of the day, the kitchen is a place of shared ideas—but the way you serve those ideas? That’s where your originality shines.