12 Canned Foods That Celebrity Chefs Love To Use

Canned foods have a place in most of our kitchen cupboards and pantry shelves, serving as a fast and convenient way to . One might assume that such foods are reserved for busy home cooks only, deemed unworthy for use by professional chefs. But in fact, most chefs wouldn't turn their nose up at the idea of using canned foods in their recipes. Many actually celebrate the versatility, convenience, and added flavor that comes with using these preserved ingredients.

Whether they're the star of the dish or enhancing a sauce, canned ingredients feature in countless recipes developed by chefs, and there are some famous faces who rely on these affordable and accessible items to transform some of their most beloved recipes. We're exploring twelve popular canned foods, that each have an important place in recipes created by celebrity chefs, and you may well already have some of these in your pantry. There's everything from the classic canned tomatoes and beans, to the slightly more niche, such as water chestnuts and jackfruit. So, let's discover some of the ways that these pantry heroes can inspire a delicious, chef-approved, home-cooked meal.

Playing a crucial part in a range of much-loved dishes, canned tomatoes are a flavorful staple that can enhance dishes with their natural balance of sweetness and acidity. And, just because they come in a can, this doesn't mean that celebrity chefs shy away from using them.

Someone who frequently uses canned tomatoes in her recipes is Nigella Lawson, who's known for her simple yet indulgent, crowd-pleasing meals. One of Nigella's popular recipes — penne alla vodka — makes perfect use of canned tomatoes. Here, she's opts for the chopped variety, adding a generous two cans worth to create a rich pasta sauce, along with heavy cream, plenty of garlic, and of course the good glug of vodka.

Even Gordon Ramsay, with his perfectionist cooking style, is an advocate for canned tomatoes. In his simple marinara sauce, he recommends using canned and peeled San Marzano tomatoes. These are combined with onion, garlic, and basil, for a rich and aromatic result. And Ramsay isn't the only chef who's a fan of this tomato variety. Ina Garten's canned tomatoes of choice are also San Marzanos, which feature in the recommended ingredients section of her website and a range of her recipes, including her weeknight Bolognese, penne Arrabiata, and Moroccan lamb tagine.

Perfect for adding a hearty texture and protein boost to any dish, canned beans are a versatile and nutritious ingredient. There are a wide array of canned bean varieties available, from kidney beans and chickpeas, and navy beans to black beans, and plenty of delicious ways to use them. Many chefs enjoy incorporating canned beans into their recipes to create quick and satisfying meals.

When Gordon Ramsay makes his famous chicken traybake, he nestles drained, canned butter beans in amongst the browned chicken pieces in the roasting tray, baking these together with leeks, spinach, and herbs. Here, the beans are an amazing ingredient for soaking up the juices from the meat and vegetables, whilst adding extra nutrients and giving everything a wholesome feel.

Another well-known chef who champions the humble can of beans is Cat Cora. Popping up frequently in Cora's Mediterranean-inspired dishes, canned beans feature in her white bean and chicken chili, three-bean salad, and fava bean pesto, among others. To make her salmon protein bowl, Cora adds canned black beans into the mix, along with the medley of colorful veggies, rice, and pan-seared Alaskan salmon.

Perhaps the most popular type of canned fish, fitting into everything from a comforting bowl of tuna pasta, to a satisfying batch of tuna patties, canned tuna is a favorite for its ability to elevate simple recipes into flavor and protein-packed meals.

Ina Garten's recipes always manage to strike the perfect balance between elegance and practicability, and her tuna and hummus sandwiches are no exception. Here, Garten's go-to is Italian tuna packed in olive oil, which she prizes for its moist texture. The tuna is mixed with some fresh, crunchy ingredients like celery and onions, whilst the addition of a creamy homemade hummus complements the canned fish perfectly.

The late chef and author Anthony Bourdain also proudly incorporated canned tuna into many of his recipes. For his take on the classic Niçoise salad, Bourdain combined two types of canned fish — tuna and anchovies — with the potatoes, eggs, green beans, and other veggies. Again, his recommendation was oil-packed tuna, which is known for its richer flavor and more tender texture when compared to that packed in water. Rachael Ray, famous for her quick and easy meals, also uses canned tuna as the star ingredient in her no-mayo tuna salad. This light and healthy dish mixes the canned tuna with zesty, tangy flavors like lemon and capers, to create a vibrant salad that's bursting with flavor.

Often tossed into salads, salsas, and soups for a little sweetness and crunch, canned corn can fit seamlessly into a whole host of dishes. Being pre-cooked and ready to use, it's no surprise that plenty of celebrity chefs feature this handy ingredient in their recipes.

Jamie Oliver is renowned for his creative approach to cooking, and his spicy corn and chickpea burgers are a perfect example of how canned corn can shine. Oliver blends canned corn with chickpeas, fresh herbs, and spices to create a flavorful burger patty that's packed with goodness. The sweetness of the canned corn is a wonderful balancer for the warmth of spices, and when paired with crispy sweet potato wedges, these burgers make a deliciously healthy alternative to traditional meat burgers.

Canned corn also features in Gordon Ramsay's corn fritters, that are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or snacking. Here, he mixes the corn into a smooth batter, along with spicy chiles and cilantro. Once fried until golden and crisp, the fritters are dipped into a creamy lime yogurt. So, don't assume that fresh ears of corn are the only way forward if you want to elevate your cooking. Canned corn can do the job just as well.

Whether you're adding pears to a pudding, cherries to a pie, or enjoying apricots with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, there's no doubt that canned fruit offers an incredibly convenient alternative to preparing fresh fruit. And, using it doesn't mean skimping on quality either. Often preserved in juice or syrup, canned fruit is great at retaining its texture and sweetness.

Nigella Lawson even features canned fruit as the star in her spiced peaches recipe. To make these, she opts for canned peach halves in syrup, which she simmers with a blend of vinegar, spices, and aromatics. Lawson explains that this sweet and sour concoction is perfect for serving alongside a ham.

For British baker Mary Berry, pears are the canned fruit of choice in her sticky toffee pear pudding.There are countless other ways to incorporate canned fruit into your recipes, too. Try whipping up a retro pineapple upside-down cake using canned pineapple rings, or making a moist and tender three-ingredient apple cake with a can of apple pie filling.

Canned sardines are a nutrient-packed ingredient that can bring heaps of rich, briny flavor to a dish. Loaded with omega-3 and a range of essential vitamins and minerals, these ready-to-eat fish are a healthy and satisfying choice.

Showing up in a variety of celebrity-written recipes, canned sardines aren't just for dumping onto a piece of toast when you're short on time. They can also be used to create sophisticated, yet simple meals that'll leave you craving more. One such example is Nigella Lawson's sardine pasta. In this Mediterranean-inspired recipe, Lawson uses sardines packed in olive oil, making sure to drain and chop them before adding them to the pasta sauce. These fish pair brilliantly with the tangy flavors of the white wine and lemon, sweetness of cherry tomatoes, and heat of the red pepper flakes.

It seems that as with tuna, the top tip from chefs is to buy sardines that have been packed in olive oil. Alton Brown abides by the belief that oil-packed sardines are far superior to their water or tomato-packed counterparts. Two of Brown's recipes that feature these tasty canned fish are his sardine dip, with shallots, lemon, and herbs, and his avocado toast with sardines, which features the tangy kick of sherry vinegar.

When you're craving pumpkin pie, or a batch of freshly baked pumpkin muffins, you don't want the hassle of carving a whole pumpkin. That's where conveniently pre-cooked, pureed canned pumpkin comes into play. Countless celebrity chefs have been spotted using this time-saving ingredient, adding it to both sweet and savory fall-inspired recipes.

For Ina Garten, canned pumpkin holds a spot in the recommended ingredients section of her website. The brand she prefers to use is Libby's pumpkin, which is 100% natural, with no added preservatives. This is included in several of her recipes, including her pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream, pumpkin spice cupcakes with maple frosting, and pumpkin mousse parfaits. In these recipes, Garten notes that canned pumpkin is not the same as pumpkin pie filling, with the latter typically containing added sweeteners and spices.

Italian American chef Giada de Laurentiis also loves to add canned pumpkin to her rich and creamy spaghetti carbonara recipe. Here, pumpkin is blended right into the sauce, with its natural sweet earthiness providing a fantastic contrast to the rich, savory flavors of the cheese, pancetta, and chicken broth.

It's rich, creamy, and packed with tropical flavor. Coconut milk is a pantry staple that can serve as a key ingredient in sweet and savory dishes alike. Whether you're blending it into a smoothie, pouring it into a curry, or choosing it as a plant-based alternative to traditional milk or cream, it's sure to add a luscious texture and bring that signature subtle sweetness.

Bobby Flay is known for his bold flavors and innovative recipes, and his coconut marinated pork tenderloin certainly fits this criteria. To make this recipe he uses canned coconut milk as a base for a zesty, spicy marinade. Not only does this infuse the pork with heaps of punchy flavor, but it helps to tenderize it too. Once marinated, the pork is grilled to perfection, and that creamy coconut milk works to balance the other fiery and acidic elements of the dish.

Another celebrity chef who's not afraid to use the humble can of coconut milk is Guy Fieri. This ingredient makes a feature in his coconut jasmine rice , which despite being a seemingly simple recipe, really allows the creamy and flavorful properties of the canned coconut milk to shine. Fieri simply boils the rice with the canned coconut milk and water, allowing the grains to absorb the sweet and nutty flavors of the coconut.

Great for thickening and sweetening desserts, condensed milk is another canned ingredient that celebrity chefs frequently make use of in their creations. This sweetened milk, which has been simmered down to remove the majority of its water content, is often used to make treats like homemade fudge, and caramel sauce.

Condensed milk is a vital ingredient in Mary Berry's famous banoffee pie. This canned delight only requires the addition of three other ingredients to create the sweet and sticky toffee filling — that's butter, muscovado sugar, and vanilla extract. The condensed milk contributes many qualities here, acting as a thickener whilst also making everything extra sweet and creamy for an indulgent result.

The queen of innovative and flavorful bakes, British television chef Nadiya Hussain has also been known to use canned condensed milk in her recipes. For instance, for her cardamom milk traybake, she whips up a cardamom-infused condensed milk mixture, which she pours all over the fluffy sheet pan cake right after baking. This adds an extra element of sweetness, whilst also helping to maintain a tender crumb.

Artichoke hearts come in many forms, from fresh or frozen, to jarred and of course, canned. Because of the meticulous prep process canned artichokes are a superior to their fresh counterparts, so its no wonder they're the product of choice for many celebrity chefs when whipping up artichoke-based recipes.

Cat Cora loves using canned artichoke hearts to add a touch of sophistication to her dishes. For her rich and savory artichoke spread, she simply blends the artichoke hearts with lemon juice and a little of the canning liquid. Cora then slathers this onto crispy rye bread, before topping with a runny poached egg. For Rachael Ray, canned artichoke hearts are essential in her no-mayo tuna salad and she combines them with diced red onion, capers, olives, and parsley, for a fully-loaded sandwich filling.

Amongst the collection of hearty, soulful recipes created by chef and television personality Carla Hall, we spotted her artichoke and spinach salad. For this vibrant and nutritious dish, she mixes a simple combination of artichoke hearts, red onion, and parsley, before tossing everything in a zesty dressing and garnishing with chopped walnuts. Thanks to their distinct earthy, slightly bitter flavor, artichoke hearts have no trouble standing as the main ingredient in the salad, pairing wonderfully with the other herbs and aromatics.

Crisp and refreshing, water chestnuts are great for adding texture and a subtle sweetness to your meals. Sourcing them in their raw form can be tricky, but thankfully, these unique aquatic vegetables typically come in canned form, which means after a quick drain, they can be tossed right in alongside your other ingredients.

When it comes to water chestnuts, the prep method of choice for Rachael Ray is incorporating these canned vegetables into a crunchy stuffing. For her turkey cutlets recipe, she goes all out by preparing both a buttery homemade turkey gravy, and the water chestnut stuffing, to pair with the meat. Whilst other vegetables in the stuffing will soften up as they cook, such as mushrooms, celery, and bell pepper, the crunchy texture of the water chestnuts is retained, adding a satisfying bite to the dish.

In Giada de Laurentiis' vegetable chow mein recipe, she also makes use of the unique crunch that water chestnuts can bring. Laurentiis stir-fries a colorful mix of vegetables along with the water chestnuts, including green beans, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. The water chestnuts also have the amazing ability to absorb the sweet and savory flavors of the soy sauce and hoisin sauce, making them an essential component of this fresh and delicious dish.

If you're a plant-based cooking aficionado, you may well have come across canned jackfruit, which is known for its ability to mimic the texture of meat. For savory dishes, you'll generally want to opt for the unripe variety of this fruit, typically labelled as "young jackfruit". This has a more neutral flavour and stringy texture. Once combined with other umami-rich ingredients, this unusual tropical fruit can become remarkably meat-like, often likened to pulled pork.

In Nadiya Hussain's jackfruit curry, this canned ingredient takes center stage. Serving as the bulk of the dish, the jackfruit is combined with an aromatic garlic and ginger paste, and a medley of spices. Paired with a chewy naan bread it makes for the ultimate vegan-friendly feast.

When making his BBQ jackfruit empanadas, Guy Fieri first heats drained jackfruit in a pan with the little water to soften it up. Next, he mashes it roughly with a potato masher to break it down into smaller shreds, mixes in a generous glug of BBQ sauce, and spreads the mixture out onto a sheet pan. After a quick bake in the oven, the pulled jackfruit is ready to fill the empanadas, bearing a striking resemblance to pulled pork.