Raft Cooking Recipes & Food Guide
Good food is the difference between surviving and thriving at sea. This guide covers every cooking station, recipe, food buff, and the best foods for every situation in Raft.
💡 Food Basics: Your hunger and thirst drain continuously. Hunger depletes at ~0.09/s, thirst at ~0.11/s. When either reaches zero, you lose ~0.75 HP per second. Cooked food always gives better stats than raw ingredients — never eat raw food unless it's an emergency.
🔥 Cooking Stations Overview
| Station | Fuel | Unlock | Crafting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grill | Planks | Start | 4x Planks + 4x Scrap + 1x Nail |
| Cooking Pot | Planks | Early | 4x Planks + 6x Scrap + 2x Nail + 1x Circuit Board |
| Juicer | — (Manual) | Early | 4x Planks + 4x Scrap + 1x Hinge + 1x Circuit Board + 1x Bolt |
| Biofuel Refiner | — | Mid-game | 6x Planks + 8x Scrap + 4x Nail + 2x Circuit Board + 1x Bottle |
Recipe Unlocks (Blueprints)
Many advanced recipes require finding Recipe Notes in loot barrels, floating debris, or on story islands. Hang them on a wall near your Cooking Pot to reference them.
| Recipe Note | Location | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Stew Recipe | Random barrels, early islands | Fish Stew |
| Hearty Stew Recipe | Radio Tower, Vasagatan | Hearty Stew |
| Surprise Stew Recipe | Balboa Island | Surprise Stew (random buff) |
| Shark Dinner Recipe | Tangaroa | Shark Dinner |
| Exotic Grill Recipe | Caravan Island | Exotic Grill |
| Head Broth Recipe | Temperance | Head Broth |
| Mushroom Soup Recipe | Underground caves | Mushroom Soup |
| Premium Juice Recipe | Varuna Point | Premium Juice |
🥩 Grilled Foods (Simple Cooking)
The Grill is the simplest cooking station — place raw food on it and wait for it to cook. No water required.
| Raw Food | Cooked Result | Hunger | Health | Thirst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Potato | Baked Potato | +15 | +3 | -5 |
| Raw Beet | Baked Beet | +12 | +2 | -3 |
| Raw Fish | Grilled Fish | +25 | +5 | -2 |
| Raw Pompano | Grilled Pompano | +35 | +8 | -3 |
| Raw Salmon | Grilled Salmon | +30 | +6 | -2 |
| Raw Drumstick | Cooked Drumstick | +22 | +4 | -3 |
| Raw Shark Meat | Grilled Shark Meat | +30 | +7 | -5 |
| Raw Catfish | Grilled Catfish | +28 | +6 | -2 |
| Raw Tilapia | Grilled Tilapia | +25 | +5 | -2 |
| Raw Mackerel | Grilled Mackerel | +32 | +7 | -3 |
| Raw Herring | Grilled Herring | +22 | +4 | -2 |
| Egg | Fried Egg | +10 | +5 | -2 |
| Raw Goat Meat | Grilled Goat Meat | +30 | +8 | -3 |
| Raw Snake Meat | Grilled Snake Meat | +20 | +4 | -2 |
🍲 Cooking Pot Recipes (Advanced)
The Cooking Pot requires water and fuel, but produces far better food with special buffs. Most dishes also add a Bonus Hunger effect — extra hunger beyond the listed value that depletes slower than regular hunger.
| Recipe | Ingredients | Hunger | Health | Thirst | Buff Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Stew | 2x Raw Fish + 1x Potato | +55 | +20 | +15 | — |
| Hearty Stew | 3x Raw Potato + 2x Raw Beet + 1x Raw Fish | +65 | +30 | +10 | — |
| Catfish Deluxe | 2x Raw Catfish + 1x Potato + 1x Beet | +60 | +25 | +12 | — |
| Salmon Salad | 1x Raw Salmon + 1x Beet + 1x Potato | +50 | +18 | +20 | — |
| Fish Burger | 1x Raw Fish + 2x Potato + 1x Beet | +55 | +22 | +5 | — |
| Shark Dinner | 2x Raw Shark Meat + 1x Potato + 1x Beet | +70 | +35 | +8 | 🛡️ +30% Armor (5 min) |
| Vegetable Soup | 2x Potato + 2x Beet + 1x Mushroom | +40 | +12 | +25 | — |
| Exotic Grill | 2x Drumstick + 1x Potato + 1x Beet | +58 | +24 | +10 | 🏃 +10% Sprint (3 min) |
| Surprise Stew | Any 4 ingredients | +35 | +15 | +8 | Random buff |
| Sharksteak | 2x Raw Shark Meat + 1x Potato | +65 | +30 | +5 | 🛡️ +15% Armor (3 min) |
| Mushroom Soup | 3x Mushroom + 1x Potato | +28 | +10 | +22 | 🌿 +20% Stomach (3 min) |
| Head Broth | 1x Potato + 2x Poison-Puffer Head + 1x Milk | +50 | +25 | +15 | 🫁 +50% Oxygen (5 min) |
| Goat Stew | 2x Raw Goat Meat + 1x Potato + 1x Beet | +60 | +28 | +12 | 🏃 +15% Sprint (4 min) |
| Mushroom Omelette | 2x Mushroom + 2x Egg | +45 | +18 | +8 | 🌿 +15% Stomach (3 min) |
| Clay Soup | 2x Potato + 3x Clay | +30 | +10 | +18 | — |
| Jam Sandwich | 1x Potato + 2x Red Berry + 2x Yellow Berry | +42 | +15 | +10 | 🏃 +5% Sprint (2 min) |
🥤 Juicer Recipes
The Juicer produces drinks with unique buffs using fruits and vegetables. No fuel needed — just add ingredients.
| Recipe | Ingredients | Thirst | Buff Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Juice | 1x Red Berry + 1x Yellow Berry | +35 | — |
| Red Juice | 3x Red Berry | +40 | 🏃 +10% Sprint (3 min) |
| Yellow Juice | 3x Yellow Berry | +40 | 🌊 +15% Swim Speed (3 min) |
| Blue Juice | 3x Blue Berry | +40 | 🫁 +15% Oxygen (3 min) |
| Premium Juice | 1x Red + 1x Yellow + 1x Blue Berry | +45 | 🏃 +15% Sprint + 🌊 +15% Swim (4 min) |
| Fruit Compote | 2x Banana + 1x Coconut | +35 | 🌿 +10 Bonus Hunger (3 min) |
| Mango Juice | 3x Mango | +45 | — |
| Pineapple Juice | 3x Pineapple | +45 | 🌡️ +5 Heat Resist (3 min) |
| Coconut Smoothie | 2x Coconut + 1x Banana | +38 | 🌿 +10 Bonus Hunger (3 min) |
| Strawberry Shake | 3x Strawberry | +42 | 🏃 +8% Sprint (3 min) |
🌾 Farming & Ingredient Sources
| Ingredient | Where to Find | Growable? |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Potato | Loot crates, islands | ✅ (Medium Crop Plot) |
| Raw Beet | Loot crates, islands | ✅ (Medium Crop Plot) |
| Red Berry | Shrubs on islands | ✅ (Large Crop Plot) |
| Yellow Berry | Shrubs on islands | ✅ (Large Crop Plot) |
| Blue Berry | Islands (later), Varuna Point | ✅ (Large Crop Plot) |
| Strawberry | Temperance, later islands | ✅ (Large Crop Plot) |
| Mushroom | Underground caves | ✅ (Large Crop Plot) |
| Banana | Balboa Island, Tangaroa | ✅ (Tree) |
| Coconut | Small islands | ✅ (Tree) |
| Mango | Later islands | ✅ (Tree) |
| Pineapple | Islands (rare) | ✅ (Large Crop Plot) |
| Raw Fish | Fishing rod | ❌ |
| Raw Shark Meat | Kill a shark (Machete) | ❌ |
| Egg | Chicken coop (buildable) | ✅ (Chickens) |
| Drumstick | Snare trap (birds) | ❌ |
| Raw Goat Meat | Large islands (goats) | ❌ |
| Milk | Goats (buildable Milking Station) | ✅ (Goats) |
| Poison-Puffer Head | Fishing (Pufferfish) | ❌ |
| Clay | Islands, underwater | ❌ |
| Honey | Tangaroa, beehives | ✅ (Beehive) |
🏆 Best Food Recommendations
| Situation | Best Food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Early Game (Day 1-10) | Baked Potato / Grilled Fish | Easy to make, good hunger value |
| Exploring Islands | Fish Stew / Simple Juice | Balanced food + thirst recovery |
| Combat / Shark Hunting | Shark Dinner | 🛡️ +30% armor buff lasts 5 min |
| Deep Diving | Head Broth / Premium Juice | 🫁 Oxygen buff + swim speed combined |
| Long Sailing | Hearty Stew | Highest hunger value per inventory slot |
| Building / Base Work | Catfish Deluxe | Good hunger + affordable ingredients |
| Survival Efficiency | Salmon Salad / Vegetable Soup | Best thirst-to-hunger ratio |
| Resource Gathering | Mushroom Omelette | ⛏️ Stomach buff extends mining sessions |
| Story Island Progress | Goat Stew + Premium Juice | Sprint + swim combo for exploration |
🏃 Buff Stacking Strategy
You can eat one food and drink one juice simultaneously for stacked buffs. Best combo for exploration:
Shark Dinner (+30% Armor) + Premium Juice (+15% Sprint & Swim) = ultimate survival loadout
⚡ Biofuel Refiner
Turn excess food into engine fuel:
| Input | Biofuel Output | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| 5x Raw Potato | 1 Biofuel | 90s |
| 4x Any Fruit | 1 Biofuel | 90s |
| 3x Raw Fish | 1 Biofuel | 90s |
| 2x Cup of Vegetables | 1 Biofuel | 90s |
| 1x Food Item (cooked) | 1 Biofuel | 60s |
💡 Tip: Build a farm before you build engines. A steady stream of potatoes keeps the engines running during long voyages. Each engine consumes ~1 biofuel per minute at full speed.
💡 Advanced Cooking Tips
- Always cook food — raw ingredients give terrible stats and no buffs
- Prioritize the Cooking Pot — soups and stews give bonus hunger effects that raw grilled food can't match
- Save berries for juice — eating berries raw is wasteful; juice gives better thirst recovery plus buffs
- Stockpile potatoes — they're the backbone ingredient for most recipes AND biofuel
- Fish in deeper water — bigger fish (Pompano, Salmon) give more hunger per catch
- Hang recipe notes — place found blueprints on your raft wall to remember ingredient combos
- Milk goats regularly — Head Broth and other milk-based recipes are end-game essential for deep diving
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Data source: Raft Wiki — verified against current game version as of July 2026