Our 10 Most Popular Recipes in April

Take a peek at April’s most-viewed recipes, and you’ll see that spring is well underway. With not one but two no-churn ice creams making the list, it’s clear that sunnier days are fast approaching. Along with warm-weather-friendly desserts, hosting-ready recipes were a hit in April. Rick Martínez’s Empanadas de Rajas Con Crema are the ideal snack or starter at your next get-together, and springy soups—like Polish Dill Pickle Soup from our food editor, Emily Ziemski, and Erin O’Brien’s Albondigas—can easily feed a crowd. Shareable sweets, from Salted Toffee & Coffee Blondies to Chocolate Dipped Croissant ‘Biscotti,’ are no-brainers for closing out the meal.

In no particular order, here are the recipes our community cooked and loved most in April 2023.

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1. Strawberry & Rhubarb No-Churn Ice Cream

This no-churn ice cream from Jesse Szewczyk uses a base of sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream to create a texture that’s as light and creamy as its churned counterparts. A swirl of basil-infused strawberry and rhubarb jam completes this simple springtime dessert.

2. Empanadas de Rajas Con Crema

These crispy corn empanadas—stuffed with a charred poblano pepper and crema filling—are ideal for hosting, especially if there are any vegetarians on the guest list. Serve these bites as a snack before a larger meal, or pair them with your favorite side dish to make them the main event.

3. Salted Toffee & Coffee Blondies

A warm, sweet-and-salty dessert in under 40 minutes? Count us in. These blondies are supremely easy to make, and aside from the chocolate-covered toffee bars, all the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.

4. Best Crab Cakes

These crab cakes are all about showcasing the delicate flavor and texture of the crab meat, meaning we’ve kept binders, fillers, herbs, and other additions to a minimum. Lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning, and Dijon mustard—along with some panko and mayonnaise for binding—are all these show-stopping crab cakes need.

5. Cheung Fun With Crispy Mushrooms & Garlic

This cheung fun recipe is all about building layers of texture. Pan-searing the rice noodle rolls gives them a blistered, golden exterior while preserving their soft, lightly chewy centers. Fried garlic chips and crispy mushrooms, paired with hoisin and tahini, create even more textural interest and a deep umami flavor.

6. Nana’s New-Style Albondigas From Erin O’Brien

Erin O'Brien’s albondigas recipe is based on the one her grandmother once served at her restaurant, Lupita’s La Jolla. Her secret to the most tender meatballs? Soaking the rice overnight before making the meatballs and simmering them in the soup.

7. Polish Dill Pickle Soup

This soup, from Food Editor Emily Ziemski’s column Plus One, “is the ideal between-season food.” It’s creamy, tangy, and super versatile—it can be served as a lunchtime main (ideally alongside a hunk of bread) or as one component in a larger meal, no matter the occasion.

8. Chocolate-Dipped Croissant ‘Biscotti’

This twist on Italian biscotti comes to us from Kate Reid, founder of Australia’s Lune Croissanterie and author of Lune: Eating Croissants All Day, All Night. Formerly a Formula 1 Engineer, Kate started baking as a way to cope with her high-stress career. Today, she makes what are arguably the world’s best croissants.

9. Nigella Lawson’s One-Step, No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream

This recipe from Nigella Lawson is the second no-churn ice cream to earn a spot on April’s most-loved recipe list. Like the rhubarb and strawberry iteration above, this one uses a sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream base—but its intense coffee flavor couldn’t be more different.

10. Magical Coffee

Continuing the coffee trend (we just celebrated Coffee Week, after all!) is this “magical” coffee. You may be wondering, what makes it so magical? The inclusion of freshly grated cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar during the cold brewing process transforms the humble drink into something else entirely. Just check out the recipe’s whopping 132 reviews if you need further proof.

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What was your favorite recipe this month? Share your thoughts in the comments!