Top 15 Cooking Classes in China

1.Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 465 reviews · from $90Our pick

Walk through Liangjiaxiang market with Lance or Jerry, learn about Sichuan spices, taste local ingredients, and cook several dishes with a chef at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen. Tea, drinks, recipes, ingredients, and your meal are included.

“The host Lance was very friendly and welcoming, explaining about the ingredients used in Sichuan cuisine. So interesting! Mrs. Li was also very welcoming and experienced. I had a superb experience learning about the techniques oRead more”

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2.Online Cooking Class Beijing Dumplings and Cuisine by Sunflowerli Renowned Chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · from $20Best value

Join Chef Miss Sunflower Li live from Beijing for a private Zoom cooking class tailored to your group, skill level and diet. Choose dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, dim sum, mapo tofu, kung pao chicken or vegan dishes. You shop for ingredients after receiving the list three days ahead.

“It has been a fantastic experience to cook with Sunflower. She had sent the ingredient list the a few days before with some comments about substitution for in the case I wouldn't have found all the ingredients I needed for the three meals Read more”

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3.Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $59

Meet Fancy at 9:15 am near Xiangshan Market, browse Lijiang’s largest Naxi market, then cook three dishes at a family-run studio. This roughly 3.5-hour experience includes food, drinks, tea, lunch, snacks, an individual station, and English guidance in a group of fewer than 10.

“1 million miles travelling the world to all sorts of places and i can tell you tourists and fellow viators this is worth every penny. Fancy is an amazing woman with an amazing bakery. She is doing this out of passion and it is one of the highlightRead more”

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4.Cooking Class with Fresh Market Half Day Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $82

Meet Lance, Jerry, or another English-speaking guide at Liang Jia Xiang Station for a market walk and hands-on Sichuan cooking class. You will learn about local spices, cook several dishes with a professional chef, then eat with beer or soft drinks. Vegetarian and vegan menus can be arranged in advance.

“We loved every minute of the tour. The walk in the market was our favorite part, we were able to see and smell the ingredients and spices used in Sichuan. I asked a millon questions and our guide, Lance, was knowledgeable and so kind to answer everything. The restaurant where the cooking part happens is nice and works very well for the class. We also had fun cooking and eating. We would recommend this to anyone.”

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5.Cooking Dumpling & Meal in Local Family-w/Vegan

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 36 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $82

Spend 3.5 hours in Jing’an learning dumplings from Bonnie and her mother, then sit down to a family-style meal of Shanghai specialties. The class includes tea, snacks, drinks, local travel advice, and vegan or allergy-friendly planning when arranged ahead.

“A truly special and authentic experience. Bonnie was fantastic: very knowledgeable, kind, and professional. You can clearly tell she has hosted this experience many times, as everything is well organized and feels very natural. She explains each step calmly and really involves you in the dumpling-making process, letting you get hands-on multiple times. Bonnie’s mom is lovely and brings true family tradition to the table. Cooking with them makes you feel immediately at home. It’s wonderful to prepare dumplings from scratch, try several different types, and then enjoy them together during the final dinner, all prepared by the family. The atmosphere is warm and genuine — it truly feels like…”

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6.Half-Day steamed Buns Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $80

Spend about four hours exploring a Chengdu spice market and learning to make Bao Zi steamed buns in a traditional Sichuan courtyard. An English-speaking guide, chef, ingredients, tea, drinks, and a meal are included. Guides such as Lance and Jerry have helped make the market visit lively and useful.

“Wat een geweldige ervaring! Daarbij had ik het goed getroffen met Jerry! Wat een leuke gids was dat! Eerst gingen we de markt bezoeken. Geduldig legde hij alles uit wat ik wilde weten: (voor mij) onbekende groentes vertaalde hij, liet hij ruiRead more”

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7.Hong Kong Market Walking Tour & Chinese Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $131

Meet Bill Chan in Ngau Tau Kok for a guided walk through a local wet market, where you’ll see seafood, meats, produce, Chinese BBQ, and noodle shops. Then prepare a three-course Chinese meal in a well-equipped cooking studio, with tea, coffee, dessert, recipes, and practical techniques to take home.

“A must do in Hong Kong! Bill was an awesome host, guide and teacher. The experience starts with a short tour around the markets and Bill gives interesting details about how the markets function and the cuisine of Hong Kong. Then you go Read more”

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8.Half-Day Professional Mapo Tofu Cooking with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · from $69

Join guide Jerry and a professional chef for a four-hour Chengdu food experience. Visit a local market, learn about Sichuan spices, cook mapo tofu in a small group of up to 10, then eat your meal with tea, beer, or another drink.

“It was a very cool experience! Jerry, the tour guide, was very helpful throughout the experience, even before the activity had started. Before the experience had even begun, he reached out to clarify the different workshops that Chilli Uncool hRead more”

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9.Half-Day Sichuan Cooking Class Experience in Chengdu

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · from $83

Start with hotel pickup at 4 pm and learn Sichuan cooking in a small class capped at five people. A local chef guides you through dishes such as Kung Pao chicken, dumplings, eggplant, and sweet and sour pork, then serves the meal you made. English support varies.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class. I was the only student that day and asked if we could substitute gong pao chicken dish as I had learned to make that previously. The chef was very accommodating and gave me a couple of different options. In the end, we made four different dishes including mapu tofu, twice cooked pork, dandan noodles, and pork ribs with potatoes. The class was taught at the chef's home with an ayi present to help with the dishes. The chef's English was very good. If you are looking for a fun way to learn more about the local dishes, this is an excellent option and I…”

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10.China’s Favourite Street Food Cooking Workshop

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $80

Meet Dom in Beijing’s Dongcheng district for a private, hands-on jian bing class. You’ll hear the dish’s story, make the batter, cook your own crepes, and choose from savory and sweet fillings, including chocolate and banana. The class suits families, friends, and curious food lovers.

“I did the jian bing workshop with some of my friends in September. It was a ton of fun! I really enjoyed getting to make as many jian bings as I wanted and getting to both make the dough and cook it on the pan myself. I definitely needed a few tries to get the techniquRead more”

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11.Private Panda Tour with Cooking Class One-day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · from $123

Start at 7:30 am with hotel pickup or meet at Renmin Middle Road. Your English-speaking guide takes you to the panda base, a Buddhist nunnery, a local market, and a Sichuan cooking class. Jerry is one guide associated with the experience. Lunch, panda admission, tea, and drinks with your meal are included.

“This tour consists of three elements. A visit to a panda center, a visit to a monastery in the city center with a vegetarian meal and a preparation of some dishes with food bought at the market. Jerry was very enthusiastic and accommodating. Read moreAuto-translated”

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12.Half-day Dandan Noodles Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $100

Join Chilli Cool China in Chengdu for a four-hour Dan Dan noodle class led by an English-speaking guide and local chef. Visit a spice market, complete a hands-on food challenge, cook in a professional kitchen, and eat your noodles with tea, beer, or another drink.

“The excursion to the local spice market in a small group was a great experience and cooking together was great fun. Our guide was very charming and had lots of interesting details for us. The "treasure hunt" on the spice maket was a great idea! :)”

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13.Private Hutong Culture Tour with Dumpling Cooking Class plus Cricket Fighting Game

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $176

Spend six hours exploring Beijing with a private guide, visiting Lama Temple, Confucius Temple, the Drum Tower, and old hutongs. Ride a rickshaw, make dumplings with a local family, watch cricket fighting, eat lunch, and finish near Houhai Lake. Lily may be your guide.

“Lily was our guide and we have a fantastic time with her from the time we met her ..making the dumplings were just awesome food was great highly recommend this trip ..:”

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14.Vegan Home Cooking & Local Market Tour with Sanxia

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 4 hours · from $47

Join Sanxia for a private 4 to 6 hour Beijing food experience. Shop for seasonal produce at a local market, make dumplings, noodles, buns, and other vegan dishes in her home, drink Chinese tea, and receive photos plus a handmade Fragrant Hills bookmark.

“Super friendly and was able to learn a lot about cooking as well as everyday life in Beijing.”

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15.Online Cooking Class Hand Pulled Noodles by Sunflower Li

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 2 hours

Cook authentic Xi’an biang biang noodles from scratch with Chef Sunflower Li in a private, English-language Zoom class. You will prepare the dough, pull wide belt noodles, and finish them with a spicy Chinese sauce. The two-hour class suits families, parties, and team events, with vegan options available.

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