China · COOKING CLASSES

The 15 Best Cooking Classes in China

29 tours  ·  from $20 a head

Dumplings you can actually fold, a wok hot enough to be frightening, a hotpot base built from scratch. These 15 classes are priced and honest about how much you cook versus watch, and which ones start with a market run.

Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit - Learn why Sichuan food tastes so bold
Cooking Classes, Cooking Classes in Chengdu, Half-Day, Markets, Shopping Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours in Chengdu, Workshops

Half-Day Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

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

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

Meet your English-speaking guide at Chilli Cool’s Kitchen, visit Liangjiaxiang market, taste local ingredients, then cook Sichuan dishes with a chef. Lance, Jerry, and other Chilli Cool hosts help explain the spices, translate instructions, and adapt dishes for vegetarians. Your meal, drinks, recipes, and ingredients are included.

“A delightful time in an authentic traditional Chengdu market, followed by an amazing gastronomic experience. Jerry was just great full of knowledge and energy. The cooking kitchen was a top of the line setting for preparing the meals. The location was perfect an very easy to get to, using the subway. Highly recommend it!”

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Beijing: Dumpling Making Workshop with Meal and Tea - Meeting your guide at 16:30
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Beijing: Dumpling Making Workshop with Meal and Tea

2.Dumpling Making Workshop with Meal and Tea

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 69 reviews · 3 hours · from $35

Meet your English-speaking guide at the hotel lobby at 16:30, then learn to roll wrappers, prepare fillings, and shape Beijing dumplings. Hosts such as Eric, Jenny, Janine, and Heyang have led this friendly three-hour class. Eat your boiled or pan-fried dumplings with tea, beer, and other Chinese dishes in a communal meal.

“What a fun activity to do whilst in Beijing. Jenny was a fantastic host and taught the group how to make dumplings and made the experience a lot of fun. The dumplings were delicious, highly recommend.”

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Online Cooking Class Beijing Dumplings and Cuisine by Sunflowerli Renowned Chef - Picking the Right Chinese Dish
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Online Cooking Class Beijing Dumplings and Cuisine by Sunflowerli Renowned Chef

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

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

Join Chef Sunflower Li live from Beijing for a private 60 to 90 minute Zoom cooking class. Choose dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, dim sum, mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, steamed buns, or a vegan dish. You receive the ingredient list three days ahead, then cook from scratch at your own pace.

“I enjoyed very much learning to prepare dumplings and they turned out better than expected! It was so nice hearing all your anecdotes about family meal traditions! The ingredients list sent in advance was clear and instructions easy to follow, also well equipped with the two cameras. Thank you for this fun experience!”

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Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit - Starting at Xiangshan Market at 9:15 am
Cooking Classes, Markets, Shopping Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours in Lijiang, Workshops

Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit

4.Lijiang Naxi Cuisine Cooking Class & Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · from $59

Meet Fancy at 9:15 am near Xiangshan Market for a guided walk through Lijiang’s largest Naxi market. Then cook and eat three dishes at a family-run studio, with snacks, drinks, tea, lunch, and your own cooking station included. The class lasts about three and a half hours and accepts fewer than 10 people.

“Lovely experience to discover Naxi culture through food. You will learn a lot about culinary traditions at the market and cook a delicious meal that is easy to cook and to replicate at home. Fancy host I lovely and kind, I highly recommend it!”

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Chengdu: Cooking Class with Fresh Market Half Day Experience - From Sichuan tea to the cooking station
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Chengdu: Cooking Class with Fresh Market Half Day Experience

5.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, Sichuan tea, and hands-on cooking with a local chef. You will study spices, prepare several dishes, and sit down to eat with beer or soft drinks. Vegetarian and vegan menus can be arranged in advance.

“If you like cooking and Chinese kitchen, this experience is a must in Chengdu! The market tour with the two guides - Lance and Lichi, who speak perfectly English - is very interesting, they taught us many things about Chinese food and culture. Ling, the chef, was a great teacher! And the food was delicious in the end. Truly recommended experience!”

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Yangshuo Cooking Class with Market Trip - Choosing ingredients for beer fish
Cooking Classes, Markets, Shopping Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours in Yangshuo, Workshops

Yangshuo Cooking Class with Market Trip

6.Yangshuo Cooking Class with Market Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · from $45

Meet Hans in Yangshuo for a market walk, local snacks, ingredient shopping, and a hands-on cooking class built around beer fish. You will learn how to choose fresh produce, enjoy family tea, and eat the meal you help prepare. Lunch and dinner time slots are available, with private transport and mobile tickets included.

“Hans was punctual, arriving exactly on time, and we began with a journey through a local Yangshuo market. We had a small bite to eat, then picked up some "happy water" and ingredients for the class. Throughout the experience, Hans shaRead more”

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Half-Day steamed Buns Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit - Stop 2: Tea and Baozi in a Sichuan courtyard
Cooking Classes, Cooking Classes in Chengdu, Half-Day, Markets, Shopping Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours in Chengdu, Workshops

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

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

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $80

Spend about four hours in Chengdu visiting a local spice market, learning about Sichuan ingredients, and making Baozi in a traditional courtyard kitchen. An English-speaking guide such as Lance or Jerry may lead the class. Ingredients, tea, drinks, and a light meal are included, with vegetarian options available.

“A great experience, the local market was fun, interesting and we got to try and use a little Chinese language. Lance our guide was great from start to finish and took lots of fabulous pictures which meant we could get with our cookery class. Read more”

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Hong Kong Market Walking Tour & Chinese Cooking Class - What the wet market adds to the meal
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Hong Kong Market Walking Tour & Chinese Cooking Class

8.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, then shop for ingredients and prepare a three-course Chinese meal in a professional cooking studio. This private four-and-a-half-hour experience includes lunch or dinner, tea, coffee, recipes, and practical techniques you can use at home.

“This food tour/cooking class was one of the most memorable experiences on our trip to Hong Kong. Bill was an amazing host - very friendly and knowledgable. Cooking authentic Chinese dishes was a lot of fun. The food was excellent even with our beginner dumpling making skills! There was plenty of food, so bring your appetite and be prepared to take home leftovers!”

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Secret Noodle and Wonton in Shanghai Alleyways with Local Beer - Dingtele and the first bowl of noodles
Cooking Classes, Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Local Life & Hidden Corners, Tour Reviews, Tours in Shanghai

Secret Noodle and Wonton in Shanghai Alleyways with Local Beer

9.Secret Noodle and Wonton in Shanghai Alleyways with Local Beer

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · from $79

Meet your guide near Huangpi Road Station for a three-hour food walk through Shanghai’s Former French Concession. You’ll eat noodles at Dingtele, try shrimp, pork, or vegetable wontons, and sample local beer or soybean milk. Guides such as TJ, Patrick, Jade, and Jim have led past tours, with vegetarian choices available.

“Great food. Tour guide very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She made the tour “fun”. The food did the rest.”

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Half-Day Sichuan Cooking Class Experience in Chengdu - Learning why Sichuan food tastes so bold
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Half-Day Sichuan Cooking Class Experience in Chengdu

10.Half-Day Sichuan Cooking Class Experience in Chengdu

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · from $83

Meet a local chef in Chengdu for a four-hour, small-group cooking lesson limited to five people. Prepare dishes such as Kung Pao chicken, Sichuan eggplant, sweet and sour pork, and dumplings, then eat what you make. Hotel pickup, dinner, an English-speaking chef, and recipe cards are included, though English ability can vary.

“Nice and interesting cooking class, Pretty expensive our group was just the two of us, so the cooking class was at the chef his home.”

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Private Home Cooking Class with Shanghai Mama - Entering a Shanghai home from the 1950s to 1970s
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Private Home Cooking Class with Shanghai Mama

11.Private Home Cooking Class with Shanghai Mama

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $199

Meet your guide at your central Shanghai hotel, visit a large wet market for snacks and food culture, then cook in a 1950s to 1970s local home. FeiFei, her mother, and Penny have hosted warm, personal sessions that suit food lovers, curious cooks, and anyone wanting a closer look at everyday Shanghai life.

“We had a perfect experience and a nice evening of cooking the most delicious food. Our guide FeiFei, her mother and Penny were very hospitable and we learned a lot about chinese culture. The visit to the market was also very interesting and we tried many delicious snacks. If you like cooking and want to enjoy chinese culture, you must book this tour!”

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2.5hrs Chinese Kitchen Cooking Class: Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings - Meeting near Shanghai’s Changshu Road
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2.5hrs Chinese Kitchen Cooking Class: Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings

12.2.5hrs Chinese Kitchen Cooking Class: Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $98

Spend 2.5 hours learning Shanghai’s famous soup dumplings with chefs such as Cici or Yin. You’ll make the dough, prepare the filling, wrap soup inside each dumpling, cook them steamed and pan-fried, then eat your work with tea. The small class welcomes children and can accommodate vegetarian and vegan requests.

“I thought this experience was amazing! The instructor was very sweet and helpful. The dumplings turned out so delicious as well. I couldn’t recommend this cooking class enough!”

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Private Panda Tour with Cooking Class One-day Trip - Meeting Chengdu’s giant pandas
1-Day Tours, Cooking Classes, Cooking Classes in Chengdu, Giant Panda Tours, Panda Tours in Chengdu, Private, Tour Reviews, Tours, Tours in Chengdu, Workshops

Private Panda Tour with Cooking Class One-day Trip

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

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

Start at 7:30 am with an English-speaking guide such as Jerry, then visit Chengdu's panda base, enjoy a vegetarian lunch and Buddhist ceremony at a nunnery, explore a local market, and cook Sichuan dishes with a professional chef. Hotel pickup and drop-off are offered, though the meeting-point details should be confirmed before booking.

“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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Beijing Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Hutong and Dumpling Making - Tiananmen Square in a focused 40 minutes
Chinese Food Tours, Cooking Classes, Food Tours in Beijing, Forbidden City Tours, Hutong Tours, Summer Palace Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours in Beijing

Beijing Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Hutong and Dumpling Making

14.Beijing Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Hutong and Dumpling Making

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $190

Spend about eight hours with a private guide and driver visiting Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, a Hou Hai hutong area, and Summer Palace. In a local family courtyard, you will make and eat dumplings. Hotel pickup, tickets, water, lunch, and air-conditioned transport are included. Guides may speak English, Spanish, French, German, or Russian.

“Erica is a very attentive tour guide. She took a lot of great photos and had a lot of information about each location.”

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Beijing: Dumpling-Making Class with wet Market visit - Preparing dumplings in a family home
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Beijing: Dumpling-Making Class with wet Market visit

15.Dumpling-Making Class with wet Market visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 5 hours · from $50

Spend about five hours exploring a Beijing wet market, cooking dumplings in a local family’s home, and sharing a meal over tea. Your English-speaking guide may be May, Sonia, or Peter. Choose private or small-group service, hotel pickup, and extra dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken or sweet and sour pork.

“Sonia was not only very knowledgeable but also a sweet and kind guide on this tour! Learned and laughed a lot and I highly recommend taking this tour. She is also available for other tours like forbidden city etc and I wished I had known that before. Thanks again, Sonia!”

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