• July 9, 2012

Forty-two percent of U.S. households used recipes once a week or more in 2011 -- up from 37% in 2005 -- and Millennials are the biggest drivers of the trend, according to a new recipe usage report from The NPD Group. 

Two-thirds of all homemakers (67%) have used a recipe within the past month, and two in five (42% percent) use recipes even more often, NPD reports.

One-half of Millennials, or nearly 30 million young adults, are now using recipes at least once a week. Forty-five percent of Gen X-ers, or nearly 25 million adults, also use recipes at least once a week. Households that use recipes at least once a week also tend to be traditional families that include children under the age of 18.  

Dinner is the dominant recipe-using occasion. Nearly 38 million households have used a recipe while preparing dinner in the past week, and on a typical evening, 11 million households used a recipe to cook dinner. 

As in-home meal consumption continues to grow due to cost-consciousness, "home cooks’ need for new and interesting meal ideas is going to continue to grow, as well,” notes NPD food and beverage industry analyst Darren Seifer. Food manufacturers that promote the right recipes can benefit from today's advanced at-home meal planning to get on consumers' shopping lists, he points out.