Food Vocabulary

IELTS Food Vocabulary: The Word List

Food knows no boundaries: you can find McDonald’s in China and dumplings in America. Since it’s such a popular topic in the IELTS Speaking test, here’s a organized list of the most useful food vocabulary, followed by two practice tests.

1. Food Collocations

Collocations are groups of words that natives naturally put together. If you misuse one, even slightly, it’s a red flag for the examiner.

“I usually eat home food.” ✗
“I usually eat home-cooked meals.” ✓

A balanced diet: A diet that includes the right variety of nutrients.
“I try to eat a balanced diet, but I definitely give in to cravings sometimes.”

Processed food: Food that has been altered from its natural state, usually for convenience.
“Most nutritionists recommend limiting processed food as much as possible.”

Comfort food: Food that makes you feel good emotionally, often tied to nostalgia.
“Whenever I’m feeling down, I usually have some salty chips; it’s definitely a comfort food for me.”

A home-cooked meal: A meal made at home rather than bought.
“There’s nothing quite like coming home to a home-cooked meal after a long day.”

Leftovers: Food that remains after a meal, usually saved for later.
“I never throw away leftovers; I just reheat them the next day.”

Dietary restrictions: Limits on what someone can eat, due to health, religion, or personal choice.
“Well, I don’t have any dietary restrictions, so I love to try all kinds of new foods when I travel.”

Order delivery: To have food brought to your home from a restaurant.
“We were too tired to cook, so we just ordered delivery.”

Low calorie: Containing few calories.
“The reason I like to be vegetarian is that vegetarian food is very low calorie, so I don’t have to worry about gaining weight.”

Sugar-free / fat-free / dairy-free: Not containing that ingredient.
“When I go to the café, I always ask for my latte to be fat-free and dairy-free.”

Junk food: Food that is unhealthy but often convenient or tasty.
“Although I mostly try to avoid junk food, sometimes I can’t resist KitKat bars or Oreos.”

Guilty pleasure: Something you enjoy despite knowing it’s not the “best” choice.
“Chocolate ice cream is definitely my guilty pleasure.”

2. Describing Food

Everyday adjectives (useful for “Tell me about a dish that is popular in your country”)

Heavy: Very filling; makes you feel slow and possibly tired. Often used negatively, but not always.
“The average person in America eats a lot of red meat, bread, and potatoes; the meals are quite heavy.”

Light: Easy to digest and often small in portion size. It makes you feel more energetic than before eating.
“If you want to stay energetic and focused at work, have a light meal, like soup or a salad.”

Greasy: Containing lots of oil and fat.
“I don’t like to eat KFC because it’s all deep-fried and very greasy.”

Hearty: Nutritious, satisfying, warm, and often large in portion. (The key difference from “heavy”: hearty food is also nutritious, hot, and makes you feel very satisfied.)
“A hot bowl of potato and beef stew is a hearty winter meal.”

Creamy: Thick and smooth; often contains, or looks like it contains, cream.
“I love a nice, creamy plate of macaroni and cheese.”

Advanced adjectives (your range of vocabulary is an important part of your score)

Bland: Without much flavor.
“If I ever get bland food from a restaurant, I just add some salt and pepper.”

Bitter: A strong, not sweet, often unpleasant flavor, such as coffee or unsweetened chocolate.
“The tea was very strong and bitter, so I added some honey and a slice of lemon.”

Sour: The strong, acidic taste common in lemons or citrus fruits.
“My brother loves the sour taste of unsweetened lemonade.”

Savoury: Rich and satisfying, and salty rather than sweet.
“My grandmother’s meals were amazing; they were always so satisfying and savoury.”

Tender: Soft (used for meat).
“The steak was cooked perfectly; I love a nice tender steak.”

Tough: Hard (used for meat).
“If you overcook chicken, it becomes tough and hard to eat.”

Raw: Not cooked with heat.
“I am afraid to try sushi because I have never eaten raw fish before.”

Moist: The opposite of dry; slightly wet.
“The freshly cooked brownies were warm and moist.”

3. Healthy and Unhealthy Eating

(Useful for “Why do some people avoid unhealthy food?”)

Nutritious: Containing vitamins and minerals that are good for your body.
“I try to eat nutritious food most days, even if I treat myself on weekends.”

High in ______: Containing a large amount of a specific nutrient or ingredient (used with sugar, fat, sodium, etc.).
“I avoid soda because it’s usually high in sugar.”

Empty calories: Calories from food with little to no nutritional value.
“Candy and soda are just empty calories; they fill you up without giving you any real nutrients.”

To watch one’s weight: To be careful about what you eat in order to avoid gaining weight.
“Ever since my check-up, I’ve been watching my weight a lot more closely.”

To be bad for one’s body: To have a negative effect on someone’s health.
“Everyone knows fried food is bad for your body if you eat it too often.”

4. Talking About Cooking

(Useful for “Are you a good cook?”)

I would say I am…: A polite, natural way to express your abilities. Much better than saying “I am not a good cook.”
“I would say I am a pretty good cook when it comes to basic meals, but I can’t cook anything too elaborate or complicated.”

I can’t say I am…: A polite way to admit that you are not able to cook well.
“I can’t say I am. Most people never like my food, so I usually don’t cook anything unless it’s just for me.”

From scratch: Cooking using only basic, natural ingredients rather than pre-made or pre-mixed packages.
“I love to bake cakes, but I don’t bake from scratch; I just buy a box of cake mix and follow the instructions.”

Instant noodles: A common packaged noodle meal that can be cooked easily.
“When I was a university student, I survived mostly on instant noodles.”

5. Eating Out vs. Cooking at Home

(Useful for “Why do some people prefer to eat out rather than cook at home?”)

Convenient: Easy and time-saving.
“Ordering food online is extremely convenient after a long workday.”

Time-consuming: Taking up a lot of time.
“I don’t like cooking because it can be very time-consuming.”

Pricey: A synonym for expensive.
“Eating out at restaurants every day can be quite pricey.”

Exorbitant: Extremely expensive.
“When we looked at the menu, we saw the exorbitant prices and decided to go somewhere else. I think $100 for a hamburger is just too much.”

Cost-effective: Saving money.
“Cooking simple foods at home is simply more cost-effective than eating McDonald’s every day.”

Adds up: When many small costs become a lot.
“Eating out every day may seem small, but the cost really adds up, and it becomes quite expensive.”

Tipping culture: The expectation of leaving extra money (a tip) for service workers.
“The US has a strong tipping culture, so I make sure I tip when I visit New York.”

Terribly boring: Extremely uninteresting.
“Doing the dishes after cooking is terribly boring to me.”

6. Food Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are extremely common and help you sound more natural and fluent.

To dine out / eat out: To eat at a restaurant rather than at home.
“My sister and I like to dine out on Thursdays so we can catch up.”

To hit (a place): To visit or stop by a restaurant, café, or store, usually quickly or as part of a routine (informal).
“I always hit Starbucks on my way to work to grab an iced coffee.”

To go cold: When food that should be hot becomes cold.
“Honestly, I don’t like to order delivery because the food always goes cold by the time it arrives.”

To go bad: When food spoils and is no longer safe to eat.
“I try not to buy many groceries at once because I don’t want everything to go bad if I don’t eat it.”

To whip something together: To prepare something quickly, often with limited ingredients and effort.
“I didn’t have much time, so I just whipped together an egg sandwich.”

To cut down on (something): To reduce the amount of a certain food or drink you consume.
“My doctor advised me to cut down on sugar to improve my health.”

To snack on (something): To eat small amounts of food between main meals.
“Instead of chips, I try to snack on fresh fruit or nuts during the day.”

7. Adverbs of Frequency

(Useful for “How often do you eat out?”, and for almost any other topic too)

Weekly / Monthly: Once every week / once every month.
“I try to eat out weekly, usually on Fridays after work.”

Quite often: Fairly frequently.
“My family eats out quite often since both my parents work long hours.”

Every now and again: Occasionally, but not on a regular schedule.
“We treat ourselves to a nice dinner every now and again.”

Seldom: Not often; rarely (a slightly more formal synonym for “hardly ever”).
“I seldom order dessert unless it’s a special occasion.”

Hardly ever: Almost never.
“I hardly ever cook meat at home; I usually save it for when I eat out.”

Once in a blue moon: Very rarely; almost never.
“I only eat fast food once in a blue moon.”

8. Food Idioms

These food-inspired idioms can be used in many non-food contexts.

Bite off more than you can chew: To take on more responsibility than you can handle.
“I think I bit off more than I could chew by taking three classes this semester.”

Have a lot on your plate: To have a lot of responsibilities.
“He has 4 kids, and he also takes care of his mom; he has a lot on his plate.”

Take it with a grain of salt: To not take some information too seriously; to be skeptical about believing it.
“I read that online, so I’m taking it with a grain of salt.”

Salt in the wound: To make a bad situation worse.
“Losing the game was bad enough, but the team laughing at us was just salt in the wound.”

Don’t cry over spilled milk: To not be upset about small issues (or issues that cannot be fixed).
“I dropped my phone and cracked the screen this morning, but I’m not gonna cry over spilled milk; it’s not a big deal.”

Not my cup of tea: Not something you like or enjoy.
“Honestly, spicy food is not my cup of tea.”

A tough cookie: A strong, resilient person.
“My mom was an immigrant and started her own business; she’s a tough cookie.”

Practice Test 1

Challenge: Try to use at least 5 words or phrases from the list above in your answers.

Speaking Part 1
What is your favorite home-cooked meal?
How often do you order delivery or eat fast food?
Do you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies?
What kind of snacks do you usually snack on between meals?
Speaking Part 2 (Cue Card)

Describe a memorable meal you had with friends or family.

You should say:

What the meal was and where you ate it
Who you were with
What made the food special (e.g., tender, hearty, savoury, creamy)

And explain why this meal was so memorable to you.

Practice Test 2

Challenge: Try to use at least 5 words or phrases from the list above in your answers.

Speaking Part 1
Are you a good cook?
How often do you eat out?
Speaking Part 3
Why do you think junk food and processed food remain so popular despite being bad for people’s health?
How have eating habits changed in your country over the last few decades?
Do you think school cafeterias should be required to serve only nutritious, balanced meals?
In many cities, the cost of dining out has become exorbitant. Do you think restaurant culture will decline as a result?
Why do some people prefer to eat out rather than cook at home?
Why do some people avoid unhealthy food?