Looking for ingredient ideas for doing a Chopped mystery basket challenge at home? This list of ingredient ideas is the next best thing to a Chopped basket ideas generator. Simply mix and match 4 ingredients from the ideas listed and create your own Chopped mystery basket!
I’ve made sure to include Chopped basket ideas for kids and Chopped dessert basket ideas, as well as options for major holidays and events, plus ingredient ideas themed by color so you’ll never run out of ideas and can play Chopped at home again and again!
What is a Chopped Challenge?
In case you’re not familiar, a Chopped challenge is a cooking challenge based on the Food Network TV show “Chopped”. Professional chefs compete to create the best dishes from a set of surprise mystery basket ingredients.
You can easily replicate this fun cooking challenge at home and make it into a fun but challenging date night or a kid-friendly family activity.
Get the full instructions, plus even more mystery basket ideas in the Mystery Basket Challenge ebook!
Chopped Basket Ingredient Ideas
Use these ideas for inspiration to host your own Chopped mystery basket challenge at home. Each mystery basket should contain 4 ingredients.
For the most creative outcomes, choose from several different food categories. For example, a mix of vegetable, fruit, grain, dairy, meat, legume, candy, sauce, etc rather than 4 vegetables.
For kids or less experienced cooks, choose familiar ingredients that are versatile and can easily be combined into many different meals.
For more adventurous or experienced cooks, try ingredients you’ve never used before, or seemingly weird combos that you would never think to pair together!
To make it easier for you, I’ve included shopping links for some foods that might be a bit tricker to find in store.
This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you use them, at no additional cost to you. See disclosure policy for details.
Chopped Basket Ideas for Kids
- Bread
- Boiled eggs
- Spinach
- Mayo
- Rotisserie chicken
- Leftover rice
- Salsa
- Bell pepper
Chopped Dessert Basket Ideas
- Whipping cream
- Cotton candy
- Frozen strawberries
- Peanuts
- Dark chocolate
- Cayenne powder
- Zucchini
- Quinoa
- Sweetened condensed milk
New Years
- Champagne
- Clear unflavored gelatin
- Berries
- Edible glitter
- Leftover charcuterie board foods
Valentine’s day
- Valentine’s Day chocolate
- Valentine’s Day candy
- Heart shaped gummies
- Edible flowers
- Chili peppers
- Strawberries
- Cinnamon hearts
- Jello/clear gelatin
- Conversation hearts
- Pancake mix
Date Night
- Oysters
- P shaped foods (NSFW)
- V shaped foods (NSFW)
- Chili peppers
- Jumbo pasta shells
- Enoki mushrooms
St Patricks day
- Green beer
- Guinness
- Soda bread (mix)
- Corned beef
- St Patricks day candy
Mothers day
- Favorite foods
- Foods of her favorite color(s)
- Edible flowers
- Chocolate
- Leftover French toast/pancakes/waffles
Cinco de Mayo
- Corn tortillas
- Corn on the cob
- Mayo
- Avocado
- Fish
- Hot sauce
Fathers day
- Favorite foods
- Foods of his favorite color(s)
- Steak sauce/seasoning
- Asparagus
- Microgreens
Chopped BBQ
- Pineapple
- Cinnamon
- Chili powder
- Chicken breast
- Broccolini
- HP sauce
- Halloumi cheese
- Bell pepper
Game Day
- Chip dip
- Chips
- Beer
- Fish
- Pickles
- Game day candy
- Favorite team colored foods
4th of July
- Red, white & blue foods
- Radishes
- Cream
- Blue & white potatoes
- Red, white, & blue candies
- Beer
Canada Day
- Red and white foods
- Red and white candy
- Red kidney beans
- Borlotti beans (cranberry beans) red & white speckled
- Radishes
- Radicchio
- Red wine vinegar
Halloween
- Black and orange foods
- Black, orange & purple foods
- Leftover halloween candy
Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving candy
- Leftovers
- Cranberry sauce
- Wine
- Orange & brown foods
Christmas
- Red & green foods
- Leftovers
- Wine
- Candy canes
- Christmas chocolate
- Christmas cookies
- Puffed rice cereal
- Peppermint candies
- Christmas gummy candy
Red Foods
- Red leaf lettuce
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blood orange
- Beets
- Freeze dried raspberry powder
- Sweet & sour sauce
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Pomegranate
- Tomato paste
- Hibiscus tea
- Red quinoa
- Tomatoes
- Red kidney beans
- Adzuki Beans
- Red peppercorns
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Red candy
White Foods
- Cauliflower
- White bread
- White flour
- White asparagus
- Dragonfruit flesh
- Banana flesh
- Chicken/turkey breast
- White fish
- Onion
- Garlic
- Turnip
- Jicama
- Parsnip
- Mushroom
- Cashews
- Sesame seeds
- Pine nuts
- White beans
- Egg white
- Coconut chips
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Cannellini beans (white kidney bean)
- Navy bean
- White pepper
- Ranch dressing
- Peanuts
- White candy
Green Foods
- Asparagus
- Green grapes
- Green cabbage
- Red cabbage + baking soda (turns teal!)
- Honeydew melon
- Avocado
- Salad mix
- Frozen spinach
- Tomatillos
- Kiwi
- Escarole
- Celery
- Mustard greens
- Chives
- Scallions
- Herbs
- Okra
- Broccoli
- Broccoli rabe
- Brussel sprouts
- Dandelion greens
- Green peppers
- Jalapeno
- Pistachios
- Pickles
- Seaweed
- Edamame
- Green olives
- Spirulina powder
- Matcha powder
- Spinach pasta
- Split peas
- Fava beans
- Mung beans
- Thai green curry
- Collard greens
- Mint jelly
- Green candy
You might also like:
How to store scallions/green onions
How to regrow green onions from scraps
How to grow celery from scraps
How to grow lettuce from scraps
Yellow foods
- Pineapple
- Golden beets
- Yellow beans
- Dandelion flower
- Yellow tomatoes
- Rutabaga
- Corn
- Corn meal
- Yellow peppers
- Lemon
- Saffron
- Turmeric powder
- Yellow curry paste
- Golden kiwi
- Egg yolk
- Spaghetti squash
- Yellow pepper
- Yellow split peas
- Yellow mustard
- Mustard powder
- Candied ginger
- Yellow candy
Purple foods
- Purple grapes
- Concord grapes
- Plum
- Purple beans
- Purple sweet potatoes
- Purple cauliflower
- Purple carrots
- Purple cabbage (aka red cabbage)
- Adirondack Blue potato
- Purple onion
- Purple candy
Pink foods
- Steak
- Red cabbage + vinegar (turns bright pink)
- Watermelon
- Pink oyster mushroom
- Pink Raddicchio
- Pink Himalayan salt
- Rhubarb
- Pink peppercorns
- Salmon
- Trout
- Tuna
- Ham
- Corned beef
- Edible Rose petals
- Pink grapefruit
- Pink candy
Orange foods
- Oranges
- Canned Mandarine oranges
- Mango
- Dried mango
- Peach
- Canned peach slices
- Apricot
- Dried apricot
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Sweet potato
- American cheddar
- Kumquats
- Red lentils
- Pumpkin/squash
- Orange bell peppers
- Sun-dried tomato wraps
- Tomato pasta
- Red lentil pasta
- Orange crush
- Orange jello
- Orange zest
- Chinese Duck sauce
- Mango yogurt
- Orange sorbet
- Orange candy
Brown foods
- Cooked beef
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Raw hazelnuts
- Whole wheat flour
- Chicken/turkey thigh
- Plum sauce
- Soy sauce
- Tamari
- Hoisin sauce
- HP sauce
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat soba noodles
- Brown Lentils
- Portobello mushrooms
- Tamarind
- Peanut butter
- Almond butter
- Flax seeds
- Chocolate
- Cocoa powder
- Cacao nibs
- Coffee
- Cinnamon
- Brown colored candy
Black foods
- Blackberries
- Black/Concord grapes
- Black corn chips
- Black chia seeds
- Black rice
- Black olives
- Black currant
- Squid ink pasta
- Black raspberry
- Black garlic
- Black salt
- Black beans
- Activated charcoal (use with caution – may interfere with medications)
- Black peppercorns
- Black colored candy
Blue foods
- Blueberries
- Blue Majik algae powder
- Persian blue salt
- Blue oyster mushrooms
- Blue corn tortillas
- Blue corn meal
- Blue cheese
- Butterfly pea flower (tea)
- Blue pansies (edible flower)
- Blue raspberry candy
- Takis Blue Heat
Gray foods
- Gray salt
- Canned mackerel
- Sardines
- Dried fish
- Gray owl cheese
- Oysters
- Grey oyster mushroom
- Grey Hubbard squash (orange inside)
- Yellow dragon fruit (grey inside)
Hopefully you found these chopped mystery basket ideas to be helpful. I know that was a lot of ideas! These are most popular mystery basket ideas on the actual Chopped TV show, but I think it’s more fun to choose your own.
Remember, if you want the full instructions on how to to a Chopped challenge at home, grab the mystery basket challenge ebook!
