Why You Can Trust CNET How to Watch The Food Network Without Cable
Enjoy all of The Food Network's tasty treats like Chopped and Guy's Grocery Games with these streaming services.
For someone who can't cook, I love The Food Network. I watched it a lot growing up, marveling at the cakes on Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, wishing I could taste the Iron Chef's meals and -- my favorite -- watching in horror as Chopped contestants tried to make homemade ice cream in less than ten minutes. The Food Network is the perfect home for someone who appreciates good food, competition and ingenuity. When I became a cord cutter, I missed it.
Thankfully, with more content becoming available on streaming services and in bundles, there are ways to keep up with your favorite chefs and competitions. Between popular streaming and live TV services, there's a way for everyone to fulfill their Food Network cravings.
Here's where you can watch The Food Network without cable.
Watch The Food Network on an on-demand service
Many streaming services offer shows and specials from The Food Network. If you already have subscriptions to one of these on-demand services, that's a great place to start watching your favorite chefs. Only the streamers that offer live TV in its plans include the live channel, so be sure to double-check which plan you have.
A note about Discovery Plus and Max: While some Discovery content is available on Max, Discovery Plus is a separate service. As such, it isn't included with a Max subscription and has its own monthly fee. Both streaming services host some Food Network content.
Discovery Plus is home to many Food Network shows. The streamer doesn't offer the channel's live streaming, but a Discovery Plus subscription gives you access to over 190 Food Network shows, including classics like Ace of Cakes, Barefoot Contessa and holiday specials. Discovery Plus plans start at $5 per month.
Max, formerly HBO Max, also has many Food Network favorites but not its live streaming. While Max doesn't have as robust a collection of Food Network shows as Discovery Plus, it does have many popular titles, including Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games and several holiday specials. Max plans start at $10 per month, and you can read CNET's full review here.
Watch The Food Network on a live TV streaming service
Multiple live TV streaming services include the Food Network as part of their channel lineups. A live TV streaming service is the middle ground between traditional cable and streamers. Using services like Pluto TV and Sling, you can watch live TV -- usually with ads -- for a monthly subscription. Cord-cutters can take advantage of these services to fill in gaps in their current streaming subscriptions without paying full price for live TV. You can use these services to watch national and local news, sports, and, with the ones below, The Food Network.
Philo is the cheapest live TV streaming service that offers The Food Network. Compared to other live TV streaming services, it doesn't have the most inclusive channel offerings. Most notably missing are sports channels. However, for only $25 per month, this budget-friendly option is great for aspiring chefs with its lifestyle and reality programming. You can read CNET's full review here.
You can watch The Food Network live using both of Sling TV's popular plans, Orange and Blue. Sling TV was ranked the best bargain live TV streaming service, with plenty of channels available in the Orange and Blue plans for $40 per month each or both for $55 per month. You can read CNET's full review here.
The Food Network is one of many live channels included with YouTube TV. YouTube TV is our pick for the best channel section, with access to over a hundred live channels, including all your favorite Food Network shows on-demand. YouTube TV has a seven-day free trial, and plans start at $73 per month. You can read CNET's full review here.
Hulu Plus Live TV includes live streaming and on-demand content from The Food Network, along with 95 other live channels. Only the Hulu Plus Live TV plan has access to The Food Network -- the ad-supported and premium Hulu plans don't include any of its content. Hulu Plus Live TV is available for $77 per month, and you can read CNET's full review here.
How to watch The Food Network from anywhere using a VPN
Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream The Food Network while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to your favorite cooking shows from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming, too.
A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are legal in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
ExpressVPN is our best overall pick for reliable, safe VPNs. You can use the service on many devices, with a user-friendly design that makes it easy to connect. ExpressVPN is normally $13 per month, but you can save 35% -- about $8.32 a month -- with an annual subscription.
Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where The Food Network is streaming on one of the streaming services. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream The Food Network on more than one device, you may need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open your streaming service and begin watching.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.
For more, check out how to watch The Hallmark Channel without cable and the best streaming devices for 2024.